A timely reminder of a bountiful broodmare sire ahead of the store sales

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Here he looks at Saint Des Saints' incredible results as a broodmare sire at Auteuil on Sunday - subscribers can get more great insight from Martin every Monday to Friday.

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As if Saint Des Saints’ prowess as a broodmare sire hadn’t already been made abundantly clear by superstars such as Appreciate It, De Bon Coeur, Douvan, Envoi Allen and Saint Roi, the point was hammered home on a championship day of racing at Auteuil on Sunday.

Haras d’Etreham’s master National Hunt sire achieved the remarkable feat of featuring as ‘père de mère’ of all three Grade 1 contests on the card.

Sel Jem initiated the treble when easing to an eight-length victory in the prestigious Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, a race won by Saint Des Saints’ son Storm Of Saintly eight years ago.

The Hector de Lageneste and Guillaume Macaire-trained gelding hails from the second crop of Masked Marvel and is a first Grade 1 winner for the St Leger-winning son of Montjeu, who followed Saint Des Saints onto the Etreham 'obstacle' roster. Masked Marvel has been bubbling under for a while, with last season’s Limerick Hurdle winner Teahupoo, useful hurdler/chaser Geronimo and dual Grade 3 scorer La Danza also on his roll of honour.

Sel Jem was bred by Florence Lormand out of Ile Des Saintes, an unraced Saint Des Saints half-sister to Pau Listed hurdle winner Jemykos and to the also unraced dam of Auteuil Grade 3-winning chaser Jemy Baie.

The Masked Marvel-Saint Des Saints cross has been quite heavily mined, which isn’t entirely surprising considering the two sires are in the same ownership, and it has already come up with eight other winners including Henry de Bromhead’s Listed-winning chaser Maskada and French Grade 2-placed chaser Pacha Senam.

It is a variation of the mating that came up with the mighty Douvan and his promise-filled full-brother Jonbon, as they are by another high-class son of Montjeu in Walk In The Park and out of the Saint Des Saints mare Star Face.

Saint Des Saints at Haras d'Etreham on the Route des EtalonsCredit: Scott Burton/Racing Post

The other two Grade 1 winners out of Saint Des Saints mares at Auteuil on Sunday, Altesse Du Berlais in the Prix Ferdinand Dufaure for four-year-old chasers and Hawai Du Berlais in the Prix Alain du Breil for four-year-old hurdlers, were both – as their names suggest – bred by Haras du Berlais.

Both are also by the late French champion National Hunt sire Martaline, a cross that has also been responsible for black type-placed jumpers Hokusai Vallis and La Symphonie from 16 runners to have found their way onto the Racing Post database.

Altesse Du Berlais is a half-sister to Grade 1-placed hurdler Colbert Du Berlais out of Hermine Du Berlais, a winning full-sister to Listed-winning chaser Castle Du Berlais, who stands at Haras du Lion and already has a few winners among his first three-year-old crop, and a half-sister to Liverpool Hurdle and dual Pertemps Final scorer Sire Du Berlais.

Altesse Du Berlais, another Grade 1 winner at Auteuil on Sunday out of a mare by Saint Des SaintsCredit: Racing Post/Scott Burton

Hermine Du Berlais, also dam of last month’s useful-looking Compiegne three-year-old hurdle winner Etoile Du Berlais, was in turn out of Royale Athenia, a Grade 1-winning four-year-old hurdler at Auteuil. This is one of the first families of French jumps breeding.

Hawai Du Berlais’ pedigree is not too shabby, either. She is out of Hilton Du Berlais, a Grade 3-winning and Grade 1-placed hurdler at Auteuil, and a half-sister to three other black type-winning jumpers headed by Hennessy and Aintree Bowl winner Madison Du Berlais.

What a stockpile of spectacular National Hunt bloodlines Jean-Marc and Cécile Lucas are sitting on at Haras du Berlais!

This latest reminder of the power of Saint Des Saints mares might give those studying catalogues for the forthcoming store sales something to think about.

There is just a single three-year-old out of one of his daughters at the new Tattersalls May NH Sale on Thursday. Lot 150, a gelding out of Ile De See, a winning half-sister to high-class chaser Royale Auclair, also happens to be a one-off by newly crowned champion National Hunt sire Yeats in the auction. He will be presented by Greenlands Farm Stud.

There are seven maternal grandchildren of Saint Des Saints to choose from at next month’s Goffs Land Rover Sale, including two by Masked Marvel and so bred along similar lines to the exciting Sel Jem – Lot 42, a gelding from the family of smart Flat performers Simon Du Desert and Venize from Burgage Stud, and Lot 143, a filly related to Haldon Gold Cup winner Pablo Du Charmil from Ballygarvan Stud.

Lot 250, a gelding from Sluggara Farm, and Lot 390, a filly from Walshtown Stables, are by the tried-and-trusted jumps influence No Risk At All out of Saint Des Saints mares and are thus bred on the same cross as last season’s Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle winner Aucunrisque.

Among the four stores out of Saint Des Saints mares at the later Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale is one who would have been at the centre of attention anyway, as she has a huge pedigree update. Lot 144 is a Spanish Moon full-sister to last month’s narrowly beaten Top Novices’ Hurdle second and Punchestown Festival winner El Fabiolo, from Haras des Loges.

Lot 145, from Ballinaroone Stud, is of considerable interest too. She is a half-sister to three winners out of Listed-placed hurdler Sainte Russy, and hails from the first crop of Pillar Coral – a Zamindar half-brother to Altesse Du Berlais and Hawai Du Berlais’ sire Martaline.

For all this talk of Saint Des Saints’ second-generation exploits, it’s worth remembering that we are in the fortunate position that he is still covering at the age of 24 – so there is also a fresh batch of stores by the source of Djakadam, Protektorat, Saint Calvados et al available in the coming weeks.

What do you think?

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Pedigree pick

Owner-breeders Moyglare Stud Farm and trainer Dermot Weld, the team behind Sunday’s deeply impressive Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs, unleash another beautifully bred three-year-old filly in Touching Clouds in a winnable looking mile maiden at Gowran Park on Tuesday (6.20).

She is by War Front out of Ribblesdale Stakes winner and Irish Oaks third Princess Highway, a Street Cry half-sister to Irish St Leger victor Royal Diamond and Irish 1,000 Guineas second Mad About You, out of another Ribblesdale scorer in Irresistible Jewel.

Chiara Luna, the first product of War Front and Princess Highway, won first time out and ran fourth in the Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial.

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Good Morning Bloodstock is our latest email newsletter. Martin Stevens, a doyen among bloodstock journalists, provides his take and insight on the biggest stories every morning from Monday to Friday