Boxing Day to remember for Karaktar as Il Est Francais leads high-profile double

Karaktar indicated to Britain and Ireland why his fee for 2024 has almost trebled with a Graded race double within only a few minutes on Tuesday.

The youngest crop of the Haras de Cercy resident are only five and include Il Est Francais, who produced what might well be remembered among the great Boxing Day performances when he blew his rivals away in the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices' Chase at Kempton. 

Kala Conti, one of Karaktar’s three-year-olds, had already maintained the impressive start she has made since joining Gordon Elliott’s stable from France by taking the Grade 2 Mercedes-Benz South Dublin Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown. He picked up a third winner in quick fashion when Joyau De Thaix took the Signsplus maiden hurdle at Limerick.

A handful of Karaktars have made their way across the Channel such as promising novice hurdler Ikarak but Il Est Francais had been at the forefront of making his name back home as the winner of the Grade 1 Prix Renaud du Vivier at Auteuil a year ago. His stars also include Incollable, who won the Prix Heros XII, a Grade 3 chase at Auteuil in October, for Haras de Saint-Voir. 

Kala Conti and Danny Gilligan winning the Mercedes-Benz South Dublin Juvenile Hurdle Credit: Patrick McCann

Nicolas de Lageneste's operation also bred Il Est Francais and still owns 50 per cent of him with the Kelvin-Hughes family. He was bred out of the Video Rock mare Millesimee, who has produced two other black-type jumpers and a string of winners.

Cercy, which is run as a co-operative among breeders in central France, elevated Karaktar to the joint most expensive sire on the roster along with old favourite Cokoriko as a figure of €12,000. He is reported to have been the busiest stallion in France, having begun at a fee of €2,000 which had risen to only €4,500 this year.

Close to his 12th birthday, Karaktar is an Aga Khan-bred and raced son of High Chaparral who won the Group 3 Prix Noailles and Prix du Prince d'Orange at middle distances for Alain de Royer-Dupre. 

Read this next:

'We hope they follow in their footsteps' - hope and confidence in Vadeni and Erevann to take on Aga Khan stallion mantle(£)