Tag: Book 1

Half-Brother to Barney Roy in Line For Wolverhampton Debut

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features a half-brother to Group 1 winner Barney Roy.

17.30 Wolverhampton, Mdn, £9,950, 2yo, 8f 142y (AWT)
Godolphin's hitherto unraced ARABIAN TRIBE (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a 750,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 half-brother to four-time Group 1 winner Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}) and he encounters nine in this debut. Opposition to the Charlie Appleby trainee includes Rabbah Racing's fellow newcomer Ghostlore (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who is a €260,000 Arqana October half-brother to G2 Celebration Mile victor Duke Of Hazzard (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) out of a half-sister to G1 Racing Post Trophy hero Palace Episode (Machiavellian), from the Simon & Ed Crisford stable.

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No Racing Background To Top Breeder And Pinhooker – Q&A With Hanshen Tham 

Hanshen Tham has become one of the most recognisable faces on the bloodstock circuit in Britain and Ireland but that's not to say that many people know a lot about the owner-breeder and pinhooker. Instead, Tham prefers to go about his business quietly. 

This year was a big one for the 34-year-old. His family enjoyed its greatest success on a racecourse when homebred Thornbrook landed a listed contest in France for Joseph O'Brien.

Not long afterwards, the Tham family enjoyed its biggest day in the ring when a Night Of Thunder half-sister to Thornbook, out of their top producer Lillebonne, sold for a whopping 500,000gns at Book 1 at Tattersalls. 

Despite no racing background, Tham has cut his teeth from working with Irish Thoroughbred Marketing to developing a quality broodmare band. He has also embarked on pinhooking foals recently and added a €210,000 Night Of Thunder colt to the books at Goffs last week.

Good horses are what drives the native of Malaysia who, having studied Computer Science at University, adopts a mathematical approach to his racing and breeding endeavors without limiting himself to it.

In this week's Q&A, Tham sat down with Brian Sheerin at Park Paddocks where he explained how he became hooked on bloodstock, his approach to the December Foal Sale and much more. 

What's your background in the game?

I was just your regular student who loved to punt on horses. I got into the sport that way and have no background in horses. When I was at University, instead of studying for my final exams in Computer Science, I was punting on Cheltenham. I would have been a casual follower of the sport at that time but, the more racing I watched, the more fascinated I became. I thought, 'I really have to try and get into the industry somehow.' But, definitely, it was from punting on racing that the passion developed. 

Was there any particular horse responsible for developing that passion?

I am 34 now, so I wouldn't have been that young at the time, but Frankel (GB) was the first wow horse for me. I never really thought about pedigrees much until he came along. After Frankel, I became very interested in why certain horses are better than others. 

Were you a serious punter?

Yes, I started to get into it quite seriously. I approached races from a mathematical point of view and loved the puzzle of working out races. I have an analytical mind-as I said, I studied Computer Science and I also spent some time in real estate-and still like the punting side of things. But, the pinhooking and breeding has probably taken over. 

The breeding and pinhooking is another form of punting, isn't it?

It's all part of the problem solving aspect of racing that my mind has always been fascinated with. We have eight or nine broodmares in Ireland with some good friends of ours, Peter and Carol Henley, and we try to adopt a quality over quantity approach. Peter and Carol are based in Kildare and are very good breeders. They produce very good racehorses and we're delighted to have teamed up with them. 

How has your broodmare band and racing interests developed? You and your Dad have gone from owning fun handicappers like T For Tango, Our Manekineko and My Manekineko to winning listed races and breeding big-ticket lots at some of the premier sales.

My Dad [Terry] liked punting as well. He used to work in England in the seventies and eighties and would always tell me about Grundy and Bustino. We're originally from Malaysia but Dad got introduced to horses originally through punting and walking in and out of the bookies. Dad took me to a lot of race meetings when I was younger. So, our interest started out as a bit of fun and, even up until recently, it has been that way. Our family business is property. My Dad obviously wanted me to go into that but I was too contrary and wanted to have a career in horse racing. My older brother and older sister are helping him out with the property business and I'm helping him to waste money on horses! I've gone a different path and, while my family took some convincing initially, it's been going okay in the past number of years so hopefully that will continue. 

Doing okay might be an understatement. While people might not know a lot about you, they are probably aware of Thornbrook (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}), who is the latest high-class performer that your mare, Lillebonne (Fr) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), has produced. 

