Il Etait Temps winning the Tattersalls Ireland Gr1 Novice Hurdle (Sky Sports).
“The Cheltenham Roar” is one of the most spine-tingling annual moments in sport and this year it will be extra exciting for South African fans of jumps racing because the race it coincides with, the Grade 1 Supreme Novices Hurdle, will have a runner with South African connections.
The Paddy Mullins-trained Il Etait Temps will run in the colours of KZN champion owners, the Hollywood Syndicate, who race him in a lease partnership with the Kieswetter family’s Barnane Stud.
The grey is also owned by Bloodstock man Ross Doyle and longstanding Barnane Stud manager Patrick Wynn Jones.
The Cheltenham Festival, known by many as the greatest racing show on earth, consists of four days of top class action including 14 Grade 1s and a number of championship events. Every one of the 28 races at the festival has a season long build up.
The pent up excitement of myriad fans who have been anticipating the festival for months reaches its xenith as the starter calls the circling horses in for the Supreme Novices Hurdle.
The crowd start buzzing as the horses approach the imaginary line adjacent to the rostrum and as the starter drops his flag an almighty roar is released that echoes through the Cotswold Valley.
The four days of racing that nobody wants to end is underway.
And on this occasion South African fans at home, or at the course, will be following the progress of the yellow colours with purple stars.
Il Etait Temps comes off victory in the Tattersalls Ireland Gr1 Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown a fortnight ago.
His regular rider is David Mullins.
Third generation bloodstock agent Ross Doyle, who met the Kieswetters on visits to the sales in South Africa, found Il Etait Temps.
He told the Sporting Post the whole story recently about the gelded son of Jukebox Jury, who is out of a mare called Une Des Source and was bred in France by Emmanuel Clayeux.
He had run twice as a 3 year old on the flat in France for Clayeux, who also trained him, finishing fifth and then second over 2200m at Vichy in May 2021.
Doyle said, “I am in regular contact with Harold Kirk, a bloodstock agent in Ireland, and he along with his close friend in France, Pierre Boulard, are the chief scouts for Champion trainer Willie Mullins. Harold mentioned Il Etait Temps to me in conversation as a horse that had caught the eye,” recalled Ross.
Doyle had his interest pricked further after watching the race replays.
“I agreed that he had something about him. He was eye-catching, very keen to get on with the job and looked tough. We liked his running style; he is a medium-sized horse and a good mover,” he added.
Ross then had a chat with Craig Kieswetter and Barnane Manager, Patrick Wynn Jones.
“We have an excellent existing relationship and I told them that I really believed that Il Etait Temps was an interesting prospect. The rest is history, with many happy chapters still to be written, hopefully!” said Ross.
The Grade 1 win of Il Etait Temps was just one of the Kieswetters’ wins in an amazing recent international run.
The Kieswetters’ Ridgemont Highlands Stud bred Make It Snappy won the recent Grade 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas and the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes, running in the colours of Hollywood who lease the Brett Crawford-trained Dynasty filly.
On Friday at Dundalk the Barnane Stud-bred Frankel filly Icykel, trained by Johnny Murtagh, won in just her second career start.
She is out of the SA-bred Western Winter mare Cold As Ice, who was trained by Joey Ramsden and won two Grade 2s in SA for the Kieswetters and the family of Brian Finch, a South African who is currently the chairman of Epsom Downs racecourse. Cold As Ice also won a race in England.
Hours before Icykel’s win Barnane had scored their maiden win in the USA when 3yo Turf King, a son of Kingman out of the Acclamation mare Sweet Acclaim, won a Maiden Special Weights contest at Gulfstream Park.
Owned by Wise Racing LLC he was ridden by Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Chad Brown.
With Cheltenham fast approaching Hollywood’s gratitude to the Kieswetters was made clear by Hollywoodbets Brand & Communications Manager Devin Heffer.
He said to the Sporting Post, “Our association with the Kieswetter family has been a turning point in our ability to compete at Grade 1 level, globally, and we are indebted to them for embracing the partnership and welcoming us into their world. We enjoyed a dual Gr1 success recently in the Cape, and then Il Etait Temp’s big Leopardstown Gr1 victory was simply awesome. It feels like a dream!” he added.
Roll on March 14, the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival!
