Conversations | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jane Mangan: ‘Broadcasting Was Never On My Mind – It Seemed Beyond Me’

Former amateur rider turned television pundit, Jane Mangan is next up in the Starfield Stud-sponsored Conversations series. From her family's approach to breeding to her time working in Ballydoyle and at Primus, Mangan makes for an engaging subject in this week's Q&A with Brian Sheerin.

Brian Sheerin: This year will be remembered for the remarkably strong trade at the sales. Your family's Conna Stud was a beneficiary of the excellent trade when selling a Churchill (Ire) filly for €230,000 at the Orby Sale in September. How did the year go as a whole?

Jane Mangan: The premier sales this year were incredible and we were blessed to have a lovely Churchill filly at this year's Orby Sale. We only have two Flat mares so we realise how lucky we are to even have a yearling good enough to get into that sale. She was bought by Amanda Skiffington for Fiona Carmichael and I believe she will join Fabrice Chappet. Everyone here had a soft spot for 'Rosie,' as she was known, so I hope she is lucky for her new connections. At home, our bread and butter has always been the National Hunt. My head might be in the Flat but my heart will always belong to the National Hunt.

Obviously your Dad Jimmy is a well-respected trainer and your mother Mary plays an integral role in things. How does the breeding side of the operation work?

The best decision Jimmy made in life was to marry Mary! They never stop and have instilled a mindset into all of us that, 'if you're not working-you're wasting.' Breeding is a lifestyle rather than a job and my two brothers Bryan and Patrick are very much involved at home too. Bryan foals all the mares with Dad, Mam takes over when the foals are born and the mating conversations are usually debated over supper. We try to keep our broodmare band to 20 or less and are blessed to be surrounded by some of the best stud farms in Europe down here in Cork.

Are there any stallions who in your opinion are flying under the radar on the Flat or over jumps?

Too many to list! Like most, we breed to pay bills. But if breeders were aiming to win on the track rather than in the ring then I'm sure the return of mares would take a very different shape. Look at it this way, there are 28 races at Cheltenham of which there are usually around 26 different successful stallions. Current sales results don't reflect this reality but breeders know what sells, thus are producing horses to satisfy that thirst.

The Flat game is also guilty when it comes to prioritising the sharp right-handed sales ring rather than that of the Curragh or Longchamp. To think that there are 35 Group 1 races run at ten to twelve furlongs in Europe compared to 13 races at five to six furlongs and we still mass produce the latter. I'm not naïve. I know why but I'm pretty certain that we all recognise this as wrong. Large owner-breeders aside, is it any wonder the Japanese are regularly putting us in our place in these big middle-distance races?

I see both sides of the coin. We use very reasonably priced sons of Galileo (Ire), Sea The Stars (Ire), Adlerflug (Ger) etc for our national hunt mares who should really be covering Flat books. Silver linings I suppose.

Monty's Pass (Ire) sadly passed away recently at the grand old age of 29. He gave your family the best day on a racecourse when winning the Grand National in 2003. What are your memories of that historic triumph and what did he mean to the Mangan family?

Monty was our winning lotto ticket who lived here for over 25 years. Read out at the rostrum as 'unsuitable for racing' as an unbroken store due to a heart murmur, he made all the hard graft worthwhile not just for my parents but for generations of our family who have worked in the industry. I was eight at the time and blissfully unaware, cocooned at home with my grandparents. I just hope his story can give hope that you don't need to spend huge money or have 250 horses in training to unearth the diamond in the rough. We're traders but the fact that no vet would ever pass him meant that he was never sold out of the yard. Many consider that luck. I prefer to think of it as fate.

The National Hunt game is scarcely recognisable now compared to when Monty's Pass won the Grand National. A lot has changed in those 20 years.

The national hunt game in Ireland has become extremely centralised around two or three superpower yards. That's not their fault but it's not healthy either. Predictable is boring and punters' prices are often slim pickings! There are countless good trainers in this country who are forced to sell and it will take them to find their own investors who are willing to stay loyal for them to retain talent and therefore showcase their ability. Gordon Elliott, Gavin Cromwell, John McConnell have all made themselves from a blank canvas. It can be done.

You burst onto the scene as an amateur and enjoyed notable success but made an early decision to carve out a career in racing but outside of the saddle. Why was that?

I never intended to earn a living as a jockey and no amount of winners would change that mindset. I enjoyed a decent level of success as an amateur while in school and in college but for me, it was the part-time job that every student needs. Some of my friends worked in shops and restaurants, whereas I was racing. Honestly, I wasn't willing to break bones for the cause. That hunger was never there but I enjoyed it immensely, had some special days, made important contacts and learned more on the track than I did in lecture halls!

You're clearly quite passionate about your pedigrees.

In our house, the Tattersalls November Foal Catalogue was our bible. That was and still is our harvest so I would read that cover to cover as a child when I probably should have been looking at Dahl or Dickens. When I was 14 I got my first job away from home with David Wachman, the year Again (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) won the Irish 1,000 Guineas. I distinctly recall scanning the door cards which had the horse's sire and dam details of which I didn't recognise most names. That is where competitiveness kicks in. I hated not knowing. Not understanding. So we quickly expanded our catalogue collection! That was my first taste of Flat breeding and from there I spent a few summers in Ballydoyle by which time I had enough knowledge to appreciate how incredible it was to be there. I can vividly remember my first lot on the board being a Kingmambo filly out of Alexandrova (Ire). She wasn't a star but I didn't care. If there had been a seed planted, working with those horses made it blossom.

Tell us more about your time working in Ballydoyle. What was it like working for Aidan O'Brien and what were the main things you observed there?

It's been over ten years since I worked my first summer in Ballydoyle and the change from then to now is immense. Most would have the mindset to never change something so successful but maybe that's the key? Evolve with the aim to improve or remain stationary until the competition eventually passes you by. It's a very empowering environment in which to work. Every horse is treated equally regardless of ability, thus every rider and groom feels like they are part of something important-that what they do makes a difference to the end result. Everyone's work must matter. That environment is created from the top down and I venture to think that's what separates the best from the rest. To conquer the peaks and stay at the top for so long, whether it's Aidan O'Brien, John Gosden, Willie Mullins or even Sir Alex Ferguson, they are leaders who can optimise the ability of each member of their team and can adapt to all environments. They know complacency is the enemy of progress. I doubt they dwell on success for too long. Everything is moving forward.

One of your first roles after college was working with Primus. How long did you spend there and what did you enjoy about working there?

One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received is, 'surround yourself with the best people. People who challenge you and make you better. They will carry you forward.' With that in mind and considering I wanted to work and learn more about international breeding, where better to go than Fethard? I worked with incredibly knowledgeable people and made some life-long friends during my five years there.

And how did broadcasting come about?

Broadcasting was never in my mind, it just seemed so far beyond me. I grew up watching Tracy Piggott and Clare Balding but the thought would never enter my mind that their career path was a possibility for a girl from Conna. Luckily, someone in RTE disagreed and I think Tracy might have helped behind the scenes too. She had interviewed me at the races on a few occasions and let's just say, I don't think it did any harm! You need to be ready when the door opens and considering I knew my riding days were numbered, my mind was open to all avenues.

Your broadcasting career has gone from strength to strength and you now balance RTE Racing, Racing TV, The Nick Luck Podcast and more. Is that what you set out to work in or has it just happened organically?

The latter. Like I said, five years ago I wouldn't never have ever considered these opportunities possible. Broadcasting on a sport you have lived and breathed is a privilege and frankly, it's our responsibility to entertain and inform. We are the buffer between the public and the product. We're the sales pitch. Especially on the national broadcaster (RTE), every day is an opportunity to grow interest levels and develop the next generation of fans.

Who has been the biggest influence on your broadcasting career and why? Who has offered you the most help and feedback?

My parents have been at the core of every decision, every consideration and all those debates. Dad was my biggest fan and toughest critic when I rode, fitness was everything and every race was replayed at home. He was stunned when I decided to stop. Stunned. Whereas Mam has always embraced change and could see a bigger picture. I like to think they get a kick out of watching me now, it's a different kind of post racing critique these days but constructive all the same.

