Tag: John Camilleri

Sounds Of Heaven Prevails In York Thriller

Craig Bernick and John Camilleri's 3-year-old filly Sounds Of Heaven (GB) (Kingman {GB}–Ring The Bell {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) did not have the benefit of an early-season outing heading into Friday's Listed Oaks Farm Stables Fillies' S. at York, but that was of little consequence as she found plentiful reserves at the business end of a thrilling renewal to emerge with a career high.

The Jessica Harrington trainee shaped with promise when posting a debut fourth at Gowran Park in September and shed maiden status going one mile at Leopardstown the following month when last seen. Sounds Of Heaven was swiftly into stride and found a smooth rhythm in second through halfway. Racing on the bridle for much of the long straight, the 14-1 chance was nudged to the fore approaching the final furlong and was driven out in the latter stages to deny 'TDN Rising Star' Queen For You (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) by a short-head in a three-way photograph. Godolphin's Silver Lady (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) played her part in a pulsating finale and finished a neck further adrift in third.

Sounds Of Heaven is the leading performer produced by a daughter of G2 Prix du Gros-Chene victrix Beauty Is Truth (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), herself the dam of four pattern-race winners headed by G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Hermosa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and G1 Matron S. victrix Hydrangea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1 Ranvet S. winner The United States (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The February-foaled bay is a half-sister to Listed Cairn Rouge S. placegetter Voice Of Angels (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and a 2-year-old colt by Dubawi (Ire).

The post Sounds Of Heaven Prevails In York Thriller appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

James Harron Q&A: ‘Foxwedge Really Got Things Going For Me’

James Harron is one of the most respected operators of his craft internationally. Based in Australia, the native of Northern Ireland credits Gai Waterhouse, agent George Smith and Winx (Aus)'s breeder John Camilleri of Fairway Thoroughbreds as being some of the key influences in his career.

   Foxwedge (Aus) is the horse who got the ball rolling for Harron Down Under. He sourced the high-class sprinter-turned-stallion as a yearling and, from there, refined the art of making stallions on a commercial level through colt partnerships.

   It's a little under 10 years ago when Harron secured the backing of a team of investors who purchase 10 to 15 yearlings every year with a view to blooding them into stallion prospects through success on the racetrack. 'TDN Rising Star' and subsequent G1 Golden Slipper hero Capitalist (Aus) and King's Legacy (Aus) are graduates of this hugely successful system.

   Portfolio management and filly partnerships are also listed among the services he manages under the banner of James Harron Bloodstock and, as one of the slot holders in The Everest, he has won the race with Redzel (Aus) in 2017 and again this year with Giga Kick (Aus).

   Harron also manages a number broodmare bands, including Morningside Stud, who he purchased a mare on behalf of at Fasig-Tipton last week. He then sat down with Brian Sheerin at Keeneland to discuss his career in bloodstock and the benefits that come with being based in Australia for this week's Q&A.

 

Brian Sheerin: Tell us a bit about your background.

James Harron: I've worked with horses most of my life. I spent my school holidays down in Coolmore in Tipperary, rode out for a few different National Hunt trainers and eventually I went to Enniskillen College. From there, I went to Paul Shanahan and then went to Australia for a three-month stint doing the yearling sales for Coolmore at Inglis. After that, I went to Gai Waterhouse for a week's work experience and that turned into a year. That was the start of me in Australia as I just fell in love with the place.

I also spent some time with Coolmore Australia and in a sales role with Hubie de Burgh. We travelled to a lot of different countries, including extensively in Australia, so that allowed me to pick up a really good client in the Batemans who allowed me to buy them some yearlings. We struck it off with a good colt in Foxwedge and one of their foundation mares in Satin Shoes (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}. That really gave me a launching pad so I went out on my own. I'm coming up on 11 years trading on my own but it feels like 40 years!

 

BS: What are the main advantages to trading in Australia?

