Irish Stallion Trail | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘He’s The New Kid On The Block’ – Bolger Backs Mac Swiney To Be A Hit

Jim Bolger has encouraged breeders and racing fans alike to pay a visit to his Classic-winning homebred Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) at the Irish National Stud and promised 'they won't be disappointed' by what they see.

The two-day Irish Stallion Trail kicks off on Friday and Bolger is backing Mac Swiney to go down a bomb. The legendary trainer also revealed that he plans on supporting the Group 1-winning two-year-old and Irish 2,000 Guineas hero with 20 mares in his first season at stud.

Bolger said, “He's the new kid on the block and he'll be a big attraction. Anybody who goes and sees him on the Irish Stallion Trail, they definitely won't be disappointed.”

He added, “I've 20 mares lined up for Mac Swiney. He's a very meaningful horse to us. We knew from the time he arrived here first that he was special. He's such a good looker. He looked like a real one even from the time he was foaled. Looks-wise, he never disappointed and I'd be very disappointed if he didn't go down well.”

Mac Swiney showed top-class form as a juvenile by taking out the G1 Futurity S. on his final start at two. He built on that promise at three when taking the scalp of his stablemate Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) in the Irish 2,000 Guineas before finishing an honourable third in the G1 British Champion S. over 10 furlongs later that season.

With that in mind, Bolger says he is confident that Mac Swiney can appeal to every facet of the market and that he is fairly priced at an opening fee of €8,000.

Bolger explained, “The sprinter/miler types are the ones that are most sought after in the sales ring and Mac Swiney falls into that category being a Group 1 winner at two and a Classic-winning miler at three. I'd be confident that that's the way he will be viewed. If that is the case, I think he'll go very well at stud. I think he's great value and I wouldn't have it otherwise because breeders, now more so than ever, deserve a break. I think he's proper value at that money.”

He added, “Along with his top performances at two and three, he's a great looker with the most wonderful temperament. They are going to find it very easy to manage him at the Irish National Stud.”

It didn't always appear likely that Mac Swiney would be available for Irish or even European breeders. Bolger revealed that there were offers, one in particular to abroad which piqued interests, but in the end, a deal was brokered with the Irish National Stud where Mac Swiney will stand alongside fellow Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Phoenix Of Spain (Ire), Invincible Spirit (Ire), Lucky Vega (Ire), Nando Parado (GB), Equiano (Fr) and Elusive Pimpernel.

Bolger said, “I got a very good offer from abroad and he nearly went away but I wasn't happy about it. Ken [Bolger], my nephew who runs Redmonstown Stud, approached the Irish National Stud and they had a deal wrapped up fairly quickly.”

Mac Swiney's dam Halle Na Saoire (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) is a full-sister to the Group 2 winner Light Heavy (Ire) and he represents a family that Bolger has been involved with since 1994. Amoura (Northfields), then an 11-year-old mare who had produced seven foals and just one winner at the time, was snapped up by Bolger for just $5,000 at Keeneland.

She would go on to breed Siamsa (Quest For Fame {GB}), the dam of Light Heavy, but more importantly, Halla Na Saoire (Ire), who went on to produce Mac Swiney.

Not only that, but Halla Na Saoire is also by one of Bolger's most famous homebreds, Teofilo (Ire), so you could say this latest Classic-winning stallion prospect is a Bolger special in every sense of the word.

He concluded, “It's a family that started out with the Aga Khan followed by Prince Khalid Abdullah and now it's the Irish National Stud and myself. It's very exciting to see him off to stud and I'm confident that he will go down very well.”

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Hitch Your Wagon for the Stallion Trails

There is an undertone of negativity surrounding horseracing these days, almost all of which is generated by its participants and followers, and greatly exacerbated by the increasingly unpleasant arena that is social media. Where once Twitter was fun and we all gained excellent insight into trainers' yards and, for some, their sense of humour, now X marks the spot at which we should perhaps consciously uncouple from twits and trolls.

Let's get out more. And where better to start than by hitching a ride on the stallion trails? This Friday marks the tenth anniversary of the two-day ITM Irish Stallion Trail which was started in response to the rising popularity of Normandy's La Route des Etalons, which made its debut in 2011 and this year takes place on January 20 and 21.

A recent house move by my old Pacemaker boss Julian Muscat meant that I was gifted a huge pile of Stud & Stable magazines dating back to the 1960s. I've always held firmly to the belief that time spent reading is never time wasted, and only daily deadlines have dragged me away from this pile which has so far been a source of delight and education in equal measure. After all, the best way to avoid present unpleasantness is to bury oneself in the past. It's not only a great diversion, but also a reminder that the problems we face now are not that much different to those faced 50 or 100 years ago. Open up any edition of the Bloodstock Breeders' Review and you're likely to find someone bemoaning the fact that stallions are covering too many mares, though too many 50 years ago was 60 instead of 40. There may well be some grave-spinning at the current book sizes.

