Described as a “power couple” in the awards booklet, rarely are the Tinnakill House Stud owners seen without each other. After an hour spent in their company at their home near Forenaghts Stud in County Kildare, it is easy to see why Meta and Dermot have risen to many of the challenges that life, and the industry, presents.

“I'm a disruptor and Meta is status quo,” Dermot jokes, although there is a certain element of truth to the statement. You won't hear Meta and Dermot sitting around telling each other how great they are. Instead, they challenge each other's way of thinking. 

Despite having no background in racing, Dermot managed Forenaghts Stud for the Smurfit family at a time when their colours were carried to not one but two Melbourne Cup victories thanks to Vintage Crop and Media Puzzle. 

He has also chaired ITM, the Tote, been on many committees and boards, including Goffs, the ITBA and that of his current baby, Naas racecourse. 

Meta is no shrinking violet. A well-respected equine veterinary surgeon, she specialises in mare reproduction. She also became Senior Steward of the Turf Club in 2016, the first woman to hold such a position, and last year completed a Masters in Animal Welfare at the University of Edinburgh.

The couple's achievements at Tinnakill House Stud are not bad either. Casamento, Alexander Goldrun, Red Evie and State Of Rest are graduates of the County Laois farm. 

Needless to say, Meta and Dermot were thoroughly deserving winners of their Hall Of Fame award. A power couple, indeed.

Dermot and Meta were added to the ITBA Hall Of Fame | Tattersalls Ireland

Brian: A nice light-hearted one to start; I am sure you saw Johnny Murtagh's comments about prize-money not being good enough in the TDN last week. Given your position at Naas racecourse, Dermot, you might be best qualified to comment on that.

Dermot: He definitely has a point. We need to be getting more money out of the bookmakers. I know they have done deals in Australia where they give back a higher percentage and I think there is leakage in how the money comes back to racing in Ireland and England especially, where dividends go back to big corporations. The biggest worry for me is that we are losing our audience. The crowds are falling away. Now, we do have a new audience, which is a digital audience. We were on holidays in South Africa recently, for example, and we were able to watch Irish racing on television down there. That's all driven by betting and betting is basically driving what is happening in Britain and Ireland. You can see that yourself through the fixture list. There has been a big increase in the fixture list over time and that reduces quality, gives us more fixtures and creates more money for the bookmakers. Is that good or bad? I don't know. Do you think the racecourses should be putting more money into prize-money? That's a question we have asked ourselves at Naas racecourse but we have never paid a dividend, which means the money we have made up until now has gone back into the track in other ways. Up until now, we haven't put any of our resources back into prize-money. There is a huge upkeep into running a racecourse and making constant improvements.

Meta: Part of the issue is that some of the racetracks have legacy debt which they haven't been able to service and you are always worried that, if this becomes the model, it will always be the model. 

Dermot: One of my biggest issues with Irish racing at the moment is the structure. I mean, it's totally laid down in stone. In soccer, you have a tiered system-the Championship and the Premier League-, whereas in Irish racing you have certain racecourses that get the big races every single year. There is no incentive to get better because this is your position and you cannot progress.

Brian: I thought Naas showed itself in a great light when it stepped in to stage a number of big races while the Curragh was going through its redevelopment. What would your one big wish be for the track?

Dermot: If HRI asked us to take a Classic if we put €50,000 into it, or offered us a Group 1 if we could go out and get a Group 1 sponsor, but we're never asked those questions.

Brian: What Group 1 would be best suited to Naas?

Dermot: I think we could easily take the Phoenix Stakes, which has moved around over the years. We've 13 Group 1s in Ireland and the Curragh has 11 of those. Leopardstown has the other two. It could be better spread out, like it is in England for example. 

Brian: It's clear that the two of you have very different philosophies; do you think that is a benefit in that you can bounce things off each other and get a different perspective?

Meta: Oh, yes. A better outcome comes from a broader discussion. But sometimes Dermot can get a bit frustrated with my views on things!

Dermot: Meta comes from a Turf Club background–need we say any more?! You can quote me on that!

Meta: I don't think I subscribed totally to everything the Turf Club stood for, I knew some things needed to change. 

Dermot: You led them for two years!

Meta: I did and we got the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board out of that, which is something I am very proud of. 

Dermot: One thing I feel strongly about is that people who lead organisations in racing should come up through the ranks organically but we have gotten away from that in recent times. People who lead should have passion. Passion is not something that you can bring in from the side, it comes from down below.

Brian: Would you agree with that, Meta?

Meta: I would. Passion is the lifeblood, but, again, I can see why that has happened because people are concerned that the funding of the sport will dry up unless we can show that we have people appointed who understand business and finance and corporate governance. 

Dermot: There are plenty of people in the industry who understand business and finance. If you look at the GAA, one of the most magnificent organisations in the world, they have more people playing Gaelic Games outside of Ireland now than they do in the country. But could you imagine the GAA president coming from outside? It would never happen. 

Brian: That's enough of the heavy stuff–let's lighten the mood! I'll read out a quote Dermot said at the ITBA Awards. It read, 'the night I met Meta in Kentucky was the best night of my life.'

Meta: Would you believe, that is 40 years this year…

Dermot: We have our debates and we challenge each other but we do push forward in a united front. We complement each other, for sure.

Brian: What did the award mean and has it sunk in?

Dermot: I was delighted that it was a joint award because that's the way we have always been perceived within the industry. We have received a lot of positive feedback from people within the industry following the awards. In many ways, we're not your normal industry people. We're not as hands on as others. We've had success, but we've done it in a very balanced way. 

Brian: From the outside looking in, it seems as though there is always an occasion or an event.

Dermot: Yes, and we make no apology for that, we work to live. 

Brian: But do ye switch off or are ye like this, rowing over prize-money, etc on holiday?

Meta: [Laughs]

Dermot: We don't switch off, we bring it with us, but we know there are other things. 

Meta: We're going to France next week. We've mares boarding over there so we're looking forward to going over and seeing them.

Dermot: That's one of the things we love about the industry. We've made friends all over the world and we get a good welcome in Australia, America or wherever we go. I used to be very envious of Meta's Dad when I met him first because he knew people all over the world. It's funny, now we have replicated that and are proud to say we have friends all over the world in this industry. That's a great attraction of our industry. But, I have to say, I am worried about the future of the sport.

Brian: What's your biggest worry?

Dermot: It doesn't have the same gravitas that it used to. At one time, you would have been very proud to be from our industry. Now, you'd want to be picking your audience. That's a worry. 

Brian: It's funny you say that because I have been at a lot of weddings recently and, invariably you get talking to people you don't know and, when it comes to explaining what you do for a living, a lot of the time I'm met with ignorant or sometimes even negative reactions. 

Dermot: When I was your age, people would have been, 'wow, that is some industry to work in.' 

Brian: I find myself defending the sport a lot. 

Dermot: That's the point I'm making. And that's the worry. Racing in California and other jurisdictions is under threat and what would happen if that went? We have a big trade on fillies especially in Ireland to go specifically to California. If that went, it would have a huge knock-on effect. There are some huge threats out there. Our mindset should be to support the industry as a whole. We shouldn't view other jurisdictions as rivals. We should all be supporting this industry together. Maybe we should look at having some form of a promotional body worldwide. 

Meta: Vicky Leonard is doing great work with Kick Up For Racing.

Brian: I'm going to veer off topic slightly here and bring up the AIB advert that Dermot did in 2008. The premise of the ad was that AIB was backing brave and, in hindsight, they picked a very fitting man to star in the advert.

Dermot: Why, because the guy looks so good in it?!

Brian: More so because you are brave! Ye are never afraid to take a chance on an old mare or whatever it may be. Also, Jack is a chip off the old block. Is it something that you instill in each other?