JH: It's a very exciting marketplace but it was very different 10 years ago or 12 years ago. There is a huge level of interest among the general public and racing is a part of their culture. I just felt that it was very much an untapped market and agents weren't really a big thing when I came here whereas in Europe there were so many. In Australia, the trainers were buying all of their own horses or else their owners were, so the opportunity looked good. I just enjoy the atmosphere in Australia and the way that they do business. They are very amenable to giving a young person a start. It's part of their psyche, they want to give young people an opportunity. It has come together well and we have evolved as a business in terms of where we are focussing on. One of the biggest things that I am proud of is that we have pretty much got the exact same clients with us now as we did in the beginning. That means a lot. On top of that, our key staff Anna Ryan and Stephen Heath, have been with us from the start.

 

BS: You are recognised as one of the best judges of a yearling in the business. How did you get to where you are now?

JH: I was fortunate to be around the right people and was always listening and learning. Where things really clicked into place for me was when I was working with Gai Waterhouse. She had an agent, George Smith, who has had an incredible record over the years. He was fantastic to learn from. We would go around doing all of the pre inspections for Gai and he would write all of his notes by hand. I would then type up all of his notes into the computer system so that we had it all set up for Gai. We would sit there in the evenings having a few beers and he'd ask me, 'what's my rating on this or that,' and it really sunk in. He was amazing with his time and that was the time when things started coming together for me and dots began to get connected. You never stop learning and listening from the trainers to get feedback on all of the horses and try to refine it. The minute you think you are getting better at this job, you have a bad year–that's the game.

 

BS: It's one thing to have practical knowledge and another to make the shrewd business moves, which you have clearly done. Who was it that influenced you on that side of things?

JH: I have always enjoyed the business side of things. I have some great people around me, including clients of the agency, who are great people to learn from and I am able to bounce different things off them. Without singling too many people out, but John Camilleri has been a fantastic friend and mentor. It's a matter of identifying where you want to be in this industry and acknowledging what your strengths are within it. Most importantly, you need to know what people want out of your business and that was the biggest thing we wanted to identify. We tried to make it sensible for people to race horses and to give them an opportunity not to be just paying out bills but to put some form of a structure in place so that people could race horses in a somewhat commercially viable way.

 

BS: And what are the services that you provide and how have you developed your business in Australia?

JH: From an early stage, we wanted to work with the trainers and manage the horses on behalf of the owners throughout the whole process. We identified who we believed to be the best breakers, pre-trainers, spelling farms and we also have our own vet, Johnny Walker, who does all of our own inspections on a fortnightly basis and reports back to us as an independent. We are managing a tiny percentage of the horses a trainer would have in their stable so we can give it that little bit more attention and focus. We also work on the programming and have a form expert, Mark Shean, who works closely with us and he helps us with our placement in New South Wales. We have Deane Lester in Victoria as well. They are integral parts of the team. We just try our best to dot the is and cross the ts and get as much good data together [as possible]. The people who we work with, they really welcome the feedback and we work together to make plans and it's enjoyable. The owners are part of the whole process and fully understand where they are going. Plans don't always work out but it's nice to have some system in place.

 

BS: But when it does work out, especially when you make stallions like Capitalist and King's Legacy, that must give you huge pleasure.

JH: We were fortunate to have Foxwedge (Aus) early on. He won the G1 William Reid S. and was by Fastnet Rock (Aus). He became a high profile commodity and was sold to Henry Field and stood at Newgate Farm. That was their first ever stallion. From there, we bought more colts and found Australian Guineas winner Wandjina (Aus). I always had the idea of putting together a group of people to pool their resources together and try to buy more horses and give ourselves more opportunity to produce these colts to go to stud. What was really astonishing to me was how competitive it is to buy these stallions.

We felt like we wanted to be selling into that market more and more. A lot of our people are breeders so the idea would be to pick up a number of colts to race and try and get them to a high level. Then you can sell down equity to stud farms and also keep equity so they are a part of that process. Within that partnership group, Capitalist came along and it has been a wonderful story. They have continued to support him and he is a success on the track and in the sales ring. That's really the model.

We try to pick up between 10 and 15 colts per year and then produce a stallion prospect. The ones who aren't getting to that level can be traded to Hong Kong, which we have done every year and that has become quite helpful. We've had some nice horses go to race there. We have a very healthy domestic market with provincial and country racing and the ones who don't make stallions or don't have high enough ratings to be sold to Hong Kong can go on and have fruitful careers in Australia. It's pretty much about having a system that can identify the big horse who can make the step up.

