Youth To Fore At Tatts Ireland As O’Donovan Leads Way With 270k Zelzal

A man knows he is in clover when there's a bloodstock agent outside his door waiting to see his horse before he's even had time to chuck his breakfast into the feed pot on the morning of the sale. But that's exactly the scenario Danny O'Donovan faced into with his Zelzal colt on Friday and it proved a good omen with the €35,000 yearling purchase going on to top the sale at €270,000 to Peter and Ross Doyle. 

This was a result that rubber-stamped an exceptionally good year for O'Donovan, who has only been trading under Donovan Bloodstock for two years now. From an Acclamation (GB) filly [Jiwin (Ire)] who sold for 170,000gns at the Craven Sale to an Eqtidaar (Ire) filly who made £120,000 at Donny, it's safe to say that things have gone well this year for the Cork native who operates just outside the Curragh in Kildangan. 

But things reached new dizzying heights for O'Donovan and Adam Potts, who helped source the colt at Arqana last October, when the Zelzal lit up the bid board. 

Doyle said, “I was very taken by the horse who was bred the way he was and physically he had a lot of size to him. I loved the way he breezed–nice and relaxed and a big action. 

“He was bought very well by the lads [O'Donovan and Potts] and he's as good a physical as I have seen for a long time. A trainer hasn't been confirmed but he's for a long and established client and he's off to France.”

Doyle also bought the Eqtidaar filly off O'Donovan at Doncaster on behalf of Amo Racing and it is understood that she is currently in training with Richard Hannon. 

On the young operators, the top agent added, “The lads do a great job and their horses look great. Fingers crossed now. This horse could be anything.”

The Zelzal colt will be well at home in France given he was one of the few horses in the sale who qualified for French premiums. He is out of an unraced Medaglia d'Oro mare and hails from the family of Mastercraftsman (Ire). 

Speaking after the sale, O'Donovan commented, “Days like these are few and far between. I'm just delighted the horse put in the breeze I expected him to do because he shows us exactly that at home. He wasn't missed by anyone–all of the good judges were in the ring for him and I'm just delighted that one of the best judges of them all bought him because he will get the best possible chance to be good on the track and that's the most important thing.”

He added, “Mathew Dickinson, who led him up, said that he never looked after a horse with as many vets in his life. As well as that, we had an agent here first thing this morning before the horse even had his breakfast, so we were half expecting that he'd sell well. But to get €270,000, you couldn't have predicted that.”

“This is the first year that me and Adam teamed up together. He bought a few shares in the yearlings last year and helped me out in the yard with them. It's worked out well and we've had a good season.  Even Adam's mother, Suzy, was a big help. There were some nights when she didn't leave the place until 11 o'clock because she'd be up checking on them, so everyone has played their part.”

Doyle went on to snap up a Profitable (Ire) colt consigned by Tradewinds Stud for €185,000. The wildcard entry [lot 253] was bought by Shane and Alex Power for 37,000gns at the Somerville Yearling Sale and turned a tidy profit after breezing well on Thursday.