Meta: Dermot is a gambler at heart. His interest in racing started through the dogs, didn't it Dermot?

Dermot: Basically, my Dad was a GP in County Waterford. There is a good tradition of point-to-point yards around the area but I didn't grow up around horses whatsoever. I did agricultural science in college and, I can remember somebody asking me what area I was most interested in, and I couldn't think of any. That summer, I was working in construction in New York and my brother-in-law had been working as an exchange student over there and, by complete accident, ended up on a stud farm in Kentucky. He knew I liked horses and told me I should visit Kentucky. I did, and I ended up going to graduate school in Kentucky and I ended up managing a stud farm out there. That was despite the fact that, when I first went to Kentucky, I didn't know whether they bedded the horses on hay or straw! That was my background. Because of that, I suppose I look at things a little bit differently than to those who were brought up with horses. 

Meta: I was going to say on the night of the ITBA Awards that we got Dermot in to bring a bit of hybrid vigour around the place! That's the running joke we have here. 

Dermot: I was attracted by the risk element of this industry, without question. But the Smurfit family were very good to me from the outset and provided me with a lot of encouragement and also gave me the scope to go and develop my own farm, so I was lucky in that sense. 

Brian: While you both are not hands-on at the farm, there's no doubt that you both work very hard.

Dermot: We do things differently. It might not be the traditional way but it works for us.

Meta: We have top-class staff on the farm and Ian Thompson is a brilliant manager. It's funny, when he rings us, the first thing he will say is, 'there are no problems, I'm just ringing because..' He has equity in plenty of mares so he is invested in the farm. We'd be lost without him. On a personal level, and I think I have gotten this from my father, but I would have a very strong ethos of giving back and spreading knowledge. I'd never be the one for saying 'well, we know about that trick, so we won't tell anyone,' I'd tell the world. There's so much knowledge out there and my latest project is starting a podcast with an Aussie friend, Karen Luke. It's called Changing Rein and it's about human interaction with horses. There is a huge amount of research and information out there so we are looking forward to putting it together for people to consume. Watch this space!

Dermot: On a different note, slightly, but, one of the biggest changes we have noticed since we have come into the game is the rise of the major stallion stud farms. When we first got into the game, there were an awful amount of stud farms with one or two stallions. Most of those farms have gone out of business and now you have a couple of mega farms that dominate the whole thing. A lot of people are being squeezed out and it's becoming more and more difficult to run what you would have called a traditional stud farm. The people who are really doing well are the ones who have access to the commercial stallions. If you are trying to compete with them, it's very difficult, and I fear we will see a big contraction within the industry in the next five years. The amount of money that is being generated within the industry is going into fewer hands. That's the bottom line. If we didn't come up with Repose (Quiet American) [dam of State Of Rest] and then sell her so well, we'd be under pressure. Going forward, you need to keep repeating the dose. It's difficult. Mind you, I wouldn't mind a sizeable interest in an established stallion–it's like a small goldmine with a seam lasting 15 to 20 years.

Brian: The landscape of the breeding game has changed a lot even in the past few years. Polarised was the buzzword last year. Have you adapted your approach to what stallions you use as a result of the selectivity of the market?

Dermot: If you want to go to a commercial stallion now, you are paying €50,000 or €60,000, so that's a huge gamble. It's become more high risk because of the fact everybody wants to use the same stallions.

Meta: We have a lot of stallion shares and that's what we have tried to do down through the years. We try to use those first and they can be a help.

Brian: Ye have been lucky with some of your stallion shares down through the years. 

Dermot: Oh, we have. Some of them have worked out great. When my father passed away, he left me some money, and there was a second share that became available on Invincible Spirit (Ire). I took that up on the basis of the money I was left in the will. Every time I got a dividend, I used to look up to the sky and say, 'thanks Dad.' Invincible Spirit put the kids through college!

Brian: For all the ups in this game, and ye have enjoyed many of those, how do ye deal with the downs? It's not always rosy in the garden in this game.

Dermot: As I said earlier on, if you don't find some really nice foals or yearlings in your crop, you are in trouble. One year, it might be okay, but two years in a row and you could be in serious trouble. It can keep you awake at night, breeding horses. 

Meta: I'm probably more level. I don't get as stressed or upset about it. I prefer to trust the process.

Dermot: If you look at the make-up of racing, the whole emphasis is on producing a really good horse, but in today's world where we have more racing than ever before, sound horses who can run in ordinary races are a necessity for the industry. But that doesn't seem to get much of a premium. If you produce a nice horse and bring it to the sales but he's not by the right sire you might not get a whole pile of money but there is an absolute need for those horses to keep the show on the road. We've just completed the Naas Centenary book and, as I go through the pages, it shows me that racing used to be a social event and sport with a small industry attached. Now, 100 years later, it has completely changed. The social element is very small, the sporting element is becoming less and less and the big industry attached to it, which is gambling, is dictating terms. That is a massive change.

Brian: Could you ever sell up Tinnakill and sail off into the sunset?

Dermot: Jack [son] has a huge interest in it all so it would be difficult but I have always been tempted by cash! 

Meta: We need to sell €1 million worth of horses every year. That's the reality.

Brian: I don't think they would stage the mares sales without you both being there.

Dermot: Well, we have been there for 30-something years. It's funny, though, if I wasn't at the sales and I was looking down through the list of results and without seeing who bought what, I would be able to tell you exactly what Jack bought. That has happened time and time again. He thinks exactly the same way as I do. I had a physiotherapy appointment last year and had to leave the sales for a couple of hours. There was a mare sold cheaply in foal to Sea The Stars (Ire) and, I said to myself when I saw what it made, 'God, I hope Jack bought that,' and he did. We hadn't even discussed it beforehand. We've four kids and we're very proud of them all. Jack is making his way in the industry and he's a huge resource to us. He's a fountain of information and he's not afraid to take a chance. He has gotten involved in a number of stallions and maybe it will work out for him but it's a very difficult area. He puts his neck out there and I am very proud of that. It can be easy to criticise but there are a lot of people who would never put themselves out there like he does. He's a qualified lawyer in America, the UK and Ireland and it's amazing that he is not pursuing that career, but he is happy doing what he is doing. 

Brian: It was Jack who first told me about the award and how excited you both were to be receiving it. 

Dermot: We were, because it's your peers recognising you and, like I said, we're not the normal stud farm owners. We've done it our own way and have contributed to various other bodies and put our energies into other things as well as our farm. That has been very rewarding for us. 

Meta: It's not just about the buying and the selling of the horses; it's about the networking and the relationships you forge with people. We have made some wonderful friendships in the industry down through the years and it has afforded us a fantastic way of life and great craic along the way.

The post At Home With Meta And Dermot: Q&A With The ITBA Award Winners  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Heads were hurting but hearts were still soaring after an evening celebrating all that is great about the Irish bloodstock industry. And it was a truly great night, but one which naturally started on a sombre note as the gathered guests bowed their heads in a few moments of silence to reflect on the passing of the ITBA chief executive Una Tormey last month at the age of only 41.

It wasn't the only part of the evening to bring a lump to the throat. The Next Generation Award was presented a little later on to Amy Marnane, who is the embodiment of unbridled enthusiasm, just like her dad, Con. He was there of course, eyes welling with pride, along with Amy's sister Olivia and members of the extended Marnane family. The one absentee was Con's wife Theresa, who died in December and, like Tormey, is much missed by her many friends in the business and beyond. 

By 2am in the hotel bar, Con and Amy were taking turns on the microphone, and if her endeavours in the bloodstock world ever fail her (they won't) Amy could easily fall back on a career as a singer. It was a night of celebration, and people who know Con Marnane even only in passing, will realise that he takes that approach to life on most days. The recent months will surely have been tough on the family without Theresa in their midst, but there is no better way to honour her memory than by continuing to live life to the full. On Sunday night she would have been especially proud of her eldest daughter, who is a shining example to all young people coming into this industry.

