Trainers pick Brian Boru, Milan and Westerner as young sires to follow

The Racing Post this week asked several top National Hunt trainers for their young sires to follow and three names kept cropping up time and again - Brian Boru, Milan and Westerner. Champion trainer Paul Nicholls’ assistant Dan Skelton commented: "We bought a nice Westerner at last year’s Derby sale who will need time but looks a lovely prospect, he’s a sire who’s had great reports and sale prices already. Of other new sires, we have a lovely Brian Boru gelding from the Irish point field who looks a staying chaser in the making." Meanwhile trainer Donald McCain said: "I have two by Brian Boru and I really like them. One is four, the other is five, both are unraced." Wales-based handler Tim Vaughan added that "I’ve got a couple of nice ones at home by Milan that are going well, so I’d say he is my sire to follow" and trainer Evan Williams added "the Milans all look good". Arthur Moore continued: "Milan’s first crop is now six and he has taken a bit of time to get going, but his horses are showing good promise and he looks like he’ll make a really good jumps sire. We’ve a six-year-old by him who won his bumper first time out in Duomo Di Milano (6g Milan-Parsons Alert, by The Parson) and my son rode a point-to-point winner called Italian Master (5g Milan-Augusta Brook, by Over The River) whom he liked a lot." Meanwhile, Colm Murphy said: "Milan has a few nice bumper horses and maiden hurdle winners. We have a couple of nice youngsters by him at home." Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies added that "I’ve got some nice Westerners, including (Cheltenham bumper contender) What A Warrior (4g Westerner-Be Right, by Be My Native)" while Paul Nolan revealed that "we have a nice unraced and unnamed Westerner. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him so far and is giving us all the right vibes. He should be a nice bumper horse".