Juvenile hurdle double wraps up wonderful week for Mount Nelson

Mount Nelson has been in strong demand from jumps breeders since his transfer to Boardsmill Stud last year and results on Saturday showed why, as he supplied two promising three-year-old hurdle winners.

The Tony Carroll-trained Nelson River made it two out of two over jumps in the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham, finishing strongly to collar Fanfan Du Seuil (by Racinger) close home.

Just over an hour later Havingagoodtime sprang a 25-1 surprise in the three-year-old maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse, having finished sixth on both her previous starts over timber for Henry De Bromhead.

Nelson River was bred by renowned divorce lawyer Raymond Tooth when Mount Nelson stood with a Flat focus at Newsells Park Stud in Hertfordshire.

View results and watch the race replays

Nelson River scores at Cheltenham
Havingagoodtime springs a surprise at Fairyhouse

The gelding originally carried Tooth's grey silks – borne by Punjabi to victory in the Champion Hurdle in 2008 and by Flat stars such as Lear Spear and Indian Ink – but made no impact in three starts at two for Clive Cox last year.

After joining Carroll for the CCCP Syndicate, he won a lowly Wolverhampton handicap in September and has proved a revelation over hurdles.

Nelson River is the first foal out of the Oratorio mare I Say, winner of a 1m1f Carlisle maiden at three and a half-sister to Listed Prix Six Perfections scorer Tigrilla.

I Say's third dam is Moyglare Stud matriarch Grenzen, a Grade 2 winner and Kentucky Oaks runner-up who is ancestress of Melbourne Cup hero Media Puzzle and his Classic-winning half-brother Refuse To Bend, Belmont Stakes winner Go And Go and other Group/Grade 1 laureates Casual Conquest and Rich Tapestry.

Mount Nelson is by the Danehill stallion Rock Of Gibraltar, while Oratorio is also a son of Danehill – so Nelson River is inbred 3x3 to the late, great shuttle stallion.

Havingagoodtime, meanwhile, might have raised a wry smile at her birthplace of Newsells Park Stud as she is not the first good jumper the Flat operation has inadvertently bred from Mount Nelson.

Penhill, a dual Cheltenham Festival winner in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle and Stayers' Hurdle, was bred by Newsells with Equity Bloodstock.

As was the case with Nelson River, Havingagoodtime was no great shakes on the Flat, struggling to a best Racing Post Rating of just 39.

However, she had shown glimmers of promise in her two sixth-place finishes over hurdles and scored by four and a half lengths on Saturday.

She is the second foal out of the winning Zamindar mare Don't Stop Me Now, a half-sister to Group 3 Prix Minerve third Gosh out of Listed-placed Ragazza Mio.

Ragazza Mio is a half-sister to high-class Flat performers I'm Your Man and Perfect Hedge, but also to Hoo La Baloo, a fine chaser for Paul Nicholls who won the Grade 2 Wayward Lad Novices' Chase (when left as last man standing) and finished second in the Bet365 Gold Cup.

A more distant relative is the six-time Grade 1-winning hurdler and chaser Footpad.

Don't Stop Me Now was sold by Newsells Park Stud to Harry Dutfield for 6,000gns in 2016, and Dutfield resold the mare to Stefan Uppstrom for £3,000 at the Goffs UK December Sale just last week.

Dutfield sold the dam's yearling filly by Mount Nelson to Rebecca Dennis for 2,500gns at Tattersalls in October and her filly foal by Mayson to Phil Slater for £3,500 at Doncaster this month.

Mount Nelson won the Criterium International at two and the Coral-Eclipse at four for Coolmore before being retired to Newsells Park Stud.

He has proved capable of siring high-class Flat runners, including British Champions Sprint winner Librisa Breeze and the classy Berkshire and Purr Along, but was moved to a dual-purpose role at Boardsmill Stud in 2017.

Breeders have flocked to Mount Nelson in Ireland, with Weatherbys recording him as having covered 267 mares this year and 225 in 2017 – up from just 24 in his last season at Newsells Park in 2016.

It has been a big week for the stallion, as he dominated results at the Goffs December National Hunt Sale on Wednesday and Thursday.

The classy hurdling mare Whistle Dixie, a Kayf Tara half-sister to Kicking King in foal to Mount Nelson, broke the auction record price when sold to Beeches Stud for €230,000. Furthermore, a Mount Nelson colt foal out of Glens Melody made €82,000 to Park Farm.

He was also represented by Get In The Queue, a nine-length winner of a Uttoxeter bumper on debut for Harry Fry on Tuesday.

It was a good day at the office for the Boardsmill stallions on Saturday, as Mount Nelson's studmate Kalanisi supplied the Grade 2 Unibet International Hurdle winner Brain Power.

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