‘He’s Put Us On The Map’ – Capital Stud Boss Puts Faith Behind Authorized

Capital Stud boss Ger O'Neill has revealed that Authorized (Ire) will stand for a similar fee to dominant National Hunt stallion Walk In The Park (Ire) and outlined his hopes that the new recruit to the County Kilkenny operation will help raise the relatively new outfit's profile amongst Irish breeders. 

O'Neill's perseverance paid off in securing the 20-year-old Derby winner and sire of Tiger Roll (Ire), one of the most famous jumps horses of the modern era, from the Jockey Club of Turkey for what he described as “a frightening” sum of money earlier this month. 

No insurance could be secured for Authorized, which added to the risks involved in stumping up the cash for the sire who once again made headlines recently when exciting youngster Readin Tommy Wrong (Ire) remained unbeaten for Willie Mullins when landing the Grade 1 Lawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle. 

“It's either cracked or clever, I'm not sure which one,” O'Neill joked, brushing off the magnitude of the risk involved in shuttling a 20-year-old stallion back to Ireland. “I asked a lot of industry leaders what their favourite National Hunt Stallion was before getting the deal done and, nine times out of 10, Authorized was pretty high up the list. 

“Ask anyone what their top three stallions are and you are likely to be told Blue Bresil (Fr), Walk In The Park and Authorized. If you look at the sales, he had a €109,000 average for his three-year-olds between France and Ireland in 2023. The market really wanted him here and we were delighted to go and get him.”

O'Neill added, “Like a lot of studs, we had asked about buying him 12 months ago and it was a definite no. It was probably through perseverance that we got there in the end. They put a price on him that was, to be honest, not very realistic, but we got a group of people together and started to do the figures on it. 

“I mean, it's a huge move to buy him, but I think he's going to do really well for the Irish breeders. Not only that, but he's going to be great for our stud and has put us on the map alongside the likes of Coolmore and Rathbarry for being one of the bigger National Hunt studs now. With Triple Threat (Fr) joining the National Hunt side of our roster recently, to go with Mirage Dancer (GB) and Hunting Horn (Ire), who were already here, we believe we have something for every kind of jumps breeder.”

Along with Tiger Roll and more recently Readin Tommy Wrong, Authorized has been represented by Stayers' Hurdle winner Nichols Canyon (GB), Irish Grand National winner I Am Maximus (GB), and fellow high-class jumpers Goshen (Fr) and Echoes In Rain (Fr).

His return to Ireland, 15 years after he stood at Kildangan Stud, will be a major boost for Irish breeders, according to O'Neill, who said the people in the ownership group of the stallion convinced him to plough on and get the deal done. 

“Donnchadh Doyle, Darragh McCarthy, Jerry Horan and a good few others have gotten involved,” he explained. “Jerry, to be fair to him, has been with us from the start and is a great man to have on board. He's a well-liked character in the industry and is very knowledgeable. He's been a great fella to have on our side. Greg Broderick, the Irish International Show Jumper, is also involved. There's a big group of us and it's a big leap of faith, but you can't go around worrying about what might happen if it doesn't work out.”

O'Neill added, “We bought him with no insurance. We tried everywhere to get insurance but it just wasn't possible. But look, things happen in Show Jumping every day. Horses go lame and their value plummets. That's just part and parcel of the sport. It's the same with working with stallions and, if something were to happen to Authorized, it would obviously be a huge blow but that's the risk we were willing to take. Donnchadh Doyle is one of the bravest men I know and his advice was to plough on and get him bought. We know the risk involved and, the upside of the whole thing is, if we can get a few years out of him, it could be very beneficial for the industry.

“Not only that but, after Willie and Jackie Mullins heard that we were after buying Authorized, they booked in a load of their mares to us. Some of the biggest studs in Ireland have four and five mares booked into him. A lot of people are going to breed to him and race the progeny so I don't think you're going to see huge numbers of them ending up in the sales ring. The aim is that he will cover over 100 mares but if he can cover 150, we'll do it. Blue Bresil and Walk In The Park have covered over 200 apiece in the past few years but we don't foresee Authorized reaching those numbers. We're happy that, if he can cover over 100 mares and is happy here, we'll be happy as well.”

It's not just jumps stallions that breeders can avail of at Capital Stud. Alkumait (GB), the G2 Mill Reef Stakes-winning half-brother to the 2,000 Guineas hero Chaldean (GB), had his first foals in 2023 while G3 Marble Hill S. winner Castle Star (Ire) is another recent addition to the ranks. Both horses stand for €5,000.

O'Neill said, “We're trying to add to the roster all the time. We started out with Hunting Horn. Darragh McCarthy is one of the founders of Capital Stud and he probably had more of a desire to stand stallions than I did initially. When Hunting Horn came on the radar, we took the decision to go and buy him. Things have really snowballed from there. 

