Havana Grey To The Fore On Day One Of Goffs February Sale

Commercial weanlings were in demand on day one of the Goffs February Sale as a Havana Grey (GB) colt [lot189] consigned by Kellsgrange Stud led home proceedings at €85,000 to Yeomanstown Stud as turnover dropped 30% compared to last year.

The day one sale-topper is out of the unraced Danehill Dancer (Ire) mare How High The Sky (Ire), who has produced eight winners from 10 foals, including the highly-rated sprinter Up Above (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}).

David O'Callaghan of Yeomanstown Stud commented, “A great model. By a very good stallion and a good dam to back him up. He could come back here next autumn and we are delighted to get him. He could go anywhere.”

One of the big stories to emerge from Wednesday was the excellent trade enjoyed by rookie operators Aisling Noone and Simon Kavanagh of Drumloose Stables. Despite not being in business a full 12 months, the Mullingar-based couple built on some solid results posted in 2023 by selling their colts by Havana Grey (GB) and Galiway (GB) for a combined sum of €114,000. 

Such results came after Drumloose Stables secured €95,000 for a son of Blue Bresil (Fr) at last year's Arkle Sale, confirming the theory that Goffs is a lucky place for the pair. 

Speaking after selling the Havana Grey weanling colt [Lot 91] to Amy and Con Marnane for €46,000 and the Galiway colt [Lot 201] to Yeomanstown Stud for €68,000, Noone said, “It was a brilliant day and Goffs is becoming very lucky for us. Our operation isn't even up and running 12 months yet. We moved back to Mullingar, where we are based, last April. Since then, everything has gone well and we have got some fantastic clients and friends who are backing us all the way.”

She added, “The horses we had today, they were beautiful. The Galiway was very easy to prepare and is a very athletic horse. He walked very well and the sire was a big help to us. The Galiway and Kendargent (Fr) cross has already produced a Group 1 winner. I'm not sure what Yeomanstown Stud are planning on doing with him but I am assuming we might see him back at a yearling sale in the autumn.

“The Havana Grey has gone to Con Marnane, a very good friend of ours. It is about seven or eight years since I did a season with Con at Maisons-Laffitte in France so it's great for things to come full circle. Hopefully both horses will be lucky for both purchasers.”

Tally-Ho Stud is famous all over the world for its association with fast horses on the level but old habits clearly die hard and the master of the County Westmeath outfit, Tony O'Callaghan, went to €75,000 to secure top-notch jumps prospect by No Risk At All (Fr) [lot 148] from Railstown Stud. No Risk At All needs no introduction as a jumps stallion, being the sire of Allaho (Fr), Epatante (Fr) and more. O'Callaghan signed for the colt alongside Hamish Macauley. 

Of the 188 lots offered [down from 216 this day last year], 111 were sold, which represents a clearance rate of just 59%. Turnover dropped from €2,081,750 to €1,452,600 while the average fell 18% to €13,087 and the median stayed the same at €9,000.

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Pinatubo And Sergei Prokofiev Head First-Season Sires’ Betting

Paddy Power have had their say on the first-season sires' championship and the betting giants are unable to separate Pinatubo (Ire) and Sergei Prokofiev at the head of the market at odds of 6-4.

It was Blue Point (Ire) who dominated the first-season sires' championship last year in recording 50 individual winners in Europe including two Group 1 scorers. According to Paddy Power, Darley are in a strong position to scoop the prize for the second successive year as, not only can the powerful operation call on joint-favourite Pinatubo, but Earthlight (Ire) is also prominent in the betting at 2-1.

Whitsbury Manor Stud, where Sergei Prokfiev is based, has a good reputation for getting young sires up and running with their first crop and famously landed this prize in 2022 with sire sensation Havana Grey (GB).

