‘A Lucky Place For Us’ – Bourke Begins Breeze-Up Season At Osarus

Hyde Park Stud's John Bourke, who supplies 19 of the 68 juveniles at this week's Osarus Breeze-Up Sale, has described the La Teste fixture as an important outlet for handlers.

Bourke, who is best known as the man who consigned 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale, has sold plenty of good horses at Osarus down through the years. 

Top of that list, according to the County Westmeath-based breeder and breeze-up consignor, is the Group-placed Samedi Rien (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}). 

Speaking during the breeze on Tuesday, Bourke said, “This is a great sale and Osarus has a lovely team of people who we enjoy working with. We've sold a lot of winners out of this sale, to Spain and France especially, and we've a nice team of horses again here this year.”

He added, “We've 19 horses here this week–16 of which are my own–including a Territories (Ire) half-sister to Golden Ace (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) (lot 32), winner of the Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham. She goes well. We've also got the only Persian King (Ire) (lot 43A) and the only Le Havre (Fr) (lot 65) in the sale. It's a nice sharp bunch.

“Osarus is important because we buy a lot of yearlings every year and we love selling winners. No matter what they cost, be that 10 grand or 50 grand, winners is the name of the game and that's what we love to produce. We have 60 breeze-up horses this year and 19 of them are here so it's a place we like coming to.”

Bourke is not the only recognisable name to be offering horses at Osarus this week. Fellow Irish-based handlers Mickey Cleere, Eddie Linehan and Pierce Gallagher will get their breeze-up season up and running in France this week as well. 

He concluded, “It's been a lucky place for us, not just as sellers. I bought Chic Colombine (Fr) (Seahenge) here as a yearling and she won a listed race at Saint-Cloud last month for George Boughey and Highclere Racing. 

“In terms of selling, Samedi Rien is probably the best horse we have breezed here. She was a champion filly in Spain and was placed in a Group 2 at Meydan last year.”

The sale takes place after racing at La Teste on Wednesday at 4.30pm local time.

 

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Hats Off For Haatem – Bourke Back In The Big Time With Another Bargain Buy

If anyone had been chalking John Bourke's Classic success down to pure fluke, well then they may have been forced to reevaluate the Hyde Park Stud operator's method to breeding high-class horses on a budget after Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) stormed to G2 Vintage S. glory at Goodwood on Tuesday. 

Bourke famously bought Poyle Sophie (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) carrying last year's 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) for just 3,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2018. 

Haatem is the latest triumph for his approach to sourcing mares on a budget, given he shelled out just 11,000gns for Hard Walnut (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), the dam of the Richard Hannon-trained runner at the same sale in 2020. 

Speaking shortly after the Goodwood win, Bourke said, “It's brilliant. I'm watching the racing at home here and I've watched the replay about five times already! I was very worried when Iberian (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) appeared on the outside but Haatem was very good. 

“He's a tough horse and this was his sixth run. Listen, he's a good solid horse and I have the mare here still. She's in foal to Far Above (Ire) and is a strong, good-looking mare but she lacks a bit of size. Far Above is a fast and scopey horse so the cross should work well. She has an Inns Of Court (Ire) filly at foot as well.”

Haatem was consigned by Sherbourne Lodge at Book 2 at Tattersalls last year. He sold to Peter and Ross Doyle on behalf of Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah for 27,000gns and has gone from strength to strength for the Hannon team. 

Bourke commented, “I sold Haatem as a yearling through Sherbourne Lodge at Book 2. I was buying yearlings at Book 2 and Book 3 so it's very hard to buy and sell at the same time. That's why he went through with Sherbourne Lodge. I just want to thank Sherbourne Lodge, Richard Hannon and Peter and Ross Doyle for everything. They've all done a brilliant job.”

But the real success story here, according to Bourke, is Haatem's sire Phoenix Of Spain. The Irish National Stud resident has had an electric start at stud, on the strength of which Bourke has decided to send him two mares next year, including Hard Walnut. 