  • Successful jumps jockey Brian O'Connell, who will forever be associated for his association with Champion Bumper hero Dunguib (Ire) (Presenting {GB}), enjoyed one of his best days as a consignor when selling a Calyx (GB) filly [lot 99] to Mark McStay for €155,000. The filly was shrewdly bought here last September for €24,000 and represented one of O'Connell's biggest results as a consignor under Chasefield Stables. 
  • McStay clearly had his Weetabix on Friday morning. The top agent hit the ground running to provide some early excitement in signing for a Sioux Nation colt [lot 2] from Katie Walsh's Greenhills Farm for €240,000. That represented yet another big result for Walsh at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale, given she broke the record here 12 months ago with a €520,000 Saxon Warrior (Jpn) filly.
  • Anna Barlow told TDN Europe on Thursday that she was hopeful of securing a profit with lot 137, a Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) filly she sourced here in September for just €6,000. The 22-year-old, whose only other breezer this year, a Starspangledbanner filly (Aus), netted over €40,000 in profit at the Guineas Breeze-Up Sale, turned more water into wine when the Phoenix Of Spain filly was knocked down to Michael O'Callaghan for €55,000.
  • It wouldn't be a breeze-up sale without Willie Browne's Mocklershill playing a leading role. In this case, it was a Ten Sovereigns (Ire) filly [lot 15] who sold to Alex Elliott for €200,000, who led the way for the legendary consignor. 
  • Ado McGuinness has already hit the ground running with his breeze-up purchases this year. Tiger Belle (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), who the trainer sourced along with assistant and nephew Stephen Thorne at Doncaster for £70,000, is Royal Ascot bound after winning on debut at Cork. The Lusk-based operator will be hoping to have secured another speedy youngster for the Shamrock Thoroughbreds syndicate in the shape of lot 8, an Inns Of Court (Ire) colt for €100,000 from Tally-Ho Stud.

 

Dreams Come True For The Shinnick Brothers With Make Believe Filly

The good results just kept coming and there were few better than what brothers Andy and John Shinnick produced when transforming their €7,000 Make Believe (GB) filly foal (lot 47) purchase into a €170,000 breezer. 

The sire in this case was quite apt as the result was clearly beyond the Shinnick brothers' wildest dreams with Nick Bell doing the buying on behalf of Middleham Park Racing. 

“It isn't too bad, I suppose, for your first time doing it,” came the understatement of the year from Andy.

John, who is an apprentice jockey, added, “We always liked her. We don't even have a gallop at home–just train her in the fields. She looked quick running past thistles!

“She is ignorant to go, though, she wants to go and is very straightforward. We did like her at home and, to be honest, it was our first time doing it so we didn't come here with any real high expectations.”

The Shinnick brothers hail from County Cork and it was at the Goffs November Foal Sale in 2021 where they sourced the speedster from Grennanstown Stud.

On the experience on the whole, John said, “There's a lot of pressure and work involved. It all comes down to the one day and a lot can go wrong. But you have to take your chance and it's great when it does pay off–it really gives you the bug.

“It's brilliant for the likes of the two of us. For it to be the first time to go at it, it's dream work. We have a bit of money so we'll go and buy a few more of them now!”

 

 

Lordan Sioux Happy With €230,000 Colt

Another young operator, Darragh Lordan, produced a result to rival the exploits of O'Donovan and the Shinnick brothers when selling his Sioux Nation colt to Adam Driver [later changed to Global Equine Group] for €230,000. 

A €25,000 yearling purchase here last September, the Sioux Nation colt was consigned under Innishannon Valley Stud, and exceeded all of Lordan's expectations in the ring. 

He said, “I did expect around €100,000 for him as I really liked him, but that was just unreal. To have the horse for top tier-trade is unreal and all the right people were on him. He breezed savage and all year he has been so straightforward, everything was so smooth, a very easy horse to do. I think he is a very good horse. Hopefully he can go to the track and show it there.”

He added, “I sold Marshman (GB), a good Harry Angel (Ire) horse, last year. It helps when you sell a good horse because it brings the buyers to the door and then they listen when you talk about a horse.”

Bourke Pulls Another Rabbit Out Of The Hat With James Garfield Colt

John Bourke of Hyde Park Stud rightly grabbed the headlines last year when his breeze-up graduate Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) won the 1,000 Guineas for George Boughey.

The Mullingar man, who is not afraid to chance a cheaper yearling every now and again, was duly rewarded for rolling the dice on his €3,000 purchase here in September by James Garfield, with the colt selling to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock for a whopping €155,000. 

Brown said, “It is extraordinary trade here. I think there were four or five people in over €100,000, which for a colt who cost very little as a yearling is certainly testament to the way he was prepared and the way he breezed. 

“He is a gorgeous colt and he did a very good breeze. He is bred to be a sprinter–he has got the looks, he did the breeze and he was the one on that basis that we really wanted.”