Thornbrook has won her listed race but we do think she is capable of winning Group races next year, which is why she will stay in training. The whole story with the mare is just incredible. We've had successes with pinhooks and things like that but nothing quite like Lillebonne. 

How did you get into the family?

I am very good friends with trainer James Nash in Ireland. He has introduced me to a lot of good people in the industry, including Peter Henley. A lot of people I have met at the sales and in racing, they have been through James's connections. Peter is a very nice guy and I always liked the stock he produced-they all had good bone and looked like proper racehorses. I can remember he wouldn't shut up about this big Mehmas (Ire) colt he had going to Goffs one year. He was telling me for weeks and weeks that I needed to buy this horse. He turned out to be Magnanimous (Ire), who we bought for €50,000, and put into training with Joseph O'Brien. We got him sold for over €500,000 to Hong Kong where he has turned out to be a brilliant horse. After that, I bought into Lillebonne, and she has done it every year since, which is pretty incredible.

She has an excellent track record.

It's not normal. She has produced Seisai (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), Thornbrook, Magnanimous and, funnily enough, Micro Manage (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}), who was probably the most talented of them all.  He had Group level talent but was very hard to keep sound. Seisai was sold to Lane's End last year and I understand she is going to visit Flightline, which is exciting. Then there was the Night Of Thunder (Ire) filly, who we sold for 500,000gns through Baroda Stud here at Book 1. That was another brilliant result with the mare. 

Where does that rank in terms of achievements in the sport?

It's by far the best result we've had. We got a touch out of Magnanimous but it was special to share the success with the Henleys at Book 1. Full credit has to go to them because Carol sourced the mare for 40,000gns here in 2013. Carol is an excellent judge of a mare and I have learned a lot from her. 

And how did the link with Joseph come about? 

We got a horse for my Dad, Uncle Henry, who was a pretty average jumper but we got to know Joseph through that and we got on very well with him. Joseph is young but is very intelligent, driven and is an incredible horseman. I wouldn't describe myself as a horseman but I can ask Joseph anything and he will help me. I rely on the best horsemen I know and surround myself with the best people who know what they are doing. 

You might not label yourself as a horseman but plenty of people have described you as a good judge. How have you gone from having no background in the game to breeding and pinhooking to a high level?

One of the first agents I followed was a guy called Justin Bahen. I got to know him through James Nash and he mainly works the horses-in-training sales for the Hong Kong market. I can remember being green as grass with Justin. I know I was not a good student but I still follow a lot of the stuff he did and adopt similar processes to how he shortlists horses, what to look for and what not to look for. He was quite particular and I'd say I am quite particular as well. But the key was just getting out there and looking at as many horses as I could. I'd go to every sale and look at every horse I could. Over time, you pick it up. It's only recently that I became confident in my own abilities to judge a horse.

That's handy because you spent €210,000 on a Night Of Thunder colt last week at Goffs!

The main focus is breeding but I want to supplement that with pinhooking and will aim to buy a couple of foals each year. It's funny, the first sale I ever went to was at Goffs and I went around with Bobby O'Ryan. I can remember it was the time of No Nay Never's first foal crop and I liked a filly by him. I bought her with Bobby and that was my first pinhook. 

And did you turn a profit?

No, but she was a Group 2 winner. Her name was Nay Lady Nay (Ire) and she won four times for Chad Brown. Her full-brother Arizona (Ire) came out the following year and she ended up selling for $1.7 million. It's a mad game. 

Will you try and buy another foal here at Tattersalls?

I'll be trying but it won't be easy. I tried on a few on Wednesday but got outbid. I'll try again on Friday and have plenty on the list. The market is very sire dominated. You need to be by the right sire-Havana Grey (GB), Blue Point (Ire), Pinatubo (Ire), Night Of Thunder, that kind of thing. It's very sire focussed and I need to factor that into my pinhooking. Everything by the big sires will make a little more than it should. The yearling market was tricky enough this year and, apart from the Night Of Thunder filly, we had a pretty average year. 

With all of that in mind, how will you approach the next few months in terms of doing up mating plans for your mares?

Lillebonne needs a good cover but we don't go too high on the sires. She is in foal to Saxon Warrior, so we'll have a sibling to Thornbrook, but we don't like to stretch ourselves. We've a few nice mares coming through who, hopefully, will be the next Lillebonne. We'll see. There's a lovely mare there called Statuesque (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who we bought off Cheveley Park here in 2019 for 52,000gns. She has been producing really good stock. We bought her in foal to Le Havre (Ire), who turned out to be Beechwood (Ire). She won her maiden for John O'Donoghue and looks a promising filly. Statuesque has a really nice Space Blues (Ire) filly who is probably the best foal on our farm. We'd give her a good shot. 

