Manatee Du Brizais, the first son of Manatee to appear in competitive action in the pointing fields in Ireland, has certainly set the tone of what is to come.
Bought in the Arqana sales ring in 2022, he had clearly been pleasing his trainer Declan Queally prior to his debut as he was sent off as the well-backed favourite at Tattersalls in October.
Despite the testing ground conditions, he finished an encouraging fourth to Saint Kristobal, and looked to be showing the benefit for that run when he re-appeared at Boulta in December.
Here he was still very much in the shake up entering the home straight only to fall at the penultimate fence, whilst sitting in front of the subsequent wide-margin Dromahane winner Good N’ Kind at the time.
Connections didn’t have long to wait for compensation, however, as he ran out a comprehensive winner of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden at Ballindenisk last Sunday.
Always to the fore in the soft ground, the race was still wide open two-out, with plenty of contenders holding claims, but once Manatee Du Brizais edged his way back to the front at the this point in the race, he again picked-up to gamely extend his advantage.
Once getting over the last, he really hit top gear and opened up on the climb to the line to extend some eight and a half-lengths clear of the runner-up.
An impressive winner, rider Declan Queally felt that he would be an even better horse on nicer ground, with a bumper potentially next on the agenda for him if not sold beforehand.
The p2p.ie analysis of his performance started: “He seems to possess formidable reserves of speed, allied to nice staying power.”
An excellent start for his point runners in Ireland, Manatee initially stood in France with Haras du Hoguenet, before the son of Monsun made his way to Whytemount Stud for the 2022 covering season.
A dual Group 2 winner for Andre Fabre when sporting the Godolphin colours during his racing career, since retiring to the breeding shed, he has already sired a number of winners, both in France and Britain.
Jane Williams has enjoyed particular success on British shores in recent weeks with his off-spring, as Jaminska, gained black type when placed in a listed novice hurdle at Taunton on December 30th, which followed two weeks after she had saddled Inside Man to win a three-year-old hurdle at the same venue.
Meanwhile, Sam Thomas won a Chepstow bumper with the promising Rocking Man, another promising son of Manatee who races in the colours of Dai Walters.
Britain has also provided him with point-to-point success as Matchadam won a 15-runner four and five-year-old maiden at Larkhill in November 2022, after which he was bought by Jerry McGrath for £50,000, and that is one of a number of strong showings in the sales ring for his off-spring.
At last year's Goffs Arkle Sale, Koapey, a son of Manatee that was offered by Ballincurrig House Stud, was bought for €52,000 by Highflyer Bloodstock on behalf of Warren Greatrex, whilst that was almost matched by the result Brook Lodge Farm achieved at the same sale, when their Pagims du Brizais, was bought for €48,000 by point-to-point handlers Ian McCarthy and Peter Flood.
