THE marketing arm of France Galop, FRBC, tagged me on Twitter to let me know that French-breds Protektorat, Goshen and State Man were among 14 winners over jumps for horses bred in that country at the weekend.

It was a fine couple of days indeed for French-breds, and we have come to expect weekends such as these. The appearance of horses bred in France on the jumping scene has led to a more competitive environment for breeders in Ireland and Britain. We see larger numbers of stores purchased across the channel being offered at the premier stores sales here and in England.

In spite of the fact that he was already a Grade 1 winner at Aintree as a novice chaser, the Alex Ferguson part-owned Protektorat has not featured in these columns before. He now deserves to be reviewed, given that he earned his sixth career win in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Haydock on Saturday.

Bred by Guy Charel and Isabelle Pacault, the seven-year-old son of Saint Des Saints (Cadoudal) has stretched a family tradition to at least a fourth generation, His dam, grandam, third and fourth dams all produced at least one blacktype winner, and three of them bred a Grade 1 winner.

Protektorat is the better of two winners from Protektion, a daughter of Protektor (Acatenango), and his dam was a smart racemare who won listed races over hurdles and fences, both times at Auteuil. Protektion was recently mentioned in passing on these pages as her half-brother, L’Estran (Linda’s Lad), won the Grade 1 Gran Premio Merano Chase in Italy for the fourth time.

He and Protektion are out of a Grade 2-placed chaser in France, Lesoquera (Lesotho), and her winning siblings were listed hurdle scorer Cartzagrouas (Esprit Du Nord) and Korelo (Cadoudal) who was runner-up in the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Another of their siblings, the unraced Saint Vigne (Saint Des Saints), bred the Cheltenham Grade 3 County Hurdle winner Saint Roi (Coastal Path), also runner-up in the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle. Saint Roi looks set to make the transition to chasing.

Finally, Protektorat’s fourth dam, Cartza (Carmarthen), bred just a single winner, but he was Batman Senora (Chamberlin) whose six wins over fences included the Grade 1 Prix La Haye Jousselin.

Outstanding

Saint Des Saints needs no introduction as he is the outstanding National Hunt sire in France. About to turn 25, he is advertised for next season at Haras d’Etreham for a fee of €15,000, if you could get a nomination. Few stallions standing anywhere have enjoyed as much success as he has with his National Hunt performers, and all I need to do now is to list his Grade 1/A winners, with the damsire in brackets.

Feast your eyes on this list – Gelino Bello (Robin Des Champs), Gentleman De Mee (Video Rock), Protektorat (Protektor), St Donats (King’s Theatre), Gaillard Du Mesnil (Al Namix), Fusil Raffles (Panoramic), Monmiral (Mont Basile), Northerly Wind (Poliglote), Burrows Saint (Mansonnien), Goliath Du Berlais (King’s Theatre), Storm Of Saintly (Garde Royale), Whetstone (Mansonnien), Djakadam (Baryshnikov), Le Rocher (Adieu Au Roi), Quito De La Roque (Cyborg), Quel Esprit (Royal Charter), and Me Voici (Top Ville).

Speaking of successful National Hunt sires, the younger Doctor Dino (Muhtathir), a mere 20-year-old, stood this year at a fee of €20,000, an increase of nearly 10% on the previous season, and his stock featured prominently among the top lots at the recent Arqana Sale.

At the weekend his son State Man added the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle to a Punchestown Festival win in the Grade 1 Champion Novice Hurdle, and his recent run of excellent form also included success at Cheltenham in the Grade 3 County Hurdle.

Now people are asking, quite legitimately, how high can this five-year-old go? He has won four of his six lifetime runs, and he is the second Grade 1 winner out of Arret Station, by Johann Quatz (Sadler’s Wells). The other is his own-sister, another Willie Mullins inmate, Statuaire (Muhtathir), and she was triumphant in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse.

ML Bloodstock

State Man and Statuaire were both bred by Vincent Barrett’s M L Bloodstock (he races the latter), who purchased their dam for €13,000 in a private transaction at an Osarus Sale in mid-2011. Arret Station had won a listed hurdle race at Auteuil and has since become a full-sister to a three-time winner.

Their dam Alicesprings (Pelder) won five races on the flat and was one of five winners for her winning dam, Cyrning (Saint Cyrien). You need to go back to State Man’s fourth dam to find the next blacktype, as she bred a listed hurdle winner.

State Man could well become the best runner for his globetrotting sire, who is also responsible for household names such as Sharjah, Sceau Royal, and La Bague Au Roi.

Few horses in recent years have garnered as many column inches as Goshen. Bred by Christophe Toulorge, the six-year-old son of the Group 1 Derby, Juddmonte International Stakes and Racing Post Trophy winner Authorized (Montjeu) reverted to hurdles at Ascot and relished the conditions to annihilate his three opponents. The absence of Constitution Hill took some of the gloss off Goshen’s victory.

Three times a winner on the flat, Goshen has won seven times over timber, and on Saturday added the Grade 2 Ascot Hurdle to a pair of victories in the Grade 2 Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton. In spite of all that he has done, his critics feel that he is an underachiever.

Elimay’s brother

A full-brother to a minor winner over humps in France, Goshen is one of four foals out of the placed Poliglote (Sadler’s Wells) mare Hyde to have visited the winners’ enclosure – and he is not the only star runner.

His half-sister Elimay (Montmartre) cost JP McManus €310,000 as a graded-placed winner, and she has earned the lion’s share of that with eight more wins here and in England.

She is twice a winner at Grade 2 level, notably taking the mares’ chase at Cheltenham in March, and making up for her half-length defeat by Colreevy in the same race a year earlier. With a recent run under her belt, Elimay will surely be back again in 2023 to try to keep her crown.

Six Group 1 winners, including the high-class Hartnell in Australia, and at least 11 other group winners on the flat was not enough to save the stud career of Authorized in England, Ireland or France, and he made his way in time for the 2020 covering season to Turkey.

He would have made a great National Hunt sire, thanks to the achievements of Tiger Roll, Nichols Canyon and Echoes In Rain, amongst others.