Away from broadcasting, you have been busy working with The Thoroughbred Corporation, which is a revival of those famous colours. That must be exciting?

For sure. As a child growing up watching racing, my earliest memories are in graphics and colours. Michael Tabor's blue and orange silks are forever associated with Johannesburg, Hurricane Run (Ire) and Montjeu (Ire). The Aga Khan's green and red always evoke memories of Dalakhani (Ire) and Sinndar (Ire). And those iconic white and green stripes are instantly recognisable too. I recall watching Johar's battle with High Chaparral (Ire) in the 2003 Breeders' Cup, Royal Anthem's dismissal of Greek Dance (Ire) in the Juddmonte International and Oath (Ire) storming down the outside of Daliapour (Ire) at Epsom. Those silks have a rich history. After almost 20 years, they returned to the track in May and I feel very lucky to be working with the team who I was in awe of as a child. It's very much a measured approach with a small but growing team of horses. You can't help but feel excited.

And on the track, what horses are you most looking forward to seeing in 2023?

I'm excited to see how Vadeni (Fr) is campaigned this season. The best of his generation last season, his Arc run was brilliant for a horse who showed so much pace in the Eclipse and Prix du Jockey Club. Wouldn't it be great to see him in a King George? He's the real deal.

As for the classic generation, the return of Chaldean (GB), Little Big Bear (Ire) and Tahiyra (Ire) would get the juices flowing, wouldn't they?

The post Jane Mangan: ‘Broadcasting Was Never On My Mind – It Seemed Beyond Me’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘Honeysuckle More Likely To Be Retired Than Run In Mares’ Hurdle At Cheltenham’

Peter Molony is best known for being the man who bought the reigning Champion Hurdler Honeysuckle (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}) on behalf of his client Kenny Alexander. He also works for Sheikh Fahad's Qatar Racing operation, is an agent for Goffs and has had a multitude of top horses through his hands at Rathmore Stud. That may be why the Limerick native signs off on his Twitter bio with the word 'busy'!

Son of the legendary Martin Molony, widely regarded as the best dual-purpose jockey of all time, Peter is one of the most respected judges in the game.

He opened the gates of Rathmore Stud to TDN Europe this week and revealed why Leopardstown is D-Day for dual Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle and explained that retirement would be the preferred option to running in the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham for Henry de Bromhead's star.

Molony also shares that, for when Honeysuckle is retired to the paddocks, she will visit Walk In The Park (Ire). He also discussed in great detail his role at Goffs, concerns for the industry, Oisin Murphy's eagerly-anticipated return and much more in this week's Starfield Stud-sponsored Q&A.

Brian Sheerin: With your Rathmore Stud hat on, how do you reflect on 2022?

Peter Molony: It was a great year for us. The first big sale was the Land Rover and our horses sold really well there. We'd a good Milan (GB) filly of our own who sold well. We gave 50 grand for her as a foal and we got 150 grand for her at the Land Rover, so that was lovely. The yearlings sold well as well and, considering what's happening in the world, the market held up really well–especially for the quality horses. We were lucky enough to breed a nice winner last year, Wren's Breath (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), who Henry [de Bromhead] trained for us. We'd a half-sister to her at the Orby by Zoustar (Aus) and she made 300 grand, which was phenomenal. She is a beautiful filly. Our pinhooks went quite well this year so we got stuck in again in November. But, as I said, the market was quite strong so it was hard to buy the ones you wanted.

BS: Any air of trepidation about getting stuck in again? This was a phenomenal year but some people are worried that we might feel a bite in 2023.

PM: We've had a few very good years with the pinhooking on the Flat. We decided that we'd step off the beaten track a little bit because, when we went in for the big, fancy, obvious foals, we had to give too much for them and we just haven't been lucky with them recently. We bought later foals, a few end of April and even May foals, which pinhookers seem to step away from, but they've done very well for us so we did the same again. We didn't just plough on regardless. We thought about what we were going to do and went for that type of foal again. Hopefully it will work out. On the National Hunt foals, we decided to concentrate a little bit more on quality. John Bleahan is a great friend of mine and we were chatting away recently about what the market is going to look like in the next couple of years and his summarisation was good. He said, 'it's either this or sheep,' in that we don't know anything different, so we may as well keep going at what we know best.

BS: The National Hunt market is going through a strange period at the moment. You need to be by Walk In The Park, Blue Bresil (Fr) or one of the good French sires to get well paid. When you were concentrating on the top end, what stallions were you honing in on?

PM: It's very tight. There are only a small number of top-end stallions that people seem to want. We bought a couple of Walk In The Parks (Ire), we could only get our hands on one Blue Bresil (Fr), we got a No Risk At All (Fr) and took a chance on a couple of foals by Order Of St George (Ire)–I really like them, they're really good-looking horses and they seem to have lovely temperaments. But it's a risky time for him as he has a couple of crops ahead and, if they don't work out, it's not ideal. I bought a Soldier Of Fortune (Ire) but didn't give huge money for it and we bought a Maxios (GB) and a Vadamos (Fr), so we have a bit of a spread.

BS: I suppose the best horse you ever bought was outside the box in that she was by Sulamani (Ire).

PM: The difference with her was that she was bought to race. All of those foals are bought to be sold on. There's a big difference between buying a racehorse and a sales horse which shouldn't make sense but it does. You have to buy what the market is going to want in the future.

BS: And speaking about Honeysuckle (GB), there has been a lot said and written since she lost her unbeaten record but what's your own feeling on the whole thing.

PM: All the ratings people seem to believe it was her best ever run in the Hatton's Grace and normally her first run of the season is always her worst run. I suppose she's getting older and it's going to take a little more to get her ready first time out so, taking everything into account, it was one of her highest-rated runs for her first start of the season so we'd have to be happy. If we weren't protecting an unbeaten run, I think we'd have left Fairyhouse cock-a-hoop with ourselves. We haven't lost faith in her. Leopardstown here we come.

BS: Everyone wants that match between Honeysuckle and Constitution Hill (GB) in the Champion Hurdle. Is that still the dream or has the Mares' Hurdle become a more appealing target than it was previously?

PM: First of all, I think the Mares' Hurdle is getting a bit of a slagging off, which I think is totally unfair. If we didn't have the mares' programme that has been built up over the past 20 years, Honeysuckle probably wouldn't be running right now–she'd be out in a field with a foal at foot somewhere. The amount of top-class mares who have come through the system in the past 10 to 15 years, most of those, if not all of them, would never have hit the track if it wasn't for the mares' programme. I think people are missing the point, to be honest, and I think the mares' programme is hugely important. We got a lot of slagging when we ran Honeysuckle in the Mares' Hurdle first time round but, as it happened, we probably ended up running in the tougher race by taking on Benie Des Dieux (Fr) (Great Pretender {Ire}). People were saying we were ducking the challenge of the Champion Hurdle but we just felt she wasn't quite ready to run over two miles at championship pace and that the two-and-a-half-mile option was better at that stage in her career. Her jumping was a bit slow at that time–she was big and novicey when winning her first Irish Champion Hurdle the time before so we did what was best for her. That will be the same this year.

We will always do what's best for Honeysuckle. That's the number one thing. I suppose I will give you a bit of a scoop here, if we don't think that she is up to running to her best, she probably won't run full stop–she'll be retired. Kenny said that last year, that we were going to give her one more season but, if we don't feel she is up to doing herself justice, she is not going to be risked. She is too important to us. We are not going to risk her. We have to think that she will be up to running to her full ability if she runs again.

BS: Is Leopardstown D-Day in that, if she doesn't run right up to her best, she could be retired?

PM: That is a distinct possibility, yes. It's not about ducking competition. There are three scenarios. Number one is that she runs in the Champion Hurdle, number two is that she is retired and number three is that she goes for the Mares' Hurdle. The least likely scenario is that she would run in the Mares' Hurdle. That's where we are at with her. It's all about Honeysuckle. We are all dreaming and we really want to take on Constitution Hill. Nicky Henderson is a great friend and has been a wonderful supporter of mine. We've been slagging each other all summer and nothing would give me more pleasure than going out and beating Constitution Hill as I think he is a phenomenal horse. That's what we really want to do. But let's see what the next few weeks bring. Both horses have to get there in one piece.