You say you approach everything with an analytical mindset but how do you apply mathematics to breeding horses?

It's all probability, isn't it? You have a good sire and a good dam, you've got a good chance. But, anyone who works solely on stats, the proper horsemen will just run rings around them. You need to understand where you are looking. It's good to have things in the background about certain sires and statistics can be good at times but nothing is more important than looking at the physical attributes of a horse.

Given numbers are your forte, how have you viewed the market in recent times?

The domestic market is a bit of an issue. The health of the industry over here is a big worry. Take for example the Night Of Thunder filly we sold at Book 1, almost all of the vets were on behalf of American buyers. Very few trainers in Britain and Ireland had orders and that can't be healthy because the racing product is going to suffer. There are some very good trainers in Britain and they don't seem to have orders. Obviously, I am a racing fan, and I think racing in Britain and Ireland is the most entertaining. I live in London and never miss Royal Ascot and go to Sandown quite regularly as well. Prize-money is a big problem and, if the talent drain continues for another 10 years, we're going to weaken the product quite significantly. It's turning into an exporting business. Book 1 is the best of the best over here in England but the majority of the big horses were being sold abroad. That has to be a big worry. We still have amazing stallions and brilliant owner-breeders over here so that's the positives. 

And what are your own aims going forward?

To be involved in good horses. Like everyone, I'd love to be involved in a Group 1 horse. It might take a long time but that's the aim. I just want to be involved in good horses, be that buying them or selling them. My Dad supports me and, as I said, it took a long time to convince him about the idea. We buy nice fillies and race them with Joseph. If they're good enough, they feed into the broodmare band, and the hope is that we keep on breeding nice horses. There are some very good breeders around, the likes of Lodge Park Stud, Ballyphilip Stud, those kinds of guys are people to look up to. I just try to emulate those guys. We've a lot of good people helping us out so hopefully one day it happens. This is a great game, full of interesting people and some fascinating characters. I don't know how I got down this road but I am hooked. It's one big puzzle and I love it. 

 

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Golden Horde Colt Leads Final Day Of October Yearling Sale At Tattersalls

A Golden Horde (Ire) colt topped Book 3 of the October Yearling Sale at 35,000gns bringing the two-week selling bonanza to a close on Saturday. 

The top lot was sourced by Middleham Park and was described as “a standout” on the day by the operation's Tom Palin. 

“We loved him, we thought he was a standout,” said Palin of lot 1919. “He walked around there with a bit of presence. He goes to Eve Johnson Houghton, he's our first horse with her and he's a strong, racy, two-year-old sort and looks to be the type that she'll do well with. Golden Horde was such an impressive racehorse and his stock looks racy. We're delighted to get him.”

Of this week's business Palin added: “We've got stuck in, we got eight since the start of Book 1. It's been competitive for the better lots and we've had to stretch a bit on some of them but it hasn't been silly. It's been sensible but strong. We're delighted with what we've bought.”

Golden Horde is best known for scorching to G1 Commonwealth Cup glory for Clive Cox in 2020. He stands for €8,000 at Montfort et Preaux  and his first yearlings have been well received by the market. 

Of the 1,862 yearlings offered across Book 1, 2, 3 and 4, 1,531 were sold at a clearance rate of 82%. That represented a drop of 4% on last year. 

The aggregate was down 20% to 158,567,500gns while the median fell 10% to 52,000gns and the average by 18% to 103,571gns.

Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony commented, “More than 165 million guineas has been spent on yearlings at Tattersalls in the past few weeks which, although some way below last year's runaway record-breaking returns, is a substantial sum that has only been bettered once.

“There have been some memorable highlights in amongst those impressive sums, including the 2,000,000gns October Book 1 sale-topping Frankel colt, who is the highest-priced yearling to be sold in Europe this year, the 725,000gns Dubawi filly, who headed Book 2 and is the second highest-priced filly ever sold at Europe's largest yearling sale, and some astounding pinhooking triumphs throughout the past two weeks which, as ever, reflect the professionalism and commitment of the consignors.

“The pre-eminent status of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales owes everything to the support of the breeders and consignors, primarily from Britain and Ireland, but also from France, Germany and Italy, who entrust us with the cream of the European yearling crop year after year.