Strong Trade At All Levels At Tattersalls Ireland

Bigger does not always translate to better, as we have seen already on the breeze-up circuit this year, but in the case of this sale, it resulted in an excellent trade across the board.

The average climbed 13% to €43,033, and the median rose 36% to €22,000. Of the 267 horses offered, 239 sold (83%) for a gross of €8,563,500.

Simon Kerins, CEO of Tattersalls Ireland, said, “Incredible is the word that springs to mind when I reflect on today. The Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze Up Sale is truly going from strength to strength, the second lot into the ring making €240,000 set the tone for the day and the six-figure lots didn't stop coming after that. To sell a record 18 lots for €100,000 or more is remarkable and our sincere thanks must go out to every single vendor who entrusted us with their top-quality 2-year-olds. It was also fantastic to see so many young consignors rewarded for their hard work and determination, and I congratulate all of those who returned with profitable pinhooks.

“We must also thank our overseas buyers who flocked to Tattersalls Ireland in their droves, it was wonderful to see everyone and to welcome a wealth of new faces as well. The footfall seen across the last two days at Ireland's only Breeze Up Sale has been phenomenal and the figures achieved were driven by an international buying bench with a huge contingent of overseas buyers from UAE, Scandinavia, Germany, Spain, and Italy taking on lively bidders from the UK and Ireland.

“The logistics that go into staging a Breeze Up Sale are huge and we would not be able to do it without the support of Fairyhouse Racecourse and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing. Charles O'Neill and the team at Irish Thoroughbred Marketing have worked so hard to attract overseas buyers and the team at Fairyhouse Racecourse provided us with a safe surface and excellent facilities. It was great to hear vendors being so complimentary about the new stretch of ground that had never been used for this sale before.

“We have no doubt this year's graduates will go on to be top-class performers across the globe and we look forward to following their journeys. We now turn our attention to compiling our catalogue for the September Yearling Sale and attracting a strong bench of purchasers back in the Autumn.”

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Timmons Hoping To Crown Dream 48 Hours At Tattersalls Ireland

TATTERSALLS, Ireland–Justin Timmons revealed the heightened importance to the Dolmen Bloodstock consignment selling well at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale after he welcomed his first-born into the world in the early hours of Wednesday morning before making the dash to Barn B on the eve of what he described as the biggest sale of his year.

Dolmen Bloodstock consigned the top lot at last year's sale, a Dark Angel (Ire) colt who fetched 410,000gns, and now that there are nappies to pay for, Timmons is hoping for another profitable end to the breeze-up season.

Timmons nominated a colt by New Bay (GB) (lot 15) and fillies by Zoffany (Ire) (lot 184) and Harry Angel (Ire) (lot 119) as being the pick of Dolmen's six juveniles that will go under the hammer on Thursday and joked that, if the Harry Angel was to shoot the lights out, he may have to twist his partner Jody's arm to revisit the naming of their newborn from Harvey to Harry.

“I'm a relieved man and everything else is a bonus now,” said a visibly ecstatic Timmons after the breeze on Wednesday. “Mother and baby are doing well so I raced up here to try and pay for the nappies!

“It's our first child and Jody was helping all throughout her pregnancy. She was even riding out at the start of the pregnancy and, when she wasn't able to continue that, she was in the yard mucking out boxes. She's superwoman.”

Timmons added, “The little man is called Harvey at the minute but if the Harry Angel sells well we might have to change it to Harry. I was happy with how he breezed and, to be honest, I thought I brought a nice bunch of horses here this year so fingers crossed it works out.”

This sales season has been up and down for Dolmen Bloodstock, according to Timmons, who is quietly confident of signing off on the breeze-ups for the year with some strong results given he kept his best team for Tattersalls Ireland.

He explained, “I always try and bring a nice bunch here as it's our local sale here in Ireland and I always support it. It's one of the most important sales in our year.