BS: Kenny seems to be a great character. From saying he was extremely confident on Racing TV the evening before Honeysuckle won her first Champion Hurdle to being magnanimous in defeat after the Hatton's Grace, he is quite refreshing.

PM: He is genuinely a lovely guy and very down to earth. After Honeysuckle won the Champion Hurdle last season, he led her in with his shirt hanging out and the Racing Post rolled under his arm. I think some people had thought that some interloper had run into the winner's enclosure to lead Honeysuckle back in. But that's him–no airs or graces about him. I am very lucky to have met him and to be working for him.

BS: How did that relationship come about?

PM: The first time I met Kenny was at this kitchen table 12 or 14 years ago. He rang David Redvers around the same time Sheikh Fahad got involved. David told him that he was concentrating on the Flat but recommended that he come and visit us here at Rathmore Stud. He told me about his dream to breed top-class National Hunt horses and I told him he was nuts. I advised him to buy foals so at least he'd know what he was getting and therefore he could concentrate on the thing a little bit. The first thing we did was buy two National Hunt foals at the Tattersalls February Sale to pinhook together. We bought a Kalanisi (Ire) and a Flemensfirth.

At the time, we had been buying National Hunt foals to pinhook as yearlings but the National Hunt yearling market fell flat on its face. This was about the time when that happened. They cost 17 grand each and, when we brought them back to the November Sale, we couldn't get what we paid for either of them. Kenny must have been thinking, 'oh my God, what idiot am I after getting involved with?' I told him that we had two lovely horses on our hands but the National Hunt yearling market had gone. We kept them on as 3-year-olds and sold the Kalanisi privately. He paid for himself and the Flemensfirth and went on to be named Champagne Express (GB) for Nicky Henderson. He was a good horse. We brought the Flemensfirth to the Land Rover Sale, I think it was the first year I was working as an agent for Goffs, and he made 130 grand. We sold him again to Nicky Henderson and David Minton, funnily enough, and he turned out to be O O Seven (Ire). From thinking I was an eejit, Kenny must have suddenly thought that I was a genius, but maybe the truth was somewhere in the middle.

For the next few years after that, I was only doing bits and pieces for Kenny and I bought him a mare called Asturienne (GB) (Sleeping Car {Fr}) off Alan King. She was his first broodmare and ended up breeding his first black-type horse, Carrie Des Champs (Ire) (Robin Des Champs {Fr}), and she's also bred Doddiethegreat {Ire}) (Fame And Glory {GB}). Typical of Kenny, he named that horse after Doddie Weir and all of his prize money will go towards the Doddie Weir foundation for motor neurone disease.

It was five years ago when I went up to Kenny's box at Cheltenham. I'd noticed he'd started to spend a few quid through different agents, which was all fine, but he wasn't having any success. He'd given a lot of money for a few horses with no results. There was another bloodstock agent there that day chatting him up. He's actually a friend of mine and I've told him this story since and he laughs about it. But I kind of saw red a bit that day. I just felt that the whole thing was disorganised and that Kenny was going to get cheesed off with the whole thing because he'd things coming at him from every direction. It was just too disorganised.

When that bloodstock agent left the box, I pulled Kenny aside and told him that he needed to get somebody to pull it all together and organise it for him. I can tell you, I was not looking for the job myself because I had Rathmore, Qatar and Goffs to concentrate on. He asked me to do it and, after saying no a good few times, I rang my wife Sarah to see if she thought we could take it on or not, and we decided to give it a go. The following day, I was walking through the Cheltenham enclosure and met Henry and Heather de Bromhead. I invited them up to meet Kenny and they got on like a house on fire. We bought Sinoria (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) at the Cheltenham sale that week and then we bought Honeysuckle the following month at the Goffs Punchestown Sale.

BS: It has snowballed, hasn't it?

PM: Yes, and the idea is to concentrate on well-bred National Hunt mares, which is why I had no interest in Honeysuckle initially because I didn't think her pedigree was good enough. The idea is that they go back to Kenny's stud as broodmares. With those mares, you might have to give a lot of money for them after they win their point-to-point but, if they stand on a nail in the morning, they still have a residual value whereas the geldings don't. There's a certain safety net.

BS: Halka Du Tabert (Fr) (Balko {Fr}) was impressive at Naas on Tuesday and looks another smart recruit for Kenny. What other running plans are there for over Christmas?

PM: She was very good and she'll go to Fairyhouse for the Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle next. We've a nice juvenile hurdler, Gala Marceau (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), who won a listed juvenile hurdle for fillies impressively at Auteuil. She's smart. Gauloise (Fr) (Samum {Ger}) is also back from injury and will hopefully run over the Christmas as well.

BS: And you must be sick of re-telling the story of how you came to buy Honeysuckle at this stage.

PM: Our scouts told us about how impressive she was in winning her point-to-point and, I'll have to be honest, I didn't even look at her race. I took one look at her pedigree and didn't think it was good enough. As a Goffs agent, I wanted to show support to the sale so I went down to look at her and she was a big, raw and narrow thing–she was like two boards slapped together. I thought, 'if she could win as impressively as they are all telling me that she won, she must be good.' I went and watched the race and she was unbelievable. I rang Henry and Kenny and told them that maybe we should reconsider her.

BS: Being by Sulamani she could go to any stallion, couldn't she? Have you thought that far ahead or do you want to get her racing career over and done with first?

PM: I have already talked to a stallion master. All you need to do is look at the National Hunt sales to figure out who she will be going to see. She's booked in to Walk In The Park, all going well. That's the plan.

BS: And what about Henry's role in the whole thing? I know that you are very close with him.

PM: I can remember the first time I met Henry and it's probably not far off 40 years ago when we were in school. I was in fifth year and I think he was in first year. I can remember that he had a pudding bowl haircut! I remember him because he was a de Bromhead and we all knew his father Harry as being a successful trainer. Henry was a cheeky little pup! We've always been friendly and, I've said before, great horses bring people together and between Honeysuckle, Sinoria, Minella Melody (Ire) (Flemensfirth), we've had huge success with the de Bromheads and have become closer and closer with them and the kids down through the years. They are such a lovely family. They are phenomenally strong people. I am full of admiration for them.

BS: What will the next few months entail with a view towards the Land Rover? A lot of work has gone into that sale in the last number of years and it's amazing how much the quality has risen as a result.

PM: There is a great team at Goffs and everyone is really enthusiastic. The first thing we did was target the horses. The year we sold O O Seven, we also had Tombstone (Ire) (Robin Des Champs {Fr}) in our draft and a lot of people at the time were asking me why I didn't have them in the Derby Sale. My attitude was, Eddie O'Leary, David Minton and Nicky Henderson were all at Goffs, so why would I need to go anywhere else. John Bleahan and I had a horse four or five years prior to that, Virginia Preuil (Fr) (Saint Preuil {Fr}), and we got €120,000 for him at the Land Rover. I think he was the first ever National Hunt store to make €100,000 or more at Goffs. So I had confidence that, if you had the right horse at Goffs, you were going to get well-paid for it. It took seven or eight years but slowly the confidence in the sale began to grow and people started to send better horses. The marketing team does a great job at getting the trainers and the agents in and the momentum has really grown.

BS: And obviously a huge amount of work went on behind the scenes to attract the American buyers to Goffs for the Orby and it told with the record-breaking trade. Could you see that sale developing further?

