Pedigree Pointers: Cassie Tully with four National Hunt stallions to look out for

It is the beginning of February which, in a normal year, represents the first four-year-old point-to-points of the season and thus the first runners for a number of young National Hunt stallions.

This time last year, youngsters of both Jet Away and Ocovango hit the ground running and have propelled their sires significantly further up the ladder of esteem.

Point-to-points are unfortunately not considered an elite or professional sport and due to the pandemic, are not taking place at the moment. This means that a number of young jumps stallions are at risk of being brushed under the carpet and forgotten about until their progeny emerge at a later, unknown, date (of course there are still a few that may appear on the main track).

In contrast to last week’s column which questioned all the emphasis we place on a flat first-season-sire’s runners, it has been six or more years since we have seen these horses on the racetrack and a refresher to whet the appetite is essential.

Four jumps stallions are anticipating their first four-year-olds this year, two in Ireland and two in Britain.

Beginning in Ireland, we have Kingston Hill. This son of Mastercraftsman was an unbeaten juvenile back in 2013 which included the Racing Post Trophy. He then went on to win the St Leger the following year while also placing second to Australia in the Epsom Derby and fourth in the Arc behind Treve.

Previous St Leger winners-turned Grade One producing jumps sires include the likes of Milan, Shantou and Scorpion. And while Kingston Hill’s sire Mastercraftsman is best known as the sire of other tough, top-flight winners on the flat including Alpha Centauri, The Grey Gatsby and so on, at the beginning of January another of his sons, Metier, won the Grade One Tolworth Hurdle on just his third start over obstacles.

Kingston Hill began his stud career in Coolmore’s Tipperary branch as a flat sire before turning dual purpose and eventually transferring to Castlehyde where he now stands for €4,000. And he is actually already represented by three-year-old debut bumper winner, Hear Me Out, from a crop which consisted of 97 foals.

Our second sire in Ireland is Sea Moon who commands €2,500 at Burgage Stud in County Carlow. The triple Group Two winner also placed third in the St Leger, second to St Nicholas Abbey in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and is from a phenomenal Juddmonte pedigree.

Out of Group Three Park Hill Stakes winner Eva Luna, Sea Moon is a three-part-brother to St Leger and Racing Post Trophy winner Brian Boru (sire of multiple Grade One performer Sub Lieutenant), as well as the dam of Derby and Arc hero Workforce and the grandam of globetrotting Group One winner Best Solution.

Sea Moon is by Beat Hollow (Sadler’s Wells), the sire of one of the only horses ever to win a Group/Grade One both on the flat and over obstacles – Wicklow Brave, as well as one of the leading Gold Cup contenders this year, Minella Indo.

There’s a lot of top-performers in these genes, but Sea Moon actually only had 26 foals in 2017 to go to war with. Surprising, and all the more notable if they start impressing, which has happened on many occasions in the past.

Over to Britain and Telescope, who stands at Shade Oak Stud for £3,000 (the second highest priced jumps sire in the UK) and had 95 foals in 2017. He was a dual Group Two winner of the Voltigeur Stakes at three and the Hardwicke Stakes at four (also won by Grade One sires Doyen and Sandmason), as well as placing second in the King Geroge VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot behind Taghrooda and third behind Australia in the Juddmonte International.

Telescope is out of a half-sister to Dubai World Cup winner Moon Ballad and is by Galileo. Galileo does get some reservation towards his influence in the jumping scene but perhaps when comparing it to his influence on the flat, anything would seem mediocre. Galileo is actually the sire of several Grade One winning jumpers including Supasundae, Celestial Halo and Windsor Park, while more importantly, a number of his sons are passing on strong jumping genes such as Mahler, Soldier of Fortune and Nathaniel.

When Telescope won the Hardwicke Stakes in 2014, the other horse that would retire to the British jumps ranks the following year, Pether’s Moon, was actually behind him in third and went on to win the Group One Coronation Cup the following year.

He now stands for £2,000 at Yorton Farm, had 41 foals in 2017 and is by six-time Group One and Arc winner Dylan Thomas. Even though starting out at stud at a €50,000 fee, Dylan Thomas did disappoint in comparison to his own racing achievements, and Pether’s Moon was his only top-level winner on the flat in Britain or Ireland.

That being said, previous Coronation Cup winners who went on to success in the jumping sphere include Ask, Fame And Glory, Soldier Of Fortune, Scorpion, Shirocco and Yeats.

And with the mention of Soldier Of Fortune, while on this subject of anticipating four-year-olds, one cannot ignore him or Walk In The Park either. Both are of course already established and proven Grade One sires, the former with the likes of Mega Fortune and Easy Doors and the latter with the likes of Min and Douvan.

But both began their careers in France and after exceptional results, relocated to Ireland in 2016 meaning that their first Irish-bred four-year-olds will be hitting the tracks this year too.

It is not the beginning of February that we were hoping for, but we are far from devoid of quality to look forward to once they can finally be unveiled.