‘We Breed Them Tough Here’ – Marnane Brews Up A Storm At Bansha BBQ

Dozens of flights were cancelled, 34,000 homes were left without power, roads were closed due to fallen trees and race meetings were lost as Storm Kathleen raged across Ireland.

Only Con Marnane could organise a BBQ in the middle of one of the worst storms the country has faced in months and it be deemed a success.

The plan to stage Saturday's open morning at Bansha House Stables was first hatched when the Marnane family visited the Magic Millions Sale in Australia and, despite the weather in Tipperary, Con couldn't have been happier with how the idea was recieved by buyers and racing fans alike. 

He said, “We're absolutely thrilled with how the day went. Weather-wise, it was the worst day we've had all year. People were ringing me at seven o'clock this morning wondering if it was going to go ahead or not but I told them that they are bred tough down here. We had about 500 people here this morning and, while the weather was horrendous, we had a lovely time.”

Marnane added, “I was at the Magic Millions Sale in January and they looked after us so well over there–I was blown away by the generosity of the sales company. I said to myself when I came home that we are not doing enough to promote our own industry here which is why I decided to have an open day with a nice BBQ and drink for whoever wanted to visit us. About 20 people–agents and trainers–came over from England and I very much appreciate them giving us their time.”

John and Sean Quinn, Dylan Cunha, Jamie Piggott and Jeremy Brummit are just a few of those who made the trip across the Irish Sea. It was actually the latter, who, in showering Marnane with praise, said, “It's just a pity more British trainers didn't make the trip to see how it's done because the majority of people with a training licence in Britain wouldn't have been able to pull off what Con has done today. It's a bloody credit to him.”

South African native Cunha was happy to have returned to the man who provided him with his big hope for the season. The Newmarket-based handler's El Bufalo (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) was led out unsold at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale by Marnane's Bansha House Stables 12 months ago at 22,000gns. Fast forward to this spring, and the Wolverhampton maiden winner holds an entry for the 2,000 Guineas, albeit he is a 100-1 shot for the early-season Classic. 

Cunha explained, “We bought El Bufalo from Bansha House last year. It's a very good farm. El Bufalo is still in the Guineas and is a horse we like a lot. We got a nice Ten Sovereigns from Con and he is very nice as well. We bought three horses from the breeze-ups last year and they have all done well so we're hoping to buy more this year.”

The trainer continued, “We don't have a big owner behind us so we are trying to find value. Basically, we don't look at the times. We just look for the ones who move nicely. We have to be shrewd–El Buffalo hung in his breeze because he cut his mouth. But we liked how he moved and we ended up buying him pretty cheaply. Hopefully we can find another.”

Cunha was not the only man returning to Marnane in search of more big-race riches. Trainer Ado McGuinness, who snapped up Rush Queen (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) and Tiger Belle (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) from Marnane last year, was busy scouting the barns.

Meanwhile, bloodstock agent Hubie de Burgh, who looks after the interests of Bronson Racing, the buyer of Givemethebeatboys (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), was also making the most of the occasion. 

De Burgh said, “Con is the best in the business at this sort of thing. But, at the end of the day, the results speak for themselves and buyers will return to a place that is having results on the track. We've been working with Con for years and he just keeps coming up with good horses.”

He added, “What's also so impressive about Con is, he doesn't have success by buying a lovely Dubawi (Ire) or something, he does it by going out and buying a bloody good-looking horse by a lesser stallion. We're involved in some small little way with Givemethebeatboys but how on earth did Con buy that horse for what he did as a yearling? I have no idea.

“Not only that but, we're down here in the middle of a hurricane, and not one of those young horses looked like they were going to buck their rider off. I don't know how he does it but it's just pure professionalism and the horses are a credit to him. Long may it last.”

McGuinness was similarly impressed by the professionalism on show, describing the four or five lots of two-year-olds that were put through their paces as “similar to old handicappers” given how not one of the youngsters as much as turned a hair.

But we'd all be kidding ourselves if we came away from the morning without acknowledging the huge degree of poignancy in the air given it is just five months since Theresa, Con's wife, passed away aged 61.

McGuinness said, “We've dealt with Con these past few years and have been successful. When you get results working with somebody, you're always more likely to come back. He's just a great guy.

