Announcing the new breeze-up sale, Goffs chief executive Henry Beeby, said, “We are thrilled that Naas Racecourse has agreed to host the trackwork to enable this exciting new breeze-up sale in Ireland. We look forward to collaborating with the Naas team to deliver a successful breeze-up where horses and clients will benefit from the world class facilities at both Naas and Kildare Paddocks.

“Vendors have petitioned Goffs to stage an Irish breeze-up for some time, and the timing of this new sale, coming slightly later in the season, has been widely welcomed in our discussions with vendors. The early June dates will allow additional time for sales preparation while it falls early enough in the Flat calendar to ensure strong demand for quality, ready to run two-year-olds.”

Dermot Cantillon, chairman of Naas Racecourse, added, “The Naas Racecourse philosophy is to facilitate the racing and the bloodstock industry when and where we can. This relationship with Goffs to support the breeze-up sector is another manifestation of this ongoing commitment.”

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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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The aim of the survey is to hear the views of all those involved in Thoroughbred breeding and sales on subjects like selling in Ireland, the IRE Incentive, and Brexit. The survey is anonymous and should take less than 10 minutes to complete. The survey, which will remain open until early October 2023, is available here.

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The most recent Irish EBF Barrier Trials, held at Naas Racecourse in May, have already produced multiple winners, including Royal Ascot winner Snellen (Ire) (Expert Eye {GB}), listed winner Warnie (Ire) (Highland Root {Ire}), group-placed Mythology (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), and multiple winner Lexington Belle (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}).

The Trials, backed by the Irish EBF and the IHRB, are recorded, timed, and made available to view online shortly after running on the ITM website and social media. A live stream will also be in operation on the ITM YouTube channel.
For more information and to make an entry visit the ITM website.

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The day's feature race will be the Listed IRE Incentive It Pays To Buy Irish Rose Bowl S. for 2-year-olds. Three additional juvenile races on the card will also be included in the ITM IRE Incentive scheme. Should the winner of any 2-year-old race on the day be Irish-bred and foal levy compliant, the winning owner will receive a €10,000 sales bonus, which can be redeemed against other Irish-bred and foal levy compliant horses at any Irish sale. To date, over €2.5 million in IRE Incentive bonuses has been paid out to over 200 individual owners. For more details, please visit the ITM website.

ITM CEO Charles O'Neill said, “With nine scheme races across Ireland and Britain this weekend, we are hoping for a bonus bonanza. To award nine individual owners with bonuses ahead of the Irish yearling sales beginning this September would be the dream. The scheme is proving very popular, with British and Irish trainers targeting IRE Incentive races with a view to winning a bonus or two in time for this year's Irish yearling sales.”

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The trials, restricted to unraced juveniles and 3-year-olds, are operated by Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM) and backed by the Irish European Breeders' Fund (IEBF) and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB). The 2023 edition will be back on turf for the first time since 2019, and all the trials will be conducted over six and seven furlongs. Notable graduates of the trials include Group 1 winner A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) and Group 3 winner Caroline Street (No Nay Never).

All of the trials are recorded, timed, and made available to view online shortly after their running on the ITM website and social media. In addition, there will also be a live steam of the trials on the ITM YouTube channel. For more information, please visit the ITM website.

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For many of those agents, the trip will represent a maiden voyage, but not Bromagen, who has navigated these waters four times in the past and describes the Orby Sale as one of the first dates he pencils into his diary each year. 

Bromagen said, “I have been beating the drum about this sale for years. I know there is a lot of American interest and, between Irish Thoroughbred Marketing and Goffs, they have done an incredible job in promoting the Orby and recruiting buyers.

“I think there is a lot of value to be had at the Orby and, over the past few years, I found horses that really suited what I was trying to do for less money than I thought I would have to give. I feel really confident about the horses I buy and at the prices I have to buy them at.”

He added, “I don't work for ITM or Goffs but I have been telling everyone I know that you can find value at this sale. I would say there are between 50 to 60 American interests coming over this week when, in years past, there would have been about 25 or 30. I don't know if we are going to take over, because the Irish are very strong and there will be other European buyers, but we are going to make a run at it.”

