Red letter day for Crystal Ocean as Group 1 winner set for first point-to-point runner

Mark it in the diary as Sunday is a red-letter day in the point-to-point and National Hunt breeding calendar with the first four-year-old maidens of the season down for decision at Ballinaboola and Bellharbour respectively.

It could also be a significant milestone in the stallion career of The Beeches Stud resident Crystal Ocean as the Group 1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes victor is due to be represented by the first runner from his debut crop with Colin Bowe entering Cristal D'Estruval in both the Clare and Cork contests.

Seven years ago Bowe sent out Envoi Allen to win the opening four-year-old maiden of the year at Ballinaboola in County Cork before selling him a fortnight later at Tattersalls Cheltenham for £400,000 to Tom Malone on behalf of Cheveley Park Stud and the 11-year-old has been successful nine times at the highest level since then.

Just 12 months ago, the multiple champion handler repeated the feat with Korkoran, a son of No Risk At All who went on to top the Cheltenham sale at £240,000 when bought by Ed Bailey and Harry Derham.

There is a lot riding on the shoulders of Cristal D'Estruval as one impressive debut four-year-old winner can have an massive impact on a stallion's career, even at this early stage.

Cristal D'Estruval certainly has the pedigree for the task he faces – Bowe's Milestone Stables partnered with Cametique Horses to purchase the gelding from Peter Nolan Bloodstock at the Goffs Arkle Sale last June for €67,000.

It was less than the bay gelding had fetched in the same ring as a foal when he made €70,000 to Jamestown House Stud from The Beeches Stud in December 2021.

He is out of Aurore D'Estruval, whose sire Nickname is the elder half-brother of No Risk At All. Trained by John Quinn and ridden by Sir AP McCoy, she won a pair of Listed mares' hurdles during the 2014–15 season and was runner-up to Irving in the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth when James Reveley was on board.

Colin Bowe: unleashes the first point-to-point runner by Crystal OceanCredit: Patrick McCann

The March-born Cristal D'Estruval is her third foal but will be her first runner.

His sire began his stud career at a fee of €8,000 in 2020 and has remained at that level with his popularity at the sales keeping demand for his progeny high.

Already his first crop has produced two Flat winners in Britain and one in France while he has sired a juvenile bumper winner in Watamu, who made a winning debut at Stratford in late October for Pat Murphy and her owner-breeder Paul Jacobs.

The son of Sea The Stars has the bumper-placed Crystabel and Crystal Spring as well from seven bumper runners. His first crop numbers 179 registered foals and he has in excess of 200 foals registered in each of his following three crops.

Although Maxios and Feel Like Dancing are already the sires of Grade 1 Dublin Racing Festival stars in Gaelic Warrior and Feel Like Dancing, both are set to be represented by the first runners from their debut Irish-bred crops on Sunday.

Rob James and the Matchmakers Syndicate have the cleverly-named Hot To Go entered in the Clare venue with the gelding, out of the Presenting mare Taylor snapped up by James for €30,000 at Goffs Arkle Sale last June, where F and H Bloodstock's offering was the second lot in the ring.

From the family of Thyne Again, he had been sold by Dr Brid Corkery and Mary O'Connor from Lough na Sollis Stud at the Tattersalls Ireland February Sale of 2022.

Whytemount Stud's Feel Like Dancing is the sire of Quickkick, for the Baltimore Stables team, and he holds entries in both races. As with the other two, he was sourced at the Arkle Sale last June where the half-brother to French Listed-winning chaser Nyiri made €28,000. They are out of the Group 3-placed Veenwouden, who is a Desert Prince half-sister to the dam of Glorious Empire.

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