RACING & BREEDING

Ryan McElligott

It wasn’t the best of most valuable race on the card but Navan’s Grade 3 Klairon Davis Novice Chase produced last week’s star turn in Ttebbob who turned in an exhilirating display to serve notice that he is among the most exciting young chasers in the country.

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Ttebbob has long looked a horse that could come into his own over fences and the larger obstacles have really brought out the best in him. Trained by Jessica Harrington, he jumped brilliantly at Navan and, despite setting quite a searching pace on testing ground, he had the race in safe keeping from a long way out.

The 41-length runner-up Lord Scoundrel didn’t run up to his rating of 144, but even so Ttebbob looked every inch a Grade 1 horse. He now heads to Leopardstown for the Racing Post Novice Chase on St Stephen’s Day and his clash with Douvan, Kitten Rock and Sizing Rock promises to be one of the highlights of the meeting.

On the novice hurdling front, last week saw Irish racegoers get their first chance to catch a glimpse of the Willie Mullins-trained Min.

For some time this French import has headed the ante-post betting for the Supreme Novices Hurdle, and he showed why at Punchestown in cruising to a 14-length victory in a maiden hurdle. Obviously far greater tests lie in wait later in the season, but this was still a striking effort from the Walk In The Park four-year-old.

Over the last fortnight Mullins has unleashed some notable novice hurdlers from his formidable arsenal and at Navan, the trainer’s Bellshill impressed in winning the Grade 2 novice hurdle. A high class bumper horse last season, he outclassed Tycoon Prince to win by a dozen lengths.

SALES

The last sale of the year in Ireland, the Goffs December National Hunt Sale, finished with an improved set of final figures last week, while also providing plenty of food for thought for the future.

The sale once again spanned two days but over 100 more horses were offered this time which saw the turnover grow by 18% to just over €3.2m. The €10,002 average was up by six points while the median progressed by 7% to €7,500.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the sale was that the clearance rate fell from 78% to 66% as the market was unable to deal with the greater number of horses offered. This provided yet further evidence that supply is outrunning demand, while interest in fillies was very limited too. Unfortunately, the number of horses being produced has once again surpassed a relatively static buying base and, looking to next year and beyond, trade is going to remain quite selective for some time to come.

The top priced lot was a €70,000 colt foal by Douvan’s sire Walk In The Park. Englishman Lenny Walker signed for the colt whose dam is a half-sister to Vautour. A return to the sales ring as a three-year-old is the plan for the grandson of Montjeu.

HONG KONG WIN

To turn to flat racing and Highland Reel broke new ground for Aidan O’Brien at Sha Tin last Sunday when claiming the Hong Kong Vase under Ryan Moore. A first Hong Kong winner for O’Brien, Highland Reel was the first Irish-trained horse to win at the prestigious international meeting since Alexander Goldrun prevailed in 2004.

Furthermore Highland Reel ends his three-year-old having established himself as an international runner of some substance. In eight starts this year, the Galileo colt has raced in six different countries, and those runs have taken in a second in the French Derby, victories in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood and the Secretariat Stakes in Chicago, as well as an honourable third in Australia’s Cox Plate.