The Starfield Stud-based Far Above (Ire) is another stallion that the betting firm seemingly gives a chance to while Mohaather (GB) is frictionally bigger at odds of 10-1. Ballyhane Stud resident Sands Of Mali (Fr), whose stock has caught the attention of trainers Richard Fahey, Johnny Murtagh, Michael Dods and more, is one of the more interesting outsiders at odds of 33-1.

Paddy Power's Paul Binfield commented, “We are unable to separate Pinatubo and Sergei Prokofiev at the front of the market. The former was a revelation as a two-year-old with his National Stakes victory a joy to behold and while he didn't quite live up to expectations during his Classic season, he still won a Group 1 and was placed in three others.”

He added, “While he was never beaten over seven furlongs and was a very decent miler, Sergei Prokofiev brings electrifying speed to the table-he won three times as a juvenile, including a comfortable success in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes, and was a gallant third in the Coventry Stakes over six furlongs.”

Pinatubo won three times at the highest level. His brilliant juvenile campaign culminated with a spellbinding performance in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien S. at the Curragh followed by the Dewhurst at Newmarket while he won the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville as a three-year-old. 

He stands at Dalham Hall Stud for £35,000 and, of 49 yearlings sold in Britain and Ireland in 2023, they averaged £146,488 and included a £380,000 colt and a £500,000 filly. 

Meanwhile, Sergei Prokofiev stands for just £6,000 and, of the 97 yearlings of his to sell at public auction last year, they averaged £37,203.

 

 

 

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Ed Harper Q&A: “What Excites Me Most Is Our Horses Winning On The Track”

It has been a big year for Whitsbury Manor Stud. From a landmark result with homebred Chaldean going on to win the 2,000 Guineas for Juddmonte, his half-sister Get Ahead selling for 2.5m gns at public auction and the continued rise of superstar stallion Havana Grey, 2023 has been the gift that keeps on giving for Ed Harper and his team.

There is plenty, still, to look forward to next year, with fellow Whitsbury-based stallion Sergei Prokofiev set to be represented by his first crop of runners and Dragon Symbol taking up his position on the roster. 

From all things Whitsbury to reflecting on the breeding stock sales, the ever-engaging Harper makes for required reading in this week's Q&A.

You must look back on 2023 pretty fondly with Whitsbury Manor Stud homebred Chaldean winning the 2,000 Guineas for Juddmonte?

We wouldn't have a lot of runners in Classic races because of the types of stallions we stand but, obviously, we use a few outside stallions every year. When you use the best stallion around [Frankel], you hope to provide yourself with a chance to step up on quality. It couldn't have worked out any better with Chaldean winning the 2,000 Guineas. 

Where would that rank?

A great milestone. It ranked very highly but I don't feel as though it was a whole heap of hard work that produced the result. For example, producing a stallion like Showcasing or Havana Grey, that takes five or six years of hard work from every team member pulling in the same direction. A result like Chaldean is a piece of good judgement in the sales ring to buy the mare by Dad, which isn't to be underestimated, but even he would admit that there is a lot of luck involved. So, you get yourself a diamond mare in Suelita, what are you going to do with her? You're going to send her to a diamond stallion. It's brilliant, and it's fantastic, but it's not comparable to the whole Whitsbury machine working together for years to make a stallion. I see the two things very differently. 

You must have got a lot of pleasure at seeing Chaldean's half-sister Get Ahead, a talented mare in her own right, selling for 2.5m gns to Ian MacAleavy's First Bloodstock? 

I'd have rathered if we didn't have to sell her! We have to remind ourselves that the function of Whitsbury is not to have a small, uber broodmare band sending mares to the best stallions on the planet. Our job is to keep small breeders alive in England because, without them, there is no breeding industry in this country. If we can sell Get Ahead and support the business in areas that help, such as the grassroots by making stallions, then that's our job. Effectively, weighing up the sale of Get Ahead, we can't be everything to everyone. You can't be brilliant at everything. It doesn't work like that for anybody. So weighing it up, we ask ourselves what our priority is. Is it looking out into the paddock and seeing the occasional super mare going to the super stallion or is it making the next stallion? We effectively prioritised the buying of Dragon Symbol over keeping Get Ahead. That's the choice we made. 