“Man, he hasn't had an easy year but he's just a top-class man. To be able to pull this all together given what they have all been through in the past few months is incredible. Fair play to them.”

 

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Group 1-Winning Owner Theresa Marnane Dies

The bloodstock world is united in grief with the Marnane family following the death of Theresa Marnane on Saturday at the age of 61.

An immensely popular member of the racing and breeding community, Marnane, along with her husband Con and daughters Amy and Olivia, was widely successful in many sectors of the business. The family's Bansha House Stables in Tipperary has long been successful at the breeze-up sales, with the top-class winners Rio De La Plata, Fleeting Spirit (Ire) and Amadeus Wolf (Ire) being among their many graduates.

They are also successful owners and breeders. Theresa Marnane's yellow-and-black silks have been carried by a number of good horses, including the G1 Racing Post Trophy winner Palace Episode and most recently the G3 Marble Hill S. winner Givemethebeatboys (Ire). She was the leading owner of two-year-olds in France on a number of occasions, with the victories invariably coming with inexpensively bought youngsters selected by Con and Amy Marnane.

It was the 2017 G3 Albany S. winner Different League (Fr) who sparked perhaps the most memorable celebrations when beating subsequent multiple Group 1 winner Alpha Centauri (Ire) at Royal Ascot. Bought as a foal for €8,000, the daughter of Dabirsim (Fr) won her first three starts for the Marnanes and was then placed in both the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Cheveley Park S before being sold for 1.5 million gns to Coolmore and Peter Brant.

Different League's Royal Ascot victory came four years after Theresa, a solicitor by trade, had undergone cancer treatment for the first time, and her success on racing's biggest stage was enjoyed wildly, both on the day and with a huge party at the family's Tipperary home later that summer. The couple celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in May, and they were rarely seen apart: Theresa's warm and ever-smiling presence perfectly complementing her husband's natural exuberance.

“I met Theresa 43 years ago at Danny O'Connell's, when she was riding out there,” said Con Marnane on Saturday.

“We've just been overwhelmed by the support of everyone in the racing and breeding industry, the breeze-up consignors, the trainers, owners and jockeys. She was a very special person to so many people. Everyone loved her.”

He added, “There will be a celebration of Theresa's life at Bansha House on Tuesday after mass in our local church at 11am. We would love for as many of her friends to be there as possible and for those who can't we will make details available to follow the service online.”

The loss of Theresa Marnane will be mourned by her many friends in racing, and especially by Con, Amy, Olivia and her extended family, to whom we offer our sincere condolences. 

 

 

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‘It’s Been A Hard Time But We’ll Get Through It – The Horses Give Everyone A Lift’

At first there are tears and then the words come tumbling out. 

“We got a bit of bad news before the Curragh,” Con Marnane explains. “Theresa's cancer is back again. That's why the whole thing was so emotional.”

Theresa is Con's wife and it is her yellow and black silks, made famous by Different League (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}) winning the Albany, that were carried to that stirring victory in the G3 Marble Hill S. by Givemethebeatboys (Ire) at Irish racing's HQ.

He is one of two Royal Ascot-bound Bungle Inthejungle (GB) colts that the family have in training with Jessica Harrington, the other being the speedy Supersonic Man (GB), and never has there been more significance behind a Marnane runner at the meeting they adore.

“It's still very raw,” Con starts. “Theresa had cancer 10 years ago but unfortunately it's back again. We only got the news the day before the Goresbridge Sale and then we had to go and face into that at Fairyhouse. 

“That's why Givemethebeatboys winning at the Curragh was so amazing because we had only found out that week. It was very emotional, especially with what Jessie is going through as well. “For some of us, it's been a very, very hard time. But I'll tell you something, those animals are amazing, those horses are just so special. They give everyone a lift.”

It's not just the horses that Con can count on to lift spirits. Similarly to when the industry rallied around Harrington after she shared the news of her breast cancer battle, the outpouring of well wishes and support to the Marnanes has been overwhelming. 

“I have so many top-class friends in this business. It's special. There are some great people in this game and it's a massive help. But we'll get through it. Theresa is very tough and she works as hard as anyone else does here in the yard. We'll get through it.”

