Doctor Dino on the mark from Paris to deepest Wales

Doctor Dino secured his biggest success in the National Hunt world when his son Docteur De Ballon gained a gallant victory in the rescheduled Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.

The Grade 1 prize joins others on the Haras du Mesnil stallion’s CV including the two December Festival Hurdles from Sharjah and strikes by Master Dino and La Bague Au Roi.

His Grade 1-winning chaser Sceau Royal was also on the mark on Sunday's British jumps feature, the Potter Group Welsh Champion Hurdle.

Doctor Dino was given what was thought to be a record fee for a jumps sire of €16,000 for 2020 as buyers and breeders cottoned on, having started off in the Flat sphere following a globe-trotting campaign with Richard Gibson.

Lightly-raced eight-year-old Docteur De Ballon, who powered five lengths clear of favourite Figuero to provide a huge success for trainer Louisa Carberry, is from the third generation of French jumpers bred by the Gasche-Luc family. It originated from a Wildenstein family which includes smart chaser turned stallion Nickname.

Grand-dam Nile Bonheur won at Auteuil while dam Nile Breeze, by Phantom Breeze, had six successes over obstacles around France.

Carberry also has two of Docteur De Ballon’s siblings in Surdoue De Ballon, who ran in a Grade 3 chase at Auteuil on Saturday, and the four-year-old filly Adorable De Ballon, who started out her racing career this year.

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