I'll go on to Dragon Symbol in a second but, when you mentioned Whitsbury supporting the grassroots players in England, I just wonder how you would look back on the breeding stock sales on a personal level taking into consideration how many smaller breeders took a kicking?

The most satisfying thing for us this year was the 20 to 30 smaller breeders who really benefited from Havana Grey. That means that some of those breeders can reinvest and possibly step up the next rung up the ladder, which is great, or, on a slightly scarier level, it means some will survive another two or three years. Without stallions like Havana Grey, that doesn't happen. I'm not pretending to have the answers as to why this is but, culturally, when smaller breeders in England stop, they stop for good. They don't come back. When small breeders in Ireland stop because, say there's a dip in the market or maybe there's overproduction, for whatever reason, they seem to have the ability to come back when times get better. I feel like we have to be the lifeboat throwing the vests out to keep some of the smaller breeders alive and, when you get it right and you help a load of people, it's very satisfying. Obviously, we're trying to run a profitable business as well, we're not a charity, but we need a thriving industry and we have to provide our clients with a chance to make money. It's very satisfying when it happens. 

Did you listen to this month's Jamie Railton podcast where Roger O'Callaghan was the guest? Roger singled out Whistbury for high praise. A lot of people would say there are similarities between how Whitsbury and Tally-Ho Stud is run. What would those similarities be?

I listened to it, yes. There's lots of other places in England who had good years, so we don't have a monopoly on that. But what do we do similar? For starters, we don't really worry what other people are doing and Tally-Ho certainly don't worry either. The one thing that we would agree on is that we need to see success scattered around the business from time to time. It can't be for one outfit all the time because that's not how a sport works. I've a few friends and connections who have never been involved in the breeding industry who have started to ask me questions about getting involved for the first time. I've known some of these people for 20 years and they've never asked me that so it's nice to think we have just pricked the interests of a few new players because we can't just have people going out of the market. We need new people as well. 

For me, one of the stories from the mares sale was your neighbour Katrina Yarrow getting 52,000gns for Havana Grey foal with the first mare she ever bought.

Exactly. And that was someone who was brave enough to listen to us when we recommended the mare. Fair play to Katrina for giving it a go. You're only ever going to find out by giving it ago and, if you don't risk too much and keep top of what you are prepared to invest, it can be a lot of fun.

Getting back to the Railton podcast, when Roger said that some breeders need to look themselves in the mirror over some of the poor results in the ring, rather than blaming the game, did you think that was fair comment?

Yea, I would agree with Roger completely. We're all good at seeing the difficulties in our game but the skill is figuring out how to combat it. Sending back the same mares, who are a year older, year after year, and then saying, 'oh, it hasn't happened for me,' is not the approach. If you asked that same person what they have done to give themselves a chance, what have they actively gone and done, they often don't have any answer for you. Some will say, 'oh, well I can't go out and buy a new mare, I had to play it safe because the foal sales didn't go well or the yearling sales didn't go well.' Well, the answer to that is no, when the foal or yearling sales don't go well, that's when you have to go out and buy a new mare! You almost have to be more active when things aren't going well. People tend to almost go back into the shell when things aren't working for them. Everyone should be trying to improve all the time. I mean, I read Emma Berry's piece with Peter Kavanagh in the TDN on Tuesday, and he made some excellent points. The bit I would completely agree with is that, part of the puzzle, and the piece of the game that we rarely talk about, is horse husbandry. It's arguably the most important part of the puzzle. From choosing stallions, to buying mares or even sending horses into training, it's all completely irrelevant if the horse husbandry hasn't been good enough. That is the area that is slipping in Britain; the horse husbandry is going the wrong way a lot of the time. Obviously there are plenty of people doing a good job but, in general, the slide is in the quality of husbandry, and that's difficult to get around. When husbandry slides, the rest of it becomes irrelevant. 

