CROKE PARK (IRE), 2018 g. by Walk In The Park (Montjeu) out of Toledana (Protektor). Bred by A V Bloodstock

Croke Park is unbeaten in three starts over fences, adding a Grade 1 at Leopardstown to his victory in the Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase at Fairyhouse. The Dromahane point-to-point winner topped the Goffs UK Aintree Sale in 2022 following that point-to-point. He sold for a tasty €150,000 as store, having been a €47,000 foal, but at Aintree the hammer dropped in favour of Eddie O’Leary’s £400,000 bid. Beaten in a Kilbeggan bumper, his hurdle wins include a Grade 3 novice at Navan.

Croke Park is a second Grade 1 winner for Toledana, a French-bred by the German-bred Protektor (Acatenango). His year-older half-brother, Farren Glory (Fame And Glory), also trained by Gordon Elliott, went from winning a maiden hurdle at Clonmel to landing the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle. Bred, raced and trained by Guy Cherel, Toledana won four races in France, and she is one of five winners from Idylle Du Marais (Panoramic). The best of these was Oiseau De Nuit (Evening World), a Cheltenham Festival winner of the Grade 3 Grand Annual Chase.

DANCING JEREMY (IRE), 2015 g. by Jeremy (Danehill Dancer) out Cosetta (Tikkanen). Bred by Walter Zieg

One of just three foals out of his unraced dam, one of which was never named, Dancing Jeremy won a listed handicap chase at Limerick, his fifth career win at the age of nine. He is the first notable performer in the family for decades, with his first four dams all just responsible for a single winner each. However, his fourth dam Kekova made something of a mark, being a four-time winner and then breeding the Cheltenham Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Stranfield (Hul A Hul), and being grandam of the Mackeson Gold Cup winner Multum In Parvo (Proverb).

GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (FR), 2016 g. by Timos (Sholokhov) out of Manon Des Champs (Marchand De Sable). Bred by Haras des Champs

The 100th Boodles Gold Cup was won by a true champion in Galopin Des Champs, and who will bet against the 101st staging of the same race being a repeat? He would be in an even more select group should he be successful for a third time.

At Leopardstown over Christmas Galopin Des Champs took his career winnings to more than £1.5 million with a second success in the Grade 1 Savills Chase, and this was his tenth victory at the highest level.

Galopin Des Champs and his full-sister Flute Des Champs (Timos) are the only blacktype horses in four generations on his dam’s side of the equation. The mating of Timos with the four-time flat winner Manon Des Champs, a daughter of Marchand De Sable (Theatrical), has been rewarding, and the listed Auteuil chase winner Flute Des Champs was born a year before her Grade 1 winning full-brother. Manon Des Champs bred three winners in all.

A son of Sholokhov (Sadler’s Wells), Timos was a listed winner in France at three and four, and was beaten a length by Allied Powers in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly and ran third to Duncan in the Group 2 Prix Foy. Galopin Des Champs and Flute Des Champs are his only winners of note.

HELLO NEIGHBOUR (IRE), 2021 g. by Harzand (Sea The Stars) out of Je T’Adore (Montjeu). Bred by John Yarr

Sons of Montjeu (Sadler’s Well) did well with winners over the Christmas period, but here is a Grade 2 juvenile hurdle winner at Leopardstown out of one of his daughters.

Hello Neighbour is unbeaten in three starts, two on the flat for Tally-Ho Stud’s Tony O’Callaghan, but this debut hurdle success was such that the Gavin Cromwell-trained gelding is now favourite in places for the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham. Sold as a foal from Meadowlands Stud, he cost Castledillon Stud’s Timmy Hillman €57,000.

Hello Neighbour is the second produce of the twice-raced Je T’Adore to win a graded juvenile hurdle. A Wave Of The Sea, by Born To Sea (Sea The Stars), won a Grade 1 at Leopardstown in 2020, and has since gone on to enjoy Grade 2 successes over fences. Their half-sister Duvet Day (Starspangledbanner) is a Grade 3 flat winner in the USA. Yarr bought Je T’Adore, who sold for 150,000gns as a yearling, for 28,000gns, and in November Tally-Ho spent €68,000 to buy Hello Neighbour’s half-brother, a colt for by Blue Bresil (Smadoun), at Tattersalls Ireland.