“Evidence of this support and the peerless quality of the yearlings is to be seen on racecourses around the world with Tattersalls yearlings consistently winning at the highest level on the global stage. To date in 2023 Tattersalls yearlings bought for as little as 5,000gns have won Group 1 races in Britain, Ireland and France, as well as Australia, Hong Kong and the US. It is this unrivalled level of achievement which brings buyers to yearling sales at Tattersalls from throughout the world, alongside the domestic British and Irish buyers for whom the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales are unmissable.

“While the total 2023 yearling spend at Tattersalls has been the second highest ever, we should recognise that there has been a recalibration from the dizzy heights of last year and we should pay heed to this.

“With specific regard to Books 3 and 4 it has not been ideal to have coincided with the top-class racing at Newmarket, but this will not be the case again for the foreseeable future. With a wider perspective, our industry faces challenges which we all acknowledge.

“Nevertheless we should not lose sight of the fact that we have an outstanding internationally admired product, much of which has been showcased over the past two weeks at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales and which we will continue to work tirelessly to promote.”

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Dramatic Turnaround: Dubawi Filly Proves Book 2 Wildcard Star At Tattersalls

Lodge Park Stud produced one of the most unlikely of turnarounds to top Monday's Book 2 session at Tattersalls with their Dubawi (Ire) filly selling to Godolphin for 725,000gns. 

Not because the price wasn't expected as the quality of their offering was never in doubt. But when the filly gave herself a nasty cut en route to Book 1 and was forced to miss that engagement, plans B, C and D whirled through the head of her breeder Damien Burns.

To the delight of Burns, his Dubawi filly out of Galileo (Ire) mare Park Bloom (Ire) proved a model patient and made a swift enough recovery to sell as the sole wildcard on Monday and, in doing so, ended what was a tumultuous few days on a high note. 

Burns explained, “She got on the lorry and she was doing a little bit of jumping round, nothing unusual for any yearling, but the video from the next door stall and our best guess is that her headcollar got caught and she cut her jaw. This happened as they were going down the driveway! She came off the lorry and went back to her stable. She was fine but had a laceration on her jaw.

“We took her down to Fethard [equine hospital], they stitched her up, kept her overnight and she ate up fine. She got back home, and she was back out in her paddock. The Friday before Book 1 we got in touch with Tattersalls and the transporters and said, 'look we think this filly will be okay.”

He added, “The wheels were set in motion to come here for today. A lot of thanks goes to the guys at home. We were over here with Book 1 horses and they did a great job. Thanks also to Tattersalls for accommodating this. I think it helped being a week in front so we had time.

“We discussed everything and waiting for the December Sale was the original thought. It might have also meant us putting a saddle on her, but usually we don't keep them out of young mares as we are a commercial stud. We try to let them get a few foals sold–they are easier to look at when they have paid for themselves!”

Godolphin spent 2.675 million gns on four yearlings by Dubawi during Book 1 and, according to Anthony Stroud, who buys on behalf of the powerful operation among others, Monday's sale-topper stacked up with the best that was on offer here at Tattersalls last week. 

Stroud said, “She moved very well and has a good outlook. Obviously she's by Dubawi, who's an unbelievable stallion. She's bred on a good cross and comes from a very good farm, so we're very lucky to receive her. She compares very favourably with the stock on offer at Book 1, she's a lovely filly. She's very classy.”

He added, “They did very well to get her here this week–there's a scar under her jaw but the vets have clearly done a very good job. She's behaved incredibly well, especially considering she's been through a lot.”

Park Bloom boasts a Book 1 pedigree being a sister to Was, Amhran Na Bhfiann and Douglas MacArthur. She is from a deep family that goes back to Park Express (GB) and New Approach (Ire).

Burns concluded, “She is quite typical of Dubawi, but with a bit more action than some, which she gets from her dam line–that bit of quality. She vetted very well–the family does tend to vet well, I don't know why, those hidden genetics you can't see!

“The family has been very good to us. The Night Of Thunder [Lot 129 in Book 1] who sold for 400,000gns is from another branch. We have Park Bloom, Stellar Glow and a Dark Angel four-year-old filly called Express Way who won her sole start. She is in foal to Night Of Thunder. Park Bloom has a Wootton Bassett on the ground and is in foal to Baaeed.”