Speaking about what attracted him to Hard Walnut in the first place, he recalled, “The match suited because Phoenix Of Spain is a big scopey horse and Hard Walnut isn't the biggest herself. She's a very strong, good-looking mare but she does lack a bit of size. 

“I have to say, I'd be respecting everything that Phoenix Of Spain is doing. Even if I'd nothing to do with Haatem, what Phoenix Of Spain is doing is quite impressive. I've a mare in foal to him on the farm and I am going to send him two mares next year as well.”

Bourke added, “Hard Walnut will go back to him next year, that's if they do me a good deal! Phoenix Of Spain was a very good horse himself but what he is doing now wasn't really scripted because he is more of a horse to produce two-year-olds for the second half of the season. 

“Haatem was unlucky in the Woodcote at Epsom. He was left in the stalls and still managed to finish third. He was fifth in the Coventry and was second to a machine in City Of Troy (Justify) in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket so he deserved his Group 2 win today.”

Bourke may have an uncanny knack when it comes to pulling a rabbit out of the hat at the sales but you won't see him taking any credit for the whirlwind success the farm has enjoyed in recent years. 

Asked to put the past two years into words, he said, “I'm going to start stuttering and stammering now! We all work hard here on the farm and we just like to buy those good-looking, fast and strong mares. For me, just because you spend a hundred grand on a mare doesn't mean you are going to get paid for the foals in year one or two. 

“I like these trading mares if I can use that word. Some people call them second-hand mares but you just have to cover them right and hope for the best. There are some good farms in Westmeath. We have Tally-Ho Stud and Lynn Lodge around here so it's a good area.”

Providing an update on the most famous mare on the farm, Poyle Sophie, he added, “She foaled at the end of April but didn't go back in foal so we left her off for the year. I have a Mehmas (Ire) colt going to Book 1 out of her and she has a Mehmas filly foal on the ground. We'll sell the colt first and then we will see what we do with the filly. We have a nice bunch of mares to cover next season.”

 

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Haatem A Black-Type First For Phoenix Of Spain In Goodwood’s Vintage

Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah's Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}–Hard Walnut {Ire}, by Cape Cross {Ire}) was the most experienced of nine contenders lining up for Tuesday's G2 Nicholson Gin Vintage S. at Goodwood and paid a handsome compliment to his G2 Superlative S. conqueror City Of Troy (Justify) with a game success in the seven-furlong test. The March-foaled bay becomes the first stakes winner for freshman sire Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire) and a first winner of the contest for Richard Hannon, whose father Richard senior collected five editions.

The 9-4 favourite was positioned within range of the leaders in a handy fifth after a slick getaway. Making smooth progress once into the straight, he was ridden to seize control approaching the final furlong and kept on strongly under a drive to withstand the late threat of Iberian (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) by a length. Ballydoyle representative Mountain Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) threatened out wide passing the furlong pole and ran on well to finish a neck further adrift in third.

“Haatem is a lovely horse, he deserved that after running so well in the Coventry and the Superlative and I am very pleased,” said Hannon. “I thought this was his day and could be his Derby, but he will get better as the year goes on. He is a horse big enough for next year and is not just about being a 2-year-old. He is a Group 2 winner now, so obviously we will have to look at Group 1 races, but he is getting better. He has to improve to take on the real big guys, but he is doing that with every run.”

Winning rider Sean Level added, “On paper, Haatem deserved to win this. For a big horse, he hasn't missed any dances and he's been unlucky to run into a couple of exceptional horses without getting his head in front. He ran into an exceptional horse of Mr O'Brien's last time, his form stood out today and I would have been disappointed if he did get beaten. He is a big horse with plenty of scope who will keep improving. It is a sharp track here and, as much as he has a classy way of travelling, I did feel he was a bit workmanlike through the line. He gave the impression that going up to a mile might get a little bit more out of him. He doesn't have anything else to prove this year, but we'll proceed with time in mind. With a winter on him, he could be anything next year.”

