Tally-Ho Stud to Stand Group 1 Winner Good Guess in 2024

Tally-Ho Stud has snapped up G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Good Guess (GB) to join its stallion roster for 2024. 

Trained by Fabrice Chappet in France, Good Guess had the 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and other high-class horses such as subsequent G1 Prix du Moulin winner Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) behind him when landing his Group 1 at Deauville. 

He will stand alongside his sire Kodiac (GB), who has served Tally-Ho proud since joining the roster in 2007, at the stud next year. 

“We are delighted to be adding Good Guess to our roster,” said Tally-Ho Stud's Roger O'Callaghan. “As one of Kodiac's best sons, it is very satisfying to be standing him in the same stallion yard as his sire.

“Kodiac already has a number of successful sons at stud and in Good Guess, we are delighted to be offering a son who was not only a precocious two-year-old but also trained on into the one of Europe's best three-year-olds. He is also a very good-looking horse, as underlined by his yearling sales price of 420,000gns.”

Good Guess has won four of his nine starts for Chappet and carried the colours of Hisaaki Saito throughout his career. As well as showing top-class form as a three-year-old, Good Guess had the precocity to win over five furlongs on debut at Chantilly.

Chappet commented, “Good Guess is an extremely classy horse. The Prix Jean Prat is always a good test of a three-year-old, being over seven furlongs on a straight track, and Good Guess won the race over a strong field very easily.

“He also came to hand early as a two-year-old, had a very good turn of foot and is good-looking, so he should be an exciting prospect for breeders.”

Good Guess is the first Group 1-winning son of Kodiac to stand in Britain and Ireland. A renowned influence for quality two-year-old speed, Kodiac has emerged as a successful sire of sires with sons such as Ardad (Ire), Coulsty (Ire), Kodi Bear (Ire) and Prince Or Lir (Ire) each represented by Group 1 performers in the past two seasons.

Good Guess was purchased for 420,000gns by Sebastien Desmontils' Chauvigny Global Equine at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale. He was bred by Cheveley Park Stud and belongs to one of their most successful families as a son of Zykina (GB), a Pivotal (GB) daughter of Russian Rhythm, whose four Group 1 victories included the 1,000 Guineas.

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Kentucky Derby-Winning Owner and Agent Ramiro Restrepo Excited For Arqana

DEAUVILLE, France–Ramiro Restrepo has arrived. Fresh off the plane, the first port of call is to pay a visit to Etreham's base in Barn C, where his Hello Youmzain (Fr) colt (lot 38) is based.

The Kentucky Derby-winning owner and bloodstock agent has not seen the colt since he purchased him as a foal here at Arqana in December but it doesn't take long to gauge his approval.

“Man I am pumped,” a larger-than-life Restrepo effuses as the colt exits his stable. There is a certain amount of showmanship to Restrepo, as anyone on the other side of the Atlantic will confirm, but his appreciation of what a good horse looks like is genuine.

His arrival on the international scene as a bloodstock agent and owner was fast-tracked by Mage (Good Magic), the brilliant winner of this year's Kentucky Derby, who has left Restrepo sitting high amongst his peers–a place where he is more than comfortable.

“Winning the Kentucky Derby is the realisation of a dream on so many levels,” he says. “There have only been 149 Kentucky Derby winners and for us to be the 149th is amazing. To think that from now until the end of time, your name is going to be up there with the luminaries of the sport and that Mage's name will be up there with some of the most successful racehorses we have seen, it's just a dream.”

He added, “It's opened up a few doors and it's just been an amazing amount of attention and love sent your way, which is just indescribable. I pinhooked a Breeders' Cup winner [Structor] in 2019 and that gave me the confidence. But when you achieve a Grade I Kentucky Derby win, it's like a holy grail, you know.

“So many famous and important people in our industry have been chasing that and haven't been able to achieve it. And to say that you're able to do that, you look around and are so grateful for the team because it takes a village to get something like this accomplished. It's been a life changer for all of us.”

If Restrepo once walked this sale ground as a little-known American-based bloodstock agent, Mage has changed that. He has been coming to Arqana since 2018 but this week marks his first trip to the August Yearling Sale and he plans to make it a memorable one.

