Winning spell for Golden Horn shows no sign of slowing as Overbury Stud resident is inundated

The Cheltenham Festival was a truly golden few days for Overbury Stud and its brilliant Derby hero Golden Horn, a sire who is making a meteoric rise to join the elite in the British and Irish National Hunt ranks. 

The 2015 champion three-year-old and Horse of the Year had hinted at his talent for siring top-notch jumps performers, but Golden Ace's unlikely – but hugely popular – Champion Hurdle victory on the sport's biggest stage confirmed that early promise, propelling the stallion’s reputation to even greater heights. 

Just three days later, Golden Horn's name was in lights once again when his winning Flat performer Poniros shrugged off his 100-1 odds to win the Triumph Hurdle on his jumps debut for Willie Mullins and Tony Bloom. That Grade 1 success came at the expense of market leaders Lulamba and East India Dock, both of whom had prior runs over hurdles. 

Poniros's 200,000gns Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale price tag contrasted to Golden Ace's 12,000gns Tattersalls July Sale one – but have both clearly inherited their father’s talent. 

"It was very, very exciting and the phone, as you can imagine, has been extremely busy. People have been on to us and want to get their mares booked in. I would say this year, from talking to a number of stallion managers, an awful lot of breeders are waiting very late to book their mares this time,” Overbury Stud's manager Simon Sweeting said. 

"People are now thinking 'will we get into Golden Horn?' as Jayne [McGivern, owner] limits his book, so the last four or five days have been crazy. It's a good problem to have!"

Simon Sweeting: "there are some fabulous mares coming to him this year"Credit: Laura Green

Refreshingly, the temptation to allow Golden Horn to cover a massive book has been rejected and he will be limited to around 175 mares.

"Jayne thinks [that number] is plenty and I wouldn't disagree with her, there are some fabulous mares coming to him this year,” he added. 

Sweeting is quick to recognise the opportunities for British National Hunt breeders in having a horse like Golden Horn available in the country. Given all the recent discussions over French and Irish-bred domination, an exceptional young sire like the son of Cape Cross, who stands in Britain, is something to be celebrated.

"It's like when we had Kayf Tara here, everyone appreciates having a horse like him on their doorstep. The quality of mares is very good in this country and we just need the stallions to service them, so to have Golden Horn here is good for everybody."

Inevitably comparisons with the farm’s late, great Kayf Tara will ensue if Golden Horn keeps this momentum up. While the younger horse has plenty to live up to with the illustrious old guard, his Grade 1 double at the festival was reminiscent of one of Kayf Tara's glorious Cheltenham moments. 

"I think Jayne said she's expecting him to be a lot better!” Sweeting said. "If he's as good as Kayf Tara then that would be fabulous, everything is pointing in the right direction now. I was looking back when Kayf Tara had Thistlecrack and Blaklion both win their races [at Cheltenham], as well as Ballyandy in the Champion Bumper that year, but there's no reason to think Golden Horn couldn't be right up there. He's certainly getting the opportunities with the mares he's covering."

Golden Ace with connections after victory in the Champion HurdleCredit: www.carolinenorris.ie

Golden Horn has been no slouch with his Flat performers either, among them Group 2 Long Distance Cup winner and Gold Cup second Trawlerman, Queen's Vase scorer Gregory, Italian Derby hero Goldenas and Grand Prix de Deauville winner Botanik, also placed in the Hong Kong Vase and Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

He looks to have another potential flagbearer on the level with James Wigan's Higher Leaves, an impressive winner of the Group 3 Prix Fille de l'Air last November. However, despite his obvious talents at producing high-class performers on the Flat, Sweeting expressed his frustration at his star stallion attracting fewer mares in that code.  

"Golden Horn has – and has had– some tremendous horses on the Flat. They've got the same characteristics as the ones who've done well over jumps, they're very, very tough and keep going,” he said. 

"It is a little bit depressing that there isn't the appetite for a horse like Golden Horn to be covering more Flat mares, but the fact is he's an owner-breeder type of horse rather than a commercial one. Sadly there just aren't the owner-breeders around to use a horse like him, but if you are breeding to race then he's a very obvious type at £10,000. You can't take away what he's achieved on the Flat but he's now overtaking that on the jumps."

Overbury’s former marquee stallion Kayf Tara was also among the winners with The New Lion retaining his unbeaten record in the Turners Novices' Hurdle. Sweeting was quick to pay tribute to him and Springwell Bay, who sadly suffered a fatal injury.

“It was desperately sad about Springwell Bay as he clearly had a lot of ability as well, but The New Lion is a very good horse," he said. "To me it looked like Harry [Skelton] was having to take a serious pull for three-quarters of that race. He did it tremendously and I’d agree with people that he will be just as good over two miles. The great thing about Dan [Skelton] is he’s always happy to be patient and that’s going to help The New Lion throughout his career.

Kayf Tara: late, great sire had a festival winner in the exciting The New LionCredit: David Dew

"It's also wonderful for the Chuggs and one of the last hurrahs for Kayf Tara."

Golden Horn's former John Gosden stable companion and racecourse rival Jack Hobbs, from their famous one-two at Epsom, has also started his stud career with a flourish. 

The Irish Derby winner's progeny include Grade 2 Persian War Novices' Hurdle runner-up Intense Approach, as well as the Listed-placed Jax Junior and I'm A Lumberjack, all of those likely portents of what is to come from the powerful son of Halling.  

Sweeting said of the 13-year-old's stock: "There's a very exciting Jack Hobbs who Dan has also got called Bossman Jack and he won at Wincanton a few weeks ago. Watching his race back he just had the most wonderful attitude for a racehorse, so I'm really excited about him – as I am about a number of the Jack Hobbses. They've taken their time to show their full potential now but they're getting there."

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