TRAINED originally by Colin Bowe, Envoi Allen was successful in a point-to-point at Ballinaboola by an eye-catching 10 lengths and was whisked away to the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham February Sale. There he fell to Tom Malone’s winning bid of £400,000 and afterwards the agent revealed that he was bought for David and Patricia Thompson of Cheveley Park Stud and was to be trained in Ireland by Gordon Elliott.

The four-year-old son of Muhtathir (Elmaamul) raced for Walter Connors. He is the first foal for his Saint Des Saints (Cadoudal) dam Reaction and she won a couple of times over jumps in France as a five-year-old for trainer Emmanuel Clayeux. She raced in his name too, although she was bred by Bruno Vagne, also the breeder of Envoi Allen.

Malone was well aware of the gelding before he went under the hammer, saying at the time: “I loved him – I saw him privately in the yard and I was there standing in the field when he won his point-to-point effortlessly.”

Envoi Allen’s price was the third best ever for a point-to-pointer and the second best for a four-year-old. He had a lot to live up to when he made his racecourse debut in a Fairyhouse bumper at the start of December. He won by four lengths and Elliott wasted no time bringing him out again in the appropriately named ‘Future Champions Bumper, a listed race at Navan. This he also annexed with ease. Now it would appear that the sky is the limit. Reaction is one of six winners for Hesmeralda (Royal Charter), a sound racemare who won nine times over jumps in France. She bred six winners and among them was Une Epoque (Dom Alco), a Grade 3 chase winner at Auteuil. Her other successful progeny include Enda Bolger’s Auvergnat (Della Francesca) who won three times in France before being sold for €220,000 and he has won four times to date for the Bruree-based trainer.

BLACKTYPE WINNERS

Hesmeralda was one of 10 winners for Violeta (Rhapsodien) and one of them, Galapagos (Silver Rainbow) won 10 times. Violeta is also grandam of a couple of blacktype winners, including current runner Celebre D’Allen (Network), and she is third dam of Espoir D’Allen (Voix Du Nord), a leading performer for JP McManus and Gavin Cromwell last season and who last month made a winning start to the current campaign.

Envoi Allen’s sire Muhtathir was one of the best milers of his generation in Europe and won the Prix Jacques Le Marois as a five-year-old, having been a Group 1 winner in Italy the year before. As a three-year-old he was runner-up in the French 2000 Guineas. He is the sire of five Group 1 winners on the flat, notably the globe-trotting Doctor Dino and the high-class filly Satwa Queen. His National Hunt winners include Willie Mullins’ Grade 1 horse Twinlight and dual Cheltenham Festival winner Pacha Du Polder.