“She was a sponge to soak up information. By five or six she knew every horse by their sire and dam,” said Con in the tribute video to Amy before adding with a grin, “I'm not really surprised…She learnt from the best.”

The best was what Sunday night was all about. From the top jumps prospects, many of whom will return to the Cheltenham Festival in a fortnight's time, to the potential breed-shapers of the future on the Flat, Ireland's equine stars and the people who made them were duly celebrated. 

“We are delighted to have Minister Pippa Hackett join us again for this year's awards and we thank her and her government colleagues for their continued support,” said ITBA Chairman Cathy Grassick in her opening address. 

“We are honoured tonight to recognise the outstanding achievement of Irish-bred horses, both Flat and National Hunt, during 2023. This is our opportunity to celebrate their outstanding successes in a year which Irish thoroughbred talent was on display to a global audience once more. It is also an opportunity to acknowledge those who have made a lifelong contribution to Irish thoroughbred breeding and our people awards are well deserved and a testament to the wonderful people we have working in our industry.”

Willie Austin, who will forever be associated with the brilliant, prolific jumper Danoli (Ire), claimed the Small Breeder Award for the year in which Danoli's relative Blazing Khal (Ire) heaped more glory on the family with victory in the G2 Boyne Hurdle.

We will hear more from David Bowe in tomorrow's edition of the TDN after the Littleton Stud manager was given the Wild Geese Award, which is annually handed out to an Irishman or woman who has forged a successful career in the bloodstock industry beyond Ireland's shores. 

Bill Dwan summed up what many people feel about Bowe when he said, “He's an absolute gentleman. I don't know anyone in the business who has a bad word to say about him. It's not ever about David; it's about the horses, it's about Jeff [Smith, Littleton Stud owner].”

Stitch-up of the year goes to the ITBA's awards organising committee, who managed to pull the wool over Leo Powell's eyes. For many years Powell, the former editor of the Irish Field, has been the compere on awards night. This year he was told that the recipient of the Special Contribution award had been kept top secret, and indeed it had been, to the degree that Powell had no idea that the award was coming his way until he was hijacked on stage, expecting to read out someone else's name. 

The warmth of feeling for Powell within the racing and breeding industry was summed up beautifully by Jacqueline Norris in another of the heartwarming videos that the ITBA team does so well. “He's incredibly interested in the people that make up this business. He's kind, he's considerate, he thinks about people,” she said. “Leo Powell is pure class.”

There was also widespread approval for this year's inductees to the ITBA Hall of Fame. Referred to regularly as a “power couple”, the husband-and-wife team behind Tinnakill House, Dermot Cantillon and Meta Osborne, are the worthy new names on that illustrious roll of honour, which also includes Meta's late father, Michael Osborne.

Their great friend Alan Byrne paid tribute to the couple, with plenty of leg-pulling in his humorous address. He said, “What a team, what a partnership: in business and in life. I'm in awe of what they do, and also the skills they bring to their partnership: expertise in pedigrees, conformation judgement, strategic thinking, commercial nous, rigour and an unwavering commitment to hard work – and, look, Dermot brings something to the partnership as well.

“Above all, I would say that Dermot is an enthusiast. With Dermot, the glass isn't just half full, there's about to be so much liquid in evidence that more glasses need to be bought as quickly as possible. He loves the life and he loves the game.”

In almost 20 years at Tinnakill House, the couple has bred four Group 1 winners in Casamento (Ire), Alexander Goldrun (Ire), Red Evie (Ire) and, most recently, State Of Rest (Ire).

Byrne also highlighted the time and devotion they have committed to the industry above and beyond their own farm and in many roles, including Cantillon's chairmanship of Naas racecourse and Osborne's stint as senior steward of the Turf Club, as well as their encouragement of young people starting off in the business. 

“They only ever want the best for the Thoroughbred industry in Ireland,” added John P Byrne.

As Leo Powell conducted an interview on stage with the 'wild goose' David Bowe, who was clearly choked with emotion at being honoured by his peers and countrymen, he asked Bowe for one parting piece of advice for young folk keen on getting involved in the bloodstock business. 

“Immerse yourself in it, get involved in it and stick with it,” offered Bowe.

They are words that can just as well apply to racing and breeding, or indeed the ITBA Awards evening. Don't go there thinking that you will be able to get an early night. Roll with the emotion, sing, dance and enjoy everything that is worth celebrating about this wonderful life. 

ITBA National Breeding & Racing Awards Winners

Chaser of the Year 2023
Shishkin, Breeder: CJ & EB Bennett

Hurdler of the Year 2023
Marine Nationale, Breeder: JB Bloodstock   

National Hunt Race Mare 2023
Marie's Rock, Breeder: Dan Breen

Young National Hunt Horse 2023
A Dream To Share, Breeder: Brucetown Farms

Small Breeder 2023
William Austin 

Two-year-old Filly of the Year 2023
Porta Fortuna, Breeder: Whisperview Trading Ltd

Two-year-old Colt of the Year 2023
Henry Longfellow, Breeder:  Coolmore 

Three-year-old Filly of the Year 2023
Mawj, Breeder: Godolphin 

Three-year-old Colt of the Year 2023
Auguste Rodin, Breeder:  Coolmore

Older Horse 2023
Mostahdaf, Breeder: Shadwell Estate 

Next Generation Award 2023
Amy Marnane 

Wild Geese Award 2023
David Bowe

Contribution to the Industry 2023
Leo Powell

Hall of Fame 2023
Dermot Cantillon and Meta Osborne 

The post Lauding the Best in the Business on a Night of Sheer Emotion  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The event was hosted by Kevin Blake, a well-known racing analyst and broadcaster as well as being a reputable breeder in his own right. He was joined on the panel by former ITBA chairman Dermot Cantillon, the breeder of multiple Group 1 winners at Tinnakill House Stud, plus Irish National Stud CEO Cathal Beale, Helena Burns of Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital and Loughtown Stud, bloodstock agent Matt Coleman and Barry Mahon, Juddmonte's general manager in Ireland and European racing.

A variety of themes were up for discussion as the panel talked all things breeding, from what they look for when buying a mare to the general health of the industry and where it might be years from now.

A recording of the event will be available through the ITBA in the coming weeks. The ITBA will also soon be launching their 'Ask The Expert' series which will take place online during March, April and May, providing the opportunity to hear from different figures in the industry on a wide range of topics.

The post ITBA Breeding Seminar Plays Host to Industry Experts at Goffs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Tinnakill House has enjoyed the ride of a lifetime with the family of State Of Rest having signed for the granddam of the four-time Group 1 winner, Monaassabaat (Zilzal), at the Goffs November Mares Sale back in 2007. 

The journey reached its crescendo on Tuesday when the hammer fell to O'Brien to deliver what was clearly an emotional success for Dermot Cantillon and his wife Meta Osborne.

“My big wish is that she goes on and becomes a super race mare,” – Dermot Cantillon

Speaking shortly after the sale, Cantillon said of lot 48, “We had a lot of footfall down to the stable and I was always confident that she would make a good price. I'd like to say a big thank you to Mrs Tsui for giving me the opportunity to breed to the stallion. We're not in a situation where we can breed to those top stallions regularly so to have a foal share was great.”

He added, “I'd also like to say a special thank you to the late John Clarke. It was John who facilitated the foal share and, without him, we wouldn't have had that beautiful filly here today. Then of course my own staff, my family for supporting us; you don't come across a filly like that many times in your life and my big wish is that she goes on and becomes a super race mare.”