HOME BY THE LEE (IRE), 2015 g. by Fame And Glory (Montjeu) out of Going For Home (Presenting). Owned and bred by Sean O’Driscoll

A month after winning the 2022 Grade 2 Lismullen Hurdle at Navan, Home By The Lee’s Cork owner-breeder Sean O’Driscoll had more reason to celebrate as his gelding added the Grade 1 Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown. In 2024, the gelding has repeated the feat, and all of these successes have come after he won the Grade 2 Nas Na Riogh Novice Chase at Naas, Grade 3 Paddy Power EBF Novice Chase at Cork and finished third in the Grade 1 Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse. Over hurdles he was also placed behind Teahupoo in both the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle at Punchestown.

O’Driscoll raced Going For Home and she won a point-to-point. She was trained by Joe Crowley after being purchased by his daughter Frances for €16,000. She is also dam of Home By The Lee’s own-sister Beautiful Citi (Fame And Glory) who won a couple of bumpers, a hurdle race and placed in a listed hurdle, three-time chase winner Carole Rose (Mahler) and dual point-to-point winner The Mystro (Golan). Going For Home’s dam is a half-sister to Neblin (Nebbiolo), winner of the Grade 3 Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury and the County Hurdle at Cheltenham.

IMPAIRE ET PASSE (FR), 2018 g. by Diamond Boy (Mansonnien) out of Brune Ecossaise (Le Fou). Bred by Haras de Peyre and Mrs Pascale Papon

The French-bred Impaire Et Passe won the 2023 Grade 1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, but there was a strong Irish connection, as his sire stands at Con and Claire O’Keeffe’s Kilbarry Lodge Stud in Waterford. With that victory, he became the stallion’s second winner at this level, following the dual Grade 1-winning chaser L’Homme Presse. Now the gelding has surpassed the latter’s achievement, winning the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle, the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown, and now adding his first Grade 1 over fences at Limerick.

A winner on the flat at Nancy, Impaire Et Passe was sold at an Arqana Online Sale for €155,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock and made his way to Willie Mullins. He has now been successful six times over hurdles, including a pair of Grade 2 races, twice over fences, and his three placed runs have come in Grade 1 races. He is the first foal and winner for his dam who was placed six times on the flat and over jumps in France.

Impaire Et Passe has been joined on the winners’ listing by his half-sister Joliepoule (Cokoriko) who won twice in France, and last year’s three-year-old winner Linstant (Tunis). This female line is light on winners, and the only other blacktype performer in the first four generations is Foudre Delta, also a son of Diamond Boy and successful in a listed hurdle race.

JULY FLOWER (FR), 2019 f. by Pastorius (Soldier Hollow) out of Aurelle D’Arthel (Astarabad). Bred by Hubert Monier and partners

Henry de Bromhead bought the top-priced mare, and the second highest-priced lot in the Goffs UK Spring Sale last year, when he acquired July Flower, who was offered by Mill House Stud on behalf of Caolan Woods. On her first start since, she provided Rachael Blackmore with her comeback win, and after her Grade 3 win at Leopardstown looks an exciting prospect.

Winner of the AQPS Grade 1 Prix Jacques de Vienne at Fontainebleau on the flat at three, July Flower placed third on her penultimate start in the Grade 1 Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil (French Champion Hurdle).

July Flower made one start previously for de Bromhead when trained by him for a short time, and after her move to France was runner-up in the Grade 1 Prix Renaud du Vivier Hurdle. She is the best of a pair of winning offspring from her dam, herself successful on the flat and over jumps in France. Two of Aurelle D’Arthel’s seven winning siblings were successful in listed chases in France, Enjeu D’Arthel (Saddler Maker) and Jardin D’Arthel (Cokoriko).

This is one of four separate stories in which Leo reviews all 26 Christmas blacktype winners