In the May 1968 edition of Stud & Stable, at the price of seven shillings and sixpence and with a rather nice cover painting of Lord Leverhulme on a hunter surrounded by mares and a lurcher, there can be found a report by Michael Ross on what was perhaps the first unofficial 'route des etalons'. Ross's tour of Normandy was a bit more of a beano than this correspondent's has been in recent years. He spent a whole week driving around with two pals, visiting 32 studs and inspecting 66 stallions. Impressive.

Some of those mentioned are now no longer in operation as Thoroughbred studs but, comfortingly, a good number of them live on. We hear of Mme Couturié's Haras du Mesnil, where the French Guineas winner Blue Tom (Fr) had recently taken up duties alongside the farm's most famous resident and fellow Classic winner, Right Royal (Fr). These days, Couturié's grandson Henri Devin and his wife Antonia keep the Mesnil name in lights and they have recently taken charge of the G1 Champion S. winner Bay Bridge (GB) to stand alongside the popular Doctor Dino (Fr).

Ross also calls in at Haras de Mortrée, which he describes as “one of the principal vendors at Deauville each year”. He is shown around by the young stud manager Antoine Bozo. Sound familiar? Bozo, who later managed Haras du Mézeray and died in 2020 at the age of 83, was the father of Henri Bozo of Ecurie des Monceaux, which can also be described as one of the principal vendors at Deauville each year.

I can almost hear you thinking “get to the point”, so let's try. This Friday and Saturday 37 farms in Ireland will throw open their doors to visitors, with 156 stallions on show, from the properly established to the up-and-coming, and of course the latest intake, which includes Paddington (GB), Good Guess (GB), Pyledriver (GB) and Native Trail (GB). If you've missed Authorized (Ire), sire of the wonderful Tiger Roll (Ire), since he left Britain for France then Turkey, he has recently been repatriated to the land of his birth and you can call in to see him at Capital Stud, one of Ireland's newest stallion operations.

It is certainly worth checking out the informative Irish Stallion Trail pages on the ITM website to plan your route. Registration is suggested, and is compulsory for visitors to Coolmore, and not all studs are open both days. You will find opening hours under the listing for each stud.

They say that there is no point getting older if you don't get a little wiser. I don't have an abundance of wisdom to impart generally but as a veteran of stallion trails I would say that less is more (and by that I don't necessarily mean when it comes to the generous hospitality on offer).

When these initiatives first started I took the view that I had to try to see as many studs as possible all in one weekend. Big mistake. Approach this weekend as if it's merely part one: you can always return next year. Study the map and try to pick a few within reasonable proximity to each other so you can properly appreciate not just the stallions, but also the farms and their surrounding countryside, chatting with fellow visitors, and of course the aforementioned hospitality.

In previous years I have toured with Nancy Sexton in Ireland and Alix Choppin in France, and far be it from me to question my dear friends' navigation skills but we spent an awful lot of time attempting to find Ballylinch Stud and Haras de Bonneval respectively. Let's just say we had them surrounded.

The time wasted negotiating three-point turns in country lanes in Co Kilkenny in particular happened to be in the year that the stallion trail coincided with the Bacchanalian gathering otherwise known as the ITBA Awards. The long hours on the road, culminating in a dram or two of Maurice Burns's whiskey during our last port of call at Rathasker Stud, meant a shamefully early departure from the dance floor, though in our defence the dancing at the ITBA Awards never really starts until the wee small hours at the earliest.

If you manage to see Workforce (GB), Waldgeist (GB) and Sottsass (Fr) in Ireland this weekend, in France a week later you can view the latest winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Ace Impact (Ire), who drew plenty of visitors during Arqana's Breeding Stock Sale in early December. He is the most expensive new stallion in the country and is bound to ensure that Haras de Beaumont remains busy during the route des etalons, which includes 20 studs and 97 stallions.

The French TBA has compiled another excellent website with a full list of farms and stallions, as well as that all-important map. Depending on which studs you would like to visit there is often quite a bit of driving to be done, but even in gloomy January a tour through Calvados country and beyond does wonders to lift the spirits.

Back on that first official route des etalons in 2011, Elusive City topped France's list of stallions at a covering fee of €15,000. It is not simply this initiative which has helped to revive the French breeding industry, though it is easy to believe that it has helped. That was also the first year Siyouni (Fr) stood on the Aga Khan Studs roster, at an introductory fee of €7,000. Now he's top of the pops and commands the lofty nomination price of €200,000. They were shrewd breeders who backed him in the early days.