The strength of the dollar at present, paired with the huge recruitment drive run by Goffs and ITM, means that familiar faces like Ben McElroy, Kenny McPeek and Justin Casse, all of whom have made a major impact at the Orby Sale in recent years, will face stiff competition from their fellow countrymen as well as the European and Middle Eastern market. 

Despite the added competition, Bromagen is confident that there will still be value on offer at Goffs this week. 

He said, “Being an international bloodstock agent gives me the opportunity to attend sales like this around the world and, let me tell you, the Orby Sale is at the top of my list every single year. 

“Obviously it depends on the clients that you have, and I know Kenny McPeek went over and spent a million dollars on a Frankel (GB) horse last year. I don't have that budget, but no matter what you are looking for, be that price, distance or pedigree, there is value at all levels. That's the beauty of the Orby Sale.”

Bromagen signed for a Gleneagles filly for €90,000 that was consigned by Eddie O'Leary's Lynn Lodge Stud at last year's sale. He revealed that the juvenile is in training with Rusty Arnold and added that the Irish method in preparing yearlings for the sales is a huge draw. 

He said, “We bought a Gleneagles (Ire) filly last year. We tried on a couple more but got out-bid. We're going to try and go a little stronger this year as a result. I love the Gleneagles. She's in training with Rusty Arnold and we're going to try and make her first start up at Keeneland. 

“The Keeneland sale has become a commercial monster. There are so many horses in that sale and the majority of them will be looking as well as they ever will in their life. They are show ready. I think at the Orby, a lot of what goes on there is just natural old school horsemanship which translates into the quality product that you see in front of you. You know what you are getting and you can feel good about it.”

On his approach to the sale, he added, “I like to see some speed in the pedigree for the horses I will be bringing back home to America because I think that translates well to our races. That's just my personal preference as, in American turf races, you need that quick-fire turn of pace towards the end of the race. When you're trying to catch up with guys like Chad [Brown], you've got to have something that can kick!”

Along with some partners, Bromagen is hoping to secure up to three yearlings this week and suggested some of the group's acquisitions could stay in training in Ireland, although discussions as to who would train for them have not been had.

He said, “We put together some money as a group and we hope to buy two or three this week. We might even leave one or two over here, re-sell as 2-year-olds or even put them in training, we haven't fully decided. 

“We'll see what shakes and I'm excited. We're looking to do some business and expand in this market. If it was up to me, I'd race everything we buy but to stay in this business, you've got to turn a profit every now and again so we'll have to see how it plays out. There are a lot of quality trainers in Ireland.”

According to Bromagen, this week marks the beginning of a busy few weeks for many of the American-based agents, who will also be in attendance at Tattersalls next week. 

He explained, “This trip has developed into something of a European tour. There's myself and a group of guys who come over and work the Orby really hard and, after that, we'll go on to France for the Arc. 

“We get to be fans of racing for these few weeks and remember what we got into this game for. A lot of guys will be heading to Tattersalls in between, and I'd certainly love to be able to go to as many sales as I can in Europe, but it's just a matter of trying to schedule them all in.”

But when it comes to the Orby, nothing will get in Bromagen's way from attending. 

“I've been to the Orby Sale four times now and, if possible, I'm going to keep coming back for the rest of my life. It's so much fun. The horses are the main thing, and you can find some real athletes at a great price, but the people in Ireland make you want to come back every year. It's a sale I put into my calender at the start of every single year and I have been looking forward to this week for such a long time.”

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Alex Cairns, ITM Scandinavian Representative, said, “ITM are thrilled to expand our sponsorship portfolio in Scandinavia to include such a prestigious race as the Danish Oaks. We have fostered close relations with our Scandinavian friends and are always delighted to welcome them to Ireland for sales and other visits. By partnering with Klampenborg Galopbane we hope to consolidate our Scandinavian connection and assist more Scandinavian racing professionals in sourcing their success on Irish shores.”

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Trials are available to view on the ITM website and social media: https://bit.ly/3wD4AZd. A live stream is also available on the ITM YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2FZ9FG7.

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The post Entries Close on Monday For Sept. 13 Irish EBF Barrier Trials appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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