The runner-up's trainer Charlie Hills commented, “Iberian is a really nice horse and William [Buick] was very impressed by him. Obviously being drawn nine, he had to be patient with him and he has run a great race. I think we'll probably look at the [G2] Champagne S. and, if he goes well there, the [G1] Dewhurst. That softer surface probably blunted the speed out of him. He had them covered, but when William asked he just floundered a little bit on the [good-to-soft] going. I am pleased he stepped up to show us that he's up to this level.”

Pedigree Notes
Haatem, who had previously run fifth in Royal Ascot's G2 Coventry S., is the fifth of six foals and one of three scorers out of a dual-winning half-sister to G3 Premio Carlo Vittadini and G3 Premio del Giubileo runner-up Father Frost (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) and Listed Prix Pelleas, Listed Doncaster Mile and Listed Foundation S. placegetter Born To Be Alive (Ire) (Born To Sea {Ire}). His second dam Yaria (Ire) (Danehill), herself a daughter of G1 Phoenix S. runner-up Yara (Ire) (Sri Pekan), is a winning sibling of dual stakes scorer Emirates Gold (Ire) (Royal Applause {GB}), Listed Prix Melisande victrix Yarastar (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and the stakes-placed Yario (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). Haatem, half-brother to a weanling filly by Inns Of Court (Ire), hails from the family of G1SW sires Homme De Loi (Ire) (Law Society) and Mister Majestic (Ire) (Tumble Wind).

 

Tuesday, Goodwood, Britain
NICHOLSON GIN VINTAGE S.-G2, £175,000, Goodwood, 8-1, 2yo, 7fT, 1:30.15, g/s.
1–HAATEM (IRE), 129, c, 2, by Phoenix Of Spain (Ire)
1st Dam: Hard Walnut (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire)
2nd Dam: Yaria (Ire), by Danehill
3rd Dam: Yara (Ire), by Sri Pekan
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€28,000 RNA Wlg '21 GOFNO1; 27,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah; B-Hyde Park Stud (IRE); T-Richard Hannon; J-Sean Levey. £99,243. Lifetime Record: 6-2-1-2, $183,318. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Iberian (Ire), 129, c, 2, Lope De Vega (Ire)–Bella Estrella (Ire), by High Chaparral (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (200,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Teme Valley & Ballylinch Stud; B-Ballylinch Stud (IRE); T-Charles Hills. £37,625.
3–Mountain Bear (Ire), 129, c, 2, No Nay Never–Holy Alliance (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor & D Smith; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £18,830.
Margins: 1, NK, HF. Odds: 2.25, 3.33, 11.00.
Also Ran: Golden Mind (Ire), Son (GB), Witness Stand (GB), Soldier's Gold (Ire), Thunder Blue (GB), Spanish Phoenix (Ire).

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First Foals For Lope Y Fernandez

European champion Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), was represented by his first reported foals when the Kingman (GB) mare Sempre (GB) produced a filly and Shaiydana (Fr) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) foaled a colt earlier this month.

The former arrived at John Bourke's Hyde Park Stud in Ireland, who said, “On Saturday, Jan. 14 we had a gorgeous foal with great quality and physique by Lope Y Hernandez–she was the first foal out of a beautifully bred Kingman mare Sempre. I will be sending two mares back to the stallion again this season, especially on the back of the first foal we have had. When I saw Lope Y Fernandez at The National Stud in December 2021, I thought he was a fantastic stamp of a horse with the best walk you could find.”

Of the second arrival, breeder Nick Bradley said, “I'm delighted with this colt–he is a cracking first foal out of the mare. He has great bone and quality like his sire and was exactly the type of foal I was hoping for, and more, when I bred to Lope Y Fernandez.”

Lope Y Fernandez won the G3 Round Tower S. at The Curragh as a juvenile and placed in five Group/Grade 1 events over his career, including the 2020 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile and 2021 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot. He stands at The National Stud for a fee of £8,500.

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