“Mirage Dancer was another brilliant horse to be able to get at the time. He won his Group 1 down in Australia. He has a huge pedigree and, when we saw a video of him walking, we were all blown away by him. Then Triple Threat has gone down very well as well. There are 100 mares booked into Triple Threat already and Harold Kirk, for example, is one person who really believes in him.”

He added, “But the Flat side of the operation is really growing, too. We got an amazing update with Alkumait when Chaldean came out and won the 2,000 Guineas and, not long after that, his sister [Get Ahead (GB) (Showcasing {GB})] made 2.5m gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale. His foals sold very well last year. Castle Star is another good addition and the ownership group in him are going to throw everything behind him. That's another thing about our business model, we will try and support the breeders that use our stallions from the bottom to the top, and hopefully that will be mutually beneficial for the two of us going forward.”

The arrival of Authorized comes at a time when the National Hunt Sales in Britain and Ireland have been dominated by two stallions; Walk In The Park and Blue Bresil. O'Neill says he is confident that Authorized can shake up things at the upper end of the market and, in doing so, entice further footfall to the stud. 

He said, “We're going to have an open day for Authorized in February and would encourage people to come and see him. He wasn't here on time for the Irish Stallion Trail but a lot of people came to visit and see the place off the back of the announcement that he was coming.

“The other thing I would say about Authorized is, he could do his bit to attract breeders to the place. The breeder who rings up to use him, they might have another mare for Triple Threat, or even Mirage Dancer and Hunting Horn. He's helped us lift our game.”

Capital Stud has come a long way since Hunting Horn and Mirage Dancer joined the roster only four years ago. O'Neill, who is best known as an Irish International Show Jumper, has been able to fast-track its emergence as a pretty serious outfit through his exploits in that sphere but the hope is that Capital Stud can maintain its progression and rival the big boys. It is thought that the addition of Authorized will aid that process. 

“My background is in Show Jumping. I am an Irish International Show Jumper and am lucky enough to have won a few Nations Cups. I've always had an interest in breeding and rode in a few point-to-points when I was younger. From that, I rode out for Mags Mullins and really enjoyed that and have kept my eye in on the racing after I returned to the Show Jumping. I said I'd dip my toe in the breeding game and four years later we're really getting stuck in.”

O'Neill added, “We'd like to get as big as we can. We are very motivated to make Capital Stud better and are excited to see how far we can go in this industry. It's a very hard business but it's an enjoyable one and I'd love nothing more than to be standing one of the big-name Flat stallions. That's the goal. If we don't hit that goal, fine, but it won't be for a lack of trying. We're always on the lookout to find the next big stallion and the foundations are in place for us to kick on and make Capital Stud one of the major destinations for National Hunt and Flat breeders alike.”

The post ‘He’s Put Us On The Map’ – Capital Stud Boss Puts Faith Behind Authorized appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Derby Winner And Tiger Roll’s Sire Authorized To Stand In Ireland Next Year

Authorized (Ire), the brilliant Derby-winning son of Montjeu (Ire) who has made his name as a leading jumps sire through the exploits of Tiger Roll (Ire), Nichols Canyon (GB) and I Am Maximus (Fr), is set to return to Ireland where he will stand at Ger O'Neill's Capital Stud in County Kilkenny. 

O'Neill revealed on Thursday that a deal has been struck with the Jockey Club of Turkey, where Authorized has stood since 2020, to bring the 19-year-old back to a jurisdiction where his stock is in most demand. 

Dual Grand National and multiple Cheltenham festival winner Tiger Roll has advertised the prowess of Authorized over jumps with great distinction but the 2007 Derby hero is more than just a one-hit wonder. Stayers' Hurdle scorer Nichols Canyon and this year's Irish Grand National victor I Am Maximus have also done their bit to add to the reputation of Authorized over jumps. 

Those results have carried over to the sales ring, where 3-year-old stores by Authorized averaged over €90,000 this year, and O'Neill is convinced the move to bring the stallion back to Ireland on the eve of his 20th birthday will represent good news for National Hunt breeders. 

Speaking on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, O'Neill said, “We're delighted to announce that we have secured Authorized and bought him back from Turkey. He's just gone into quarantine now and he'll be back to stand with us here at Capital Stud in the new year. He [Authorized obviously won the Derby himself and is a very famous horse. Through his progeny, he's really starting to leave a legacy with Tiger Roll and I Am Maximus both Grand National winners.”

