Inns Of Court Filly Shines At Goffs Autumn

An Inns Of Court (Ire) half-sister to Group 3 winner Caught U Looking (Ire) (Harzand {Ire}) topped the first session of the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale on Wednesday.

Part of The Castlebridge Consignment, the bay (lot 385) is out of Wild Mix (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) and sold to Johnny Murtagh and Linehan Bloodstock for €50,000. Since the catalogue was published, Caught U Looking won the G3 Park S. Under the second dam are group winners Double Or Bubble (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and Mix And Mingle (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}).

Lot 447, a colt by Sottsass (Fr) offered by Treadstone Bloodstock, brought €37,000 from Hana Polednikova to take second place on the leaderboard. He is a half-brother to the GIII Sweet Life S. third Nimbostratus (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).

After the conclusion of the first day's trade, 173 horses sold of 246 offered (70%) for a gross of €1,367,600. Both the average and the median dropped by 16% and 17%, respectively. The average was €7,906 and the median was €5,000.

The sale continues on Thursday and begins at 10 a.m.

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Vendor Buyback To Royal Ascot Prospect – Gaenari Leaves Dias Dreaming 

While records were being broken at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Sale on Friday, leading breeze-up handler Diego Dias showed that there is always another way to get a horse sold when sending out Gaenari (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}) to finish second in the opening maiden on Guineas weekend. 

It was just over a month ago when Dias was forced to buy back Gaenari after she failed to put in the breeze he felt she was capable of doing. Devoid of any other options, Dias, backed by Star Bloodstock's Matt Eves, threw a set of silks on the filly nobody wanted at Doncaster. 

It looks to be a shrewd move now, given the filly was beaten just a neck by the fast-finishing Joseph O'Brien-trained Nemonte (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) in that six-furlong Curragh maiden. 

Dias and Eves are now dreaming of Royal Ascot with the filly and the Brazilian native says that he hopes to secure a sale before the G2 Queen Mary S. 

“It was almost a dream start,” Dias commented on his first ever runner. “The filly ran really well and was only caught in the last few strides. We brought her to Doncaster but she didn't put in the breeze that we knew she could and then nobody wanted her. She went into the ring and there was absolutely nobody for her–not one bid–so we bought her back for £3,000.”

He added, “We knew she was better than she showed at Doncaster. At the end of the day, horses are not machines and, sometimes they just don't turn up on the day. But on her homework at home, we knew that she had the potential.”

Gaenari was bred by Tally-Ho Stud, who sold the horse at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale for £23,000 to Byron Rogers and Star Bloodstock.

Of course, it is not the first time Eves has thrown a set of silks on a horse, with eagle-eyed observers remembering that it was his light blue and purple colours that were carried initially by Joseph O'Brien's listed winner Lady Penelope (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) a few years ago. 

Dias said, “I bought Gaenari with Byron Rogers at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale for £23,000 off Tally-Ho Stud. We had no other option but to race her and I just appreciate that Matt sent her to me. 

“We were quietly confident that she would run well, even though it looked a good maiden, and I think we will go to Royal Ascot with her now. The Queen Mary would suit her because she is a very quick filly.”

He added, “She could be sold before Royal Ascot. She is for sale and, if someone were to buy half of her and she stay in training with me, that would be the ideal option but we'll see what happens in the next few days.”

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Brocklesby the First Test for British Juveniles

Saturday may be April Fools' Day but there will be no fool's errand for the 17 juveniles charged with getting their racing careers off to a bright start in Britain's traditional turf season opener, the Pertemps Network EBF Brocklesby S.

Love it or loathe it, the Brocklesby carries with it that great sigh of relief from Flat fans that winter is at last over and 'proper racing' can now commence. For the men and women behind the stallions with their first runners this season, it is also an important marker, and four of the 17 runners this year represent three freshman sires.

Magna Grecia (Ire) drew first blood in the first-season sires' title race of 2023 when the Amy Murphy-trained Myconian (Ire) won the Prix du Debut at Saint-Cloud. The 2019 2,000 Guineas winner, whose half-brother St Mark's Basilica (Fr) has since followed him to the Coolmore stallion yard, also features among the sires of the Brocklesby runners, with the Andrew Balding-trained Loaded Gun (Ire) high up in the betting at Doncaster. A half-brother to the dual sprint winner Another Bertie (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), Loaded Gun was bred by Khalid Mishref and Joe Hernon, and is a son of the Cheveley Park Stud-bred mare Temerity (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), won won over seven furlongs at two.

Karl Burke enjoys plenty of success with his juveniles and is represented by Indication Call (Ire), a son of Ballyhane Stud's Soldier's Call (GB), who has had two runners to date in Ireland including Friday's Dundalk runner-up Lightening Army (Ire). Bred by Mcr Bloodstock, Indication Call hails from a family that the trainer knows well, as his dam Queen Elsa (Ire) is a Frozen Power (Ire) half-sister to the Burke-trained G2 Mill Reef S. winner Toocoolforschool (Ire), who is by Soldier's Call's sire Showcasing (GB).

Eyeros (Ire), trained by Stan Moore and bred by Gleann Ard Stud, is another by Soldier's Call in the field and is out of the unraced Aga Khan-bred mare Tildiyna (Ire) (Sinner {Ire}), a grand-daughter of Timarida (Ire) (Kalaglow {Ire}), the winner of three Group 1 races in Ireland, America and Germany, including the Irish Champion S.

Dave Evans will saddle Go To Work (Ire), bred by Tally-Ho Stud, which is also home to his sire Inns Of Court (Ire). The gelding is out of the New Approach (Ire) mare Forgiving Flower (GB), a half-sister to Japanese Grade 3 winner Live Concert (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}) and to the Listed winner Charleston Lady (GB) (Hurricane Run {Ire}).