'We'd Be Delighted To See Her At Royal Ascot' – That Would Be Amazing

Peter and Michelle Morgan were left thanking their lucky stars for the heavy helping of good fortune involved in selling their homebred Showcasing (GB) filly to Ben McElroy on behalf of Stonestreet Stables for 325,000gns. 

It was at this sale in 2017 where Carmel Stud put So Brave (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), the dam of the Showcasing filly, on the market. However, the sales experience proved a bit much for So Brave and, after getting herself into a bit of a tizzy, she picked up a minor injury and was led out unsold at 30,000gns. 

The husband-and-wife team at Carmel Stud may not have viewed it as such at the time, but So Brave failing to sell six years ago has worked out to be the best thing for the operation. 

Peter said after Monday's sale, “I've only just stopped shaking! This is the classic case of getting lucky as we brought the dam to the sales a few years ago but she just lost the plot and got injured so we had to withdraw her. 

“We ended up racing her and she won a couple of races. Now, she has turned out to be a beautiful broodmare. If things hadn't gone wrong on that day, and it was a complete disaster at the time, we wouldn't now be in this position. It's a great day. You need luck at times.”

So Brave has already produced the goods for Carmel Stud. Her Havana Grey (GB) filly Queen's Guard (GB) looks a high-class prospect for Michael Bell having been sourced by Joe Foley on behalf of Clipper Logistics for 125,000gns at Book 3 last year. 

Peter continued, “The mare has already produced Queen's Guard, who is in training with Michael Bell. Unfortunately she didn't run in the Lowther because of the ground but she looks a very nice filly for next year. The mare has a lovely Pinatubo (Ire) colt foal at foot and is in foal to Blue Point (Ire).”

Asked if he expected the Showcasing filly to rock into 325,000gns, he replied, “No, absolutely not. She had 15 vets and over 180 shows. She was incredibly busy. She is a lovely model and lots of people liked her but, we're a bit like trainers approaching a race, as the closer we get to a sale, the less confident we are! We thought that she'd make one hundred thousand-plus, but it was certainly a good result. 

“Plenty of really good judges liked her. Ben McElroy bought her on behalf of Stronestreet so we'd be delighted to see her run at Royal Ascot next year–that would be amazing.” 

Monday's result represented one of the biggest Carmel Stud have achieved in the ring and Peter paid special tribute to local stud director Ed Harper of Whitsbury Manor, where Showcasing is based. 

He said, “Whitsbury Manor is our local stud. They are only fifty minutes away. Ed [Harper] has been a great help to us and, without his help, this probably wouldn't have happened today.”

Talking points

  • One of the main takeaways from Book 1 was the strength of the top tier of the market and the patchiness of the middle tiers. With that in mind, there was some justifiable caution leading into the trade at Tattersalls this week but the early signs were positive. Granted the average was bolstered by the Dubawi filly who was initially placed in Book 1, but an aggregate of 18,530,500gns, average of 88,240gns and median of 69,000 bodes well for the rest of the week. A clearance rate of 84% compared to 86% on day one last year provides further encouragement for the week ahead.
  • Anthony Oppenheimer carried on the momentum of a strong Book 1 sale for his Hascombe & Valiant Stud Ltd operation by accounting for the second-highest lot of the day, a Too Darn Hot (GB) colt, who sold to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock 350,000gns. Hascombe & Valiant Stud Ltd sold four horses on Monday for 830,000gns.
  • There is no stopping Alex Elliott. The bloodstock agent spent more than 6 million gns on behalf of some of the biggest names in the game during Book 1. Elliott was busy again on Monday when signing for seven yearlings to the tune of 895,000gns and ended the day as the second busiest buyer.
  • Pinatubo continues to impress. Once again, his yearlings were very well received by the market with Justin Casse, Najd Stud, Ed Sackville, Robson Aguiar and Ben McElroy some of the notable names on the list of buyers of the stallion's progeny. All told, Pinatubo averaged 186,333gns for six yearlings sold on Monday.
  • Book 2 may have been billed as something of 'a bread and butter sale' by Tattersalls' Jason Singh when interviewed on Racing TV over the weekend and, while that is true, there was still plenty of international interest on day one. Along with Najd Stud and Ben McElroy getting in on the action, Nicolas De Watrigant of Mandore International Agency was another interesting buyer. The French-based De Watrigant spent 385,000gns on three yearlings headed by a No Nay Never filly from Watership Down Stud for 260,000gns.

