There is plenty of South African interest in this afternoon’s Gr1 Goffs Irish Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown where the Willie Mullins-trained Il Etait Temps, who runs in the Hollywood Syndicate colours and is part-owned by the Kieswetter’s Barnane Stud, faces up against Found A Fifty, who is a son of late Summerhill and Heversham Park sire, Solskjaer.
Both will have to get past the unbeaten Barry Connell-trained Marine Nationale, who won last season’s Gr 1 Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and was victorious in his recent chase debut over today’s course and distance.
Mullins already has a Gr 1-winning novice chaser this season, Gaelic Warrior, but he has decided to avoid a clash with Marine Nationale and has rather left Facile Vega and Il Etait Temps in the Irish Arkle field.
Il Etait Temps – carries the Hollywood and Barnane Stud hopes this afternoon (Pic – Supplied)
Il Etait Temps will be ridden by Danny Mullins, and won his chase debut over two miles and two-and-a-half furlongs at Thurles, but was beaten 5,5 lengths by Gaelic Warrior in the Gr1 Guinness Faugheen Novice Chase over two miles and three-and-a-half furlongs at Limerick.
Gordon Elliot and Jack Kennedy team up with Found A Fifty who won the Gr1 Novice Chase over Christmas at Leopardstown.
Solskjaer – pictured at the 2013 Summerhill Stallion’s Day (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
His sire Solksjaer was imported to South Africa for stud duties at Summerhill Stud in 2007.
His first few crops impressed most experts with their beautiful, flowing strides. There were many bread-and-butter runners among the early crops, but he didn’t quite make the grade and Mick Goss decided to retire him in 2013.
Soon after he was retired in 2015 he was placed on an auction where he received no bids, but Advocate Nigel Riley of Heversham Park Stud came to hear of him and secured him for only R5000 after negotiating with Greg Muir, the former Stud Manager at Summerhill.
Riley told Turf Talk: “Solskjaer was a half-brother to Yeats (Sadler’s Wells), who won seven Gr1 races and at the time was picking up momentum as a sire of excellent jump horses. We made some enquiries and sent Solskjaer back to Ireland to stand as a jump stallion at Coolagown Stud in County Cork. He covered 80 mares a season in his first three seasons but then he scaled down after his busy time. Solsksjaer retired with dignity and made his mark,” he added.
The off time is 16h25 (South African).
