WHAT a shrewd investment Highflyer Bloodstock made at the 2016 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale when they spent €35,000 on Cardline, a winning daughter of Martaline (Linamix) and carrying her first foal, a colt by Saddler Maker (Sadler’s Wells).

The resulting produce, the six-year-old Crambo, won for the seventh time in 10 starts two days before Christmas but this was by far his biggest success, the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot. A dual bumper winner, he had prior to this been successful at Grade 3 level. The gelding races in the colours of Sullivan Bloodstock, his breeder, and part-owner Chris Giles. Some years ago the same partnership raced the Grade 2 Rendlesham Hurdle winner Zankandar.

In Ireland the Sullivan Bloodstock colours are well known, and Willie Mullins has enjoyed some notable wins for them with the likes of Dolcita, Cut The Mustard, Stormy Ireland, Real Steel, Fast Buck, Eglantine Du Seuil, Duc Des Genievres (Grade 1 Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase at Cheltenham), Laurina (Grade 1 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final), Saglawy, Sandsend and Fabulous Saga.

Cardline’s second produce is the five-year-old The Village Way (Spanish Moon) and he ran twice in point-to-points when trained in Ireland by Aidan Fitzgerald, finishing second on both occasions. He then moved to Dan Skelton and was runner-up yet again on his hurdling debut, but was pulled up on his recent start. Hopefully he will make it to the winner’s enclosure before long.

Five wins

Cardline won five times over jumps at three and four and placed a number of times. She is one of three winners out of Powder Card (Ultimately Lucky), and a full-sister to Another Sensation (Martaline) whose sole placed effort was to finish second in the Listed Prix Wild Monarch Hurdle at Auteuil. Since Cardline’s purchase her half-sister, the unraced Power Tremp (Trempolino), bred the French listed hurdle winner Powder Path (Coastal Path).

So much has happened in the next remove of the family since Cardline sold seven years ago. Her grandam Areej’s daughter Zandalee (Trempolino), who won four times and was placed on a few occasions in listed races over hurdles, bred a Grade 1 winner over jumps and became the grandam of a European Group 1 classic winner.

Zandalee’s daughter Beaumec De Houelle (Martaline) won the Grade 1 Prix Cambacérès Hurdle at Auteuil in 2018, three years before her grandson Sisfahan (Isfahan) was successful in the Group 1 Deutsches (German) Derby. He also won the Group 2 Gran Premio Jockey Club in Italy and was twice runner-up in Group 1 races in Germany.

Dozen crops

Saddler Maker needs no introduction here, though sadly he died at the age of 18, and Crambo is from the last of his dozen crops. His tally to date of 32 blacktype winners warrants a special mention. Just two of these come from his first five crops, a listed French hurdle winner and the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase and Grade 2 John Mulhern Galmoy Hurdle winner Alpha Des Obeaux. After that there was a torrent of high-class performers.

Apple’s Jade, winner of 11 Grade 1 races, was a member of his sixth crop, while also from that year we had Bristol De Mai (four Grade 1 wins). Now his tally of winners at Grade 1 level also features Crambo, Gerri Colombe and Messire Des Obeaux.

Sullivan Bloodstock’s day to remember

SULLIVAN Bloodstock enjoyed a number of good results before Christmas, and on the same day that Crambo won the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle, their colours were also carried to victory at Haydock in a listed hurdle race for mares by Pawapuri.

This four-year-old filly was bred to be an Oaks winner, but instead she could one day go on to win a Grade 1 hurdle race rather than a Group 1 flat contest.

Bred by Anthony Oppenheimer at his Hascombe and Valiant Studs, Pawapuri is the daughter of a Group 1 Derby and Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner and out of a full-sister to a pair of Group 1 winners, one of whom landed the 2005 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Pawapuri was originally trained for Oppenheimer by William Haggas and won a couple of times. She was offered for sale at Tattersalls in December 2022 but retained when bidding reached 105,000gns. She changed hands and stables subsequently, and next appeared in a couple of graded hurdle races from Seven Barrows, Nicky Henderson’s yard. After that she was rested until the end of November when she won a maiden hurdle at Wincanton, and now a month later has added a blacktype success on just her fourth outing over the smaller obstacles.

Pawapuri

Whatever she achieves over hurdles, Pawapuri could well be mated in time with some top flat stallions, and produce high-class flat performers. A number of her siblings have done well in the sale ring and on the track, and her four winning siblings are headed by Sicilia (Kingman), a winner at two who was placed in the Group 2 Prix du Calvados.

Pawapuri is out of the placed Palitana (Giant’s Causeway) and that mare sadly died this year at the age of 15. Her final offspring, her eighth, is a yearling full-brother to Pawapuri by Golden Horn (Cape Cross). That sire is about to embark on his second season at Overbury Stud, and he has already seen his fee rise from £8,000 in 2023, when he covered 180 mares, to £10,000 for the coming season. He is still patronised by flat breeders, though most mares covered were owned by National Hunt breeders.

On the flat he is sire of Group 2 winners Goldenas (2023 Derby Italiano), Gregory (2023 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot), Trawlerman (2023 British Champions Long Distance Cup) and Botanik, and he sired no less than 10 stakes winners on the flat during this year. They are among a total of 21 stakes winners in all on the level.

Take notice

The performances of Golden Horn’s runners over jumps have also been catching the notice of breeders, and Pawapuri is his fifth blacktype winners under National Hunt rules. She joins Nusret, winner of the Grade 2 Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton and placed in the Grade 1 Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree, Stag Horn, successful in the Grade 2 Leamington Novices’ Hurdle, at Warwick, First Street who won the Grade 3 Gerry Feilden Handicap Hurdle at Newbury and was runner-up in the Grade 3 County Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham, and Gold Charm who won the Listed Randolph D. Rouse Hurdle at Colonial Downs in the USA.

Back for a moment to the dam line of Pawapuri. Her dam Palitana is a full-sister to Footstepsinthesand (Giant’s Causeway), a classic winner and Group 1 sire, and a half-sister to Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes winner Pedro The Great (Henrythenavigator), while their half-sister Frappe (Inchinor) bred the classic winner Power (Oasis Dream) and the Canadian Grade 1 winner Curvy (Galileo).