State Of Rest's dam Repose (Quiet American), who has also produced the dual Group 3 winner Tranquil Lady (Ire) (Australia {GB}), was sold to Juddmonte in May of last year. Tuesday's headline act was the last remaining offspring the County Laois farm had of that brilliant family.

The Cantillon family with the sister to State Of Rest | Sarah Farnsworth

Recalling how the mating to Sea The Stars for Repose came about, Cantillon continued, “I was at the Goffs Orby Sale at Doncaster and I met John. He was looking at Tranquil Lady going around the ring and I told him it was a nice filly who was going to sell well and that the two-year-old was quite nice as well. That was State Of Rest. He said, 'she might be one we'd be interested in doing a foal share with,' so that's how it came about.”

He added, “I bought Monaassabaat here in 2007. It's been a long time in the making but we have done very well. A lot of people will say we are selling one of our crown jewels but sometimes you have to do that to keep the whole show running.”

“she's a lot of quality and the mare has proven herself.” @JosephOBrien2 buys the half-sister to his G1 winner State Of Rest. Lot 48, by Sea The Stars, was consigned by @TinnakillHouse and has been sold for €750,000 @Goffs1866 Orby. pic.twitter.com/jTmXeDR5F7

— TDN (@theTDN) September 26, 2023

State Of Rest retired to Rathbarry Stud in Ireland with Saratoga Derby, Cox Plate, Prix Ganay and Prince Of Wales's S. triumphs to his name. O'Brien said that he was keen to secure the little sister to one of the smartest horses that he has trained and confirmed that he fully expected to have to shell out high six figures to get the job done. 

He said, “Obviously State Of Rest was a horse who progressed from two to three and this filly had a lot of quality and is medium-sized. We loved her from the moment we saw her and Sea The Stars is one of the best stallions in the world and the mare has proved herself as an outstanding producer. She will make a fantastic racing prospect in the short term and a brilliant breeding prospect further down the line. She will run for an existing client.”

€750,000 bought the Sea The Stars half-sister to State Of Rest from @TinnakillHouse, secured by @JosephOBrien2. @DermotCan told @nickluck what the result means to the family run operation, and his sense of pride in Goffs as a Board Director. pic.twitter.com/vaGXyrQgb8

— Goffs (@Goffs1866) September 26, 2023

Mike Repole Bolsters Turf Squad With Two Kingman Fillies

One of the major subplots of the Goffs Orby Sale in recent years has been the strength of the American investment. In Tuesday's preview, Goffs chief Henry Beeby paid a handsome compliment to the US agent to the sales company Jacob West, who has helped drive interest in the Orby among his American counterparts. 

Not only that, but West came up trumps on day one when signing for two different Kingman (GB) fillies on behalf of American powerhouse owner Mike Repole to the tune of €600,000. 

Speaking after signing for a €400,000 daughter of the high-class Group 2 winner Bocca Baciata (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}) (lot 260) from Glenvale Stud, West said, “She was kind of the pick of the litter from a filly perspective. She was bought for Mike Repole to go back to America so I'd assume she'll go into training with Todd Pletcher. We'll keep our fingers crossed as we're opening up a new turf division for Mike. 

“We've bought two Kingmans today and as I got off the phone to Mike just now he said don't call him tomorrow because he's done! That's Mike Repole in a nutshell. The update with the filly winning today only helped and we're happy to secure her. Kingman has done well in America, I think his stock appreciates the firm going that we have.”

That update came when Bocca Baciata's daughter Foniska (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) made all to win the Navigation S. at Cork for Jessica Harrington, who also trained the dam.

West added, “We've bid on a few today but it's strong for the right ones, there's plenty of trade. I love this sale, it produces top runners year after year. I feel like there's value here and they're raised right and come from good people. It's a great sale.” 

Frankel Colt Stars As Godolphin Make Return To The Orby

Godolphin returned to the Orby Sale market in style when snapping up a Frankel (GB) colt (lot 32) from Yeomanstown Stud for €625,000 before adding a Dubawi (Ire) colt (lot 100) from Ballylinch Stud for €400,000 and a Teofilo (Ire) filly (lot 168) for €190,000 from Baroda Stud. 

A buying team of Anthony Stroud, Charlie Appleby and David Loder saw off a determined challenge from Mark McStay for the Frankel colt out of Promised Money (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a Listed-winning sprinter for Eddie Lynam and producer of Listed winner Salimah (Ire) (El Kabeir) and G2 Mill Reef S. runner-up Fivethousandtoone (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

“He's for Godolphin,” said Stroud after signing for the Frankel colt. “Charlie, David and myself all saw this horse and we all liked him very much. 

“He's by Frankel and comes from a very good farm. He's very smooth and came within the range we thought he would. He's just a very nice horse.” 

Godolphin had been absent from the Orby since 2019, where their purchases included the subsequent Group 1-winning sprinter Creative Force (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).

“he was very smooth…”

Anthony Stroud has bought lot 32 @Goffs1866 Orby for Godolphin. The colt is by Frankel and was consigned by Yeomanstown Stud. He paid €625,000 for the son of the L. Winner Promised Money. pic.twitter.com/bCpduwzjGw

— TDN (@theTDN) September 26, 2023

McStay Goes To 400k For Daughter Of No Nay

He may have been out of luck on the Frankel colt but McStay had more than one hand to play on the afternoon and the chips were firmly down on lot 156, a No Nay Never filly bought from Glenvale Stud for €400,000. 

Out of Juddmonte's black-type performer Ultrasonic (Mizzen Mast), the No Nay Never was reported to have been top of McStay's wish list on what proved to be a busy afternoon for the agent.

“She's as nice as there is on the grounds here today,” he said. “I thought the price was probably right because the sire is having a phenomenal year and she has a very good pedigree; what's not to like? There was plenty of competition so I'm delighted to get her.” 

The No Nay Never filly was purchased for an unnamed client and no trainer was revealed, however, McStay also featured among the buyers for lot 87, a Fastnet Rock (Aus) filly for €200,000 on behalf of well-known connections. 

She was consigned by Marlhill House Stud and is on her way to Donnacha O'Brien and will run for Medallion Racing, the part-owners of the brilliant G3 Albany S. winner Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio). 

Medallion also added a Ten Sovereigns (Ire) filly (lot 116) to their haul from Glenvale Stud for €98,000 and she will go into training with Paddy Twomey.

• Al Shira'aa Farms lit the touch paper for the sale when going to €200,000 for the second lot into the ring, the Whitehall Stud-drafted American Pharoah half-sister to Group 1 winner Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).  Not long afterwards, Kieran Lalor, who buys on behalf of the powerful owner-breeder, added a Wootton Bassett (GB) filly (lot 12) out of a sister to Saxon Warrior (Jpn) for €250,000. She was consigned by WH Bloodstock.
• Pinhooking profits always make for encouraging reading and few do it better than Tally-Ho Stud. Lot 86 is as good an example as any. Bought for 130,000gns from Ringfort Stud at the Tattersalls December Foal Sales, the Ghaiyyath (Ire) filly out of a Listed-placed Zoffany (Ire) mare realised €360,000 to Peter and Ross Doyle. Meanwhile, lot 31, a Havana Grey (GB) half-brother to The Wizard Of Eye (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}), was picked up for €52,000 from Pipe View Stud in November. He was on Tuesday sold to Sackville Donald and Dermot Farrington for €180,000.