PM: A couple of years have passed since the Orby debacle at Doncaster and it was a debacle, it was an absolute disaster and nobody is denying that, so there was a lot of soul searching after it. A lot of Irish vendors were really good to us the following year and brought some lovely horses to the Orby to help revitalise it and it worked. It worked really well. This year was a step up again. The one thing people will say to you, and they said it when we were trying to build the Land Rover, is that traditionally, all the best horses have been sold at the Derby Sale or that, throughout history, all the best yearlings have been sold at Newmarket. My question is why? If the horses are in the Orby well then the buyers will come. It's an awful shame that millions of euros worth of yearlings pass the door at Goffs on their way up to the ferry every year. I believe there's no need for that. Since I have joined Goffs, I've sold everything there–at the Orby, Sportsman's and the Land Rover.

BS: The Goffs Million was reintroduced this year and I think people recognised that. Is there anything else in the pipeline or do you think they are gimmicks?

PM: I think gimmick would be an unfair word and those incentives are needed. Thinking outside the box is needed. Henry Beeby is such an enthusiast and such a hard worker. He's passionate about the whole game and is desperate to get the Orby where it should be. I've no doubt that there's going to be a lot thrown at the sale over the next five years.

BS: If you were to think big, look at how well a race like The Everest has been received in Australia. I'm not saying something like that would work here but I do think there's a bit of a disconnect between racing and bloodstock and the more we can fill in those blanks, it has to have a huge upside for the industry.

PM: Absolutely. When you mention Australia, I think that is where we need to look towards. I know they have a different funding model but one man I hugely admire, and what he did for Magic Millions and how they caught up on Inglis, is Gerry Harvey. He's done something that should be admired hugely and maybe even mimicked.

BS: And how do you view the future of Irish racing?

PM: With the way society is going and with the demonisation of gambling from certain sections, I think we need to be looking at different ways of funding the industry. I'm not sure if I am bright enough to figure it out but I think racecourses–with notable exceptions–are relying a little too much on media rights and not working hard enough on getting people through the turnstiles. There were suggestions that there might be racing behind closed doors in Britain not too long ago because it would be easier on the racecourse in question not to employ staff etc for punters on the track. I asked the question recently about what the GAA's main revenue stream was. It's people through the turnstiles. That's something we need to work on big time. If you look at Australia and the crowds that go racing and the atmosphere they can generate on course, I think it's something we need to try and emulate. The racetracks really need to work on this. I've a very good friend who doesn't have anything to do with racing and he asked me recently if our industry was totally reliant on gambling. When I told him it was, he made an interesting face, and that's the way society is going so we need to be aware of that. We really need to be actively thinking about different ways of funding the industry.

BS: And speaking about international jurisdictions, Sheikh Fahad has had heightened success in America this year.

PM: Fergus Galvin and Adrian Regan in Hunter Valley Farm have done a wonderful job. Sheikh Fahad has done a good bit of trading there recently as well. The likes of Ocean Road (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who was a high-class filly in England but goes over there and wins a Grade I. The prize-money over there is phenomenal and, when you win your Grade I over there, you can see what they are worth. She made $1.6 million at the sales. It's hard to argue with that model.

BS: And closer to home, can you tell me a bit more about Rathmore Stud? There is great history to this place.

PM: Apparently the first mention of us here is back in 1682–so we've been here a while! My grandfather William trained a couple himself. He'd a good horse Hill Of Camas and another called Timber Wolf, who I think won a Galway Plate. My grandmother owned Knight's Crest who my father rode to win the Irish Grand National when he was just 16 years' old. That was his first major win as a jockey. So there was Martin, my father, and his brother Tim, who won four Champion Hurdles in a row and I'm pretty certain he's the only person to have done that. He was crowned champion jockey five times in England and was actually left this place but decided to move to England and sold it to my father.

BS: Martin was arguably the greatest dual-purpose jockey of all time.

PM: He had already retired 13 or 14 years by the time I was born. He was only 26 when he retired and we couldn't really appreciate all that he achieved in the saddle but we certainly saw it here at home. He was gifted and was still riding 2-year-olds for me here when he was 75. People used to say to me that I was nuts to put him up but the answer was that he was much less likely to get a fall than anyone else. I think he was a horse whisperer. What he could do was phenomenal. The likes of Paul Carberry and Ruby Walsh, they have something, it's a gift. Horses just relax for them. You'd put my father up, aged 75, on a 2-year-old who'd been bucking and kicking and, as soon as he'd sit up on him, the horse would just relax. It was phenomenal to watch. He used to drive us mad as kids. He'd send us out to get a horse from the field and we'd be running around for an hour trying to catch it. He'd come out and, next thing, the horse would walk over to him. It used to drive us bonkers! He wasn't very generous with his talent–he didn't pass it on!

BS: I suppose we're seeing something similar with Rachael Blackmore in that horses seem to just run for her.

PM: When Rachael rode Honeysuckle to win the Grade 1 novice hurdle at Fairyhouse, Richard Pugh came up to me and told me that, in his reckoning, she was the first lightweight jockey to be as successful over jumps as my father was. Horses are so balanced under her and she's got a phenomenal tactical brain. I can't really compare her to my father because I never saw him ride in a race.

BS: Speaking of jockeys, a certain Oisin Murphy is back next year.

PM: Listen, he's a brilliant rider. He's stayed here a few times this year and we've gone around looking at breeze-up horses together and things like that. Please God he can keep on the straight and narrow and realise his full potential because he's a wonderful rider. He's seriously gifted.

BS: That famous Kieran Fallon anecdote from an interview with David Walsh comes to mind. He described Pat Smullen as being “the person who gives his whole life to the job to the best of his ability,” before adding, “no distractions. Great professionalism. I don't know how they do it. I've had my quirks. Pat has had his tractors.”

PM: Oisin is not alone in that a lot of supremely talented people, be that riders, footballers, musicians, actors, whatever, seem to have a bit of a kink. My father certainly had one. He was incredibly religious. It's about channeling their talent as best they can. Sheikh Fahad, David Redvers and Andrew Balding, they've all been unbelievably patient with him and he's got a great support team. It's up to him now to make the most of it.

The post ‘Honeysuckle More Likely To Be Retired Than Run In Mares’ Hurdle At Cheltenham’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘Trainers Are Finding It Tough But You Can’t Wave a Magic Wand’

One of the most respected racing and bloodstock journalists in Britain and Ireland for over 20 years, Ryan McElligott bid adieu to the press room at the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale as he embarked on his new role as Chief Executive of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association.

Admitting there was some emotion surrounding the move, McElligott looks back on over 20 years reporting on the sport he loves and looks ahead to the challenges he faces in his new position as the IRTA chief.

The 41-year-old wears many hats. As well as being a talented journalist, he knows the programme book better than most, a skill that David Wachman and more recently Gordon Elliott have utilised by securing his services in that department.

McElligott has also been a jockey's agent for his close friend and multiple Group 1 and Classic-winning rider Wayne Lordan for the majority of his career and has enjoyed notable success in the pinhooking department with another good friend in Luke Barry of Manister House Stud.

All that and more, including his thoughts on the National Hunt and Flat market, are discussed below in this week's Starfield Stud-sponsored Conversations Q&A.

Brian Sheerin: The Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale marked the end of your journalism career as you move on to pastures new. Did you feel any emotion in closing that chapter?

Ryan McElligott: There would have been. Sales have been an integral part of my life for well over 20 years so there was an eerie feeling at Goffs in knowing that it was going to be the last sale I was going to write about.

BS: How did you get into racing journalism?

RM: I was very interested in racing from an early stage and, in my heart of hearts, knew that I wanted to do something in the sport. When I was in Transition Year in secondary school, I did three weeks work experience with The Irish Field back when it was based in D'Olier Street in Dublin, and I enjoyed that. I actually shared an office with Mark Costello [current deputy editor of the paper] during that time. The following summer, I did more work experience with The Irish Field and at that stage I had my heart set on doing racing journalism. I wasn't really thinking of doing journalism in any other sphere other than racing. Just as I began my journalism degree, I got some freelance work for The Irish Field and did my first ever sales report for the EBN-the Derby Sale at Tattersalls in 2000. When it came to graduation time, The Irish Field's chief racing reporter Cliff Noone retired so it was all a question of good timing and I ended up getting a lot of work very early on in my career. I was unbelievably fortunate that a lot of things happened to fall into place for me.

BS: Any particular highlights?

