WHILE looking at the sire profiles may not be a very accurate predictor of winners at the Cheltenham Festival, a look back at what has happened over the past decade might still be a useful exercise.

It may perhaps pinpoint some sires who have gone under the radar for breeders, especially if you are looking to produce a horse worthy of competing at National Hunt’s equivalent of the Olympics. After all, an incredible 643 stallions have had one or more runners at the Cheltenham Festival between 2011 and 2020.

So, as Julie Andrews famously sang, let’s start at the very beginning, and the obvious numbers to look at are the stallions with multiple wins at the Festival. How many of the 643 sires do you imagine managed to see their offspring visit the winners’ enclosure more than once, given that in those years there have been 275 winners?

The answer is 52, and they have been responsible for 193 of those victories.

Three stallions have the distinction of being responsible for double-digit success during the past 10 years; King’s Theatre (Sadler’s Wells), Robin Des Champs (Garde Royale) and Oscar (Sadler’s Wells). The former Ballylinch Stud sire King’s Theatre chalked up 13 wins, Robin Des Champs was one behind, while Oscar had 10 winner podium finishes.

A notable feature of Rathbarry sire Robin Des Champs’ achievement is that his 12 wins were garnered from just 47 runs, a strike rate of 26%. It would also be fair to say that when he got a good horse, he got a very good one!

Vautour won the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2014, was back the following year to add the Grade 1 JLT Novices’ Chase, and then brought up a Grade 1 treble in the Ryanair Chase. These were his three visits to Prestbury Park during the decade under review. Sir Des Champs graduated from capturing the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle to landing to 12 months later galloping to victory in the Grade 2 Jewson Novices’ Chase. He was runner-up in the Gold Cup, all his starts during the past decade at the Festival.

Un Temps Pour Tout made three trips to the Festival during this time, winning the Grade 3 Ultima Handicap Chase in 2016 and 2017. And then there is Quevega. Between 2011 and 2014 she was unbeaten at the Festival, her victories coming at a time when the Mares’ Hurdle was a Grade 2 contest. Completing the line-up of winners by Robin Des Champs during this time was another Martin Pipe Hurdle winner, Blow By Blow.

Champ's victory with Barry Geraghty in the 2020 Grade 1 RSA Insurance Novices' Chase was the 13th win of the last decade at the Festval for his sire, King's Theatre \ Healy Racing

Robin Des Champs can lay claim to being considered the ultimate Cheltenham sire, though connections of King’s Theatre can equally claim the title for their sire. The most recent addition to his roll of honour, and the horse that pitched him to the top of the standings, was last year’s Grade 1 RSA Novices’ Chase winner, Champ. He will be back this week in search of further glory. Captain Chris, in 2011, started the decade out with a win in the Grade 1 Arkle Chase.

Twelve months later King’s Theatre had an exceptional year, his sons Riverside Theatre and Brindisi Breeze winning the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase and Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle respectively, and Balthazar King won the first of his two cross-country races. The New One, Cue Card and Glen’s Melody have been his other Grade 1 winners during this time.

King’s Theatre has been well represented at Cheltenham during the last decade, being responsible for 171 starters. His strike rate of 8% is just ahead of that achieved by Oscar’s runners, his 10 wins being gained from 138 starters. Again, the Coolmore team could argue for him to be crowned the king of Cheltenham, given that eight of those wins were at Grade 1 level, and included winners of the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and the Stayers’ Hurdle.

Rock On Ruby won the 2012 Champion Hurdle, Lord Windermere annexed the Gold Cup two years later, before Paisley Park and Lisnagar Oscar have won the past two editions of the Stayers’ Hurdle. Lord Windermere also won the RSA Chase, O’Faolains Boy won the same race, while At Fishers Cross and Kilbricken Storm both were victorious in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle five years apart.

A couple of stallions to keep an eye on at Cheltenham 2021

IN the past decade just one sire has a 100% winners to runners’ record. Not only that, but he did it in a Grade 1 race. Any guesses? Here is a clue – the victory came in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle, the horse was a French-bred, a son of a German-bred stallion, and he was trained in Ireland.

When Solwhit and Paul Carberry, pictured with Keith Shous, won the Grade 1 World Hurdle, they gave the gelding's sire a 100% record at the Festival \ Healy Racing

The answer is that the sire was Solon (Local Suitor) who stood in France, and his fee for most of the last years of his life was a mere €1,200. Winner at Group 1 level in Germany, Solwhit was his outstanding progeny. After winning at Cheltenham Solwhit added the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle and ran second in the French Champion Hurdle.

Fast Company (Danehill Dancer) died last year. In recent years he stood under the Darley banner at Kildangan Stud. He has two entries next week at Cheltenham and they might be worth keeping an eye on. The sire has had three runners at the Festival, one each in the past three years. Veneer Of Charm won the Grade 3 Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle in 2018, Band Of Outlaws repeated the feat in 2019, while last year Christopher Wood was unplaced in the County Hurdle. A 67% strike rate is not to be sneezed at.

Four stallions during the last decade have a 50% strike rate of winners to runners. Falco (Pivotal) is now based in Lincolnshire and his sole runner at the meeting has been Peace And Co, winner of the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle and pulled up the following year in the Champion Hurdle. Keep an eye on both of Falco’s runners next week – Hudson De Grugy and Hitman.

Lucarno (Dynaformer) has had just two runners at the Festival, and his daughter Dame De Compagnie won the Grade 3 Coral Cup last year. She holds a number of entries next week. Tamayaz (Gone West) sired the Foxhunters’ winner Tammys Hill from two runners at Cheltenham, while Tiraaz (Lear Fan) had a single runner, Finian’s Rainbow. He made two starts, winning the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase and running second in the Grade 1 Arkle Chase.

Two stallions on the 33% strike rate figure deserve a mention. The Haras du Mezeray sire Muhtathir (Elmaamul) has had five runners at the meeting, they started 12 times and two of them have won – both on two occasions. Indeed, between Pacha Du Polder and Envoi Allen, Muhtathir has had a winner in each of the last four years. He is odds on to make it five.

Mount Nelson (Rock Of Gibraltar) stood his last three seasons at Boardsmill Stud and he has a couple of entries next week. His son Penhill accounts for half of the six starts made at the Festival by his sons, and he won both the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle and the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle.

New site for National Hunt sires

ALL of these results are based on statistics for racing at the Cheltenham Festival from 2011 to 2020 inclusive. Wins achieved in previous years have not been included. All of the information for this has been supplied by Weatherbys who recently launched a new website, nhstallions.co.uk, which complements the Weatherbys Stallion Books and Global Stallions App.

The new site carries details of nearly 100 National Hunt and dual-purpose stallions standing in Ireland, France and Britain. It contains continuously updated stallion statistics and progeny information, including top performers, recent results, upcoming entries, sales results and more.