EIGHT Grade 1 races were run over the two days of the Dublin Racing Festival, all eight winners were saddled, along with many of the placed horses, by Willie Mullins. Seven of these were bred in France. All indisputable facts.

The French story of success extended beyond the Grade 1 races, and when the final tallies were in, horses bred there had annexed 11 of the 15 races over the weekend, with Irish-breds notching up three wins, and there was a single British-bred winner.

However, every cloud has a silver lining as the saying goes, and breeders in Ireland have and had access to some of the sires of these French-bred winners.

Most of the big race winners have featured already in these columns, and will therefore only be mentioned in brief, or not at all. Il Etait Temps battled hard to get up on the line and deny Found A Fifty in the high-class renewal of the Grade 1 Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase, atoning for his defeat at the hands of Gaelic Warrior in the Grade 1 Faugheen Novice Chase at Christmas. Twelve months ago Il Etait Temps won a Grade 1 novice hurdle at Leopardstown sponsored by Tattersalls Ireland.

Bred by French trainer Emmanuel Clayeaux and Ecurie Couderc, Il Etait Temps (the French for about time) comes from a branch of one of France’s best female lines when it comes to producing top-class runners.

Importantly from an Irish perspective, the six-year-old is a son of Burgage Stud’s Jukebox Jury (Montjeu). Sire of Princess Zoe, a Group 1 winner on the flat, Jukebox Jury is now sire of three Grade 1 winners over hurdles and fences, and the trio notably includes the Triumph Hurdle winner Farclas.

Whytemount Stud

The ability of Ronnie O’Neill at Whytemount Stud to make a success of stallions is well known, and he will have cheered home Dancing City as the seven-year-old son of his 2020 import Feel Like Dancing (Galileo) raced to victory in the Grade 1 Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle, sponsored by solicitors Nathaniel Lacy & partners. This was a first blacktype win or place of any kind for the sire, in spite of him getting plenty of winners from very limited opportunities in France.

Sourced by Hugh Bleahen and sold from his Clifton Farm at the Goffs Land Rover Sale for €28,000 to Leamore Horses, Dancing City was impressive when winning his point-to-point at Borris House, afterwards moving to Closutton.

A Wexford bumper winner after being surprisingly beaten there on his racecourse debut, he was second to Ballyburn at last year’s Punchestown Festival. Dancing City has now won two of his three hurdle starts, carries the colours of Marie and Joe Donnelly, and was bred by the Moutel family.

Hats off to Hugh Bleahen also for the Grade 2 Goffs Future Stars bumper winner Jeroboam Machin. Representing the deadly duo of owner Paul Byrne and trainer Emmet Mullins, the gelding remains undefeated after winning a point-to-point for Cormac Doyle, and is successful in two bumper outings. Bred by Philippe Thiriet and Vincent Le Roy, he sold at two for €10,000, and made a small profit when traded the following year at the Derby Sale for double that amount.

Joshua Tree

Jeroboam Machin is a son of Joshua Tree (Montjeu) who spent two seasons at Con O’Keeffe’s Kilbarry Lodge Stud, returning to Haras du Grand Courgeon from whence he came. What a pity that breeders did not support him better, as the three-time Grade 1 Canadian International winner is also responsible for the dual Grade 1-winning hurdler, Irish Point. French breeders can avail of him this year for just €5,000.

We will all have to learn how to pronounce the name of a new stallion on the Cashman’s Glenview Stud roster this year, Jeu St Eloi (Saint Des Saints).

He is certain to cover a full book of mares, and interest will have grown even more after his daughter Kargese put herself firmly in the Triumph Hurdle picture with her success in the Grade 1 McCann FitzGerald Spring Juvenile Hurdle. She races for Kenny Alexander who has the Midas touch when it comes to racing fillies.

Bred by Thierry Cypres, Kargese won two of her three starts in France, culminating with victory in the Grade 3 Prix Sagan Hurdle at Auteuil. Runner-up on her Irish debut at Christmas in a Grade 2, she led home a Willie Mullins whitewash on this occasion, the trainer responsible for the first four finishers.

This was a breakthrough win at the highest level for Jeu St Eloi, responsible also for the recent Grade 2 Ascot Hurdle winner Blueking D’Oroux.

It is no surprise that Kargese has ended up in Ireland, as a number of her family members have won big races after leaving France. She is one of four winners out of Rive Gauche, a winning daughter of Shaanmer (Darshaan).

Rive Gauche’s half-sister Fortanea (Video Rock) won seven times in France, three of them over jumps, and bred the Grade 1 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle winner Saint Are (Network). Better still, Fortanea is grandam of the brilliant Vroum Vroum Mag (Voix Du Nord), winner of three Grade 1 hurdle races when trained by Willie Mullins.

Authorized

Finally, for now, the newly repatriated Authorized (Montjeu), winner of the 2007 Group 1 Derby, sired the Listed Paddy Mullins Mares Hurdle winner Brucio, bred in England by Ashbrittle Stud. For good measure, the sire was also responsible for Feet Of A Dancer who finished third.

Safely installed now at Ger O Neill’s Capital Stud in Co Kilkenny, Authorized was in the news last month when his son Readin Tommy Wrong won the Grade 1 Lawlor’s of Naas Slaney Hurdle.

Just take a look at the nine previous winners of the most significant National Hunt race at Naas; Champ Kiely, Ginto, Bob Olinger, Envoi Allen, Battleoverdoyen, Next Destination, Death Duty, Bellshill and McKinley.

That list says it all. Little wonder then that breeders from France, Britain as well as Ireland are booking their mares into Authorized. Readin Tommy Wrong is just the latest star for his sire, who has been a source of top-class runners under both codes, and worldwide.

Authorized’s son Santiago won the Group 1 Irish Derby and is standing his third season at an increased fee of €5,000 thanks to his popularity. Three more of his sons have been stars in Australia, Hartnell winning four Group 1s, while Group 1 winner Complacent is now at stud there.

Two daughters of Authorized won Group 1 races, Ambivalent and Seal Of Approval, and the former sold for €925,000 at Goffs last November.

Also at Goffs, in December, the Grade 3 winner Zarkareva topped the sale when she sold to Coolmara Stables for €240,000. Zarkareva is far from being the only National Hunt star for Authorized.

Tiger Roll

I Am Maximus, Echoes In Rain, Nichols Canyon, Tiger Roll, Goshen and more have all ensured that Authorized is as familiar with breeders of jumpers as he is with breeders of classic hopefuls on the flat. Ranked as the best three-year-old of 2007 in Europe, Authorized was top-class at two following his victory in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy.

He also won the Group 1 Juddmonte International and was runner-up in the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes.

Trained by Stuart Crawford, Brucio won at Catterick on her final run before heading to the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown, and this £48,000 Goffs UK three-year-old purchase by Highflyer Bloodstock races for Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. Brucio is one of three winners out of the placed Lupa Montana (Giant’s Causeway), and she in turn is a daughter of the US stakes winner Louve Royale (Peintre Celebre).