RM: As I look back on it now, it was a great time to be covering racing because you had so many powerful yards from Ireland competing on the big stage. On the Flat, you had Aidan O'Brien, Dermot Weld, Jim Bolger, Kevin Prendergast and John Oxx. They were all operating at the peak of their powers at that time. It was remarkable when you think back about it now.

BS: Journalism can be a thankless job at times and invariably you might end up writing something that somebody doesn't agree with but you got through your career without any major bust-ups. How so?

RM: I don't know. There was one thing that I really didn't enjoy writing about and that was the sale period of autumn 2008 through to 2010. It was bad. It wasn't good for anybody. It wasn't good for the sales companies, breeders, pinhookers, nobody. You can't get away from the fact that the figures have gone through the floor but all you can do is try to handle it in a humane manner. I was at one sale in 2009, now it would have been a low-key sale, but after three hours one of the senior guys went into the office to check what the figures were and they were zero. The figures were zero after three hours. I was covering that sale for the Racing Post at the time and I can remember ringing the Bloodstock Editor at the time to tell them that there was nothing happening there. We decided to give it just 150 words. At that stage, an acceptance had formed that the world was in freefall and a bad thoroughbred sale in Ireland was just symptomatic of what was going on.

“That was pretty sobering stuff but, bit by bit, we managed to get ourselves back in the game.”

BS: Were you pinhooking at that time?

RM: We would have been and 2008 would have been pretty grim. By my recollection, we had a Hawk Wing filly who I think cost seven grand as a foal and we sold her for 30 grand as a yearling. Lolly For Dolly (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}) was the other one to get sold. The rest of them, we either gave them away or put them into training. It wasn't good. As the market is contracting before your very eyes, even the slightest mistake is going to be punished severely. I'll never forget, the night before the Orby, the Minister for Finance Brian Lenihen addressed the nation to basically tell us that we were F****d. That was pretty sobering stuff but, bit by bit, we managed to get ourselves back in the game. We bought very little in 2009 but we gave small money for a Diamond Green (Fr) colt at Goffs who ended up making 60-odd grand at Book 2. We're talking small sums, relatively speaking, but that provided the little bounce that we needed to get back on our feet. Luke [Barry] and I will always recall selling that horse. We knew he was nice. It happens when you have a good one because you're standing there and, all of a sudden, the sales ring fills up around you and you know something is going to happen. Dwayne Woods outbid Sir Mark Prescott for the horse.

BS: How did you get into pinhooking?

RM: Luke was a year ahead of me in primary and secondary school so we were always very friendly. He spent some time in America and when he came home was trying to get the whole pinhooking thing going. I was working at the time but had zero responsibilities and no family so had some cash to put in and that's how it started. The first horse we bought was a Danetime (Ire) foal who ended up being called Danish Express (Ire). He won a Bath maiden for a man called Peter Winkworth and was a grand little horse. We actually lost money on that horse. He cost €28,000 as a foal in 2003 and was sold for 22,000gns as a yearling. That was the first year of it. I think we'd two the following year and then two becomes three and then three becomes five and so on. I'm involved more on the National Hunt side of things now. That's just the way it has evolved.

BS: That was a conscious decision of yours, to concentrate more on the National Hunt stock.

RM: The National Hunt horses come here to me for a couple of years and I like having them around the place. You could have questioned what way the market was going to go on the Flat and, as it happened, it way outperformed what I thought it would this year. Circumstances changed as well. I have other concerns now that I wouldn't have had when I was younger in terms of the fact I have a young family and I suppose, with work, I got a bit disconnected with the whole pinhooking thing. For example, going to a sale in Newmarket just didn't suit me. It's a lot easier to keep a handle on the National Hunt sales as it's all happening on your doorstep but the Flat is vast. The pinhooking is very much Luke's thing.

BS: I know you say it's more Luke's thing than yours but it's something that has gone well for almost two decades now so what has been the approach.

RM: Well, you need to try and buy something that is going to be acceptable to the market. That's the first thing. Okay, proven sires are going to cost a premium but it's always good to have a sibling running for you the next year and a lot of great touches have come from that. It's great when horses we've pinhooked go on to success. We pinhooked Lolly For Dolly. Fozzy Stack bought her off us as a yearling and she won the Windsor Forest S. at Royal Ascot. We went back some years later and bought her Sir Percy (GB) half-sister for 27,000gns as a foal before selling her for €210,000 as a yearling so the family was good to us. In terms of Luke, his family had Starfish (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who bred La Collina (Ire) (Strategic Prince {GB}), Astadash (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and many more black-type horses. That was their family. Starfish was really good to them and they bought her as an unraced filly out of Stack's. At that time, Luke and I would have had many conversations about Starfish because Decado (Ire) was in the pedigree. He won a Tetrarch S. and was placed in an Irish Guineas for Kevin Prendergast. Luke's Dad Frank was very close with Kevin so there would have been an affinity with the family given Kevin had Decado. Starfish ended up being an incredible success story for them. That's something that stands out. I like seeing Luke do well.

Lolly For Dolly winning at Royal Ascot under Wayne Lordan | Racingfotos.com

BS: Have you tried to buy many siblings to some of the younger horses who might be showing up well at home at Gordon Elliott's given you have an insight to the yard?

RM: You try and work every angle you can but it's very rare that it happens. If you know there's a good one, chances are that 10 more people know it as well. I remember a few years ago we tried to buy a half-brother to what Gordon thought was a smart horse in Pencilfulloflead (Ire) (Shantou). Half the sales complex knew about it as well, though. Kevin Ross bought the horse for €36,000. He was by Califet (Fr) and we thought we'd be very clever buying a half-brother to the then unraced Pencilfulloflead but we didn't get him. You would have had a chance of doing something like that 20 years ago but not any more.

BS: Are there any stallions you've done particularly well with?

RM: Beat Hollow (GB) was very good to us. Choisir (Aus) and Danetime (Ire) on the Flat as well.

BS: You were a Blue Bresil fan before it was cool to be one.

RM: We had that Blue Bresil (Fr) horse who ended up making £340,000 after winning his point-to-point, Willmount (GB). He was out in a field with The Four Sixes (Ire) (Westerner {Ire}), who we put into training with Gordon before selling privately to the McNeill family after he placed in a Leopardstown bumper. We sold Willmount at the Land Rover Sale to Rob James for €46,000 and he won his point for Colin Bowe.

BS: And is there anything coming through on the Flat that you like?

RM: I am a big Cotai Glory (GB) fan. I think he's a really nice sire. If you bought a mare it would be a fair start if you sent her to Cotai Glory. I think he's a good idea. He got the Group 1 winner, The Platinum Queen, in his second crop. I only realised the other day that The Platinum Queen (Ire) was the first two-year-old to win the Abbaye in 40-odd years. That's a fair feat. I've never owned a Cotai Glory but he's a stallion I like.

BS: Tell me a bit about your new role as chief executive of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association.

RM: I had been writing for over 20 years and just began to look at other avenues. This position came up and a number of aspects of the role interested me. You are representing a significant body in Irish racing. You are representing a body where some of its members are global names. It's a body with the capacity to drive change and positive change at that. I thought it was a role with potential.

BS: It's a role that comes with its challenges.

RM: Absolutely. It's an organisation that has gone through a difficult period. It has endured some very challenging times but a representative body for one of the most significant cohorts of people in Irish racing, that's got to have potential.

BS: Have you had a chance to pick up the phone to many people who have maybe lost faith in the organisation down through the years or is that something that will happen a bit further down the line?

RM: That's going to be an ongoing thing. I started on Dec. 1 and am trying to feel my way around at the moment but the hope would be to, over the course of time, instill a newfound confidence in the organisation.

BS: And you continue to do the race planning for Gordon Elliott who you work well with.