O'Neill added, “[His success is] probably from a lot of Flat mares, not National Hunt mares, his statistics are unbelievable. He's 65% runners to winners and his progeny at the sales are really sought after. He's averaging 100,000 for his geldings this year at the store sales. He's really sought after by all of the best trainers and everybody wants to have an Authorized.

“I [spent] the last seven or eight months trying to buy him. The Jockey Club of Turkey have never sold a stallion. It has been a long process and we have built up the reputation. We gave a lot of money for him. He's an older horse and is turning 20 so it's a big risk. A few of us got together and put the money up. I suppose we were thinking with our hearts as much as our heads on this one as we really wanted to have him home.”

Authorized will stand alongside fellow recent recruits Triple Threat (GB) and Castle Star (Ire) along with Mirage Dancer (GB), Hunting Horn (Ire) and Alkumait (GB) at Capital Stud in 2024.

 

The post Derby Winner And Tiger Roll’s Sire Authorized To Stand In Ireland Next Year appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Arqana Offer Five Juveniles To Recoup €2 Million Debt Left By Al Homaizi 

Five two-year-olds worth almost €2 million will be re-offered by Arqana next month as another sales house bids to recoup the losses incurred by the Derby-winning owner Saleh Al Homaizi who racked up over €20 million of unpaid debt at the yearling sales last autumn. 

As revealed by TDN Europe back in January, Tattersalls were the first sales company to re-offer the 17 juveniles who were knocked down to bloodstock agent Richard Knight for 11,055,000gns at the October Yearling Sale last year. 

A Frankel (GB) colt out of Bold Lass (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) headed that unpaid bill at 2,000,000gns. However, the majority of the youngsters that Al Homaizi failed to pay for found new owners, with Godolphin stepping in to purchase the Frankel colt among others. 

Arqana will stage a private sale for the five two-year-olds that Al Homaizi defaulted payment on from the August Sale. It takes place on Wednesday, April 12, and the horses are all being trained in Chantilly, with three in the care of Francis-Henri Graffard and two with Mikel Delzangles. 

A €750,000 Wootton Bassett (GB) filly out of Ambivalence (Ire), a Siyouni (Fr) filly out of Fig Roll (GB) and a Night Of Thunder (Ire) filly out of Nymeria (Ger) are based with Graffard and can be viewed by appointment. 

Delzangles is overseeing the training of an Adlerflug (Ger) filly out of Sylvestra (Ire) and a Night Of Thunder colt out of Awe Struck (GB). They can also be viewed by appointment.

Arqana are following the same course of action taken by Tattersalls and Keeneland in re-offering the stock bought by Knight on behalf of Al Homaizi, who part-owned 2007 Derby winner Authorized. 

The six horses bought at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale for nearly $5 million were re-offered in late February and were all found new homes. 

The horses will be sold by Arqana without a reserve but offers must be higher than the amount of the price indicated on the online platform for each lot.

 

The post Arqana Offer Five Juveniles To Recoup €2 Million Debt Left By Al Homaizi  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Stores Take The Stage At Arqana

Two-year-old stores were in the spotlight during Tuesday’s session of the Arqana Autumn Sale in Deauville, where 91 horses (62.8%) changed hands for a total of €2,345,500 as of the close of the session. The average was €25,775, and the median €16,000. Tuesday’s session this year included stores that would have typically been sold at Arqana’s Summer Sale.

Vincent Le Roy went to the day’s highest price of €175,000 for Authoside (Fr) (Authorized {Ire}) (lot 589), a colt offered by Haras des Pierres Follets on behalf of Guy Vimont. He is a half-brother to Grade 1-winning chaser Sceau Royal (Fr) (Doctor Dino).

Colts by Martaline (Fr) fetched the second and third highest prices of the day: Icare d’Estruval (Fr) (lot 562), a half-brother to two stakes winners, was hammered down to Sarl Guillaume Macaire for €160,000, while Andy and Gemma Brown picked up an unnamed colt from Haras du Ma (lot 551) for €140,000. The latter is a half-brother to the multiple Grade 2 winner Irish Saint (Fr) (Saint des Saints {Fr}).

A trio of six-figure buybacks meant that there was just one other that made €100,000. That was the AQPS Isaac des Obeaux (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}) (lot 616) who was bought by Highflyer Bloodstock. His dam is a half-sister to the G1 King George VI Chase winner Clan Des Obeaux (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}).

Arqana President Eric Hoyeau said at the close of trade on Tuesday, “The market was very difficult today, as we can see from the results. They have without doubt been impacted by the absence of several important buyers. Nevertheless, we will have to wait for the National Hunt yearlings to go through the ring to make a complete assessment of the market for young jumpers.”

The stores section of the catalogue continues on Wednesday, in addition to National Hunt yearlings.

The post Stores Take The Stage At Arqana appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights