Page 92 - Demo

haras de la barbottière
old before ending the year with a fourth place behind Johannes Vermeer in the Group 1 Criterium International.
As a three-year-old he finished second to Quiet Reflection in a Group 2 at Haydock followed by a second place in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest over six and a half furlongs at Deauville.
He seemed to lose his way towards the end of 2016 and he started the following year in the care of trainer Andrew Balding and in the blue and white colours of King Power Racing.
That year he succeeded in several handicaps and was placed at Listed level, but he was a horse who seemed to improve with age and one to relish a challenge.
He finished off 2018 with a return to the top level when fourth to The Tin Man in the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup and third to Sands Of Mali in the Group 1 British Champion Sprint at Ascot.
He returned to Ascot the following year and pulled off a shock 33/1 success in the same race when beating top-class sprinters such as One Master, Advertise and Mabs Cross.
Robin Of Navan was a stalwart of the Harry Dunlop yard for some time and took his connections all over Europe, and indeed the world, since buying him at the Arqana Breeze Up Sales for €47,000 in 2015.
A son of American Post, he won five stakes races over three separate years, including the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. He
“‘Robin’ is a French horse first and foremost, so he is very attractive to French breeders
was also placed in ten other stakes races stretching from Germany to Italy and in France and Britain.
Although trained in Britain, Robin Of Navan is equally well known in France – not only was he bred by Monique Lepeudry at Haras de Tourgeville, but he also raced on French soil a remarkable 18 times.
His career earnings ended up at £520,792, and that is without including his French premiums.
Robin Of Navan was known for his tenacity and durability; he put up strong performances in whatever country he turned up in right until the end of his racing career.
“Robin Of Navan was such a tough fighter and the story of how we came acquire him is very similar to that of Donjuan Triumphant,” reports Rouselle.
“We had hoped to get Robin Of Navan at
the end of 2018, but his owners decided that they wanted to keep racing him for another year. We were disappointed when we heard the news and thought that we had no chance of getting him as we knew that there were other French studs interested in standing him, too.
“Luckily, Richard Venn gave us the opportunity to acquire ‘Robin’ as we had been the first to inquire about purchasing him.
“He is a French horse first and foremost, so he is attractive to French breeders with being by American Post out of a Muhtathir mare.
“We have been hearing a lot about Muhtathir as a broodmare sire and I think Robin will be a dual-purpose sire as there are a lot of NH breeders interested in him.”
With new stallions comes more work as it is not an easy task launching the career of a fledgling sire, but Rouselle is looking forward to the challenge.
“I am hopeful that these two new stallions will mark the start of an exciting time for the stud and we are very hopeful for the future,” she remarks.
“Having two stallions of such quality as Donjuan Triumphant and Robin Of Navan will bring new clients to the stud and that can only be a good thing for our business.
“We have always worked with jump stallions in the past so having Flat sires will open up a new world for Barbottière. I, for one, am excited to see where they take us.”
Robin Of Navan won five stakes races in a five-year career, his wins including the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud. He won or placed 19 times at stakes level and is seen here winning the Group 2 Meilen Trophy last July
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