Con may be the face of Bansha House Stables, and you won't find many better or more enthusiastic about what he does, but make no mistake, this is a family-run operation and daughters Amy and Olivia are no bit-part players. 

“It touches at the heartstrings and it's great to have the family unit involved. Amy does the buying and Olivia does the riding out in Jessie's. It was Amy who picked out Givemethebeatboys at the sales. 

“She absolutely loved him as a yearling and he was actually our pick of the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale at Doncaster. Unfortunately the horse had a foot abscess at the sales and the Brickley brothers [Tom and David of Ard Erin Stud] had to withdraw the horse. 

“We tried to do a deal there and then but it didn't happen. But then the horse turned up at the Autumn Yearling Sale at Goffs and we bought him there for €11,000.”

Marnane added, “Olivia started working at Jessie's last year. She's in college in Dublin and wanted somewhere to ride out in the mornings. I said to her, 'why don't you try Jessie?' She fell in love with the place when she went in there and the Harringtons have been so good to her. I said we'd send them up a couple of horses as a result and one of those turned out to be Funny Money Honey (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}). She was a revelation. She won a listed race and was third in another listed race up at the Curragh. We sold her very well to America and did the same again this year by sending up a few two-year-olds for Jessie to train for us.”

Funny Money Honey cost just €11,500 as a yearling and fetched 165,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale last year. Givemethebeatboys and Supersonic Man are also now worth many multiples of what the Marnanes handed over for the colts and the excitement is building for their appearance at the Goffs London Sale on the eve of the royal meeting. 

“The Goffs London Sale is effectively a shop window for us,” Marnane explains. “Henry [Beeby] and his team do a great job in making it all happen. They move mountains in order to let horses run in their new owner's colours at Royal Ascot and it's a sale that has been lucky for us in the past. We sold Forever In Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead) there [for £430,000] in 2019 and she came out and finished second in the Commonwealth Cup just a few days later. There will be a lot of emotion at Ascot next week and a lot of people will be very interested in these two horses at the sales because they are so special. They are going there with serious chances.”

Givemethebeatboys and Supersonic Man will be joined at the Goffs London Sale by Bansha House graduates Rush Queen (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) and Tiger Belle (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), both of whom have won maidens for trainer Ado McGuinness after their purchase at the breeze-up sales by Stephen Thorne on behalf of the Shamrock Thoroughbred Syndicate. 

Rush Queen cost 50,000gns at the Craven while Tiger Belle fetched £70,000 at Doncaster. In the grand scheme of things, it's not what you'd call breaking the bank for two Royal Ascot contenders, and in many ways their sale prices illustrate an up-and-down year for Marnane at the breeze-ups. 

Fleeting Spirit (Ire), Prince Of Lir (Ire), Rio De La Plata and Sands Of Mali (Fr) are just a handful of recognisible names that have graduated through Marnane's system but the leading source of talent says that he is paying a penalty for the fact that his horses don't break the clock in their breeze. 

He explained, “The breeze-ups have gone very difficult. Our horses are not drilled to do two furlongs. I'm sorry, they're not. But it's amazing, their last two furlongs are usually their best! 

“There's too much emphasis on times. It's not my way of doing it. Call me old-fashioned. Maybe I'm an old-fashioned horseman or something like that, but that's the way we do it and I'm not changing. I want our horses to be racehorses. I want them to go into their new trainers and new owners and to be lovely and relaxed. And when they are asked to go, they go. 

“But fair play to Ado and Stephen, they stood up and they bought those horses. There was a big shortage of trainers at the sales but look what can happen when they do turn up. If you want to go to Royal Ascot, and there's only one Royal Ascot, you need to turn up at the sales.”

Givemethebeatboys has shortened into a general 8-1 chance for the Coventry with the news Frankie Dettori has been booked to take the ride. Supersonic Man will take his chance in the Windsor Castle rather than the Norfolk and, if either colt was to enter the winner's enclosure, chaos is guaranteed. 

“There is just no feeling like Royal Ascot,” Marnane says. “It's a pure adrenaline rush to have a runner over there and it would be so exciting for everybody involved if the horses were to run well. 