What are we talking about here? Just poorly presented foals at the sales with regards to lack of bone, poor feet etc?

Everything. The quality of the land, management of the pasture, the attention to detail on the stock, general care of the stock; it's everyday stuff. Thinking that you can just turn out horses and forget about them, be it mares, foals, whatever, horse husbandry is an everyday job. If you are not on it every day, it slips. 

I was at the pinhookers panel at Tattersalls on the evening before the foal sales where you came out with a great line when referencing a conversation you had with your accountant. I think he was questioning one of your decisions and you said something along the lines of, 'you don't get to have a say, you just keep the score!' With that in mind, and I know you won't mind me saying this, but I would say there were a few people questioning the decision to stand Dragon Symbol at Whitsbury. Lucky you don't care what other people think!

We had the same reaction with Showcasing and Havana Grey. When we bought Showcasing, I was told that the Gimcrack wasn't a stallion-making race. You had to go back to Mill Reef when a Gimcrack winner became a good stallion. What a load of rubbish that was. With Havana Grey, people were saying, why are we getting excited about a son of a stallion who was standing for eight or 10 grand, or whatever it was at the time. That made no sense to me either because, first of all, Havana Gold had already proved himself as a bloody good stallion and, also, you could give 10 examples in about three seconds of horses who were more successful than their sires. In terms of Dragon Symbol, he's very easy to defend. He was five pounds a better racehorse than Havana Grey ever was and it's about standing a quality racehorse at the end of the day. To be first past the post in a Commonwealth Cup, with himself and Campanelle six lengths clear of the rest, and to then go and be beaten just a neck behind Starman in a July Cup as a three-year-old, those are serious performances. I happened to think Cable Bay was a bloody good stallion as well. He just didn't have the rub of the green in terms of fertility and soundness, in that he had one or two issues that held him back, which was nobody's fault. He got eight black-type two-year-olds in his first crop which is better than ninety per cent of stallions and that allowed them to double his fee to 15 grand, which nobody batted an eye over. He absolutely deserved it. 

Dragon Symbol (right) | Racingfotos.com

Is it extra special bringing Dragon Symbol back to where he was bred or does it even matter?

The answer to that is I couldn't give a monkeys who bred him! It's a nice thing to talk about but it had zero influence on the decision. In fact, I think it could have the opposite effect as people might get the wrong end of the stick in thinking Dragon Symbol was a vanity project when the reality is that it couldn't be further from the truth. We're far too business-minded and commercial to worry about that sort of thing. 

And what's the vibe ahead of Sergei Prokofiev's first runners next year?

I don't even want to hear things from trainers in February, let alone December, but all I would say is that the Sergeis are very easy customers to deal with. They are relaxed and compliant. As we were saying earlier, sadly with the staffing in the industry, we don't have the time to deal with difficult horses compared to back in the day, so having a stallion who produces even-tempered and nice horses is a step in the right direction. 

We almost got to the end of the conversation without waxing lyrical about Havana Grey. I know you find it boring to continue to heap praise on him but even you must have been punching yourself over the continued support behind him at the foal sales?

It's fantastic but my pulse doesn't raise much at the sales. When we're selling our own stock for good money, we need to do that to keep the cogs turning in the right direction and to reinvest in the industry, but it's not something I get excited about. What excites me most is watching our horses win on the track. I do get nervous watching a two-year-old we thought a lot of make its debut. Even if it's a Class 5 at Wolverhampton, I'll be far more nervous about that than a horse going through the ring. The other thing that makes us happy is trying our best to help and advise people and, when it works out even better than what we'd hoped it would, that is very satisfying. Celebrating the result of our clients is more satisfying. 