“This year has been a bit of a mixed bag so far. The Craven Sale was a bit disappointing but the Guineas Sale made up for it. That's the way this game goes sometimes so hopefully we have a bit of luck tomorrow.”

Lot 15 is the only New Bay colt in the sale and was picked up by Jerry Horan at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale at Newmarket for £15,000 while the Zoffany filly, out of the listed-placed Ermine And Velvet (GB) (Nayef), was sourced at the same sale for £14,500.

Speaking about his draft, Timmons said, “The New Bay, the Zoffany and the Harry Angel are all exciting. The New Bay is a fine horse. My friend Jerry [Horan] bought him at Tattersalls last year and he's a nice horse who does everything well at home.

“I was expecting him to breeze well and he did. He's the only New Bay colt in the sale and I think he is an incredible sire. He's only going one way.”

He added, “I've always been sweet on the Zoffany. She's a good-moving filly with plenty of boot, but I think she probably wants seven furlongs or even a mile. We galloped her last week on the Curragh, I rode her myself and I was taken by the fact that she actually quickened up twice. Not many do that.

“The Harry Angel is a ball of a filly. She's a real 2-year-old type and is only going to get better as the season progresses. She's on a real upward curve. They are the three I'm looking forward to most.”

He may be surviving on minimal if any sleep but you won't hear Timmons complain. In fact, if things go to plan on Thursday, he may even have time to celebrate what has been a whirlwind 48 hours.

“I'll be nipping back to Portlaoise Hospital this evening. I can't wait to keep an eye on Mammy and the little baby and there won't be much sleep. If these sell well on Thursday, there definitely won't be any sleep, we'll have to celebrate.”

The sale, of which Layfayette (Ire) (French Navy {GB}) is a deserving poster boy, being the most successful graduate following his Group 2 victory in the Mooresbridge S. at the Curragh this season, begins at 10:30 a.m on Thursday.

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Walsh Has High Hopes for Invincible Spirit Colt at Tattersalls

Of the seven horses Katie Walsh offers under the Greenhills Farm banner at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale on Thursday, none jump off the page quite like lot 42, an Invincible Spirit (Ire) half-brother to dual Group 1 winner Banimpire (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who the leading consignor has high hopes for.

Goresbridge has been a good sale for Walsh, who sold GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner-up East (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at Ireland's only breeze-up sale when it was last held at Gowran Park in 2018, and she is upbeat about the prospects of continuing that trend at Fairyhouse this week.

The Invincible Spirit colt may be the ace in the pack, but Walsh says she has “something for everyone” at Tattersalls and expects trade to be strong after another profitable sale for her operation at Arqana last week.

She said, “Miss O'Kelly of Kilcarn Stud owns the Invincible Spirit and I'm delighted to be selling one for her. She is a great supporter of Irish racing and, as she doesn't keep her colts, she decided to breeze him when he missed the yearling sales. Hopefully he will do a nice breeze on Wednesday and will sell well for them on Thursday.

“The Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (lot 151) filly is pretty smart as well and I have a Brazen Beau (Aus) (lot 73) colt who I think is pretty sweet, so I am looking forward to the sale. There's a nice mix of horses there and I have something for everyone. From a smaller-priced horse right up to the Invincible Spirit with a really good pedigree, and everything in between, we have a nice team.”

Walsh added, “It's been a good year for us without having anything off the charts. We had a good sale at Arqana last week. Dad [Ted Walsh] bought an Almanzor colt as a yearling for €12,000 and he made €65,000 last week. That was a good result.

“We'd an Acclamation (GB) filly with a good pedigree, who Peter Nolan bought for me as I was just after having a baby at the time, and she cost 38,000gns as a yearling and we turned her into €120,000. That was super.

“I also bought a Showcasing colt for 50,000gns and he only made €55,000. I thought going to Arqana that he was the best one I had but that's the way the sale went, and hopefully he can be lucky for his new connections.”

