ALTIOR was the highlight of many a Cheltenham Festival meeting, and it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that his ‘nephew’ Top Dog could also be a winner there someday.

A challenge for this year’s Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper is a possibility after he won the listed bumper at Newbury over the weekend.

Few know this five-year-old son of Leading Light (Montjeu) like bloodstock agent Gerry Hogan. He bought Top Dog as a foal from breeder John Fallon for €20,000, gave €40,000 for the gelding back at Goffs again in the Land Rover Sale, and then splashed out €130,000 for the four-year-old at the Goffs Punchestown Sale after he had been pipped on the line on his bumper debut at Fairyhouse.

Top Dog is the second foal, and first winner, for his dam Princess Leya (Old Vic). She won three times when racing for John Fallon and was born the year before Altior (High Chaparral) arrived in the world. The best of Princess Leya’s wins came in a Grade B hurdle at Fairyhouse, and by winning that race she bettered her own dam Monte Solero (Key Of Luck) who was a Grade 3 hurdle winner.

Admirable

As we all know, none of these compare, admirable though they are, with Altior’s record of 21 wins, earnings of more than £1.3 million, and success at Grade 1 level on 10 occasions. Four of these were at the Cheltenham Festival where he twice won the Queen Mother Champion Chase, as well as the Arkle Chase and Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. He won three Grade 1 Celebration Chases at Sandown.

Winner of the Group 1 St Leger and the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup the following year, Leading Light stood his first seven seasons at Grange Stud. His first crop, now six-year-olds, include Three Stripe Life who has been runner-up on his two most recent starts in the Grade 1 Brave Inca Novice Hurdle and the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle, both at Leopardstown.

Top Dog is from Leading Light’s second crop, but this year Irish breeders will have to travel to Wales if they wish to avail of the stallion’s services. He will be commanding a fee of £2,500 at Dunraven Stud.