Pedigree Pointers: Goffs Future Stars Bumper preview

It is the fourth year of the Dublin Racing Festival and we don’t need any reminders of the highly anticipated feast we are going to have on the eight-Grade One card brimming with celebrities. So let’s get straight to it.

Inaugurated along with the festival itself in 2018, the Grade Two Goffs Future Stars Bumper (click for FREE video form and full racecard) has lived up to its name so far. The first edition was won by Blackbow who went on to place second in the Punchestown Champion Bumper and while he has not made a huge impression over obstacles just yet, does run in the Grade One Arkle Novice Chase on Saturday too.

The second year was won by Envoi Allen on his fourth career start and he has of course remained unbeaten including five Grade One events since. While last year, the race was won by Appreciate It, who went on to place second in the Champion Bumper and win the Grade One Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Christmas.

The three previous victors all had both point-to-point and bumper wins under their belt before their success here. Who will be the next star to emerge? Let’s dig in.

KILCRUIT (W Mullins)

Initially trained by Tony Mullins, Kilcruit placed second on debut in a bumper at Clonmel last March for his owner/breeder Maureen Mullins. Another of Maureen’s sons, Willie, won the race that day but subsequently bought Kilcairn for Miss Masterson and went on to win at Navan in December by almost ten lengths. Miss Masterson and Willie Mullins are seeking back-to-back wins in this race being the same connections of Appreciate It last year.

SIRE: Kilcruit is by Stowaway, the Voltigeur Stakes winner for Godolphin who went on to become a solid source of jumping talent before his passing in 2015. His top performers include the likes of four-time Grade One winner (including the Cheltenham and Punchestown Champion bumpers) winner Champagne Fever, last year’s Racing Post Arkle Novice Chase winner Put The Kettle On, dual Grade One winner and exciting young chaser Monkfish, as well as The World’s End, Outlander, Champagne Classic and so on.

FEMALE FAMILY: Kilcairn’s dam, Not Broke Yet, was also bred by Maureen Mullins and trained by her son Tom. She won a maiden hurdle at Punchestown and also placed third in a Listed Hurdle event at the same track back in 2008. She stems from the extended family of dual Grade One winning Chaser, Scotsirish.

CHEMICAL ENERGY (G Elliott)

Bred by Tom Baker, Chemical Energy cost €38,000 at Tattersalls Derby sale in 2019 and is now unbeaten in two bumper starts by a combined total of 18 lengths.

SIRE: Chemical Energy is by Well Chosen (Sadler’s Wells) who himself won a maiden over 1m5f back in 2002 and now the age of 22, still stands for a private fee at Kedrah House Stud.

After covering extremely small books Well Chosen has had just 88 runners on the track, 42 of whom are winners including the likes of Jury Duty, Chosen Mate and Carefully Selected. And Chemical Energy comes from a crop of just 25 foals, four of whom have ran to date. A lot of kudos must be given here.

FEMALE FAMILY: Chemical Energy is out of the unraced Flemensfirth mare Meadstown Miss, and that recent retiree is also the damsire of top-flight winners Roksana, Next Destination and Identity Thief. Meadstown Miss is the dam of two other winners over jump, is a sister to the dam of two flat Listed winners in France and it is also the family of Paddy Power Chase winner Rockyaboya.

RAMILLIES (W Mullins)

Ramillies, who was bred by M Morgan sold for €30,000 as a foal in 2015. He doubled that price at the Tattersalls Derby sale three years later and after winning a Point-to-Point by five lengths in 2019, sold for £215,000 at the Cheltenham Sale. Placing fourth on his track debut at Christmas that year, Ramillies was not seen again until this Christmas, 367 days later, winning by 10 lengths.

SIRE: Shantou (Alleged), was a top-class racehorse for John Gosden and Sheikh Mohammed winning the St Leger, Princess of Wales’s Stakes and two Group One’s in Italy. He retired just last year at the age of 27 but has been a stalwart in the Irish stallion ranks at Burgage Stud for many years. Some of his best performers include Airlie Beach, The Storyteller and Death Duty.

FEMALE FAMILY: Out of the Grade Three mares Novice Hurdle-placed Mrs Wallensky, Ramillies is a half-brother to the dam of Listed hurdle placed Mrs Milner. Mrs Wallensky’s sister has then produced two Grade Two Chasers Penny Jane and Minella Foru.

NOBLE YEATS (E Mullins)

Costing just €6,500 as a three-year-old, Noble Yeats placed second by just a neck in a Point-to-Point and then sold two weeks later for £75,000. He placed third on his first start on the track for Emmet Mullins and just last week won a bumper at Navan by 19 lengths. That performance substantially increased Noble Yeats’ value as he went through the virtual ring at the Tattersalls February sale on Thursday but failed to meet his reserve at a final bid of €290,000.

SIRE: Yeats - Seven-time Group One winner including four consecutive Ascot Gold Cups. Yeats is one of the leading active sires today and has a number of winners at the highest level under his belt including Flooring Porter, Shattered Love, Capivari and Augusta Kate.

FEMALE FAMILY: Noble Yeats is out of hurdles winner That’s Moyne who is also by Flemensfirth (damsire of top-flight winners Roksana, Next Destination and Identity Thief). That’s Moyne was actually the only foal out of her unraced dam and the first black-type winner on the pedigree comes under the fourth dam in the form of Leopardstown Grade Two Chase winner Woods Well.