• Paula Flannery was another to pull off a shrewd pinhook on the day when her 23,000gns Havana Grey (GB) foal purchase rocked into €140,000. Lot 148 was consigned by Ballyvolane Stud and was bought by Andrew Balding.
• Mick Kinane was another busy buyer at Goffs on Tuesday. On behalf of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Kinane bought an Acclamation (GB) colt (lot 19) from Rathbarry Stud for €280,000 and a No Nay Never colt (lot 201) from Baroda Stud for €240,000. 
• At close of play on Tuesday, the aggregate, average and median had all dropped by 10% compared to the corresponding day's trade 12 months ago. However, many of the big-ticket lots are still to come on Wednesday, including the eagerly-anticipated Stauffenberg Bloodstock draft. Turnover stood at €24,287,500, while the average was €112,443 and the median €85,000.

Redvers Goes To 460k For “Rockstar” Wootton Bassett

David Redvers described the third most expensive horse to go through the ring on the day, a €460,000 Wootton Bassett (GB) colt out of the brilliant racemare Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), as “a rockstar individual” before revealing the lofty plans in store. 

The Camas Park Stud-drafted colt (lot 205) was bought on behalf of a new partnership between Sheikh Fahad, the China Horse Club and expanding British-based owner David Howden, best known for owning the high-class Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion).

The partnership are in search of colts who have the potential of becoming stallions and, in the Wootton Bassett colt out of Albigna, Redvers certainly fitted the brief on paper at least. 

Speaking shortly after signing the docket, Redvers said, “This colt has been on our minds since we first saw him. We are trying to buy horses for a partnership of Sheikh Fahad, the China Horse Club and David Howden with a view of hopefully, one day, turning them into a stallion. He's by a phenomenal sire of high-class two-year-olds. He is a rockstar individual. Hopefully he will be a top-class two-year-old.”

Albigna, of course, will form part of the exciting draft of high-class Niarchos-owned broodmares that will go under the hammer at Goffs in November. Expertly trained by Jessica Harrington, Albigna carried the colours of the Niarchos family to victory in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac in 2019. 

Redvers continued, “It's always nice knowing there is a genuine reason for a sale, especially with top-class bloodlines like this. If it had come up from another hotel, you might have thought, 'why are they selling it?' But there is a straightforward reason as to why he has turned up at the sales and we all have the opportunity to look at these mares in November. Genuine Group 1-winning mares producing horses like this, they are as rare as hen's teeth.”

Indeed, Goffs has been a happy hunting ground for Redvers and Sheikh Fahad in the past, and connections will be hoping for similar luck with their new acquisition.

“This place has been very kind to us,” Redvers added. “We've bought some lovely horses here in the past. Sheikh Fahad's first Group 1 winner, Lightning Pearl (Ire) (Marju {Ire}), came out of here, as did his first Classic winner in Simple Verse (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}). We hope to make a stallion out of this one.”

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Shortly after Dornoch Castle coasted home to win for the second time from as many outings, his trainer Mark Johnston revealed that he has some major ambitions for the 2-year-old, mainly the G2 Vintage S. at Goodwood. 

If you thought things couldn't get any better for Thompson and all of the team at Tinnakill, you thought wrong, because this Monday was about to go from memorable to unforgettable.

As if it were written in the stars, just a few hours later, Dornoch Castle's half-brother Claim The Crown (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who Thomson and Tinakill also bred, landed the feature handicap at Ripon. 

All of this excitement was provided by Crown Light (GB) (Zamindar), a mare that Cantillon acquired for just 800gns at the Tattersalls Autumn horses-in-training sale in 2013, and the 11-year-old hasn't missed a breeding season on the farm ever since.

Speaking after the success of Dornoch Castle, a 30,000 euros Goffs Sportsman's purchase, Thompson sensed something special could be in store, and said, “Funnily enough, his [Dornoch Castle's] half-brother Claim The Crown runs this evening so it could be a double whammy. He has been very well-backed so it could be one of those days. Let's hope so.”

It certainly was one of those days. A Monday that Thompson and the team will never forget. But the most exciting aspect of it all is that there will be even bigger days ahead, especially in the case of Dornoch Castle. 

“It's exciting,” said Thompson. “The great thing about him is that he's bred to get better. He was a fine big horse when he was younger so everything about him would suggest that this is only the beginning for him. 

“The female pedigree would be a middle-distance one and you wouldn't really imagine her to be having lots of 2-year-old winners so it makes it even more exciting.”

He added, “This is what it's all about. The buzz before the race and the excitement after he won. You can't beat it–it's what we do it for.”

This wasn't the only momentous moment for those associated with Crown Light. Less than four years after Cantillon bought the mare, her half-sister Bateel (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) won the G1 Prix Vermeille. But that's not to say that Crown Light has not been hanging onto the coattail of her half-sister. 

She has proved herself worthy of an upgrade in terms of the quality of stallion she has visited every season and a decision to support up-and-coming sire Gleneagles (Ire) is proving to be an inspired one with his son Dornoch Castle emerging as a smart prospect for the Johnston team. 

Thompson explained, “We thought Gleneagles was a good young sire and everyone was crying out for a nice son of Galileo (Ire). He was the one with the best credentials and it was a commercial decision to back a young son of Galileo who we thought was going to click. 

“She also has an Australia (GB) filly foal and is back in foal to Acclamation (GB). Dermot bought four horses at the horses-in-training sale in 2013, all for relatively small money, and she was just 800gns. She had a decent pedigree but wouldn't have been the best physical.”

He added, “Since we bought her, though, her half-sister [Bateel] won a Group 1 in France so we got the mother of all pedigree updates. Not only that, she has produced stock who look a lot better than she does and, as a result, she has been getting upgraded matings every year. Her progeny are delivering on the racetrack and she's really clicked now so it's very exciting.

“She's very fertile. She's had a foal every single year since she was a 3-year-old. That's the one thing you can't really put a price on when you are buying from the horses-in-training sale as you've no idea how fertile they will turn out to be. It's all down to luck.

“I am involved with seven or eight mares now at this stage. I own a few of them myself but am in partnerships with either Dermot or somebody else with the rest. She's the best of them by a mile.”

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Dermot Cantillon, the man behind Tinnakill, of which Group 1 winners Alexander Goldrun, Red Evie, Casamento and more recently State Of Rest are graduates, revealed that the Repose story is as much about vindication as it is revelation.

It was a November day in 2007 when Cantillon put his shoulders back and took a punt on a then 17-year-old mare called Monaassabaat (Zilzal).

According to Cantillon, she ticked a lot of the right boxes, being by a stallion with brilliance and from an exceptional family.

The one drawback, although Cantillon didn't see it that way, was her age, which may explain why he secured the mare for just €42,000.

Monaassabaat is a proven producer of black-type performers, including Prince Alzain (Street Sense) and Echo River (Irish River {Fr}), but it is Repose, who never managed to make it to the track, who has put the pedigree in lights.

They say the secret to becoming an overnight success is a lifetime of hard work and, in Cantillon's case, nurturing the bloodlines of the globetrotting star State Of Rest and genuine Oaks contender Tranquil Lady began when he took a punt on a mare that many others would have deemed too old back in 2007.

“The fundamentals we adhere to are strong,” Cantillon explained. “We always try and get into female families where the black-type is substantial and of good quality. That particular family featured one of the best mares ever in America, It's In The Air (Mr. Prospector) and we bought her daughter, Monaassabaat, quite cheaply.

“When we bred Repose, she was owned in partnership with Pat and Kim Hayes, who worked for me at the time, and I subsequently bought out the share. I bought Monaassabaat from Darley at Goffs in 2007. She was a Maktoum Al Maktoum-owned mare and, if you were to look down through the pedigree, it was a fantastic family, so that was a big attraction for me.”

He added, “I remember Monaassabaat because I was mad about Zilzal and, if memory serves me correct, she may have been the first stakes winner by Zilzal. I thought he had brilliance as a sire and was a Nureyev horse so, in my mind, it was ticking boxes.