 

BS: Physically, what are the main things you are looking for in a yearling?

JH: The big question we try to ask ourselves before we bid on a horse is, if he is successful on the track, would we want to send our best mares to that horse. That sounds a bit obvious but you need to know if he is by the right sire, has he got the right physique or is he from a good enough family. Sometimes you can become sidetracked by a really nice type who isn't by the right sire or doesn't have a good family and it's important to have a product that, if it is successful, we can fully get behind. You can see that by the stallions we have produced, the owners really get behind them and they get commercial books. King's Legacy for example, he covered the highest number of any first-season sire in his first year at stud. From a physical point of view, we are very much looking for a precocious type of horse. We look for one who can run as a 2-year-old and do everything that makes an Australian sire in terms of precocity, strength and robustness.

 

BS: Would you attribute Foxwedge for launching your career?

JH: He really got it going for me and came at a pivotal point, for sure. We used that as a springboard and there have been other pivotal moments along the way but he certainly was the first. Getting Capitalist in the first year of the colt partnership was also very important. They all mean something but those two were pivotal.

 

BS: And is there a particular moment that means the most to you? Was it a race or perhaps a particular deal that stands out?

JH: I was probably at a stage in life when I could really appreciate how significant Capitalist was when he came along. Winning a Golden Slipper, I mean it's the race you dream about and it's all you think about when you are looking at yearlings. When I'm looking at horses at the sales, I try to envisage a horse walking around the paddock ahead of the Golden Slipper.

 

BS: It must be quite rewarding to be seeing him do so well as a stallion.

JH: It is and all the owners follow his progeny no matter where they are running. It doesn't matter how big or small the race is, they are always cheering them home. We look forward to seeing the progeny of horses we have been attached to and try to pick some of them up and try to get them to the same level of their sires. It's a great part of the journey. It's a long and slow burn but, once it starts rolling, it's fantastic.

 

BS: And what are you doing here in Keeneland this week?

JH: We haven't been over here in Keeneland for a long time and only picked up a few here and there over the past few years through various different agents. The opportunity arose to come over this year and we've picked up a few mares. We got two mares at Fasig-Tipton; one will have a foal here and the other is empty. After that, they will travel to England and be covered by Frankel (GB) before coming home to Australia. We have broodmare partnerships, which is what the mare we bought in foal is for, and that consists of a handful of people from our colt syndicates as well. They can use their equity and play around with it that way. The other filly was bought on behalf of Morningside Stud. They have a beautiful band of broodmares.

 

BS: Do you see yourself doing more business internationally?

JH: To be honest, our big focus is Australia and we want it to remain that way. We are fortunate to have good relationships with different people around the world who we can work through and combine with if we need to. I do love the American broodmares for Australia and I think this is potentially going to be a sale that I will keep coming back to. It will be more sporadic than it being planned attending sales internationally. It will be more for when the opportunity arises. We have an amazing industry in Australia and it's a very exciting place to be.

 

BS: What makes Australia such a vibrant place to be based and what could we take out of the industry over there with a view towards European racing?

JH: There is a real mainstream interest in racing in Australia and it permeates through to every level. From the pubs with the TAB machines where they have the racing on, people have grown up with that and their parents or family members have taken a part-share in a horse. The culture is there. The fundamentals have been put in place with the rebate and gambling wagers coming back into prize-money. The administrators are very passionate and push hard. They have made some incredible additions to the racing calendar, most notably The Everest. The amount of people who told me that this year's Everest was their best day on a racetrack, I couldn't believe it. I was talking to some owners who have had 20 Group 1 winners but they said that The Everest was one of the most meaningful days that they have had racing. From the minute you walked in, the atmosphere and the amount of young people there, everything just came together. What that has done is brought in a new and younger demographic. They view The Everest as a cool new race and you just bump into every type, the butcher or the hairdresser, and all they want to talk about is The Everest.

 

BS: Is it just the prize-money that has captured the imagination for the race or is it the trading and the slots that goes with it?

JH: I think it's multi-faceted. The prize-money has pricked everybody's ears. That is probably the most significant part because I am not sure if many people under the age of 35 would understand exactly how the slots for the race works. I have to say, the media did a great job and they were calling you about it every day to see what was happening. There was just this share of information which goes on for 10 months and that helps to promote it.

