FAMILY TIES - JEU ST ELOI

I am very proud to be English. Even so, it is tricky not to be the tiniest bit envious of the quality of jumps stallion that the French seem regularly able to produce. There is huge variety too, within the French stallion ranks. Of course, it is much more common for colts to be run over obstacles over there, and to remain entire before assuming covering duties, therefore they have a pool of stallions that have proven themselves not just to stay, but to hurdle or chase too. Goliath Du Berlais is a more recent example of this, as would be Tunis or Beaumec De Houelle. So Jeu St Eloi’s relocation to Glenview Stud for last year’s covering season looks to be even more of a valuable addition to the Irish stallion ranks, especially given his results of late.

At Pau on Sunday, the four-year-old Un Chic Cheval’s comfortable success in the Listed Prix Antoine de Palaminy under Felix de Giles, became the first of a double for the stallion, as following this Interdit de Jeu triumphed in the last race on the card, over cross-country fences.

It has been a fruitful few weeks for the son of Saint Des Saints. The JP McManus-owned filly Nara struck in a Grade 2 at Thurles earlier in January, having been runner-up at the same level before Christmas. Another of the stallion’s Irish-trained representatives, the filly Kargese, finished a close second in the Grade 2 Mares’ Hurdle at Ascot that same weekend. Kargese, who is under the tutelage of Willie Mullins, has struck twice now at the highest level - it might well have been four times, were it not for the talents of Majborough and Sir Gino. She currently holds an entry for the Mares’ Hurdle at the Festival.

The Grade 3-placed Inthewaterside won over fences at Newbury at Christmas, on behalf of Paul Nicholls, who also trains another of Jeu St Eloi’s sons, Blueking d’Oroux, who struck in the Ascot Hurdle (G2) as a four-year-old. The Hobbs and Johnson-trained gelding Saint Anapolino has won twice already this year – he won his maiden hurdle at Exeter at the beginning of January for Hobbs and White and then notched in a handicap hurdle at Taunton last week.

If his representatives in Britain and Ireland are anything to go by, Jeu St Eloi should have plenty more black-type horses to come. It also does not look as though he throws individuals that need an awful lot of time. Kargese and Nara both earnt black-type over hurdles whilst in their three-year-old year, and Blueking d’Oroux also won as a three-year-old in France. Inthewaterside won a British bumper on debut as a four-year-old. Of course, this could be because they are French-breds and were therefore managed in a different way as youngsters, but whether that is the sole reason would probably be a matter of opinion, at least until his Irish-bred crops are of training age.

Jeu St Eloi is now standing for a private fee at Glenview – his covering cost never rose above €4000 whilst he was at Haras de Cercy. That taken into consideration, alongside the fact that he only ever placed and never won a race himself, I think means that his start at stud has proven to be considerably better than it was perhaps entitled to be. He has had nineteen individual black-type performers to date, three of which are British or Irish Graded winners. It goes without saying that it is a credit to the French open-mindedness that he originally ended up at stud – although I suspect their understandable wish to retain access to the bloodline of their beloved Saint Des Saints (who was incidentally retired in October) had something to do with it too. written by Gabriella Herbert