RM: He's very easy to work for. There's never been a cross word between us. He's a singular talent. Gordon actually rode a few point-to-pointers for my Dad back in the days when he was riding. I remember doing a pre-Cheltenham feature with him in 2007 when he had Silver Birch (Ire) (Clearly Bust {GB}) running in the cross-country. That was the year Silver Birch won the Grand National. We kept in contact after doing that feature and I would have recommended the odd horse to him here and there. We just became firm friends over the course of time. It was in 2015 that he asked me to do some race planning for him. Before that, I had been doing that role for David Wachman. David actually announced his retirement that season and, as it happened, Gordon had approached me about the role the week before.

BS: In many ways, Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott have brought National Hunt racing to a new level. Could you give us an insight into how Gordon operates and how your relationship with him works?

RM: Gordon is always concentrating on getting the next winner or the next good horse. It's never a case of basking in the afterglow for a considerable period of time after any big win. He was at Cheltenham the other day and I think he bought seven horses. He's got serious drive. In terms of race planning, when a meeting is closing, I'd give him a ring and propose a list of entries. He's the one who is looking at the horses every day so he says yes or no. The list is refined and there are plans for different horses at every level. It's fairly collaborative.

Apple's Jade fights off Vroum Vroum Mag to win the Hatton's Grace Hurdle | Racingfotos,com

BS: Is there any victory that you can look back on and say, 'that really cemented our relationship,' or is it something that has grown organically?

RM: It has grown organically and it's a great help that the yard is just a conveyor belt of winners. I remember we had a lot of discussions about Apple's Jade (Fr) (Saddler Maker {Ire}). Gordon obviously got her off Willie and she had been a brilliant juvenile hurdler the season before. She got beaten by Rashaan (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) in the WKD Hurdle at Down Royal on debut for Gordon before running in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle where she was beaten by Irving (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}). So that still wasn't great but it was a step in the right direction at least. The Hatton's Grace Hurdle was just a week after the Fighting Fifth and I can remember we'd a lot of back and forth as to whether she should go to Fairyhouse or not. She was taking on Vroum Vroum Mag (Fr) (Voix Du Nord {Fr}) and, eventually, we came to the conclusion that it was a good idea. It worked out and she won the first of many Grade 1s for Gordon. That was a good day.

BS: It's fair to say you've been in Gordon's corner for the good days and the bad. You spent a lot of time at Cullentra just before he was suspended in 2021.

RM: I did spend an awful lot of time there. For him, it was obviously a very challenging week, extremely so. I think the phrase he uses at times to describe the whole thing is 'a moment of madness,' and yes it was, but he just found himself at the centre of a storm that I don't think anyone could have foreseen.

BS: And it was a big season for your jockey Wayne Lordan, who scooped the prize for ride of the year at the HRI Awards last week for his heroics aboard Waterville (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in the Irish Cesarewitch.

RM: Wayne has been there towards the head of the jockeys' standings for quite some time. He's a very modest and self-effacing character and is quite happy to just go out there and do his thing and let the horses do the talking for him. I was thrilled for him last week because that was a great ride.

BS: Was there ever a temptation to take on more riders or was it always the intention to have just one top-tier jockey like Wayne on the books?

RM: I never really set out to be a jockey's agent. It was actually David Wachman and Fozzy Stack who were keen for me to take over Wayne back in the day because they felt it would be handier to pick up the phone to me. I ended up doing Wayne by default in a way. I wasn't the one who came up with the idea. That was in 2008 or 2009. I've been doing it since. A long time.

BS: Sole Power was the first big one.

RM: He was the first Group 1 winner. He won the Nunthorpe at 100-1 and was the longest-priced Group 1 winner in Britain for 30-something years at the time. If you look back, the Nunthorpe took place on the same day of a really low-ley Killarney meeting, so there wasn't anything going on in Ireland that day. Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) was trained by Eddie Lynam, who was a big supporter of Wayne down through the years, and it's actually funny because Wayne was meant to go to York to ride another one of Eddie's, Notalossonya (Ire) (Cadeaux Genereaux {GB}), that day. Notalossonya had won the good 3-year-old handicap at Galway that season and was very much the one that Wayne was going over to ride. Anyway, Notalossonya got balloted so Wayne ended up going to York for this one ride, a 100-1 shot in a Group 1, and it happened. I don't think Wayne won another race on Sole Power after that but he got on Slade Power (Ire) for Eddie as well. Slade Power was a hell of a horse-winner of the Diamond Jubilee S. and the July Cup.

BS: And how did the move to Ballydoyle come about in 2017?

RM: Again, that was all around the same time when David Wachman announced his retirement. Wayne ended up in Ballydoyle and it has worked out well for him. He rode Winter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to win the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in his first year at Ballydoyle. Winter had won her two-year-old maiden at Dundalk under Wayne when she was based with David. She transferred over to Ballydoyle and Wayne kept the ride for the Guineas. He actually won the Guineas on Winter and then beat her in the Matron S. later that season on Hydrangea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

BS: Iridessa was another important filly for Wayne.

RM: To win a Breeders' Cup race was big. Iridessa (Ire) (Ruler Of The World) {Ire}) was a great filly for Wayne. He won four Group 1 races on her. She was an unbelievable filly and, when you think about it, Joseph O'Brien did an unbelievable job with her to bring her all the way from winning a median auction maiden at Killarney to landing a Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Luckily, Wayne happened to be on her for many of those good days and they built up quite the relationship. I was out for dinner the night she won the Breeders' Cup. I've only watched that race about a thousand times since! But there's Wayne's record, he's won Classics, Breeders' Cup races, big winners in Australia–he's a top jockey.

BS: Getting back to the market, how do you see the next 12 months playing out? A lot of people have been driving on regardless at the sales but perhaps concentrating more on the high-end bracket. What way have you played it?

RM: You are looking at what is going on around the world and obviously we have this tech thing going on. Maybe that isn't too dissimilar to the horse business. Obviously you have the war in Ukraine and its many destabilising effects. The cost of living crisis has been the main news story in Ireland over the past number of months. People's gas and electricity bills have gone through the roof. We haven't seen that bite in the thoroughbred industry, which is obviously good, but there has to be a point where it manifests itself in some shape or form. I am wondering did we see a little bit of it creep into the National Hunt foal market towards the end of the year. Clearance rates were running at around 60% so you were dealing with sales where a third of the horses were not selling. That market is of course predominantly Irish with a bit of English thrown in there so I am just wondering did we see a little bit of tightening there. Obviously the Flat is much better insulated because it's an international market. Even the most low-key of Flat sales had an international element to it. Take the Open Yearling Sale at Goffs, there was a major international element to that with the Eastern Europeans and so on.

BS: I know you are only two weeks in your new role but what sort of calls have you fielded from trainers? There must be serious concerns out there.

RM: I have had a number of calls outlining how tough it is for trainers to make ends meet at the moment. Insurance premiums are a major concern as they have gone up again. Unfortunately, a lot of trainers are finding it very tough but you can't wave a magic wand and make it better. I hope over the course of time that the organisation can make a difference. Maybe we could look at staging races for trainers who do not have more than 40 horses in training or something similar. Would that be a better way to do it rather than races for trainers who have had 10 or less winners the previous season? Maybe races confined to a certain echelon could work well. It's something that could be refined over a period of time but that's certainly something we could look at. It was put to me years ago that we should have a premium 45-65 at something like a Galway festival and make it worth €22,000. I thought it was a great idea. You'd have a hell of a handicap in that you'd have 16 or 18 horses who've either won or come second on their previous start as that's what you'd need to do in order to guarantee a run with the balloting system. It would be a real thing to aim towards Galway with those hoses. It could just work and it would create a tremendous betting race.

BS: I'd love to see more claimers in the programme.

RM: I don't think that would be a bad thing. There seems to be a good turnover of horses in claimers and the culture to these races has definitely changed. They are reasonably regular on the Flat but they remain somewhat infrequent over jumps. I'm not sure if claimers need to be worth more money but there could be more of them. The system as it is is functioning and growing.

The post ‘Trainers Are Finding It Tough But You Can’t Wave a Magic Wand’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Stauffenberg Q&A: ‘If You Didn’t Get Paid This Year You Did Something Wrong’

As entertaining as he is brave, Philipp Stauffenberg has dominated the top bracket of the pinhooking table despite buying only a select number of foals each year.