“I came here for the first time with a group of Americans in 2018 and we walked around the sales grounds and I got, you know, full fever. I ended up buying a No Nay Never colt who we sold for a tidy profit as a two-year-old in training. That was right at the time when No Nay Never was really taking off.

“So, in my career, first-crop stallions have always been something that I've been drawn to. If you were to look at a highlight of the horses who I have bought that went on to either sell well or perform well on the racetrack, they've all been sons or daughters of first-crop sires.”

Arqana lot 38, a Hello Youmzain (Fr) colt owned by Ramiro Restrepo and Haras d'Etreham | Etreham photo

In many ways, lot 38 is a Restrepo special. Bought in partnership with Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d'Etreham for €67,000 with the help of Hubie de Burgh and Martin Buick at the December Breeding Stock Sale, the Hello Youmzain colt fits Restrepo's tried-and-trusted model.

By an unproven sire who was a deadly fast racehorse, winning twice at the highest level, including the Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot, there is scope for the share price in the progeny of Hello Youmzain to rise this week. That's the hope at least.

“I was here last winter with Hubie de Burgh and Martin Buick, who are two amazing people. Obviously Hubie is an amazing judge of equine talent and Martin has been a good pal and we were walking the sales ground together.

“They were shopping for some racehorses but at the same time there were some foals that I kept seeing. This Hello Youmzain colt caught my eye. I've been a big fan of Hello Youmzain, being a son of Kodiac (GB), and you saw him do some nice things as a two-year-old before he beat Calyx (GB) in a Group 2 at three, which really caught my attention. Then at four, he obviously won the Diamond Jubilee and became one of the best sprinters in Europe.”

He added, “I know Nico [de Chambure], who obviously stands the stallion, and I asked him if I bought the colt would he be interested in partnering up. Nico had seen the colt and liked him a tonne so we went ahead and got in there and threw some punches. So here we are. He's grown up here [in France] and we're ready to rock. He was accepted to this sale and now hopefully he can do well.”

Lot 38 is just what you'd expect from a son of a top-class sprinter. A fast-looking colt, he has been described as “a baby version” of his sire by Restrepo, who is cautiously optimistic about how he gets on in the ring on Friday.

“I hope everyone here sees what we saw in him way back in December and that he is accepted positively by the marketplace. Hopefully he is purchased by some pretty successful connections and he goes on and has a great career. That's all you can ask for, is to have tempered expectations and then, you know, be very happy if things work out.”

Restrepo added, “As for myself, I'm just really enjoying the sale. I'm also going to be shopping it for the first time. I've been here in the winter, but it's my first summer sale. I just came here on a plane of 50 Americans. Most of them have come here for the first time so there's a lot of excitement to come over here and participate in the sale.

“We've heard about it and read about its success for so long, and it's a blessing to be able to come over here and be a part of it.”

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Observations: Son of Minding Steps Out in Storied Curragh Maiden

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features the well-bred Henry Longfellow (Ire) on debut at the Curragh.

13.30 Curragh, Mdn, €20,000, 2yo, c/g, 7fT
HENRY LONGFELLOW (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) wins the award as the day's best-bred runner, being the second foal out of the high-class and versatile Ballydoyle sensation Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who was able to win at the top level at a mile in the 1000 Guineas and QEII and a mile and a half in the Oaks. This is an important maiden for Aidan O'Brien, with last year's TDN Rising Star Hans Andersen (GB) (Frankel {GB}) the latest in a line of winners which includes the luminary Australia (GB) and all eyes will be on this grandson of Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) whose immediate family also boasts Galileo's fellow Classic heroines Tuesday (Ire) and Empress Josephine (Ire).

15.35 Newbury, Cond, £250,000, 2yo, 5f 34yT

RELIEF RALLY (IRE) (Kodiac {GB}) is the star turn in the latest renewal of this valuable Weatherbys Super Sprint S., with William Haggas seeking compensation for the agonisingly narrow defeat of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede's filly in Royal Ascot's G2 Queen Mary S. Denied in the bobber there by Crimson Advocate (Nyquist), the half-sister to the G3 Chipchase S. winner Koropick (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) who was a bargain 58,000gns buy at the Tatts Somerville Sale is a warm order in one of the bigger “sales races” of the calendar but has 20 rivals to overcome.

