French Recruits - Nils Holgerson

A 3-year-old gelding by Ivanhowe, NILS HOLGERSON is the latest French Recruit to join Olly Murphy. A €330,000 purchase at the Grand Steeple Sale in May, he leaves France having won an AQPS Flat race on his only start for Hugo Merienne at Sable-Sur-Sarthe in April. Settled 5 lengths behind the pace, he was brought 3 wide around the bottom bend to make his challenge under Pierre Bazire, hitting the front with 300m to run and staying on to beat the subsequent Morlaix winner Nuage D Ivresse. The winning time was 8s quicker than the Class 4 thoroughbred contest over the same course and distance earlier on the card and a penetrometer reading of 3,3 would suggest this was run on the equivalent of ground that would be described as good, good to firm in places in the UK. As a piece of form, this perhaps wasn’t the strongest AQPS race and given that it took place in April, just a couple of weeks before the Grand Steeple Sale, might suggest that Nils Holgerson was primed to run well before heading to the sales ring. However, he was clearly the best horse in the field and picked up nicely when asked to go and win his race.

A half-brother to an AQPS Flat winner, his dam (Goosebump) finished 3rd in the Prix Wild Monarch (Pouliches) in 2019 and he descends from the family of Dolos and Azertyuiop. Hugo Merienne is a former assistant trainer to Willie Mullins and an excellent source for a 3-year-old prospect, with the 2022 Prix Cambaceres winner St Donats perhaps his most successful juvenile so far. One of the most expensive purchases to go through the ring this year, Nils Holgerson has plenty of potential to be one of the leading 3-year-old hurdles prospects in the UK.