Stauffenberg was once again in the spotlight in October when five of his yearlings took Tattersalls by storm when selling for a combined figure of 2,345,000gns at a memorable Book 1 sale.

Back at Tattersalls, where he was searching for his next Book 1 star at the December Foal Sales, the never-boring and cigarillo-smoking Stauffenberg spoke with TDN Europe's Brian Sheerin about his approach to pinhooking, love for breeding, family history and much more.

Stauffenberg went on to add another foal to his portfolio at the December Breeding Stock Sale at Arqana, a €150,000 Hello Youmzain (Ire) filly. He also sold four foals at that sale and explains the reasons why they were offered at public auction below.

Now that the foal sales are almost finished for 2022, how would you sum up buying in the current market?

Very tough. If you wanted to buy quality, the prices had risen and, overall, the selection of foals in that top bracket was very small. Quite often you can find the nice horse without the pedigree or else you have the page and the physical does not match up. I like to buy the physical and some of these physicals just didn't have a strong enough page for me. The problem for me is that we do all of the work back home in Germany. All the foals come back home to Germany and we prep them there. I have to focus on the Book 1, Book 2 or Orby horse, as that is where the market has the best chance of holding up. In is very difficult doing these high-level pinhooks. Obviously, you have a reduced number of people who are able to afford these high-end yearlings so, if I buy a foal for say €200,000, a lot of trainers and owners will automatically say that it will be out of their range when it comes to the yearling sales. For that reason, it is a little bit of a risk to buy in that bracket but, when it works out, it's very good. The other problem I face is, I just can't buy the numbers. Nowadays I buy seven to 10 foals. We are a small operation. I have a few principles on how I want to raise these horses so we keep only a very small number on the farm so we never overstock. I have just 39 boxes on the farm and these are all limiting factors. So, if I was to go to pretty much all of the sales and buy horses at every level, I would completely lose control. This is why I focus on the few sales and limit my selection process.

I know you said you are concentrating on the top bracket but I noticed you bought a few speedier types on pedigree at least–two Dandy Mans (Ire) and an Advertise (GB)-at the foal sales at Goffs.

Buying that Advertise filly happened more or less by accident. I didn't target that filly. I was looking at other foals and I saw her out of the corner of my eye and really liked her. I bought her and, yes, there is hope that Advertise will produce some very good 2-year-olds and she is a lovely physical and I really adore her. I just thought they were racehorses. Whether they will be successful pinhooks, I don't know, but I think they are racehorses and that's why I bought them.

Are you down on numbers for this year given you bought only two foals at Tattersalls?

I am happy with what I bought. I got six foals at Goffs and only two here at Tattersalls. I have some very nice colts but I am lacking the high-end filly. There was a better selection of high-end fillies here at Tattersalls on paper than at Goffs but the owner-breeders, Juddmonte especially, were so strong. The value was not there for me. I underbid the Lope De Vega (Ire) filly that Juddmonte bought for half a million-I went to 480,000gns-but, paying that price, your margin becomes very thin when you are buying for resale. I just wanted to have her. She was the one I liked the most of all the filly foals here. But I didn't succeed. I bid 600,000gns on the sister to Chaldean (GB) and she sold for one million. I formed a special syndicate to buy Chaldean when he was a foal but, again, Juddmonte were strong on him and already owned half of him. I just had to leave him behind as well. So I fended off all of my competitors on these high-end foals but when the owner-breeders, who are the people you want to be selling to the following year as yearlings, come in and bid strong, you cannot compete with that.

That was the major theme to develop at Tattersalls with Juddmonte, Shadwell and Moyglare being so strong. It must have been fairly demoralising going head-to-head with operations of that size?

Yea, it is in a way. You do your selection process and target these horses, then you try to think about what kind of money you will have to spend and, when it comes to the bidding, you can even go beyond your limit to try and get it and then you don't succeed. Obviously that is tough. But anyway, you have to cope with that. It's how the whole thing works. I only had a very short list of these fillies so, when you target them and cannot buy them, it is a little bit frustrating.

It seemed like a lot of buyers were zoning in on the top of the market. Perhaps the thinking there is that, if there is a bit of a downturn in the economy, they will have the yearlings to sell to the recession-proof operations?

I think so. It is not only us but some of the pinhookers who have been operating at that high level, they have been really well-rewarded. The thinking is that it is a safer option. Okay, you have to spend a little bit more money but it might be better in the reselling process to focus on that bracket. Whether we have a year like this again, that is a question mark. We had a very special situation this year where Sheikh Mohammed and his son were incredibly strong on the high-end yearlings. Their spending impacted every other level of the market because the high-end buyers couldn't succeed at the top level against him and were forced to drop down. There was a knock-on effect and it lifted everything.

There was a cloud of doubt hanging over the yearling sales this year so, given what transpired, how surprising was that?

If you leave our little bubble, you have the war in Europe, which we haven't had since World War II, all the other problems the industry is facing with the situation in China and the supply chain, and the fact we had the coronavirus for two years as well. You had to be worried but the yearling sales turned out to be sensational. People say to me, oh you had a tremendous year, how do you do it? I think that is wrong. I might be a little bit more in the limelight through some big prices but, the truth is, anyone who had a half-decent horse made a profit this year. Whether it was a breeder or a pinhooker, it didn't matter, the whole market was so strong. If you didn't get paid this year, you did something wrong. You can't blame others. This year was the year for everybody and I think that was reflected in the foal sales and even more so now in the sales of mares. It's madness. It really is. I looked at every foal I felt would get into Book 1 and 2 at Tattersalls as well as high-end Orby types and, let me tell you, what some of my colleagues spent on foals that I would not like to touch was amazing.

You mentioned the war in Ukraine. Unfortunately, war is something your family knows all too much about. Can you tell us a little more about that?

My grand-uncle tried to assassinate Hitler but failed. The whole family was sent to a concentration camp after that. It was obviously a very difficult situation but, because it happened towards the end of the war, nobody really wanted to take over the responsibility of killing the entire Stauffenberg family. The order came from the German government for all of them to be killed and quite a big number of them were. A lot of my family were shot after it happened. My father told me all about his own situation in the concentration camp. He told me about how they were on the walk to death, as the German government had found someone who was willing to kill them all, but thankfully they were freed by the Americans. It's a relief that I am here today and I feel lucky but it does not really influence what I do in my life. Sometimes, you have to factor in what is going on in that world and how many people are in that same situation in Ukraine right now.

The war in Ukraine could have had a much more detrimental effect on our industry.

Definitely. Okay, it's happening in Europe and is very close to us so it's overall very worrying but the war and the coronavirus have had a big impact on the way people do things. I have never seen so many poorly raised foals because of the costs involved-the price of everything has gone up. Don't forget we didn't have the easiest of years with the drought, either. This was also a major factor as well. Maybe that is why there was a smaller selection of foals but a lot more breeders may have decided not to sell their stock as foals due to the strength of the yearling market. They had too much money left over on the table so maybe a higher number of the better foals from this year's crop will be offered as yearlings next year. The pinhooking game is about getting value when buying foals. You have to weigh up if the foal has been underdone just because the people who prepped it didn't do the best possible job or whether the basics have not been laid with that foal. If the foal has had a poor youth, then you lack a foundation to be able to build them up. For example, if the bone substance is not there because they have not been raised properly, they will never make it as racehorses. The aim is to buy a really good racehorse and make money on the way. That is necessary to keep the whole thing going. But at the end of the day, if you don't sell good racehorses and only sell nice show horses, it will not work.

Can you give us an idea of what kind of work you do with the foals between now and the yearling sales?