“At the time I bought her, I had just purchased a farm in Kentucky and I thought she would be a very good mare to have over there given she had a strong American pedigree. We sent her over there and, out of her, we bred Prince Alzain, who was the first stakes winner for Street Sense.”

Repose never made it to the sales in America but, thinking he might have something different to offer potential buyers in Ireland, Cantillon elected to roll the dice at the Orby Sale at Goffs in 2013, but she failed to sell.

Acknowledging his luck, Cantillon recalled, “She held entries in the November Foal Sales at Keeneland in 2012 and was also entered in the sales at Keeneland the following January but she didn't attend either of those because I didn't think I would get much for her.

“I decided to bring her back to Ireland and offer her at the Goffs Orby Sale thinking she would be a bit different but she didn't sell. I had 10 yearlings that year and I sold nine but couldn't sell her.”

He added, “In actual fact, I sold Chicago Dancer (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), whose first yearling made 1 million gns, so it wasn't a bad consignment looking back at it now.”

After failing to sell as a yearling, Repose was put into training before it was reported that she wouldn't make it as a racehorse and, while her first foal–as they often can be–was disappointing, she has quickly earned revelationary status as a broodmare.

Cantillon explained, “She has been an outstanding producer from two very different sires in Starspangledbanner and Australia. When you watch a horse that you have bred go on to win a race, it's like having a winner of your own without the expenses, and we have been given huge pleasure by State Of Rest. In fact, one of the greatest thrills of my life was watching him winning the Cox Plate.”

The State Of Rest story may never have been written had Cantillon not been prepared to take on an older mare but, along with the help of his wife Meta Osborne, an industry-renowned vet, it has been an avenue the stud have enjoyed huge success with down through the years.

Cantillon said, “Monaassabaat was 17 when we bought her. If you get a foal that looks the part out of an older mare, the chances are that it is the part. What happens with older mares, a lot of them are bred to first-season sires, who are unproven and chances are that one out of 10 of those sires will be good. There's a big bias with mares as they get older. When they are young, they tend to get bred to more proven sires, so of course they are going to produce much better horses.

“Meta is very good at what she does and treats mares as individuals. She thinks about them a lot and is at the cutting edge of managing older mares. We don't put ourselves under massive pressure with regards to expectations either. If we buy a mare who is 15 years' of age or older, we would be thinking that if we could get them in foal every second year, that would be good. We'd love to get them in foal every year but don't get too disheartened if we don't.”

Repose joined Juddmonte in foal to Frankel (GB), with Cantillon retaining a Sea The Stars (Ire) filly foal alongside Sunderland Holdings, although a decision has yet to be made on whether she will be offered at public auction as a foal or a yearling.

In the meantime, the pedigree could be set for yet another boost, with State Of Rest bidding for his first Group 1 on home shores when he lines up in the Tattersalls Ireland Gold Cup at the Curragh on Sunday, while Cantillon has already made plans to travel to Epsom to see Tranquil Lady tackle the Oaks. The story continues.

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Bred by Dermot Cantillon and Meta Osborne of Tinnakill House, the 10-year-old daughter of noted broodmare sire Quiet American has already hit the jackpot with two of her first three foals. State Of Rest is a rare top-level winner in three different countries, having won the Belmont Derby in America and Australia's Cox Plate last season before adding the Prix Ganay to his tally on his most recent outing in France. On Sunday he takes aim at the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh, and it has already been announced that the 4-year-old will shuttle between Ireland's Rathbarry Stud and Newgate Farm in Australia upon his eventual retirement to stud.

Repose's third foal, Tranquil Lady, races in the Teme Valley Racing colours sported by her elder sibling last year, and she holds entries for the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas and Cazoo Oaks, having won the G3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Blue Wind S. in impressive fashion on her last start.

Juddmonte's latest recruit REPOSE, the very exciting dam of STATE OF REST and TRANQUIL LADY – our thanks to Dermot Cantillon, Meta Osborne, and the @TinnakillHouse team. She arrives in foal to FRANKEL. pic.twitter.com/FBGvBl2Xn4

— Juddmonte (@JuddmonteFarms) May 19, 2022

 A statement released by Cantillon and Osborne on Thursday read, “We are delighted to announce that Juddmonte have purchased Repose, the dam of Tinnakill-bred multiple Group 1 winner State of Rest and Oaks contender Tranquil Lady.

“Repose, a Tinnakill homebred, has given great joy to our family and her success is a testament to the hard work of Ian Thompson and the whole team at Tinnakill.

“We are delighted to entrust Repose to our friends at Juddmonte where we have no doubt she will continue to flourish for years to come with access to the world's best stallions.

“What began as a retained homebred filly has turned into an amazing journey seeing her blossom into one of the world's most promising broodmares, nurtured throughout on our family farm in Laois. We have retained her Sea The Stars filly foal and we look forward to cheering her progeny for years to come.”

Cantillon and Osborne bought Repose's dam, the Gainsborough-bred Listed winner Monaassabaat (Zilzal), from Goffs in November 2007 for €42,000. The mare was 16 at the time and she went on to produce Listed Churchill S. winner Prince Alzain (Street Sense). The unraced Repose, who is currently in foal to Frankel (GB), is a grand-daughter of the multiple champion American filly It's In The Air (Mr Prospector), whose 16 wins included five at Grade 1 level.

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State Of Rest is the second foal out of Repose, and he was bought by Diamond Bloodstock for 45,000gns as a foal before being pinhooked for 60,000gns when purchased as a yearling by Aiden O'Ryan and Joseph O'Brien. He started out racing for the Long Wait Partnership before being bought privately by Teme Valley Racing. State Of Rest ran just three times last year but made of the most of his opportunities; after finishing third in The Curragh's Listed Celebration S. on June 26, he shipped to New York to win the Saratoga Derby. He traveled to Australia off 77 days' rest, but made it a Group 1 double when besting the G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Anamoe (Aus) (Street Boss) by a short head.

Teme Valley also races Repose's 3-year-old filly Tranquil Lady (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who broke her maiden at second asking in September before finishing second in the Listed Staffordstown Stud S. Repose has a newly turned 2-year-old filly by Dandy Man (Ire) who was bought by American trainer Tony Dutrow for €180,000 at Goffs Orby, and she was rested for 2021 before being covered by Sea The Stars.

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Standing outside her draft of six from Staffordstown on Monday morning was Kirsten Rausing, chatting happily with her staff and brand new director of the stud John Oxx. Rausing broke off every now and then to accept congratulations from passers-by on the second Group 1 win for her homebred Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in Cologne on Sunday. One of those passing was fellow owner/breeder Liz Barry of Manister House Stud, whose Astadash (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) had won the previous weekend's G3 Denny Cordell Lavarack & Lanwades Fillies S. The race is sponsored by Rausing, who was delighted to see a photo of Barry's grandson Alex holding aloft the giant trophy won by their homebred.

“We all know how much can go wrong with horses,” said Rausing with the experience of a breeder of some 50 years' standing, who has learnt, as we all must, to appreciate the good days. 

Fortunately there have been many good days this year for the horses racing in her white and green-hooped colours, as well as for those who started their days in the paddocks of Lanwades and Staffordstown. The weekend started in excellent fashion when Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) extended his group-race winning streak to five when landing the Underwood S., his second Group 1 victory in Australia for British ex-pat trainer Annabel Neasham.

Later that afternoon, Rausing was on the Rowley Mile to watch Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten), already the winner of the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. and G3 Albany S., finish third in the G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S. And the breeder was already in Ireland on Sunday afternoon by the time the Sir Mark Prescott-trained Alpinista emulated her grandam  by winning the Preis von Europa 17 years after Albanova (GB) (Alzao) made Germany her own in a glorious summer of three Group 1 victories in Dusseldorf and Cologne.

