TRIPLE Crown hero Nijinsky (by Northern Dancer) was a hugely influential stallion. There is a long list of classic and other Group 1 stars among his descendants and the jumpers who represent his male line include some of the brightest stars of the modern era.
Stallions who have supplied his clan’s best hurdlers and chasers include Alflora, Assessor, Cadoudal, Hernando, Indian River, Kadalko, Kahyasi, Moscow Society, Overbury, and Saint Des Saints, and three of those are of particular importance when it comes to talking about Longford House Stud’s new stallion Fuisse. Like him, they represent the Green Dancer branch of Nijinsky’s line.
Leading National Hunt sire Cadoudal is a son of the 1975 Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) hero and his many offspring of note include the leading sires Kadalko and Saint Des Saints. Cadoudal’s entires also include graded scorer Indian River, who began his stud career in his native France but was standing at Park House Stud in Co Carlow at the time of his death. That stallion’s loss was keenly felt this month when his outstanding son Native River won an epic battle for the Grade 1 Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Green Tune is, as his name might suggest, also a son of Green Dancer and, like his sire, he was a top-class performer and classic winner – the horse who beat Turtle Island in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Pelder in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan. He was a leading flat sire in France and it is Fuisse who heads his string of stakes-winning offspring.
A half-brother to 10-furlong Group 1 winner and Haras du Grand Chesnaie stallion Full Of Gold (by Gold Away), Fuisse won the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, chased home Le Havre in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby), and his five blacktype wins came by an aggregate margin of 14 lengths.
The degree of the brothers’ success on the track was something of a surprise given that their dam, Funny Feerie (by Sillery), was a blacktype-winning hurdler. What is no surprise, however, is their potential as National Hunt stallions.
Fuisse has already sired a string of multiple winners on the flat in France, including pattern-placed juvenile stakes winner High Alpha and the unbeaten Freddy Head-trained colt Young Fire, who holds an entry in the 2018 Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club.
His early runners over obstacles feature four-time hurdles scorer Peruvien Bleu, trained by Nick Williams.
FUISSE (FR), Black 2006. Won seven races, £769,047, over 1 mile, 2 to 4 years including, Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, Longchamp, Gr.1, Prix Messidor, Maisons-Laffitte, Gr.3, Prix du Chemin de Fer du Nord, Chantilly, Gr.3, Prix de Montretout, Longchamp, L, Prix du Mesnil Le Roi Prix de Pontarme, Maisons-Laffitte, L, also placed 2nd Prix du Jockey Club, Chantilly, Gr.1, Prix Thomas Bryon, Saint-Cloud, Gr.3, and 3rd Prix Francois Mathet, Saint-Cloud, L, and Prix Jacques Laffitte, Maisons-Laffitte, L.
Retired to stud in 2011, and sire of the winners of 96 races, and £1,024,960, including HIGH ALPHA (FR) and Black Max (FR), and sire of the winners of 16 races, and £244,167 under N.H. Rules.
Stands at: Longford House Stud, Templemore, Co Tipperary, Ireland.
Contact: Julie Lewis
Telephone: +353 (0)89 4802181
Email: longfordbloodstock@gmail.com
Web: www.thoroughbredstallions.ie
Fee: €2,500