 

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‘Stubborn’ Buyer Wins Out At Arqana As Buskop Bags 190k Zarak Foal 

By Brian Sheerin and Katie Petrunyak

Danish buyer Morten Buskop was left thanking his lucky stars on Sunday that his unnamed but long-standing client was more stubborn than him as he came out on top for the €190,000 Zarak (Fr) foal who led the way at the second session of the Arqana breeding stock sale. 

There's nothing quite like seeing the sales house back up when a highly regarded horse walks into the ring and it became evident pretty quickly that the Haras de Montaigu-drafted colt had plenty of suitors with many of the top judges playing on lot 400. 

A daughter of one of the best stallions in France and out of the well-bred Sea The Stars (Ire) mare Brodie (GB), the Sunday sale-topper could be offered for resale or put into training by Buskop's client, with the agent keen not to tie up plans at this early stage. 

He said, “My client is a very stubborn man when he decides he likes the horse or the foal. He likes the Zaraks, of course, and we thought there is a lot of Dubawi (Ire) in this horse.”

Buskop added, “The page is nice. He's out of a Sea The Stars mare so that should do the job. We also like the fact that the granddam is by Linamix (Fr). Very happy with the purchase.”

The main takeaway from Sunday's action was the clearance rate climbing 4% to 83% compared to last year's figures. The average was virtually the same at €36,592 while the median climbed €2,500 to €30,000. The aggregate was also up by almost 2% to €7,757,500.

Howdy Partner – Ballylinch Form Strong Partnerships

Two years ago, Meridian International and Ballylinch Stud teamed up at Arqana to bid on a colt by New Bay (GB), however, they came in as underbidder when the youngster sold for €180,000. Flash forward to this September and the juvenile named Alcantor (Fr), who was a TDN Rising Star on debut, claimed the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon Jockey Club de Turquie for Baron Edouard De Rothschild. 

Meridian International's Ghislain Bozo and John O'Connor of Ballylinch Stud were keen to try for the same family again as Alcantor's half-sister by another Ballylinch sire took to the ring at Arqana. After a lively round of bidding, the partners came out on top with a winning €115,000 bid for the daughter of first-crop sire Waldgeist (GB).

“We think we're going to either pinhook her or race her,” said Bozo of lot 396. “She's a very good mover and Alcantor is obviously a very good horse. We're going to try to get the best out of her.”

“We like doing partnerships,” O'Connor added. “We think we are good partners for people and it's been very successful for us. It allows us to spread the risk over a larger number of horses and we're always happy to do it mostly on our own stallions. We like that best. She's by Waldgeist and the trainers have been very positive about him, so he has to get some more winners next year but the trainers tell me that they're very nice horses.” 

Consigned by Haras du Hoguenet, the April-foaled weanling is out of Bianca de Medici (GB) (Medicean {GB}), who hails from the family of dual Arc heroine Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) and whose six foals from six to race also include Group 2 winner Boscaccio (Ger) (Mount Nelson {GB}).

“We know that the mare is a proven mare so she's bred some good ones,” O'Connor said. “She's a very nice filly. We might end up racing her. If we do, at least we have one that looks like a racehorse.” 

Ballylinch Stud went on to team up with an unnamed partner to secure Royal Grey (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) (lot 477), a listed winner in Italy, for €135,000. She was purchased once again by Bozo of Meridian International and will join trainer Nicolas Clement after a short break. 

Bozo explained, “She is going to be trained by Nicolas Clement and is a very nice filly with good form. The stallion needs no introduction and she is just a lovely filly with a very good page. We will give her a break for a month and then she will go back into training where she can hopefully take in a listed win in France.”

Royal Grey, a daughter of G2 Lowther S. runner-up Infamous Angel (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), was sold for £45,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale last year. She has amassed three wins in Italy for Endo Botti. 

Bozo continued, “It's a partnership between a client of Nicolas Clement's and also Ballylinch Stud. Havana Grey is a lovely stallion and he could be the next Wootton Bassett (GB) maybe. He stands out so much and his stock have a good temperament and are very keen to go. I'm very impressed by them.”