Germany's leading older horse Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) and top 3-year-old Sisfahan (Ger) (Isfahan {Ger}) fought out a thrilling finish to the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden earlier this month, but Alpinista has got the better of both of them independently, the former when she won the Grosser Preis von Berlin in August, while Sisfahan was third in Sunday's Preis von Europa.

So prolific is the Lanwades 'AL' family that it is no surprise that four relations of Alpinista feature among the Staffordstown draft, including a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt out of the G3 Oh So Sharp S. runner-up Alamode (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}), who features as lot 336. The only filly in the consignment (lot 337) features Lanwades stallions on both sides of her pedigree: the daughter of Sea The Moon (Ger) is the first foal of Albizzia (GB) (Archipenko), whose Galileo (Ire) half-sister Alegra (GB) has already produced two stakes winners. 

Rausing takes understandable pride that all 20 horses whose names appear in bold type on Albinista's pedigree page were bred at Lanwades, and it is doubtless the long-term thinking, planning and devotion to cultivating various families that has led to a record-breaking season for Lanwades on the racecourse this year. 

Power To The Breeders 

Similar comments apply to Patrick Burns of Newlands House Stud, whose draft of four contains a full-brother to another of this season's Group 1-winning fillies, Winter Power (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {Ire}), herself a graduate of the 2019 Orby Sale.

The breeder points to the catalogue page on the door of the colt who will sell as lot 294 on Wednesday and highlights the names to have appeared since he bought Winter Power's grandam Nordic Living (Ire) (Nordico) as a 4-year-old from Jim Bolger's Glebe House for IR£1,200 in 1995. 

“The family's been good to me, and so has the stallion,” Burns said of the clan which includes Winter Power's listed-winning half-sister Hay Chewed (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) and G2 Ridgewood Pearl S. winner Devonshire (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}).

The stallion in question is his brother Maurice's Bungle Inthejungle, resident of Rathasker Stud and sire of another member of the Newlands House Stud draft (lot 370), the full-brother to G2 Lowther S. victrix Living In The Past (Ire). He has indeed been good to Burns, but then good breeders help to make stallions, too.

Tally-Ho Stud's season just keeps getting better and better, latterly thanks to one of the standout juvenile colts of the year, Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}), who on Saturday added the G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. to his earlier successes in the G1 Darley Prix Morny and G2 Norfolk S. The enjoyment is undoubtedly extra sweet given that Tally-Ho also bred Perfect Power's sire Ardad–one of two freshman stallions to have supplied the winners of Newmarket's Group 1 races at the weekend, the other being Caravaggio, whose daughter Tenebrism came with a late flourish to land the Juddmonte Cheveley Park S.

Perfect Power's three-parts sister by Kodiac (GB) features among a strong draft from the stud as lot 214, alongside another five yearlings by Tally-Ho's flagship stallion, as well as one by Kodiac's son Kessaar (Ire), who has his first yearlings for sale this year. That colt (lot 384) is out of Bisous Y Besos (Ire) (Big Bad Bob), a mare who has already worked well with another of the farm's young stallions, Galileo Gold (GB), to produce Oscula (Ire), who has provided three updates since the catalogue was printed in winning the G3 Prix Six Perfections and finishing third in both the G2 Prix du Calvados and G2 Rockfel S. on Saturday.

Time For Rest

Another whose page has had a major boost since publication of the catalogue is lot 205, Tinnakill House's Dandy Man (Ire) half-sister to the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. winner State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). The filly may have been bred just down the road from Goffs but the page has a proper transatlantic feel to it. Her dam Repose is an unraced daughter of Quiet American, while the third dam is the champion race filly It's In The Air (Mr Prospector), whose 16 wins include five Grade 1s, while her dynasty boasts such names as the Group 1 winners Storming Home (GB) and Musical Chimes.

Not only has the major win for State Of Rest–who has recently touched down in Melbourne for the next stage of his globetrotting tour–improved the page significantly but the mare's next foal, 2-year-old Tranquil Lady (Ire) (Australia {GB}), won at Galway on Sept. 7 for the same connections, Teme Valley Racing and Joseph O'Brien.

“It's all happening in the family, it's very exciting,” said Dermot Cantillon of Tinnakill House, who bought the grandam Monaassabaat (Zilzal) at Goffs back in 2007 from the late Sheikh Maktoum Al Maktoum's Gainsborough Farm. “She's a lovely filly and seems to be going down very well.”

Marju Magic For Oghill House Stud

Oghill House Stud has had notable success through daughters of Marju (Ire), with Mauresmo (Ire) having produced the G1 Racing Post Trophy winner Marcel (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), while another son of Invincible Spirit (Ire), the first-season sire Profitable (Ire), has also worked well with Marju to produce this year's G2 Queen Mary S. victrix Quick Suzy (Ire). The racy full-brother to that filly appears early in Wednesday's session as lot 247.

“We've always been big fans of Invincible Spirit and we bred his first ever winner,” said Hugh Hyland. “We are also fans of his sons, which was why we used Profitable. Quick Suzy was such a nice model that we sent the mare back. It's all about the Breeders' Cup now for Quick Suzy and we're looking forward to cheering her on.”

Quick Suzy's dam, the dual winner Snooze (Ire), also has a Belardo (Ire) colt foal on the ground and is now back in foal to Profitable.

The stud also offers a three-parts-sister to Marcel, by Invincible Spirit himself, as lot 123.

A Welcome Return

A beautiful autumnal morning for the final day of viewing added to the sense of joy for many at the sale being back in its rightful home of Kildare. Henry Beeby regularly bounds up and down the stairs next to the Goffs press room with a sprightliness that belies his fifty-something years, and his sectionals were livelier than ever on Monday. 

“We're delighted to be back here,” said the Goffs Group Chief Executive. “This is what it's all about. It is the Irish national yearling sale and it needs to be in Ireland. Vendors are happy because that's where they want to be. It didn't bear contemplating going elsewhere so we're very happy to be here.”

This year's sale also features the return of the Goffs Million, a race that sets out to do exactly what it says on the tin, offering guaranteed minimum prize-money of €1 million. Graduates of this year's Orby Sale are eligible for the seven-furlong contest, which will be staged on the Curragh on Sept. 24, 2022.

Beeby said, “A noted breeder said to me that it isn't that people might come because of the Million, they will have to come. And happily the purchasers have engaged with it and said it's at the right time and at the right trip. Seven furlongs at that time of the year is the stepping stone to Classic distances, and that's what we are aspiring to sell.”

Acknowledging the difficulties faced by the the relocation of the 2020 Orby Sale to the Goffs UK complex in Doncaster, he continued, “It's no secret that last year's sale was a disappointment to us and wasn't what we hoped it would be, so it was important that we were proactive in addressing those issues, and the Million was a key part of that. We looked at lots of different things. There are some very good incentives and bonus schemes around, but generally the consensus was to have something you could get your teeth into–it's got prize-money down to tenth place, and it's got the Group 1 bonus if the winner goes on to win a Group 1 race. We've also appointed new agents in America, and created an entirely new role and agent in England and in France to add to our other agents, and that's been important. After last year we did a lot of talking to a lot of people and we had to be proactive.”

He added, “Time will tell but, happily for us, breeders have backed us with some lovely horses and the standard of the individuals is high. I've been getting some very good feedback over the last few days.”

The Goffs Orby Sale takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am each day.

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Tinnakill’s 17 foals slated for the first three days of the sale include eight during Sunday’s premier session. Lot 600 is one of 13 foals by Invincible Spirit (Ire) set to go under the hammer and his dam, Chicago Dancer (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), is quickly accruing an enviable record at this sale. Her first foal, a colt by Sea The Stars (Ire), was bought by the late Gerry Dilger of Dromoland Farm for €330,000 at Goffs November in 2017 and pinhooked for 1-million gns at Tattersalls October Book 1 the following autumn when bought by Godolphin. Named Volkan Star (Ire), he was a winner last year at two for Charlie Appleby and trained on in 2020 to win the Listed Fairway S. and the G3 Prix du Lys over a mile and a half at ParisLongchamp.