 

BS: Especially when you leave it late.

JH: Yeah, I know! For different people with different interests, there are many attractions to the race and it's multi-faceted. People in the industry love the dealing side of the race while the young people love the day itself. There is no other day like it. It was just unbelievable.

The post James Harron Q&A: ‘Foxwedge Really Got Things Going For Me’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Dubawi Rings The Bell With Three Book 1 Millionaires

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin

NEWMARKET, UK–Sales can often start with more of a whimper than a bang, but with only the second horse in the ring at Tattersalls the October Yearling Sale roared into life as the first Dubawi (Ire) yearling to be offered ensured that seven figures were lit across the bid board. That was repeated twice during the day, both times by offspring of Darley's elite sire, with top honours eventually falling to Hazelwood Bloodstock's colt out of Ring The Bell (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was bought by Godolphin at 1.5 million gns.

Though few stallions can match the achievements of Dubawi, at his level he is of course being graced with some of the best mares in Europe, and Ring The Bell, owned by John Camilleri of Fairway Thoroughbreds, is from a family with strength in depth. Though tried only once on the racecourse herself, she is a full-sister to no fewer than three Group 1 winners in the dual Classic heroine Hermosa (Ire), Hydrangea (Ire) and The United States (Ire), while both her dam Beauty Is Truth (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and granddam Zelding (Ire) (Warning {GB}) won group races in France. Furthermore, the cross of Dubawi on Galileo has had noted success via the likes of Horse of the Year Ghaiyyath (Ire) and 2000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder (Ire), both of whom are now standing on the Darley roster.

With Sheikh Mohammed present at Park Paddocks, along with an international who's who of the bloodstock industry, his Godolphin operation flexed its muscles. During the opening session of Book 1, Anthony Stroud signed for eight yearlings, five of which were by Dubawi, for a total of 6,025,000gns. This equated to roughly 20% of the day's turnover and included the day's three most expensive lots.

A sale that had been widely touted to include a particularly fine selection of yearlings certainly got off to a positive start. The clearance rate rose from 78% to 86%, with 135 horses changing hands for 31,993,000gns, which was up by 27% but was accrued from 19 more yearlings sold than in the equivalent session last year. The median was up fractionally to 160,000gns (+5%), while the average rose by 10% to 230,165gns.

 

 

Sheikh Mohammed Returns to Top Meon Valley Family

A family which has already produced five seven-figure lots at Tattersalls in the past was responsible for the first to breach that barrier at this year's Book 1 when the second yearling into the ring, Meon Valley Stud's daughter of Dubawi (Ire) and G2 Prix de la Nonette winner Jazzi Top (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), brought the hammer down at 1.3 million gns.

The first of eight purchases by Anthony Stroud on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed on the day, the descendant of Meon Valley's influential foundation mare Reprocolor (GB) (Jimmy Reppin {GB}) was offered as lot 3.

“It's been a very good family,” said breeder Mark Weinfeld. “We've been very lucky with it. She had been very popular, but you never quite know until you get up there how many people will be there. We're absolutely delighted.”

The family, which includes the filly's G1 Prix de l'Opera-winning granddam Zee Zee Top (GB) (Zafonic) and another of her daughters, the dual Group 1 winner Izzi Top (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), has been nurtured by the Weinfeld family over more than four decades. It is one with which Sheikh Mohammed has already enjoyed significant success, having raced the Sadler's Wells Group 1-winning  brothers Opera House (GB) and Kayf Tara (GB), who are grandsons of Reprocolor.

Asked how it felt when the hammer fell, Weinfeld answered, “Heart-stopping. Particularly when it stuck around the six hundred mark, and you think, 'oh, perhaps this is as far as it's going to go.' Then it goes on and on.

“We didn't actually want to sell her but we had so many fillies this year. We kept a sister to [Oaks winner] Anapurna (GB), kept Anapurna's first yearling filly, and we've got an Invincible Spirit (Ire) filly out of Izzi Top so something had to go.

“We just thought that we'd sell one of the nice fillies to help pay for the ones we have in training.”

 

 

Easily Persuaded for Dubawi Colt

Alex Elliott made a determined effort for Cheveley Park Stud's colt by Dubawi out of the Group 1 winner Persuasive (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) but eventually had to settle for second best when Anthony Stroud made the final bid for lot 127 at a million gns on behalf of Godolphin.

Cheveley Park Stud had bought the colt's dam as a yearling from her breeder John Tuthill for €180,000 and she has proved to be an inspired purchase. Not only did she win the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. and G3 Atalanta S. but since she was acquired, her page has been boosted by the exploits of her younger siblings, which include Godolphin's G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint winner Creative Force (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the listed winner Tisbutadream (Ire) (Dream Ahead).

“It's nice to come to a top-class sale and have a horse of that sort of quality,” said Cheveley Park Stud's managing director Chris Richardson. “He was a gem from the moment he was born and we were obviously delighted that he has gone down so well.

“It's a family that keeps evolving and we're very grateful to Sheikh Mohammed for buying him. He knows the family well, with Creative Force having won the Champion Sprint S..”

Richardson advised that Persuasive, who is a daughter of the stakes-winning Choisir (Aus) mare Choose Me (Ire), has a Dubawi filly foal and is now in foal to Kingman (GB). Her first foal, the 3-year-old Persist (GB) (Frankel {GB}), has won twice for William Haggas.

“We're hoping that John Gosden can work some magic with her 2-year-old by Frankel,” he added.

 

 

Shadwell Return To The British Market

Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Minzaal (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) have all contributed to a memorable season for Shadwell on the track and on Tuesday the hugely successful operation returned to the sale scene in Britain for the first time in nearly two years.

Shadwell confirmed its intention to remain a global player at Keeneland last month with the purchasing of four blue-blooded fillies and Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum, daughter of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, made a first trip to Tattersalls to add another well-bred filly to the team, lot 24.

Consigned by Watership Down Stud, the Siyouni (Fr) filly out of the four-time Group 1 winner Lah Ti Dar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was knocked down to Angus Gold for 880,000 gns, with the Shadwell racing manager revealing that Sheikha Hissa thoroughly enjoyed her first trip to the sale.

He said, “People have been very kind around the sale grounds and gave her a big welcome. It's lovely to have been able to walk around with her.”

Gold added, “She is very excited to have bought a filly with a pedigree like that. The first three dams are all group winners and the family has been well-nurtured by everyone at Watership Down Stud over the years.

“Obviously, we're hoping to buy some pedigrees for the future and she had one of the strongest pedigrees in the catalogue.”

 

Rau Secures 'Queen of the Sale'

A No Nay Never [lot 77] filly consigned by Camas Park Stud was described by Tina Rau as “the queen of the sale” after the popular Chantilly-based bloodstock agent signed the docket at 780,000gns on behalf of Gestut Schlenderhan.

This season has represented something of a crowning glory for No Nay Never, responsible for two of the leading juveniles in Ballydoyle residents Little Big Bear (Ire) and Blackbeard (Ire), and Rau, in company with Schlenderhan manager Merle Schmidt, admitted her surprise at being able to secure what she deemed was one of the best offerings in Book 1.

“She's going to go back to Germany,” Rau said. “Philip von Ullmann was here and we all loved her. She was the queen of the day and we're very happy to have her.”

One of nine No Nay Nevers to walk through the ring on Tuesday, Rau's purchase is out of a sister to Remote (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and from the family of Kingman (GB) and the extended family of Oasis Dream (GB).

That top price secured on the day for No Nay Never played a significant role in the red-hot sire securing an average of 248,571 gns for seven lots sold in the opening session.

Rau said, “You can't really argue with the pedigree, for one, and she's just a queen. She walks for fun and is beautifully well-balanced. She's got so much quality.”

 

Klassique start for Carisbrooke

Six years ago, Klassique (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) graduated from Book 1 with a 300,000gns price tag, bought by Cathy Grassick for Yvonne Jacques as she set about establishing a broodmare band at her Carisbrooke Stud.

With the G3 Pinnacle S. under her belt along with several other group placings, the 7-year-old mare is already earning her keep at the Berkshire farm following the sale of her first foal, a colt by Siyouni (Fr), for 525,000gns on Tuesday. Offered as lot 14, the January-born grandson of Group 1 winner Chachamaidee (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) is bred on a cross that has already produced the Classic winners Sottsass (Fr) and St Mark's Basilica (Fr), and he will race in the blue of Godolphin.