Matching the right horses for what buyers want in each sale is hugely important and Walsh revealed that the Invincible Spirit colt was entered for Goresbridge on the basis that it would give him a maximum opportunity to shine.

Speaking about her approach to the breeze-up sales, Walsh explained, “You set out at the start of the season to try and buy the best physical with the best pedigree for the right money. Sometimes you get lucky and it just happens for you but more often than not you have to dig a bit deeper to make it happen.

“Every horse that I bring to a breeze-up sale, they are there to be sold and the main objective is to come home with empty head collars, win, lose or draw. My business model is to get them sold and to start with a clean slate when the yearling sales start.

“What determines what sale I go to, I suppose it's driven by physical and by pedigree, and sometimes it's better to be a big fish in a smaller pond. When it comes to Goresbridge, it's always been a good sale for me down through the years, and I am lucky enough to be bringing the nice Invincible Spirit colt this year with a big pedigree. He looks like he might be a big fish in a small pond along with the Saxon Warrior filly. I'm lucky to have two big pedigrees there and they are nice physicals as well.”

Reflecting on preparing East, who was knocked down to Stephen Hillen for €315,000 at this sale in 2018, Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) and Caspar Netscher (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), who have flown the flag for Walsh with great distinction in this sphere, she added, “East was sold on behalf of a client but it was fantastic to get her. She was a very good filly, extremely fast and forward, and by a fantastic sire. I was lucky to get the phone call to prepare a Frankel filly for Goresbridge. I was absolutely over the moon. It was a lovely thing to do and lovely to be associated with a really good filly like that.

“I prepared Asymmetric  last year and he was a very good colt who went on to win a Group 2 but the one who got me going was Caspar Netscher.”

Walsh's seven-strong team will be among the 217 horses to breeze at Fairyhouse at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The sale kicks off at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.

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Half to West End Girl Highlights Goresbridge Breeze Up Catalogue

The catalogue for the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze Up Sale is now online. A total of 226 lots will go under the hammer at Park Paddocks for the second consecutive year, as the sale was moved from its traditional Irish venue due to continued COVID-19 restrictions. The breezes will take place at the Rowley Mile at 9 a.m. on June 2, with the sale proper slated for June 3 at 10:30 a.m. John and Thady Gosden and HH Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum celebrated a win in the Lincoln with Haqeeqy (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), the 2019 sale topper, earlier this spring.

Among the sires to be represented are: Acclamation (GB), Ardad (Ire), Bated Breath (GB), Caravaggio, Cotai Glory (GB), Dandy Man (Ire), Dark Angel (Ire), Exceed And Excel (Aus), Frankel (GB), Hard Spun, Kodi Bear (Ire), Kodiac (GB), Lope de Vega (Ire), Make Believe (GB), Mehmas (Ire), New Bay (GB), Night of Thunder (Ire), No Nay Never, Pivotal (GB), Profitable (Ire), Sea the Stars (Ire), Showcasing (GB), Starspangledbanner (Aus), and Street Boss.

Some notable lots include: lot 13, a bay colt by Acclamation (GB) who is a half-brother to Group 3 winner West End Girl (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}); Dark Angel (Ire)'s son of Kathoe (Ire) (Fayruz {GB}) (lot 39) who is also a half-brother to Group 3 winner Koropick (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}); a Goldencents half-brother (lot 41) to GII Breeders' Cup Marathon hero London Bridge (Arch); MGSW Queen Blossom (Ire) (Jeremy)'s Le Havre (Ire) half-brother as lot 64; a Dabirsim (Fr) filly out of French group winner Percolator (GB) (Kheleyf) (lot 94); lot 152, a chestnut colt by Pivotal (GB) who is a half-brother to Group 2 winner Mobsta (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire}); and a full-brother to French Group 3 winner Alistair (Fr) (Panis) (lot 181).

In 2020, 125 juveniles sold for a gross of £3,473,006. The average was £27,784 and the median was £20,000. Topping the sale at £220,000 was a filly by Kitten's Joy out of Desertstormelite (Chester House).

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