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Kodiac Filly Flies Late to Graduate at Saratoga

Kodiac Wintergreen (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), getting an extra half-furlong to work with following a late-running second-place finish in her five-furlong debut at Belmont June 11, was sent off the even-money favorite Thursday at Saratoga. The bay filly was away well, but was shuffled back to mid-pack. Racing greenly on the turn, she was behind a wall of horses at the top of the lane and was tipped out to the center of the course. She found her best stride in deep stretch and closed with a powerful late flourish to reel in Ever So Sweet (Ire) (Calyx {GB}) in the final strides to win by 3/4 lengths. Parade Ring (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) was a neck back in third to complete the Irish-bred trifecta.

While the late-running trip may have caused her backers some anxious moments, bloodstock agent Mike Akers, who purchased the filly last year on behalf of Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman's Bregman Family Racing, had confidence she could get the job done.

“I loved the ride,” Akers said. “I was getting a little nervous, but [Jose Ortiz] had ridden her before. She didn't get loose last time, he kept her inside and split horses and she got a lot out of that first race that bode well for today. So there was no panic. He knew how much punch she had when he got her loose. I think everybody saw her turn out of foot there.”

Kodiac Wintergreen is a half-sister to Love Reigns (Ire) (U S Navy Flag, MSW, $242,065), who won last year's Bolton Landing S. and came back this term to win the Limestone S. for Stonestreet Stables. She is also a half to Goldana (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}), GSW-Ire, SW-Ger; and to Glorious Empire (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), GISW, $977,227. She has a yearling half-brother by Mehmas (Ire).

Akers purchased the filly for €160,000 at last year's  Goffs Orby sale.

“It's a good family. She is a half to a good horse here in America and also a couple over there that came to America and ran well here,” Akers said of the filly's appeal. “The pedigree would get your attention. She stayed in Ireland to get broke and then she went to Wavertree to Ciaran Dunne and at every stop, I've had very good horsemen telling me that she has a great mind and talent. We just hoped everything worked out. You can have all of that and not go anywhere, but she is on the right trail. Let's just see if we can keep it going.”

As for what is next for the filly, Akers said, “That's in the hands of [trainer] Rusty Arnold. He's very patient. But I think she will tell us that she wants a little more ground. Right now, we were happy to get 5 1/2 [furlongs]. So you have to wait and see what's out there. Obviously, somebody would look at the 'Win and You're In' [the Breeders' Cup] races for 2-year-olds. That would be a natural to look at and see where they pop up on the racing schedule. Everybody can be excited now and dream a bit.”

Akers was busy buying on behalf of Bregman across the globe last year. He purchased No Nay Mets (No Nay Never) for €180,000 at the Arqana August sale. The colt RNA'd for $335,000 following a bullet quarter-mile breeze at the OBS April sale this year, but won a Royal Ascot qualifying stakes at Gulfstream in May and sold for ₤800,000 at Goffs in June.

“Alex's instructions were, 'Buy me some athletes,'” Akers explained. “That's kind of the way we approached it. We weren't really focused on any particular thing. And when I go to sales, I send him a short list and he goes over the short list and gives me instructions on what he likes. He is very eager to learn and he's like a sponge, he's picking everything up. I think he will be in it for the rest of his life in some form. It's been refreshing to work that way. It's always fun shopping sales and I always seem to have a list. So far it has worked out well and we've had some pretty good success kicking it off.”

Akers agreed a filly like Kodiac Wintergreen is bought looking ahead to her residual value as a broodmare.

“He's got a couple of mares,” Akers said of Bregman. “He bought a mare in foal to Wootton Bassett, so he's got a baby filly by him out of a nice mare. And he bought another mare and bred her to Constitution. So yes, his long-term plan would include being a breeder. We will continue on the road and concentrate on some fillies with enough pedigree to sell out of and try to create some added value to them at the racetrack. He loves competition of any kind and the racetrack and the sales rings are just other places to compete. We will attack those two things.”

6th-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 7-20, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 1:03.40, fm, 3/4 length.
KODIAC WINTERGREEN (IRE) (f, 2, Kodiac {GB}–Humble And Proud {Ire}, by Pivotal {GB}) Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $75,750. O-Bregman Family Racing LLC; B-Patrick Grogan (IRE); T-George R. Arnold, II.

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