“Klassique is the most beautiful mare, such a fabulous mother and stunning-looking. She has a gorgeous Lope De Vega (Ire) colt foal and is in foal to Kingman (GB),” said Jacques, who has around 20 broodmares at Carisbrooke. “My staff have turned them out so well, we're all really proud.”

She added, “We're now in our sixth year at the farm and we've put a lot into it. Klassique was one of the first to come back there and she is producing the most amazing stock. It's very exciting.”

 

Strong Start for New England

New England Stud offered a pair of Galileo (Ire) fillies early in the day (lots 1 and 29), with the first through the ring, a full-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Line Of Duty (Ire), sold to Ted Voute on behalf of Prince Faisal's Nawarra Stud for 500,000gns.

The second was a daughter of G2 Prix de Sandringham winner Laugh Out Loud (GB) (Clodovil {Ire}), who has already produced a useful performer in America in the GII San Marcos S. winner Platinum Warrior (Ire), who is a full-brother to the filly. Knocked down at 675,000gns, she was bought by BBA Ireland.

New England also later sold a Starspangledbanner (Aus) colt (lot 76) for breeder Emma Banks for 350,000gns to Richard Knight.

The second foal of listed winner Mrs Gallagher (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is from a family which has received plenty of updates in recent seasons courtesy of sprinting star Harry Angel (Ire) and G1 Middle Park S. winner Supremacy (Ire) who share their third dam Great Joy (Ire) with the February-foaled yearling.

Knight has been on a prolific spending spree this yearling sale season for an undisclosed client, and he signed for another four yearlings for a total of 1,750,000gns on Tuesday. The list included lot 132, a Sea The Stars (Ire) granddaughter of Puce (GB) (Darshaan {GB}), who was bought for 600,000gns from Newsells Park Stud. The family includes the high-flying fillies Chicquita (Ire), Alexandrova (Ire) and Magic Wand (Ire).

 

Pinhookers' Paradise

Michael Fitzpatrick's Kilminfoyle House Stud enjoyed one of best pinhooks results of the session with the sale of lot 106 for 525,000gns to Sebastian Desmontils of Chauvigny Global Equine.

The daughter of Night Of Thunder (Ire) was bred by Simon Sweeting's Overbury Stallions and fetched 130,000gns at the December Foal Sale. Her dam, the unraced Pacifica Highway (Pulpit), has produced two winners to date including the Grade III-placed Ayacara (GB) (Violence), and is a half-sister to the Grade II winners Doswell (Giant's Causeway) and Secretary At War (War Front).

Yeomanstown Stud also enjoyed a decent return on a foal purchase when selling a Starspangledbanner (Aus) three-parts-brother (lot 52) to the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Coeursamba (Fr) (The Wow Signal {Ire}). Bought at Arqana for €170,000, the colt, whose five winning siblings include the stakes-placed Lady Sidney (Fr) (Mr Sidney), brought a bid of 550,000gns from Badgers Bloodstock.

 

Poetic Flare's Brother to John Dance

Magna Grecia featured prominently among the freshman sires during the opening session, principally through lot 53, the half-brother to Classic winner Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}), who was sold for 300,000gns to John Dance's Manor House Farm.

Bred and consigned by Clare Castle Stud, he is out of the Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire) mare Maria Lee (Ire) who was bought from her breeder Jim Bolger in the year that Poetic Flare was born. The 15-year-old mare has also produced Listed Zetland S. winner Glamorous Approach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}).

Crystal Ocean (GB) may be standing under the National Hunt banner at the Beeches Stud but his handful of foals that were entered in Flat sales last year were generally met with favour, including the colt out of the Shamardal mare Nateeja (Ire). Bought last December by Guy O'Callaghan of Grangemore Stud for 30,000gns, he returned to the ring as lot 86 on Tuesday to be resold to Charlie Gordon-Watson and Crispin Estates for 115,000gns. His dual-winning dam is a half-sister to G3 Cumberland Lodge S. winner Hawaafez (GB) (Nayef), whose own profile has received a boost this year thanks to her daughter Rogue Millennium (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who won the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial.