Chicago Dancer’s second foal, a filly by Sea The Stars, made €200,000 at Goffs November last year and will carry the green silks of Peter Brant, having been bought by his White Birch Farm for 350,000gns at this year’s renewal of Book 1.

Cantillon expressed confidence that Chicago Dancer’s third foal will catch the eye at Kildare Paddocks. As well as critically having produced a stakes winner with her first foal, Chicago Dancer is a half-sister to two stakes winners herself, and appearing under the third dam are the likes of the G1 Sydney Cup scorer Mourayan (Ire) and the G2 Lancashire Oaks and G3 Lillie Langtry S. winner Endless Time (Ire).

“The pinhookers have done really well out of this family,” Cantillon said. “This colt is by Invincible Spirit and it looks like the mare throws to the stallion. Both of the Sea The Stars’ were very much like him and reminded me very much of their sire, and this one reminds me of Invincible Spirit. He’s a good-walking colt with a good attitude. We expect he’ll do well for us and I’m fairly confident that whoever buys him, he’ll do well for them as well.”

Tinnakill offers a Camelot (GB) colt (lot 582) who is the second foal out of Benefaction (Ire), a 6-year-old daughter of Nathaniel (Ire) who was a winner at three in France. Benefaction is a half-sister to the Aga Khan-bred GI Secretariat S. winner Shamdinan (Fr) (Dr Fong) and the G2 Herbert Power S. scorer Shahwardi (Fr) (Lando {Ger}), and a granddaughter of the G2 Prix de Malleret winner and G1 Irish Oaks second Shamadara (Ire), who produced the G1 Gran Premio di Milano winner Shamdala (Ire). Benefaction has a yearling colt by Siyouni (Fr). The Camelot colt is one of six by his sire in the sale, and Cantillon noted they have been scarce in the marketplace.

“I’ve been surprised but how few Camelots have come up for public auction; I think there were only two or three in Newmarket and again at Goffs there are very few,” he said. “This is an outstanding foal. He comes from a really good Aga Khan Group 1 family and Camelot crossed with that type of mare will get you potentially a top-class middle-distance horse. Physically he’s a good horse, he’s a good walker. I’d be very optimistic he’d sell well and I think he’ll be a very good start for the mare. This would be one of our very best foals.”

Tinnakill’s lot 719 is an Exceed and Excel (Aus) colt out of the Listed John Musker S. third Silver Grey (Ire) (Chineur {Fr}). Cantillon signed for the then 9-year-old Silver Grey for 26,000gns in foal to Brazen Beau (Aus) at Tattersalls December in 2016, just weeks after her listed-placed 4-year-old half-sister Kodiva (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) sold for $425,000 in foal to Speightstown at Keeneland November. Kodiac, to be fair, looks much catchier on a catalogue page than Chineur, but Silver Grey has nonetheless proven a shrewd purchase for Tinnakill. The Brazen Beau colt she was carrying at the time made 65,000gns as a foal at Tattersalls for Tinnakill, while her next foal, a Fast Company (Ire) filly named Graceful Moment (Ire), made £35,000 as a Doncaster yearling. Tinnakill sold Silver Grey’s Kodiac (GB) yearling colt for 50,000gns at Tattersalls December last year.

“Maybe people were put off by Chineur, but she’s a grey mare and if you look down that family, there have been some very good horses of that colour so I suppose that appealed to me,” Cantillon said.

Those greys on the page include third dam Negligent (Ire) (Ahonoora), England’s champion 2-year-old filly of 1989, and four-time Group 1 and Classic winner Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}). Cantillon explained, however, that the real credit for Silver Grey winding up in the Tinnakill broodmare band is due to showperson Alan Hannigan.

“I was standing on the rail at the back walking ring at Tattersalls and Alan Hannigan, who works for me at the sales, he was leading the horse up and he said to me, ‘Dermot, you should buy this horse,'” Cantillon said. “So that was the extent of the research. On the basis of that I went in and I bought the mare, and she’s been very, very successful for us.”

“Silver Grey was a very good sprinter in her own right,” Cantilled continued. “She was rated 108 and she’s the best sprinter and the highest-rated horse by her sire. Her first foal showed promise at two and has continued; he’s now won three races. This is a typical Exceed and Excel foal; he’s strong, he looks a 2-year-old sprinting type and he’s got a good walk. He’s what you’d hope for, and I always like to see in a foal that when it comes out of the box, it’s what you’d expect to see. He looks like an Exceed and Excel and I think that’s always a big plus.”

Tinnakill offers a filly from the first crop of champion sprinter Harry Angel (Ire) in lot 677. Cantillon purchased the filly’s dam, the winning Mokaraba (GB) (Unfuwain) for €30,000 at Goffs November four years ago from the Derrinstown Stud draft, and in the interim Mokaraba’s first foal, the GIII Robert J Frankel S. winner Qaraaba (GB) (Shamardal), has provided the family a significant boost. Her current 3-year-old is Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo), who won four straight races this summer including the G3 Torrey Pines S. and the GII Zenyatta S. before finishing fourth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Keeneland last month. Qaraaba’s Californiagoldrush (Cape Blanco {Ire}), now five, won the GII Sands Point S. and was third in the GI Del Mar Oaks in 2018. The third dam is the five-time Group 1 winner and triple Classic scorer Salsabil (Sadler’s Wells), herself a daughter of champion Flame Of Tara (GB) and a half-sister to Group 1 winner and sire Marju (Ire).

“I bought that mare from Derrinstown and I’ve been lucky that a number of good black-type horses have come up particularly under her first daughter, who was a stakes winner,” Cantillon said. “Qaraaba is producing fillies that are Group 1 fillies, really, and I’m excited about what’s going to happen as the pedigree matures.”

“I think the Harry Angel filly looks a real sprinting type,” he added. “What I liked about Harry Angel is that he had brilliance. On the racecourse he showed on a number of occasions that he was brilliant. I always think that if you’re going to invest in a stallion, if the stallion has shown that I think it sets them out from the crowd. I have a breeding right in the horse and that’s why I bought it, because I was attracted to the fact that he was such a great racehorse.”

Tinnakill offers just two mares during the breeding stock session of the Goffs November Sale on Monday, and each is a young stakes winner or producer. First into the ring as lot 898 is the 9-year-old Hala Hala (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Cantillon bought her for 68,000gns at the same Tattersalls December sale he plucked Silver Grey from in 2016, and the two-time winner out of the Galileo (Ire) mare Galistic (Ire) cost 68,000gns on that occasion while barren. The three foals she has produced for Tinnakill have all done well in the ring-a €55,000 yearling, a 50,000gns foal and a 58,000gns foal-and the middle of those, an Exceed and Excel filly named Hala Hala Hala (Ire), was a winner this year at two and second in the G3 Princess Margaret S. Hala Hala is offered in foal to Bated Breath (GB).

Following Hala Hala into the ring will be Crisaff’s Queen (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}) (lot 899), who broke her maiden in listed company in Italy at second asking and is offered carrying her first foal, by Ten Sovereigns (Ire). Tinnakill purchased her for €30,000 at Goffs February this year.

“They’re two really nice mares,” Cantillon said. “Hala Hala, her second foal was second in a Group 3 as a 2-year-old and looks like she could win a stake next year. Crisaff’s Queen is what a lot of people really look for, and that’s a stakes-winning 2-year-old. They’re two good mares and I think they’d be two good additions to any broodmare band.”

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