'It's Fun For Sheikha Hissa' – Shadwell Spends Over 500k At Book 2

Shadwell's Angus Gold hinted after signing for a 1.6 million gns Frankel (GB) filly at Book 1 that Sheika Hissa may continue her shopping into this week. 

Well, we didn't have to wait long to find out whether that would come to fruition or not, with Shadwell signing for four yearlings for 665,000gns on day one of Book 2.

The haul was headed by a 230,000gns Night Of Thunder colt who, interestingly, is out of a mare that was dispersed by Shadwell in 2021 for 135,000gns to Blandford Bloodstock. 

“We bought three today, which is great,” Gold said. “We bought an elegant Mohaather (GB) colt for 75,000gns early in the day. Obviously, nobody knows yet about the stallion but I just thought this was a very elegant horse with a lot of scope to him. I don't think he'll be terribly early but I like the look of him.”

He added, “We bought a very nice Galiway (GB) filly that Sheikha Hissa liked very much. We haven't had one of those before but she seemed to have a great attitude. The Night Of Thunder colt is out of Ridaa (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), who we sold during our dispersal. He's a nice solid horse and looks like a runner.”

It was well-bred fillies that were placed at the top of Shadwell's wish list for Book 1 but the modus operandi on Monday was a simple one; buy racehorses, be that colts or fillies. 

Explaining the brief, Gold continued, “We're mainly buying fillies but, for interest, as Sheikha Hissa is here, we have been showing her a few colts. We bought one colt here last year. He hasn't run yet but Sheikha Hissa said that she'd like to come and look at a few colts this year as well as the fillies. We'll try to cherry pick a few for her to see and she likes to see what the offspring of particular stallions look like. It's fun for her.”

Gold added, “We've had plenty of success from Book 2 and found plenty of good racehorses here. It's not the sort of thing where one can say, 'we'll only buy in Book 1 and leave Book 2 and 3,' because an awful amount of good horses have come out of here. There's a thousand-odd horses so I think this week is much more of a buyers' market. You get to see a good cross-section. It's a good sale to work.”

The Night Of Thunder was consigned by Greyridge Bloodstock, who were getting off to a dream start at Tattersalls. The new consignment is run from Denis and Clare Barry's Wiltshire-based Glebe Farm Stud and is managed by Carwyn Johns. 

“It has gone full circle and this colt has gone home,” Johns said. “He was the big one for us for the year. We bought the mare with Tom Biggs of Blandford Bloodstock.”

Golden touch 

By Georgia Cox

Lot  541

Earthlight (Ire) colt out of One Spirit (Ire) 

Consigned by Ballyhimikin Stud 

Purchased by Qatar Racing, China Horse Club and David Howden 

Out of the Listed winner and Group 3-placed One Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who is already the dam of Group 3 winner One For Bobby (Ire) Frankel {GB}), this Earthlight colt proved to be well-bought as a foal by Johnny McKeever and Ballyhimikin Stud at the Goffs November Foal Sale. 

The pair turned their initial outlay of €90,000 into 200,000gns on Monday with David Redvers, the China Horse Club and David Howden the winning bidders. 

These same connections have been busy snapping up well-bred colts at the premier yearling sales this year. After a strong Orby Sale, where Redvers revealed that the group were on the hunt for well-bred colts that could one day go to stud depending on what they achieved on the race track, they went on to spend over 1.1 million on three colts at Book 1. 

From the same family as Diktat (GB) and Cape Cross (Ire), the Earthlight colt fits that sort of criteria and was clearly well bought by McKeever and Ballyhimikin Stud as a foal given they more than doubled their money here. 

Buy of the day

Mark and Charlie Johnston are famous for bagging bargains at the yearling sales and they may well have found one in the shape of lot 584, a Saxon Warrior (Jpn) colt out of champion older mare in France, Pride (Fr) (Peintre Celebre). 

Consigned by Ballyhimikin Stud, the Saxon Warrior is a half-brother to six winners, including the smart One Foot In Heaven and Queen.

He looks the type that could develop into a nice three-year-old and has plenty of scope. 

Older mares are not for everyone, and the fact that Pride was 22 when she produced this colt may have resulted in him being a bit of value in the ring. He looks well bought at 100,000gns.

Thought for the day

How early is too early to start blowing up a first season sire? Darley knocked it out of the park with Blue Point this season and the early signs are that Pinatubo is cut from the same cloth. An outstanding racehorse, Pinatubo seems to have really stamped his stock and a lot of the top judges have declared themselves a fan. He could be the real deal.

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