 

 

Top Jockey Ronan Whelan Gets In On The Arqana Action

Some jockeys jet off to exotic places on their holidays over the winter but top Irish rider Ronan Whelan swapped topping up his tan for adding to his bloodstock portfolio alongside his father Tom, a renowned breeder in his own right. 

This year marks Whelan's best, with 46 winners ridden domestically in Ireland, while Tom, who operates under Church View Stables, has enjoyed a good time in the ring.

The father-and-son team were involved in the purchasing of lot 315, a St Mark's Basilica (Fr) colt out of a half-sister to Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), for €110,000 to MAB Agency.

The sale comes just a week after a filly by the Coolmore-based stallion and out of the Oaks winner Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) topped the foal sale at Tattersalls at 575,000gns to Jill Lamb on behalf of Newsells Park Stud. 

“We fell in love with the colt,” Ronan Whelan said. “We can't wait to bring him back to Ireland. St Mark's Basilica is a promising stallion and he's from a great family.”

Marc Antoine Berghgracht's MAB Agency went on to sign for Tevara (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) (lot 331), offered in foal to Victor Ludorum (GB), from Haras du Logis at €100,000. MAB Agency spent almost €400,000 on six lots on Sunday alone.

Irish Buyers Going Ga-Ga For Galiway

Irish buyers have been going ga-ga crazy for the progeny of Galiway (GB) in recent times, largely down to the success Willie Mullins has enjoyed with the Haras de Colleville-based stallion.

Ireland's dominant National Hunt handler has done his bit to spread the good Galiway word through hurdlers Vauban (Fr) and Gala Marceau (Fr) and Mullins's fingerprints were all over one of the more expensive lots sold on Sunday. 

Less than a month after Paul Byrne, Harold Kirk and Mullins snapped up Zillow (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}) for €300,000 at the Autumn Sale here at Arqana, the three-year-old's dam Petunia (Ire) was sold in foal to Galiway to Irish buyers Seamus Murphy and Mark McStay standing alongside Timmy Hyde jnr. 

By Pivotal (GB) herself, Petunia hails from a good Wertheimer family and there was clearly no shortage of people willing to take the chance on Zillow turning out to be a fine dual-purpose type for Mullins with the hammer falling at €93,000.

To be fair to Murphy and McStay, there are worse people to be placing your faith in than messrs Byrne, Kirk and Mullins. Lot 438 could turn out to be a good buy. 

Buy of the Day

Mags O'Toole has a habit of turning water into the wine and nobody would be surprised if lot 303, a Sioux Nation colt out of winning Camelot (GB) mare Shalya (Fr), could double or even treble the €55,000 outlay if he rocks up to any of the major yearling sales next year.

Shalya, herself a winner at four, hails from the family of G1 Yorkshire Oaks and G1 Prix Vermeille victress Shareta (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}), plus a second Prix Vermeille winner in Shawanda (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}), who also claimed the G1 Irish Oaks. 

Sioux Nation, one of the top second-crop sires this year, celebrated a bumper sale at Tattersalls last week, with foals selling for 210,000gns, 155,000gns and 135,000gns.

All told, 10 foals by Sioux Nation sold for an average of 71,200gns. Given O'Toole's purchase came significantly under that average price from Tattersalls, one can assume that she is in a good position to turn a profit next year. 

Thought for the Day

The French way of auctioneering seems to be about building suspense and leaving no stone unturned to secure the best possible price for the vendors. Put it this way, there's nobody nipping off to the car parks early at Arqana. 

However, surely an argument can be made for the long, drawn out approach to auctioneering, where horses in the millions are climbing up in a series of  €25,000 bids, is counterproductive. Surely a more lively approach to auctioneering, in America for example, is best served for getting people's blood up and ultimately driving the highest price in the ring. 

Whether such a practice would ever catch on in France remains to be seen but there was no escaping that the ring felt flat for long periods of time on Saturday and Sunday at Arqana.

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