“It's not just for me, it's for my team here. There's a core group of people who have been with us for 30 years, the likes of Mike O'Brien, John Crosse, who breaks in all the horses, Danny and Emma in the office. 

“Then we have our operation in France and the guys in France come over here for the spring to get the horses ready so it's a big team effort. And for Jessica and Kate and the whole Harrington team, there will be a lot of emotion at Ascot next week. It would be just out of this world if it were to happen. Hopefully we can give everyone something to shout about.”

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Adaay’s Have A Good Day Strikes For Cabourg Triumph

Theresa Marnane's 2-year-old filly Have A Good Day (Ire) (Adaay {Ire}) went postward for Tuesday's G3 Darley Prix de Cabourg at Deauville returning off a fifth to the reopposing Dizzy Bizu (Ire) (Caravaggio) in Chantilly's June 6 Listed Prix La Fleche and exacted revenge on that rival as fillies dominated the six-furlong test. The February-foaled bay had opened up with five-furlong wins at Chantilly and Lyon-Parilly in April before slipping to second when upped to six furlongs for a May 28 conditions heat at Angers in her penultimate start. Have A Good Day was alert from the gates and raced in a handy third through the early fractions. Inching closer once past halfway, the 19-1 chance was rowed along passing the quarter-mile marker and ridden out once making her challenge at the eighth pole to withstand the late surge of Dizzy Bizu by a half length for a first stakes rosette. Coolmore and Westerberg's hitherto undefeated Trident (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) held every chance in the closing stages and was collared for second by a short head on the line.

“This is my first Group 3 win and I am thrilled,” proclaimed trainer Florian Guyader. “She had a problem with her mouth after being struck in her box and was not at her best last time out. We gave her plenty of time and she gave us the right signs recently. We looked at all possible races and decided with her owner to go for this one. Let's see how she comes out of this before commiting to a race. The [Aug. 22 G1 Darley] Prix Morny [over this course and distance] is a possibility.”

Winning rider Christophe Soumillon added, “The trainer seemed very confident beforehand and I had a great trip throughout. We didn't go very fast early, but I had a good position and timed my move on the horse [Trident] of [Mickael] Barzalona on the outside. She seemed to idle a bit in front, but we were clear enough to resist the late finish of the second.”

Have A Good Day, half to a yearling colt by Gustav Klimt (Ire), is the sixth of seven foals and one of two scorers produced by a half-sister to Listed Prix Djebel third Indigo Blue (Fr) (Night Shift) and G3 Concorde S. runner-up Hasanat (GB) (Night Shift), herself the dam of G3 Killavullan S. third Takrice (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}). Descendants of her third dam Mariakova (The Minstrel), herself full to the GSW dam of sires Zafonic (Gone West) and Zamindar (Gone West), are headed by G1 King's Stand S. hero Prohibit (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).

Tuesday, Deauville, France
DARLEY PRIX DE CABOURG-G3, €80,000, Deauville, 8-3, 2yo, 6fT, 1:10.78, sf.
1–HAVE A GOOD DAY (IRE), 122, f, 2, Adaay (Ire)
1st Dam: Black Meyeden (Fr), by Black Minnaloushe
2nd Dam: Eye Witness (Ire), by Don't Forget Me (Ire)
3rd Dam: Mariakova, by The Minstrel
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Mme Theresa Marnane; B-Michael Phelan (IRE); T-Florian Guyader; J-Christophe Soumillon. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, €75,130. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Dizzy Bizu (Ire), 122, f, 2, Caravaggio–Izzy Bizu (Ire), by Kodiac (GB). O/B-Peter Savill (IRE); T-Stephane Wattel. €16,000.
3–Trident (Fr), 126, c, 2, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Mezzo Mezzo (Fr), by Mount Nelson (GB). (€140,000 Ylg '20 ARQSEP). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Westerberg; B-David Smaga & Mme Marie-Benedicte Fougy-Smaga (FR); T-Andre Fabre. €12,000.
Margins: HF, SHD, HF. Odds: 18.90, 17.00, 3.70.
Also Ran: Sam Maximus (GB), Toimy Son (Fr), Sunday Best (Fr), Anterselva (Fr), Dairerin (GB), Nirliit (Fr), Faro de San Juan (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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