John Bourke | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘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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“No-brainer” To Offer Classic Winner At Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Says Cachet Team

Connections of Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) have described it as “a no-brainer” to offer the 1,000 Guineas heroine for sale at the Sceptre Sessions as part of the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls given how strong trade was at the corresponding sale 12 months ago.

Not only did Cachet provide Highclere Racing and trainer George Boughey with a breakthrough domestic Classic success when storming to 1,000 Guineas glory at Newmarket last year, but she also followed up on that effort by running out a gutsy second to Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the French edition.

Cachet was famously bought by Jake Warren on behalf of Highclere for just 60,000gns at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale. Warren's uncle Harry Herbert, who manages the successful ownership vehicle, recalled, “It all began at the breeze-up sales. Jake was absolutely mad about Cachet–she was the one he absolutely wanted to buy.

“When the hammer came down at 60,000gns, we were over the moon. We heard afterwards that George Boughey was the underbidder so we went to George and said, 'why don't you train her?'”

He added, “It was early days for George and I wanted to have a horse or two with him. This gorgeous filly turned out to be Highclere's first domestic Classic winner. It's been an incredible story because she's such a brave, courageous filly who really wants to do it.”

It was John Bourke of Hyde Park Stud who bred Cachet. In fact, Bourke sniffed out one of the bargains of the century by snapping up Cachet's dam Poyle Sophie (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) for just 3,000gns at the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls in 2018.

Little did he know then that Poyle Sophie was carrying what would turn out to be the 2022 1,000 Guineas winner and Herbert remembers what that day meant to the Highclere team.

He said, “My god it was a long last furlong–it was agony! All of the family were there and they were screaming her home. What a day. It was wonderful for George to train his first Classic winner and for Jake, who has inherited his father's [John] brilliant eye to buy a filly that could win a Classic for 60,000gns is absolutely remarkable. A wonderful day.”

Herbert's sentiments were echoed by Warren, who said, “It was wonderful. In my uncle's silks, having found a filly for him to win a Classic was absolutely incredible. My children were there, my parents were there, it was just a very special day. She did us so proud and is an amazing filly.”

Thoughts now turn to offering Cachet at the Sceptre Sessions, where she is sure to command plenty of attention from some of the top breeders around the world. According to Herbert, there was no better place to sell the Classic winner than at Tattersalls in December, given all of the top buyers around the world make that sale a must visit each year.

Herbert said, “It was a no-brainer, really. We saw Classic winners and Group 1 winners make significant sums of money here last year and we've always sold our top fillies at this sale. The world comes to this sale. It is the most significant European sale of mares. A Classic winner heading to the sales is a rarity so hopefully she'll stand out from the crowd.”

Warren went on to explain how he felt Cachet, being a daughter of Aclaim and granddaughter of Acclamation (GB), represented a perfect outcross to visit all of the top stallions around the world before outlining his hopes that the major breeders were as enamored with the filly as he was when he first clapped eyes on her.

He said, “The most important aspect of her pedigree is that she's an outcross for all the top stallions in the world. You can't find a stallion that she can't visit being a granddaughter of Acclamation.

“Her physical attributes are exactly what you'd like to see in a broodmare prospect. She stands over a lot of ground and has a great important frame with beautiful looks about her. She really is outstanding and is something, I hope, that breeders around the world will look at with great envy and be hoping to acquire for their broodmare bands.”

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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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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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