LETSBECLEARABOUTIT (G Cromwell)

Winner of his first two starts by a combined 15 lengths and placed second on his latest outing in December in the Listed BetVictor Future Champions bumper.

SIRE: Flemensfirth – Leading National Hunt influence who retired from stud duties at the age of 28 earlier this year; Flemensfirth doesn’t need too much of an introduction but he was a dual Group One winner in France and Italy for Sheikh Mohammed in his day and his genes have been best represented through the likes of treble Grade One winner Tidal Bay, Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander and RSA Chase winner Topofthegame. He also had Cheltenham Champion bumper winners Relegate and Total Enjoyment.

FEMALE FAMILY: Letsbeclearaboutit is the first foal out of an unraced Westerner daughter of Refinement who of course won the Punchestown Champion Bumper and Punchestown Champion Stayers’ Hurdle, as well as placing second in the Cheltenham Champion bumper. From three runners, she has produced three Grade Two placed horses to date including Risk Factor who was second to Appreciate It in this race last year. If one were to pick a horse destined to excel in bumpers, this is the horse.

WHATDEADONTWANT (W Mullins)

Bred by Nadja Humphrey’s, Whatdeadontwant fetched €62,000 at the Tattersalls Derby Sale in 2019 and is now one win from one run for Willie Mullins.

SIRE: Humphrey’s was actually one of the first people to identify the Monsun line as being an untapped source of jumping potential and she brought Arcadio (the first son of Monsun to stand in Ireland) to stand at Arctic Tack Stud. On the back of Arcadio’s success she then brought in another son of Monsun to stand at the same stud. That horse was six-time Listed winner Aizavoski whose eldest progeny are seven this year. He has only had 39 runners on the track to date, 20 of whom are winners including Whatdeadontwant.

FEMALE FAMILY: This is a phenomenal National Hunt pedigree. Whatdeadonwant’s dam Hidden Reserve won her only start by a length in a Navan bumper and she has already bred the tough Grade One winner Hardline (by Arcadio) as well as the promising looking Sangha River who was fatally injured in his beginners chase in November. It doesn’t stop there, Hidden Reserve is a full-sister to Grade Two bumper winner Crocodile Rock as well as the dam of Grade Three Hurdle winner The Game Changer and Grade One chaser John’s Spirit. While Grade One winning hurdlers That’s My Man and Prince of Scars feature in the third dam.

EVER PRESENT (J Harrington)

Winner of a Punchestown bumper on debut last October, Ever Present then also placed fourth in the Listed race that Letsbeclearabout it finished second in.

SIRE: Ever Present is by Elusive Pimpernel, a Group Three winner over seven and eight furlongs who also placed second to St Nicholas Abbey in the Racing Post Trophy. Elusive Pimpernel does have two Listed winners on the flat but his best performer in the jumping sphere is Grade Two Hurdle winner and Triumph Hurdle placed Coeur Sublime.

FEMALE FAMILY: Ever Present is from a flat family. He is out of a sister to the dam of Big Bad Bob and the grandam of six-time Group One and dual Oaks winner Snow Fairy. But the interesting part is that within Ever Present’s third dam is Elusive Pimpernel again. Making this horse inbred 3x3 to the unraced mare Gay Fantasy.

THE BANGER DOYLE (R Watson)

Winner on his fifth attempt in December, albeit placing in the four previous runs.

SIRE: By dual purpose sire Windsor Knot (Pivotal) who sired Group Three winner Euphrasia on the flat and Grade Three Hurdles winner Flaxen Fare in the jumping sphere.

FEMALE FAMILY: The Bangor Doyle’s dam was ultra tough and sound running in 48 races across all disciplines. She won six races in total including three over hurdles. There are three black-type horses within the pedigree all whom won on the flat in Italy and Turkey.

TEESCOMPONENTSYESS (J Hanlon)

Winner of a Tramore bumper in December after two dismal runs for different connections in the UK.

SIRE: Shirocco. An outstanding racehorse himself winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf and Coronation Cup and he first stood at Dalham Hall Stud before transferring to Glenview Stud in 2014. He has actually sired multiple Group/Grade One winners on both the flat and over jumps. But his flag bearing offspring is of course his infamous daughter, Annie Power.

FEMALE FAMILY: A half-brother to the Listed bumper-placed Delta Forty and from the family of Supreme Novice Hurdle winner Tourist Attraction and Grade Three hurdler Clondaw Kaempfer.

ANGLER’S CRAG (T O’Brien)

Angler’s Crag is owned by his breeder Derrick Mossop. He won his Point-to-Point by four lengths followed by a bumper at Fairyhouse in November by six lengths and he finished third, in between Letsbeclearaboutit and Ever Present in the Listed bumper at Navan in December.

SIRE: Multiplex, once a Listed winner in France and a son of Danehill, has sired Group Three winners on the flat and a number of solid handicappers over obstacles as well as the Grade Two Chase-placed Out Sam.

FEMALE FAMILY: In a similar fashion to The Banger Doyle, Angler’s Crag’s dam Overyou ran 31 times winning on five occasions over both jumps and hurdles. His next four dams are all unraced and he is the first black-type horse within five generations of the family.