Guessing who will follow in his wake is all part of the fun of being involved in the breeding industry. So let's leave the naysayers to their doom-scrolling and take to the great outdoors to see if we can narrow it down ourselves with some important research on the stallion trails.

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Irish Farms Set To Participate In ITM Irish Stallion Trail

Better than 30 stallion farms in Ireland are set to greet the public during Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM)'s Irish Stallion Trail, to be staged Friday and Saturday, Jan. 13 and 14, 2023. The Trail was limited to the breeding industry only in 2022 due to COVID-19, but will offer breeders, racing professionals, and racing fans the opportunity to view some of the world's leading Flat and National Hunt stallions at Ireland's outstanding thoroughbred breeding facilities free of any restrictions.

“We are delighted that the ITM Irish Stallion Trail will once again be able to operate without any restrictions in 2023,” said ITM's Charles O'Neill. “From Cheltenham to Royal Ascot or the Breeders' Cup, Irish-bred horses have again flown the flag for our world-class industry in 2022.

“A great deal of this success can be traced back to Ireland's stellar stallions and the farms that handle them so expertly. We encourage breeders and other interested parties to get the Trail dates in the diary and support our hugely valuable thoroughbred breeding industry.”

Free to the public, visitors are requested to register which studs they intend to visit via the ITM website. Due to demand, it is imperative to register for a specific date and time slot if visiting Coolmore.

Click here for further information and to register. Further farms wishing to participate in the Stallion Trail may contact Alex Cairns at acairns@itm.ie or by phone on +353 (0) 877915690.

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Irish Breeders Back On The Stallion Trail

Having taken place as a virtual event last year when played out solely on social media, the ITM Irish Stallion Trail returned by popular demand this week, though attendance was limited to those directly involved in the breeding industry.

As a seasoned trail-hopper who has partaken in each event since its inception seven years ago, my preferred modus operandi in order to see as many stallions as possible is to be at Coolmore Stud for the opening 10 a.m. show and make my way back towards Dublin from there via the likes of Ballylinch Stud, Kildangan Stud and hopefully one or two more along the way.

This was the first year of the trail when the mighty Galileo (Ire) was sadly not available for photo opportunities at Coolmore, but life goes on and his loss leaves the door ajar for a young pretender to fill his admittedly giant shoes. While Galileo fitted seamlessly into the previous void left at Coolmore when Sadler's Wells came to the end of his reign, it is not easy to predict who may step up to the plate next. One contender is undoubtedly Coolmore's star signing for 2022, St Mark's Basilica (Fr), who has all the credentials to make a serious impact at stud. The son of the increasingly influential Siyouni (Fr) had an exemplary race record, winning the G1 Dewhurst S. at two and then progressing into a brilliant 3-year-old, landing a fabulous Group 1 four-timer consisting of the French 2000 Guineas and French Derby, the Eclipse and the Irish Champion S. He is also a half-brother to 2000 Guineas winner Magna Grecia (Ire), another young stallion who is seeking to make the breakthrough on the Coolmore roster.

Despite being quite an established stallion, Wootton Bassett (GB)–the most expensive sire on the Coolmore roster at €150,000–is quite new to Tipperary, embarking on just his second season covering in Ireland and despite a significant fee hike, Coolmore's Jason Walsh said there is no shortage of interest from breeders in the son of Iffraaj (GB).

“Wootton Bassett covered over 200 mares last year which is impressive given his fee was €100,000, and even after it has been raised again there is still huge demand for the horse this year,” Walsh said. “He is very exciting given what he achieved in France and even since we acquired him his reputation has been enhanced.”

No Nay Never, the second-most expensive horse on the roster at €125,000 and described by Walsh as “a bit of a boyo” was not on parade, rather being happier in his daily routine of looking on from his paddock. Another of the senior team, Australia (GB), doesn't in any way resemble the slight, almost gawky teenager that won two Derbys back in 2014. The years in between have seen him mature into a formidable and impressive beast.

Of the younger Coolmore squad on show, Saxon Warrior (Jpn)'s first 2-year-olds will be making their debuts in the coming months and based on the average price of the son of Deep Impact (Jpn)'s yearlings last autumn, it would be fair to say the market expects his progeny to be smart. However, his colleague over at Castlehyde Stud, Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy), is a strong favourite to be crowned leading first-season sire in 2022, owing mostly to his own precocity and the sheer number of 2-year-olds he has to represent him this year.