Crystal Ocean, the joint-top-rated racehorse in the world in 2019, is represented by one more yearling in Book 1, a chestnut colt catalogued as lot 512 on Thursday from Aughamore Stud.

 

Northern Lights

Consecutive lots went the way of Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm, who picked up lot 50, a Night Of Thunder (Ire) filly, for 200,000gns followed by a daughter of Ballyhane Stud's first-crop sire Soldier's Call (GB) for 100,000gns.

Breeder Kildaragh Stud consigned Night Of Thunder's daughter of Malaspina whose half-siblings Daban (Ire) (Acclamation GB}) and Thikriyaat (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) are both Group 3 winners. The Gerry Oldham-bred Malaspina is herself out of the listed winner Mahalia (Ire) (Danehill) and thus a half-sister to French group winners Johnny Barnes (Ire) and Albisola (Ire).

The Soldier's Call filly meanwhile represented a terrific pinhooking result for Sherbourne Lodge Stud, who bought the daughter of Maralika (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) from breeders Tim and Miranda Johnson and Mickley Stud for 12,000gns at the December Foal Sale.

 

Cooney Plays It Cool After Final Twist From Plying

Had Martin Cooney not carved out a niche in the breeding game, chances are he'd have made a pretty good poker player as, moments after selling the highest-priced progeny of Gleneagles (Ire) at public auction for 650,000 gns to MV Magnier, the man behind Jossestown Farm could easily have been mistaken for a casual bystander at the sale.

But this was not Cooney's first rodeo. The young breeder has been taken on a storied journey with Plying, the mare he purchased for €21,000 in 2018 and sold last November to BBA Ireland and Yulong Investments for an eye-watering €825,000.

That sky-rocket in share price can be attributed to the emergence of Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never), now a four-time Group 1 winner, in the pedigree.

Tuesday marked the end of that dream run with the family of Plying, with the Gleneagles half-sister to Alcohol Free (lot 136) joining Cooney's fellow Tipperary men at Coolmore, leaving the young breeder facing the daunting task of replacing the mare.

He said casually of lot 136, “Good day's work. It's great–she's a lovely filly, acts like a racehorse so hopefully she is one. She's gone to a good home so hopefully she turns out to be half as good as Alcohol Free. Now I have to try and find another one.”

Cooney added, “All she [Plying] has ever done is do us proud. Those horses are like family to us. I know we sell them but you get very attached to them and it's not like I have 20 waiting to be sold.

“It's a huge result. I come from a small farm in Fethard so it gives you a good leg-up and start to business.”

 

Half-Sister to Cachet Hits the Heights

Poyle Sophie {GB}) (Teofilo {Ire}) is the gift that keeps on giving. Snapped up by John Bourke of Hyde Park Stud at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2018 for just 3,000gns, she belied that modest price tag by producing a this year's 1000 Guineas winner Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}).

Bourke's bargain buy delivered once again when a Cotai Glory (GB) half-sister (lot 141) to the Classic winner was sold for 350,000 gns to Blandford Bloodstock, much to the delight of the enthusiastic breeder and renowned breeze-up handler.

 

The post Dubawi Rings The Bell With Three Book 1 Millionaires appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Lope De Vega Colt Tops Second Day At Tattersalls October Book 2

A son of Lope de Vega was the star turn when selling for 675,000 guineas (US$916,770) on a remarkable second day of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, which saw nine lots sell for 300,000 guineas (US$407,451) or more, taking the two-day total to 14, three more than last year's three-day total.

Anthony Stroud continued his buying spree on the second day of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, securing the Lope de Vega colt out of the Galileo mare Loch Ma Naire for 675,000 guineas (US$916,770).

“He is bred on a successful cross – Lope De Vega ex Galileo – he is an attractive horse and beautifully bred, and Lope De Vega has done incredibly well,” said Stroud, after buying on behalf of Godolphin.

The colt's dam is a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Simply Perfect and was offered by Newsells Park Stud on behalf of breeder Andrew Stone's St Albans Bloodstock.

“The team did a great job prepping him but we have only had him for eight or nine weeks, so credit must go to Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock who bred him and the farm that raised him,” said Julian Dollar of Newsells Park Stud.

