Photo of the month

STALLION covered wnrs BT pfrs BT wnrs

Nathaniel (IRE) 102

Ocovango (GB) Ol’ Man River (IRE) Order of St George (IRE) Passing Glance (GB) Pether’s Moon (IRE) Pillar Coral (GB) Planteur (IRE) Poet’s Word (IRE) Policy Maker (IRE) Saddex (GB) Sandmason (GB) Scalo (GB) Schiaparelli (GER) Scorpion (IRE) Sea Moon (GB) Shantaram (GB) Shantou (USA) Shirocco (GER) Sholokhov (IRE) Sir Percy (GB) Snow Sky (GB) Soldier of Fortune (IRE) 132 45 247 49 39 111 1 235 28 50 18 29 21 22 51 76 8 182 84 21 61 224

Success Days (IRE) Sun Central (IRE) Telescope (IRE) Tirwanako (FR) Urban Poet (USA)

48 2 124 59 14

Vadamos (FR) Valirann (FR) 161 109

Vendangeur (IRE)

20 Walk In The Park (IRE) 235 Well Chosen (GB) 18

Westerner (GB) Wings of Eagles (FR) Workforce (GB) 129 240 47

Yeats (IRE) Yorgunnabelucky (USA) Youmzain (IRE) Zambezi Sun (GB) 123 48 59 20

73 27 9 78 31 17 19 1 95 10 3 4 15 6 11 17 14 4 42 24 11 6 70 18 2 72 12 2 56 14 2 104 6 31 57 4 51 25 6 3 33 4 1 21 7 2 2 0 34 3 0 0 3 0 2 4 1 0 9 3 1 0 19 1 1 29 3 0 10 0 0 46 1 7 16 0 19 0 1 1 20 2 0 9 3 1 1 0 18 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 4 2 1 0 5 0 1 15 1 0 3 0 0 25 0 2 9 0 7 0 0 0 0

NH stallions by BT performing mares

STALLION wnrs

Crystal Ocean (GB) Getaway (GER) Walk In The Park (IRE) Blue Bresil (FR) Poet’s Word (IRE) Nathaniel (IRE) Harzand (IRE) Maxios (GB) Telescope (IRE) Highland Reel (IRE) Order of St George (IRE) 54 51 46 36 34 33 30 29 29 27 21

Crystal Ocean: was busy in 2020, and saw a quality book, too

NH stallions by BT-winning mares

STALLION wnrs

Crystal Ocean (GB) Walk In The Park (IRE) Nathaniel (IRE) Getaway (GER) Poet’s Word (IRE) Harzand (IRE) Telescope (IRE) Blue Bresil (FR) Maxios (GB) Highland Reel (IRE) 25 25 20 19 18 18 15 12

11 10

EQUINE LEGENDS: the 18-year-old Pigeon Island (left) and the two-year younger Walkon. They are being ridden by NH jockey Paddy Brennan and ex-jockey Robert “Choc” Thornton, who now manages Apple Tree Stud.

Pigeon Island (Daylami) ran 86 times and Paddy Brennan rode him in 32 of those races. Trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, Pigeon Island won 11 races with Brennan on board for eight victories. Pigeon island achieved a BHA best rating of 150 and his biggest successes came in the Grade 2 Dovecote Novices Hurdle at Kempton and the Grade 3 Grand Annual Handicap Chase at The Festival in 2010. He was bred by the late Sir Eric Parker.

Walkon (Take Risks) ran 31 times for trainer Alan King. Thornton rode him in 17 races, the pair successful four times, including twice at Grade 1 level over hurdles in 2008 and 2009. He finished second in the 2009 Triumph Hurdle (G1) to Zaynar and went on to finish second in the 2013 Aintree Grand National. In total, Walkon won nine races, finished second and third on another nine occasions. He was bred by the late Marquise Soledad De Moratalla.

Photo by Debbie Burt