Natural born stayer: Gold Cup hero Native River has a true chasing pedigree

Looking at his stamina-packed pedigree, it is not difficult to see how Native River was able to make just about every inch of the running and find extra to outstay close pursuer Might Bite on bottomless ground in the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday.

The eight-year-old, bred by Fred Mackey in County Down, is by the late French stallion Indian River, who won a Grade 3 handicap chase over just short of three miles at Auteuil for Guillaume Macaire.

Incidentally, it is now two years in a row that the Gold Cup winner has been sired by a jumper, as last year it was Sizing John – a son of Grade 2-winning hurdler Midnight Legend.

Indian River started out as a stallion in France but later moved to Bluegate Stud and Park House Stud in Ireland.

Find out how Fred Mackey produced Native River in our interview with the breeder published last year

Before the emergence of Native River, he was best known for supplying Hennessy Gold Cup and Aintree Bowl winner Madison Du Berlais, while he is also responsible for the promising novice chaser Rolling Dylan and Grade 3 hurdle scorer Keppols Queen. He also features as damsire of the Graded winners Grandouet, Shanahan's Turn and Wakanda.

Indian River himself was a son of the great French jumps sire Cadoudal, who had a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner of his own in Long Run as well as the four-time World Hurdle hero Big Buck's.

Indian River is also a half-brother to Franciscaine, the dam of Blaklion, winner of the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival two years ago.

Native River hails from a penultimate crop of around 90 foals by Indian River. The sire's final crop – aged seven – comprises around 36 animals.

Mackey bred Native River out of Native Mo, an unraced daughter of Be My Native and the Deep Run mare Milford Run, who was trained and ridden by Willie Mullins to win bumpers at Punchestown and Limerick by wide margins in 1989.

Milford Run was out of the smart jumper Belle Of The West and was a half-sister to Stayers' Hurdle third Minella Lad, and produced three winners at stud including Milford Rose, the granddam of useful hurdler Air Horse One.

Native Mo has produced three winners from four runners. Native River was not her first good one, as her 15-year-old son Orpheus Valley, by Beneficial, landed the competitive Guinness Handicap Chase at the Punchestown Festival in 2014.

She is also the dam of Mahler Ten, a Downpatrick maiden hurdle winner for Noel Meade, and One Night In Milan, a five-year-old who has shown little in two starts for Paul Nicholls this year.

Native Mo has a three-year-old filly by Jeremy, a two-year-old filly by Milan and was covered by Mount Nelson – sire of Thursday's Stayers' Hurdle winner Penhill – last year.

Native River was sold as a foal by Mackey at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale in 2010, with John Dineen the purchaser at just €6,000.

He was later bought privately by agent Tom Malone on behalf of present owners Brocade Racing.

Native River marked the first time an Irish-bred had returned to the winner's enclosure after the Cheltenham Gold Cup since Lord Windermere struck in 2014.

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