Coolmore have two sons of Siyouni at stud, the elder one being 2020 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr), and having not had a chance to see him last year the general consensus is that he has developed exceptionally well since his retirement from racing. For good measure, the first foal by Sottsass arrived the same day with the birth of a filly foal in Ecurie des Monceaux, bred by the Roth family's LNJ Foxwoods.

When one adds in the likes of Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Galileo's sons Churchill (Ire) and Circus Maximus (Ire), there is certainly a broad range of sire lines available to breeders.

Ballylinch Stud has no new names for 2022 but it's hard to drive by and not call in for a look at Lope De Vega (Ire) and his barnmates. Not many stallions can lay claim to their progeny being highly sought after in Europe, Australia and America but such is the boast of Lope De Vega, whose panther-like walk is still just as striking as his overall physique. Ballylinch's Eoin Fives said that he will cover in the region of 160 mares this year and given the quality of those partners, the 15-year-old's best years on the track may well be in front of him.

The nominations team at Ballylinch has the first world problem of turning down mares for New Bay (GB) as his success with his first few crops sees him massively oversubscribed for 2022. Make Believe (GB), meanwhile, has a chance of being part of a little bit of history as his son Mishriff (Ire) has a solid chance of becoming the highest-earning racehorse in history should he make it back-to-back wins in the Saudi Cup next month. The Ballylinch quartet is completed by Arc winner Waldgeist (GB), whose first foals last year averaged £51,346 at the sales having been conceived from a €17,500 covering fee.

With hospitality limited to coffee trucks and pastries for obvious reasons, something a little more substantial was required to see me through the day, so the toasted special in the Lord Bagenal in Leighlinbridge seemed the wisest move. From that hotel bar one could almost shout up to Joe Foley in Ballyhane Stud to signal one's imminent arrival, such is the farm's proximity to the village, and I joined bloodstock agents Barry Lynch and Harriet Jellett to view Dandy Man (Ire) et al.

Foley was rubbing his hands at the thought of Dandy Man's 2022 crop of 2-year-old hitting the tracks, such is the quality he saw at last year's yearling sales.

“I have unbelievable faith in this horse,” Foley said. “I can't wait for the flat season as I think Dandy Man is set for a huge year. Every year he comes up with several high-class horses but I think he could bring it to a new level this year.”

Things could be about to heat up for Elzaam (Aus) also after a few fillies put in performances late in 2021 that suggest they could be a force in some top races this year. The Paddy Twomey-trained Limiti Di Grecio (Ire) has the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas in her crosshairs after a deeply impressive win in a listed race at The Curragh in October, while Henry De Bromhead has stakes aspirations for Star Girls Aalmal (Ire) after she bolted up in a maiden in Dundalk in November.

“Elzaam must be one of the best value sires in Ireland at €5,000,” Foley said. “He has already sired a Group 1 winner and there could well be another one this year such is the regard Paddy [Twomey] holds his filly in.”

Foley noted that Elzaam's fourth dam, Hurry Harriet, was a great mare trained just down the road from Ballyhane by the late Paddy Mullins to win the Champion S. at Newmarket in 1973. Ballyhane is also home to Group 1-winning sprinter Sands Of Mali (Fr), and being such an impressive physical specimen it's no surprise that he covered 152 mares in his first season last year. Meanwhile Soldier's Call (GB), who was bought by Foley as a yearling for his good friend Steve Parkin, made a good start with his first foals last year with a top price of 100,000gns.

Last stop of the day was Kildangan Stud, where rookie stallion Space Blues (Ire) joins a top-class team that includes the likes of the upwardly mobile Night Of Thunder (Ire) and the exciting younger brigade of Ghaiyyath (Ire), Blue Point (Ire), Earthlight (Ire) and Profitable (Ire). Having Dubawi (Ire) as his own sire already gives Space Blues a bit of a headstart but if he can pass on to his sons and daughters the versatility and electric turn of foot that saw him swoop to victory in the G1 Prix de la Foret on heavy ground and the GI Breeders' Cup Mile on firm ground then he will surely make a significant impact at stud.

Ghaiyyath was a monster on the track and is also a monster in the flesh but a handsome one at that, and with his pedigree and athletic ability his fee of €25,000 seems great value. Profitable (Ire) meanwhile has matured into a powerhouse of a stallion and while he set his own bar quite high by producing G2 Queen Mary S. winner Quick Suzy (Ire) in his first crop, you wouldn't bet against him adding another Royal winner to his resume this year.

Having enjoyed seeing admittedly only a small sample size of Ireland's top stallions in some rare January sunshine, it's worth mentioning how well and naturally healthy each horse looked, and that is testament to the care, attention and horsemanship that is available to these horses which in turn enables them to achieve their maximum potential and to sow the seeds for this great sport.

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