Apple's Jade to visit Walk In The Park as top hurdling mare retired

Top hurdling mare Apple's Jade will visit Walk In The Park for her maiden cover, Eddie O'Leary revealed on Thursday, after her retirement was confirmed following her eighth-place finish to Lisnagar Oscar in the Stayers' Hurdle.

The eight-year-old daughter of Saddler Maker has won 15 races including 11 Grade 1 hurdle events, and has been pencilled in to visit the Grange Stud stallion, whose son Min made his Cheltenham Festival breakthrough in the preceding Ryanair Chase.

As a daughter of the late Saddler Maker, the mating of Apple's Jade to the Montjeu stallion Walk In The Park will result in a foal inbred 3x3 to Sadler's Wells.

Gigginstown House Stud mares regularly come up for auction at the end-of-year National Hunt sales.

The Kayf Tara mare Whistle Dixie was bought by The Beeches Stud for €230,000 when offered in foal to Mount Nelson at the 2018 Goffs December Sale, while Grade 1 hurdle winner Petite Parisienne was snapped up by Kieran Mariga for €130,000 at Goffs in 2016 when the Montmartre mare was carrying to Shantou.

Walk In The Park, the runner-up behind Motivator in the 2005 Derby, relocated from France to Grange Stud in 2016 as his outstanding son Douvan was at the peak of his powers.

The sire's first Irish-bred crop of runners can be expected to appear from next year.

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