In the first few weeks, you have to look after them especially well because they have gone through a pretty difficult process. They have been prepped, which is one thing, and then the sales with all of the shows can be quite demanding. You have to be careful that these foals don't fall into a hole when you buy them. They normally live out 24/7 but we bring them in every day to check temperatures and give them a chance to lay in the straw or whatever. But they more or less live outside all of the time. You have to keep a close eye on how they are. That's very important, especially at this time. Luckily, I have had fewer foals who need to be wrapped up all of the time. I just hate these foals who have been pampered going to the sales. They are just not tough enough to live out all of the time so you may have to adjust one or two things for these ones. You can't leave those ones out day and night because it gets quite cold with us in Germany. It's an individual process but the goal is that they will all live outside in time. It's a natural approach and it's the same for when we prep them as yearlings. We don't keep them in the boxes during that time. All of them go out, depending on the weather, but usually they all stay out at night until the beginning of September. After that, they get turned out for between four and six hours per day. It's much more labour intensive and I need more staff to do it this way. For me, the horse comes first and, in nature, they wouldn't stay the whole day in a box and not be moving. That's why I like to have them out as much as possible.

It's a big family operation with your wife Marion and daughter Alexandra heavily involved at the sales which must be a big help?

It's fantastic that it is like that. Alexandra studies in London but when I ruptured my Achilles tendon, I could not do anything with the yearlings and it was difficult to find staff so we managed to persuade her university to allow her to come back and work with us. She had to do an internship in the bracket of luxury goods and we managed to convince the university that we are dealing with luxury goods. This allowed her to come back and work with us and continue her studies. She always loved the horses and I was really happy to have an assistant this year. Whether she will continue in horses when her studies are complete, we don't know.

When you think of this game objectively and explain what you do to people outside of the industry, spending six figures on a foal in the hope of turning it into a million-Euro yearling, it's all a bit crazy, isn't it?

I think about that more than you would believe. I think I am a realist. You may not believe that but I have my feet down on the earth and I am realistic about what can happen. It has just developed this way but I know that I am mad to be doing what I am doing. It is madness. Even I can admit that. It is mad and I am mad to be doing it.

Has there ever been times where you thought it was too mad?

Again, I am thinking every moment like this. It is a high-risk thing. The way I do this, I select and buy the foals first and when I have finished my shopping, we start to split the horses up between different partners. That is a long process because it is difficult to please everyone. I'm not doing this, for example, in a way where everyone has to take 10 per cent of every horse, it's all different. Some may want 20 per cent in one and nothing in the other. It is up to me to try and balance the whole thing out. Whoever is willing to support every horse is at an advantage.

Can you explain a little more about who the partners are and what the breakdown of the investment is like?

There are some foals where I am left with them myself. A good example would be two years ago when I bought a Free Eagle (Ire) colt. He was well-bred on the dam side but obviously nobody wanted Free Eagle. I paid €80,000 for him but I couldn't persuade my partners to come in on him so I was left with 80 per cent. They just thought I was completely mad. I then sold him for 150,000gns here as a yearling so I was happy that I was left with 80 per cent on that occasion. I cannot do that every time because I am not a wealthy man. This is the risky part of this. I have to pay for all of these foals and then I go and collect between all of the different partners depending on what shares we sell after the sales. Luckily, some of my partners who have been with me for many years rely on my judgment and have done very well financially out of this. That makes it a little bit easier.

Is there one particular result that you look back on as being the one that catapulted you to becoming one of the leading pinhookers in Europe?

I have to admit that, in my heart, I am a breeder and never thought about pinhooking. It just developed through Andreas Putsch, who is also a German, and he knew how I was working with horses and asked me if I would like to pinhook for him. At the beginning, it was only his money I was spending and I was not even involved in the ownership of the foals. I only bought them, prepped and sold them. That was going quite well so some people were asking to come in. Andreas is no longer involved but other partners who started on that journey are still involved now and new ones have come in.

And prior to the pinhooking, how did you develop your love for thoroughbreds?

I was a professional showjumper before I started working in racing but I was not good enough to fulfill my dream by becoming an Olympic champion. I always loved thoroughbred breeding so, back in 1985, I was approached and became an assistant manager at a stud farm. I then managed two stud farms, building them up from scratch, before setting up my own bloodstock agency in 1994. Of the first foals and yearlings I bought, there were two Classic winners and several stakes horses, so I was very lucky at the time. There were two fillies by Seattle Dancer who were very good. Que Belle (Can) won the German 1,000 Guineas and the German Oaks and was Group 1-placed. She also ran in the Arc. She was a very good filly and we sold her to Wayne Hughes. This is how Marion and I could start our own operation because he obviously paid quite a lot of money for her. The other one was Rose Of Zollern (Ire), who I bought off Kirsten Rausing, so this is how it started. Marion and I have been developing the farm ever since and we have been developing the breeding side of the operation. Then I met Andreas and, as I said, he set me up. I never would have taken the risk to go at that level without him.

You've mentioned a few times that it's the breeding that is closest to your heart so it must give you huge pleasure to have bred Fantastic Moon (Ger) who is one of the best 2-year-olds in Germany this year.

Yes and it's very emotional for us because this colt is by Sea The Moon (Ger) and I bought the second dam of Sea The Moon as a foundation mare for Gestut Karlshof for €4,000 and she has produced three Classic winners. Marion and I met through the second dam of Frangipani (Ger), who is the dam of Fantastic Moon. From both sides, horse and human, it is very emotional. This family is very close to our heart. If Marion had not looked for a boarding place for that mare, Fraulein Tobin, many years ago, we'd have never met. For this to happen now after a sensational Book 1 sale is incredible.

And what type of horse do you view Fantastic Moon as next year?

Obviously he's one of the best 2-year-olds in Germany but now he has to progress through the winter. I don't think he is a Derby horse because the family lacks stamina but obviously Sea The Moon is a stamina influence. I see him more as a 10-furlong horse. There is talk of the French Derby for him so we will see. It's a nice situation to be in. We can dream a little bit over the winter with that horse as well.

You are best known for being a buyer but you also sell four foals at the December Breeding Stock Sale at Arqana.

The Kingman (GB) was a foal share for a client and she was born and raised on the farm. Juddmonte want to sell most of these foals at the sales which is why she goes there. The other three were homebreds. It sounds odd but our homebreds sold very badly as yearlings this year so, to balance the books, we needed to sell the foals this year.

I understand that you have been contemplating consigning mares as well?

The aim is to diversify. The demand of people who want to invest is getting bigger and I can't increase my foal portfolio. The idea is to buy young mares, breed from these mares and then sell the offspring. This is the aim as we'd like to develop a new branch in the portfolio. But I am not sure if now is the right time to invest in these younger mares because the market is so hot. If you want to turn the mare around quickly, you could buy a race filly and cover her and sell her on, but in my heart I am a breeder and would like to take on something that is more of a long-term process.

You clearly care deeply about breeding and your philosophy is an interesting one.

It sounds odd but money does not really interest me. Okay, I need to survive but that's all. I only need money to live. I can't take it with me anyway. I need to give my kids a chance as well but they are going to have to make it on their own. I said to all of my kids, 'you won't inherit anything because I need all of the money for the way we live our life', so the only thing they get is a good education and then they have to build it up on their own.

Who has been your biggest influence on your journey in bloodstock?

I really adore a few of my colleagues. They do a fantastic job in the way that they prep their horses. Take Paul McCartan, he's a genius. He is somebody I have always adored. He's a very good stock person. If you look at some of the younger ones coming through, the Gleeson brothers from Aughamore do an incredible job as well. I was stabled beside them during Book 2 and we had a long chat about how they do everything. They are good guys. There are some fantastic people in this industry. If you were to ask me who influenced me, though, there isn't someone who has influenced me in pinhooking. It has just grown into its own thing and I have followed my own ideas. My main aim is to take care of these animals. It's a fine balancing act between producing your horses to achieve the best possible price but also allowing them to be animals and not being too hard on them. I have to admit that some of my competitors, when you look around and observe who they are, it's brutal. They are only thinking about money and what's best for them out of the whole industry. I can't do that. We have produced a lot of good horses but what we are lacking is a Chaldean. That's the aim. This is what I would like to achieve with what I am doing. I need to survive but the aim is to produce top-class racehorses. That's what gives me the most pleasure.

The post Stauffenberg Q&A: ‘If You Didn’t Get Paid This Year You Did Something Wrong’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post