Tally-Ho Stud is also now home to last year's Brocklesby winner, Persian Force (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who went on to win the G2 July S. and finish runner-up to Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never) in the G1 Prix Morny for Amo Racing. The 2021 winner Chipotle (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) also proved to be a smart and hardy campaigner, winning four times at two for Eve Johnson Houghton, including at Royal Ascot, while arguably the smartest recent winner of them all was The Last Lion (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}), whose busy juvenile campaign of 2016 culminated in victory in the G1 Middle Park S.

Amo Racing also has the favourite for this year's contest in the Starspangledbanner (Aus) colt Valadero (Ire). A €250,000 yearling bred by the Irish National Stud, Valadero is trained by Dominic Ffrench Davis.

“Persian Force was obviously an incredibly special horse who was verging on Group 1 standard,” said Tom Pennington, Amo's racing and operations manager. “Valadero is a very nice colt who has been very straightforward to deal with and his work's been good. I wouldn't say we're confident, but he does go there in very good shape.”

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Blue Point 2-1 Favourite To Land First-Season Sire Honours

Blue Point (Ire) has been installed as the 2-1 favourite to be crowned leading first-season Flat sire in Britain and Ireland by Paddy Power.

Ballyhane Stud's Soldier's Call (GB) has been inserted at 5-2 next best in the betting while Coolmore's Ten Sovereigns (Ire) has been quoted at odds of 3-1. Tally-Ho Stud, responsible for two of the past three champion first-season sires Mehmas (Ire) and Cotai Glory (GB), are represented by 4-1 chance Inns Of Court (Ire). It's 10-1 the field.

Blue Point stands at Kildangan Stud for €35,000 having started off on a fee of €45,000 in 2020. The son of Shamardal was a smart 2-year-old, as he showed when winning the G2 Gimcrack S., but he progressed with age and landed the G1 King's Stand S. and G1 Diamond Jubilee S. in the same week at Royal Ascot as a 5-year-old.

Of the 64 yearlings by Blue Point to sell at public auction last season, they averaged just over €100,000, and included a €420,000 filly bought by MV Magnier from Mountain View Stud at the Goffs Orby Sale.

Soldier's Call has been hotly-tipped to get off to a fast start with his juvenile runners this year. A speedball of a 2-year-old himself, Soldier's Call won the Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot, and the G2 Flying Childers S. at Doncaster before running an excellent third, beaten just a neck against hardened sprinters, in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye at ParisLongchamp.

Speaking to TDN Europe at the recent Irish Thoroughbred Stallion Trail, Ballyhane boss Joe Foley nominated two juveniles to follow from the stallion who stands for €7,5000 at the County Carlow outfit.

Foley said, “We're proud to have Soldier's Call. We're happy with him and we're looking forward to seeing his progeny race and I am sure every other stallion man is looking forward to their stallion's progeny race as well. All will be revealed at the end of the year.”

“There is a colt out of Alicia Darcy (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}), who was a good race filly, and he has gone to Karl Burke. He's beautiful and everybody loves him. He's one we'd be keen on.”

He added, “There's a colt out of Rush (GB) (Compton Place {GB}), who Kevin Blake bred, who we bought at Doncaster for £105,000. He's a really good-looking, chunky 2-year-old and everyone loves him as well. He's gone to Archie Watson. They'd be the two I'd pick but I'm sure I've missed the best one.”

Invincible Army (Ire) was subject to similarly bullish reports on the Stallion Trail, with Rob O'Callaghan saying that he had every confidence in the Yeomanstown-based sire this year. However, Paddy Power have largely ignored Invincible Army's claims by pricing him up at 25-1.

O'Callaghan said, “We're very confident with Invincible Army. He's got great stock coming through and has a lot going for him with over 130 2-year-olds this year. They are well-bred horses and they've got the strength, the action and they have gone to the right homes as well. Karl Burke, Richard Hannon, Ger Lyons, Richard Fahey and Clive Cox have all bought yearlings by him and he's got as good a chance of any of the first-season sires to make a big impression this year. You've got to remember that he was a top-class racehorse and was a group winner at two, three and four.”

Too Darn Hot, the unbeaten and champion 2-year-old in 2018, who won the G1 Dewhurst S. for John Gosden, can also be backed at double-figure odds with Paddy Power offering 14-1. If there is a lurker in the betting, it may well be Highclere Stud's Land Force at odds of 10-1, whose yearlings sold well last year.

Not only did Shadwell pick up a couple of fillies by the impeccably-bred G2 Richmond S. winner from Book 2 at Newmarket, but Richard Knight also paid 180,000gns for a colt out of Book 1 by the stallion who averaged over €30,000 with his yearlings last year.

Paddy Power are clearly erring on the side of caution with the 4-1 quoted about Inns Of Court, and rightly so, given Tally-Ho's track record in this sphere.

The son of Invincible Spirit (Ire), who stands at €5,000, went down well at the yearling sales last year, averaging just over €30,000 for the 116 that were sold.

Paul Binfield, spokesman for the betting firm, said, “It's a little early to say where the money's going as we've only just priced it up, but it will be fascinating to find out which of the sires attract interest.

“We price it up on which yard the horse came from, their stud fee-trying to get the right mix between quality and price, the number of mares covered and also the sire's pedigree themselves.

“We've installed Blue Point as the favourite this year as Godolphin are renowned for farming their own horses so our traders felt that he was the right choice to head the market, but as I mentioned earlier, let's see where that money goes.”

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