“In this climate we did not think it would be at all easy, but the market seems to have taken off incredibly this week. I keep thinking there was value last week, but I am not complaining, it is fantastic. Thanks to all the people prepared to take their hands out of their pockets and spend big money on racehorses, long may it continue.”

The colt, who Stroud secured at the expense of underbidder Andrew Balding, is the fifth highest priced colt in the history of the October Book 2 sale.

Glen Hill Farm Strikes for Frankel Filly at 460,000 Guineas

Fairway Thoroughbreds' John Camilleri, breeder of wondermare Winx, enjoyed a second consecutive day in the limelight when the Frankel filly out of Love is Blindness was sold to Hubie De Burgh for 460,000 guineas (US$624,757) on behalf of Craig Bernick's Glen Hill Farm. Like yesterday's 400,000 guineas (US$543,267) Kingman colt, Camilleri's filly was offered by Harry McCalmont's Norelands Stud.

“She has been bought for Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farm to go into training with Fozzy Stack,” said de Burgh. “We tried all week through Book 1 and could not get anything. This filly is by one of the great sires of the modern era and there are classic winners in her page, she could be a Guineas or an Oaks filly.

“On top of that she is a beautiful looking filly from a top farm where I keep a lot of stock, and I've known her since she was foaled. I watched her and every time I have seen her she gets better and better and better. As you can see, she is a queen. Now we keep our fingers crossed and hope she is going to be as good as we think she is going to be!”

Of the buyer Craig Bernick, De Burgh added: “Craig is a great lover of the horse industry and is going to be a great breeder, he has got some wonderful stock in Europe already. He wants to collect this quality of bloodstock because he is thinking 20 years ahead, hopefully she will be one of the foundation mares in the broodmare band. Craig is developing an Australian operation, European and American, it is very exciting.”

De Burgh rounded off by saying; “You just don't get your hands on fillies like this. She has a bit of Frankel about her, she really walks, has a really good hind-quarter, she is just all quality.”

The Sir Percy mare Love is Blindness is a half-sister to the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club winner Reliable Man and a granddaughter of the English and Irish Oaks winner Fair Salinia.

White Birch Farm Strike for Showcasing Colt

Agent Demi O'Byrne secured two of the lots to sell for 300,000 guineas (US$407,451) or more on the second day on behalf of Peter Brant's White Birch Farm, the first of which was the Showcasing colt consigned by Kenilworth House Stud. The son of the Acclamation mare Harlequin Twist was knocked down to O'Byrne for 310,000 guineas (US$421,039), a substantial return on the 70,000 guineas (US$95,073) that Kenilworth House Stud manager Gerry Ross and “a couple of mates” paid for him at last year's Tattersalls December Foal Sale.

Ross said: “He had a good walk – as auctioneer Alastair Pim said he was one of the best-looking walkers he had seen through the two weeks. A foal will never lose its walk. Hopefully he will go on to fulfil his potential, he has been flat to the board here all week and his last show was as good as his first. He has been a pro so far, hopefully he will continue.”

Of the prospects ahead of this sale for a profitable result, Ross said: “A week ago I would never had dreamt of that sort of money, but once you have a couple of big players involved you never know where it is going to end.

“Yesterday's trade was the best trade there has been all year. There was no vendor going into the ring with their chest out, but at least you've a bit more confidence.”

Little more than 30 minutes later, O'Byrne struck again when securing a daughter of first season stallion Ribchester for 300,000 guineas (US$407,451). Out of the Teofilo mare Hint of Pink, the filly was another success story for Harry McCalmont's Norelands Stud who bred the filly in partnership with Patrick Robinson, author of the famed bloodstock novel “Horse Trader: Robert Sangster and the Rise and Fall of the Sport of Kings”.

“Her half-brother winning in the last week or so was a big plus, timing is everything in this business,” said McCalmont. “I am very pleased because she belongs to my good friend Patrick Robinson. A couple of years ago Patrick wrote a book called 'Lone Survivor' which became a blockbuster movie. Patrick decided to retire and take up breeding horses and gave me a few quid to spend on them. I am delighted for him.”

Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues with the third and final session at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The post Lope De Vega Colt Tops Second Day At Tattersalls October Book 2 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights