Tag: Mark McStay

Porta Fortuna Is Medallion Racing’s Lucky Charm at Ascot

Ever since Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio)'s win in the G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint S. at Naas last month, bloodstock agent Mark McStay had been pestering Taylor Made's Mark Taylor to make his plans to come to Royal Ascot. But the Taylor family is more known for probity and hard work than they are flights of fancy, and Taylor demurred, citing preparations for upcoming sales in America.

But when Porta Fortuna launched a determined bid and got up for the win in Friday's G3 Albany S. at Ascot to give Taylor Made's Medallion Racing partnership a win at the royal meeting, Taylor couldn't be blamed for maybe having thought twice about his decision.

“It's been two and a half hours, and I think my blood pressure has just come down to the point where I can have a conversation with you that you can understand,” said Taylor, reached after the race. “I'm a very superstitious person, so the agent who helped us find this filly, Mark McStay, he has been texting me literally three times a week since she won her last race, saying, `you've got to come, you've got to come, you've got to come.' And historically, any time I go to great lengths to see a race, things never go well. So, I've got a lot going on here, I've got to get ready for sales season, I'm not going. When I was watching the race, there were 18 horses, some of the best two-year-olds that have come out in Europe so far are in this race, and I thought if we could crack the top four it would be a great accomplishment. I was trying to temper everybody's expectations, and then when she put on that move and put everybody away. It was just surreal. I was watching it, saying, `is this really happening?' It was fantastic.”

Medallion and its partners-Barry Fowler, Steve Weston and Dean Reeves-bought the filly after the win at Naas, telling the TDN at the time that the partnership tries to buy one or two horses a year in Europe.

“I was very happy for our partners, both our partners in Medallion Racing that enable our team to go build the stable and also the people that come in alongside us like Barry Fowler, Steve Weston, and Dean Reeves because they put their confidence in us. With Steve Weston and with Barry, we've bought into some horses that have gotten hurt, didn't pan out, but they've stuck with us, and to see Steve Weston's silks cross the finish line at Ascot and to see him get to lead that filly in, it just really made me so happy because he's such a loyal guy, he's such a just great human being. I was crying for him, I was just so happy for Steve.”

Mark Taylor | Fasig-Tipton photo

Taylor said that Medallion has around 25 partners, each of which invests $50,000 or more in the partnership. The group raises from $1.2 million to $1.7 million every two years, only buys proven horses, and every partner is in on every horse.

“Our model is we buy all female horses and we buy horses that have already run who we believe have graded stakes talent off of what they've done so far. A lot of times, we have to pay; we're not stealing these horses. Everybody would like to go in and buy them, but we're also willing to let the existing partners stay in. A lot of times, we can leave them with the same trainer.”

In Porta Fortuna's case, they left her with her trainer, Donnacha O'Brien, son of the original owner, Annemarie O'Brien. Taylor said he felt that it was accommodations like that which help them to get a leg up on others who might be offering more.

“We try to be very accommodating partners, which allows us to get a crack,” he said. “Even though somebody else might offer more money, they're going to take the whole horse and do their own thing. So we try to be more flexible and just allow our people to participate on stages like Royal Ascot or the Kentucky Oaks or the Breeders' Cup or Grade Ones at big racetracks. Our theory is that once people get a taste of that, they might want to play on their own and take it to a larger level, or they might want to stay with this model. We have had some people that have gone outside and tried to do it themselves, which is great. It drives investment in the game.”

Porta Fortuna was well-represented by her American owners at Ascot this week, with Medallion's Philip Shelton as well as Reeves, Fowler and Weston, and at least six additional Medallion members on hand for the win. Ironically enough, it wasn't Taylor Made's only connections to succeed at Ascot this week. Other Taylor Made customers, Black Ridge Stable, won the Queen Mary with Crimson Advocate (Nyquist).

“We were going crazy for her when they won the other day, and then in my superstitious mind, I was like, `Well, there's no way two horses are going to win at Ascot with Taylor Made connections.' For it to happen twice, it was beyond words.”

In addition to creating and nurturing new owners, Medallion also has a goal of showing off the sport at its best.

“In Medallion, we want to educate the people who come into the sport about all aspects of racing, including international racing, and to showcase to them how well these horses are taken care of. So many people look at our sport and say negative comments like, `These horses are just pawns in this big game,' but they're really not. We partner with people and we employ trainers that really care about these horses. And we try to shed light on that anytime we can so that our partners can see these horses are really loved, they're cared about, and we cheer for them and love them whether they win or lose.”

And even if he wasn't on hand, Taylor said he'd celebrate the win in typical Ascot-and typical Taylor–fashion. “I will drink some champagne,” he said. “But I'll wait until 5:00 tonight.”

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Youth To Fore At Tatts Ireland As O’Donovan Leads Way With 270k Zelzal

A man knows he is in clover when there's a bloodstock agent outside his door waiting to see his horse before he's even had time to chuck his breakfast into the feed pot on the morning of the sale. But that's exactly the scenario Danny O'Donovan faced into with his Zelzal colt on Friday and it proved a good omen with the €35,000 yearling purchase going on to top the sale at €270,000 to Peter and Ross Doyle. 

This was a result that rubber-stamped an exceptionally good year for O'Donovan, who has only been trading under Donovan Bloodstock for two years now. From an Acclamation (GB) filly [Jiwin (Ire)] who sold for 170,000gns at the Craven Sale to an Eqtidaar (Ire) filly who made £120,000 at Donny, it's safe to say that things have gone well this year for the Cork native who operates just outside the Curragh in Kildangan. 

But things reached new dizzying heights for O'Donovan and Adam Potts, who helped source the colt at Arqana last October, when the Zelzal lit up the bid board. 

Doyle said, “I was very taken by the horse who was bred the way he was and physically he had a lot of size to him. I loved the way he breezed–nice and relaxed and a big action. 

“He was bought very well by the lads [O'Donovan and Potts] and he's as good a physical as I have seen for a long time. A trainer hasn't been confirmed but he's for a long and established client and he's off to France.”

Doyle also bought the Eqtidaar filly off O'Donovan at Doncaster on behalf of Amo Racing and it is understood that she is currently in training with Richard Hannon. 

On the young operators, the top agent added, “The lads do a great job and their horses look great. Fingers crossed now. This horse could be anything.”

The Zelzal colt will be well at home in France given he was one of the few horses in the sale who qualified for French premiums. He is out of an unraced Medaglia d'Oro mare and hails from the family of Mastercraftsman (Ire). 

Speaking after the sale, O'Donovan commented, “Days like these are few and far between. I'm just delighted the horse put in the breeze I expected him to do because he shows us exactly that at home. He wasn't missed by anyone–all of the good judges were in the ring for him and I'm just delighted that one of the best judges of them all bought him because he will get the best possible chance to be good on the track and that's the most important thing.”

He added, “Mathew Dickinson, who led him up, said that he never looked after a horse with as many vets in his life. As well as that, we had an agent here first thing this morning before the horse even had his breakfast, so we were half expecting that he'd sell well. But to get €270,000, you couldn't have predicted that.”

“This is the first year that me and Adam teamed up together. He bought a few shares in the yearlings last year and helped me out in the yard with them. It's worked out well and we've had a good season.  Even Adam's mother, Suzy, was a big help. There were some nights when she didn't leave the place until 11 o'clock because she'd be up checking on them, so everyone has played their part.”

Doyle went on to snap up a Profitable (Ire) colt consigned by Tradewinds Stud for €185,000. The wildcard entry [lot 253] was bought by Shane and Alex Power for 37,000gns at the Somerville Yearling Sale and turned a tidy profit after breezing well on Thursday.

  • Successful jumps jockey Brian O'Connell, who will forever be associated for his association with Champion Bumper hero Dunguib (Ire) (Presenting {GB}), enjoyed one of his best days as a consignor when selling a Calyx (GB) filly [lot 99] to Mark McStay for €155,000. The filly was shrewdly bought here last September for €24,000 and represented one of O'Connell's biggest results as a consignor under Chasefield Stables. 
  • McStay clearly had his Weetabix on Friday morning. The top agent hit the ground running to provide some early excitement in signing for a Sioux Nation colt [lot 2] from Katie Walsh's Greenhills Farm for €240,000. That represented yet another big result for Walsh at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale, given she broke the record here 12 months ago with a €520,000 Saxon Warrior (Jpn) filly.
  • Anna Barlow told TDN Europe on Thursday that she was hopeful of securing a profit with lot 137, a Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) filly she sourced here in September for just €6,000. The 22-year-old, whose only other breezer this year, a Starspangledbanner filly (Aus), netted over €40,000 in profit at the Guineas Breeze-Up Sale, turned more water into wine when the Phoenix Of Spain filly was knocked down to Michael O'Callaghan for €55,000.
  • It wouldn't be a breeze-up sale without Willie Browne's Mocklershill playing a leading role. In this case, it was a Ten Sovereigns (Ire) filly [lot 15] who sold to Alex Elliott for €200,000, who led the way for the legendary consignor. 
  • Ado McGuinness has already hit the ground running with his breeze-up purchases this year. Tiger Belle (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), who the trainer sourced along with assistant and nephew Stephen Thorne at Doncaster for £70,000, is Royal Ascot bound after winning on debut at Cork. The Lusk-based operator will be hoping to have secured another speedy youngster for the Shamrock Thoroughbreds syndicate in the shape of lot 8, an Inns Of Court (Ire) colt for €100,000 from Tally-Ho Stud.

 

Dreams Come True For The Shinnick Brothers With Make Believe Filly

The good results just kept coming and there were few better than what brothers Andy and John Shinnick produced when transforming their €7,000 Make Believe (GB) filly foal (lot 47) purchase into a €170,000 breezer. 

The sire in this case was quite apt as the result was clearly beyond the Shinnick brothers' wildest dreams with Nick Bell doing the buying on behalf of Middleham Park Racing. 

“It isn't too bad, I suppose, for your first time doing it,” came the understatement of the year from Andy.

John, who is an apprentice jockey, added, “We always liked her. We don't even have a gallop at home–just train her in the fields. She looked quick running past thistles!

“She is ignorant to go, though, she wants to go and is very straightforward. We did like her at home and, to be honest, it was our first time doing it so we didn't come here with any real high expectations.”

The Shinnick brothers hail from County Cork and it was at the Goffs November Foal Sale in 2021 where they sourced the speedster from Grennanstown Stud.

On the experience on the whole, John said, “There's a lot of pressure and work involved. It all comes down to the one day and a lot can go wrong. But you have to take your chance and it's great when it does pay off–it really gives you the bug.

“It's brilliant for the likes of the two of us. For it to be the first time to go at it, it's dream work. We have a bit of money so we'll go and buy a few more of them now!”

 

 

Lordan Sioux Happy With €230,000 Colt

Another young operator, Darragh Lordan, produced a result to rival the exploits of O'Donovan and the Shinnick brothers when selling his Sioux Nation colt to Adam Driver [later changed to Global Equine Group] for €230,000. 

A €25,000 yearling purchase here last September, the Sioux Nation colt was consigned under Innishannon Valley Stud, and exceeded all of Lordan's expectations in the ring. 

He said, “I did expect around €100,000 for him as I really liked him, but that was just unreal. To have the horse for top tier-trade is unreal and all the right people were on him. He breezed savage and all year he has been so straightforward, everything was so smooth, a very easy horse to do. I think he is a very good horse. Hopefully he can go to the track and show it there.”

He added, “I sold Marshman (GB), a good Harry Angel (Ire) horse, last year. It helps when you sell a good horse because it brings the buyers to the door and then they listen when you talk about a horse.”

Bourke Pulls Another Rabbit Out Of The Hat With James Garfield Colt

John Bourke of Hyde Park Stud rightly grabbed the headlines last year when his breeze-up graduate Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) won the 1,000 Guineas for George Boughey.

The Mullingar man, who is not afraid to chance a cheaper yearling every now and again, was duly rewarded for rolling the dice on his €3,000 purchase here in September by James Garfield, with the colt selling to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock for a whopping €155,000. 

Brown said, “It is extraordinary trade here. I think there were four or five people in over €100,000, which for a colt who cost very little as a yearling is certainly testament to the way he was prepared and the way he breezed. 

“He is a gorgeous colt and he did a very good breeze. He is bred to be a sprinter–he has got the looks, he did the breeze and he was the one on that basis that we really wanted.”

Strong Trade At All Levels At Tattersalls Ireland

Bigger does not always translate to better, as we have seen already on the breeze-up circuit this year, but in the case of this sale, it resulted in an excellent trade across the board.

The average climbed 13% to €43,033, and the median rose 36% to €22,000. Of the 267 horses offered, 239 sold (83%) for a gross of €8,563,500.

Simon Kerins, CEO of Tattersalls Ireland, said, “Incredible is the word that springs to mind when I reflect on today. The Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze Up Sale is truly going from strength to strength, the second lot into the ring making €240,000 set the tone for the day and the six-figure lots didn't stop coming after that. To sell a record 18 lots for €100,000 or more is remarkable and our sincere thanks must go out to every single vendor who entrusted us with their top-quality 2-year-olds. It was also fantastic to see so many young consignors rewarded for their hard work and determination, and I congratulate all of those who returned with profitable pinhooks.

“We must also thank our overseas buyers who flocked to Tattersalls Ireland in their droves, it was wonderful to see everyone and to welcome a wealth of new faces as well. The footfall seen across the last two days at Ireland's only Breeze Up Sale has been phenomenal and the figures achieved were driven by an international buying bench with a huge contingent of overseas buyers from UAE, Scandinavia, Germany, Spain, and Italy taking on lively bidders from the UK and Ireland.

“The logistics that go into staging a Breeze Up Sale are huge and we would not be able to do it without the support of Fairyhouse Racecourse and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing. Charles O'Neill and the team at Irish Thoroughbred Marketing have worked so hard to attract overseas buyers and the team at Fairyhouse Racecourse provided us with a safe surface and excellent facilities. It was great to hear vendors being so complimentary about the new stretch of ground that had never been used for this sale before.

“We have no doubt this year's graduates will go on to be top-class performers across the globe and we look forward to following their journeys. We now turn our attention to compiling our catalogue for the September Yearling Sale and attracting a strong bench of purchasers back in the Autumn.”

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The Major Talking Points From The Premier Yearling Sale At Doncaster

The first major yearling sale of the autumn in Britain or Ireland, the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale provided entertainment from the beginning to the end, but most importantly, boasted impressive figures. Brian Sheerin was in attendance and discusses the major talking points from the sale.

Figures on the up

The team at Goffs UK could hardly have wished for a better start to the Premier Yearling Sale. The day one figures were off the charts. Of the 218 lots offered on Tuesday, 199 were sold, representing a clearance rate of 91%. 

The aggregate was up 28% to £8,954,500, the average rose 15% to £44,997 and the median climbed 27% to £38,000.

There were noticeably less people around the sales complex at Doncaster on day two. While the figures failed to match what took place on Tuesday, there were some impressive numbers recorded on Wednesday, with an 87% clearance rate on a day where the aggregate climbed 11% to £7,003,000. 

The average on Wednesday went up 0.5% while the median fell by 4% to £32,000. That came despite the fact that there was some late drama in the ring with three of the last seven lots making six figures. 

All told, the sale went well. Of the 406 yearlings catalogued, 363 were sold, translating to a clearance rate of 89%. The aggregate was up 20% to £15,987,500 while the average was up 8% and the median rose by 9%.

Big Results From Small Numbers For Fitzgerald

Alice Fitzgerald knows what she is doing. It was at the Premier Yearling Sale in 2021 when Fitzgerald sold her homebred Basil Martini (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}} out of 10,000gns purchase Under Offer (Bated Breath (GB) to MV Magnier for £160,000.

Fast forward 12 months and Fitzgerald, who never brings more than one or two to the sales, bagged another big pay-day by selling her Kodiac (GB) colt out of Night Queen (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) to Manor House Farm for £160,000. 

What's even more impressive about Fitzgerald? This isn't even her day job. 

John and Jess Dance Stock Up

Given John and Jess Dance bought six-time Group 1 winner Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) at this sale in 2016, it's only natural that the owners would have an affinity towards Doncaster, which was evident in the results. 

Under Manor House Stables, they signed for nine different yearlings at a total of £837,000, which was only bettered by the £1,162,000 that Peter and Ross Doyle spent across the two days on a whopping 17 different horses. 

However, of the top 10 spenders at the Premier Yearling Sale, nobody boasted a better average than John and Jess Dance. 

The couple spent an average of £93,000 on their nine lots, illustrating that they are seeking quality over quantity more so than ever before. 

High Praise From Doyle

Ross Doyle is renowned for being one of the best judges in the game. Along with his father Peter, he has sourced Mehmas, Barney Roy, Limato, Japan, Fairyland, Magna Grecia, Olympic Glory and much more. 

Therefore, when he praised Goffs for attracting the best bunch of yearlings that he has seen for some time, it reflected well on the quality of the sale.

Doyle signed for two of the top lots in the sale, a colt by New Bay (GB) [211] for £200,000 on day one, and a lovely Dark Angel (Ire) colt [251] the following day for the same figure. 

Grangemore signed for the Dark Angel colt at last year's Tattersalls December Foal Sales for 40,000gns and the sale to the Doyles, who didn't reveal where the horse would be trained, secured a tidy pinhooking profit. The New Bay colt will be trained by Richard Hannon. 

Two Top-Notch Pinhooks

There were a number of good pinhooks over the course of the sale but two stood out. The first was that of lot 21, a gorgeous Ten Sovereigns (Ire) filly that Jamie Railton bought for €26,000 off Ballybin Stud at the November Foal Sales at Goffs last year before selling to Richard Hughes for a cool £110,000 on Tuesday.

The second was an even greater piece of inspiration as Violet Hesketh and Mimi Wadham, who run WH Bloodstock, and transformed lot 171 from a €38,000 purchase back in February to a £120,000 yearling just six months later. 

A colt by Kuroshio (Aus), lot 171 was tipped to do well after a number of shrewd judges got him vetted and, in the end, he was knocked down to Mark McStay and it's understood the colt will be sent to Fozzy Stack to be trained. 

Kuroshio Holding His Own

Kuroshio has been around the world and back but this year represented the classy Australian's first crop of runners since he took up residency at Starfield Stud in 2020. After a slow start to the season, Dontspoilasale (Ire) has come along and won for the stallion in Ireland, and looks potentially progressive, while Jessica Harrington's Panic Alarm (Ire) should be winning races for the stallion when he gets softer ground conditions. 

All told, anyone who has backed Kuroshio will be a lot happier now than ever before as last week's figures were respectable. Away from the headline-maker, lot 171, the Baroda Stud-drafted filly [lot 258] also secured a solid sale for the stallion, and changed hands to join John and Jess Dance for £48,000. All four yearlings by the stallion were sold. 

Force Behind Highclere Stallion

Some will argue that Land Force (Ire) is riding the crest of a No Nay Never wave, and that may have been an entirely plausible summation of the situation had his yearlings not been so impressive in the flesh. 

Top judges Clive Cox-who went to £85,000 to secure lot 71-and Oliver St Lawrence bought progeny by the stallion. Some of the best in the breeze-up business, Katie Walsh, Longways Stables and Con Marnane, also rowed in behind Land Force this week. 

Jake Warren even tipped the Highclere-based stallion for first-season sire honours and, while there is a lot of water to pass under that particular bridge, the early signs are promising for anyone with a Land Force in their stable. 

Of the 17 offered this week, 14 were sold at an aggregate of £510,000, which averaged out at £36,429.

Noteworthy Buyers

A number of top agents, trainers and breeze-up buyers relayed how footfall had increased at the sale and, as a result, it was going to be even harder to smoke out a bargain. 

Well, buyers also had to contend with major competition from afar as Wesley Ward also got in on the action, signing for lot 200, a Lynn Lodge-consigned £82,000 daughter of US Navy Flag. 

Ward is clearly a fan of the stallion and why wouldn't he be? The Patrick Grogan-bred Love Reigns (Ire), whose only defeat in three starts for the American-based trainer, came when she finished fourth in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot. Time will tell if Ward has bagged himself another Royal Ascot filly. 

It should be said that, for all that Eddie O'Leary has a host of international clients, he still made time for his neighbour at Goffs. At one point in the afternoon on Wednesday, Nick Nugent on the rostrum announced, 'from one corner of Mullingar to the other,' when Roger O'Callaghan of Tall-Ho purchased a Mehmas colt [lot 349] for £45,000 off his fellow Westmeath native. 

O'Leary's Lynn Lodge Stud ended proceedings with 11 yearlings sold for £677,000 at an average of £61,545, making the operation the fifth most successful across the two days. 

Tally-Ho Dominate

It was an excellent sale for Tally-Ho. Not only was the stud responsible for the top lot, the Blandford Bloodstock-bought Night Of Thunder (Ire) filly [lot 278] out of five-time winner and listed-placed Thiswaycadeaux (Thewayyouare), but they also ended proceedings as the leading consignors with 24 yearlings making £1,544,000 in total.

That was needed, according to Roger O'Callaghan, who revealed that there were 60 more yearlings standing in the field at home in Westmeath, with 40 needing to be broken in and prepared for the breeze-ups.

Away from the excellent results posted by their own stock, Tally-Ho will have been delighted by how all the progeny of their resident stallions were received with yearlings by Kodiac, Cotai Glory, Kessaar, Galileo Gold, Mehmas and young sire Inns Of Court doing well. 

Night Of Thunder Stars

But the star of the show, without question, was Darley's Night Of Thunder. Along with Tally-Ho's sales-topping filly, the Mountarmstrong Stud-drafted Night Of Thunder [170] colt out of Pious Alexander, which ended day one on top at £230,000, ensured it was a memorable sale for the sire.

Mark McStay landed the day one leader, after which, the leading agent labelled Night Of Thunder, the sire of last week's spellbinding G1 Nunthorpe S. winner Highfield Princess (Fr), as a solid source of top-class talent. 

Classy Siblings On Show

Some pedigrees leapt off the page. The Galileo Gold half-brother [280] to Nunthorpe runner-up The Platinum Queen (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) made £170,000 to join Richard Spencer, the Ulysses (Ire)  half-brother [213] to Coventry S. winner Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) was knocked down to Dance Thoroughbreds for £150,000 and Whitsbury Manor's Havana Grey (GB) half-sister to Sandy Lane S. scorer El Caballo (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) was all the rage at £230,000 with Jack Warren of Highclere doing the buying. 

Havana Grey Shines

Of the 22 horses offered by Havana Grey, all bar one were sold for a total of £1,089,000, averaging at £51,857. Whitsbury's Ed Harper revealed that his performance is exceeding the wildest dreams but, with nine individual black-type horses in his first crop, perhaps buyers were cottoning on to the fact that they have been witnessing something special.

Soldier's Answers The Call

This game is all about looking towards the future and the early signs are that Joe Foley has another real one at Ballyhane Stud in Soldier's Call (GB). 

The man knows how to launch a stallion and must have taken great credit about how Soldier's Call cleared £563,000 from 13 yearlings sold at an average of £43,308. 

What's more, Foley was prepared to put his money where his mouth is, and bought the top lot [212] by the sire for £105,000 off Tinnakill House Stud for Steve Parkin. 

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McStay Strikes For £230k Night Of Thunder Colt At Doncaster

The opening day of the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale followed a familiar theme with Mark McStay, who was busy at the first European yearling Sale of the year at Arqana just over a week ago, once again opening his shoulders back to secure the top lot at Goffs UK-170, a colt by Night Of Thunder (Ire).

The sire of last Friday's breathtakingly-good G1 Nunthorpe S. winner Highfield Princess (Fr), Night Of Thunder was labelled a rock solid stallion by McStay, who felt lot 170-for all that he looked like a son of Dubawi-was the standout colt on day one.

So much so, the leading agent, who would not disclose who the Mountarmstrong-consigned colt was bought for, went to £230,000 to secure him.

“Lovely colt by a proven sire at this stage in his career, Night Of Thunder,” McStay said. “He actually looked like a Dubawi (Ire) to me. He was well-produced and comes from a very good nursery in Mountarmstrong. Noel O'Callaghan breeds and sells good horses and I thought he was the standout colt on offer here today.”

He added, “We had to stretch to buy him. I thought we'd get him for quite a bit less but my client is brave and encouraged me to keep going and to secure him.

“Look, we're seeing what Night Of Thunders are doing on the track and I don't think that they are going to get any cheaper. I can't say who he has been bought for but he's been bought for an existing client. He'll be broken in Ireland and plans are fluid.”

 

The Night Of Thunder colt hails from a cracking family. He is out of Pious Alexander (Ire), a winner by Acclamation (GB), who is out of dual Group 3 winner Lady Alexander (Ire) (Night Shift). She is the dam of 10 winners, including Dandy Man (Ire) and Anthem Alexander (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}).

McStay also signed for WH Bloodstock's inspired Kuroshio {Aus} pinhook [lot171] for £120,000, Baroda Stud's Zoustar {Aus} colt [lot 19, for £72,000] out of black-type performer Golden Spell (GB) (Al Kazeem {GB}), a US Navy Flag colt consigned by Monksland Stables for £38,000 and the first horse through the ring, Grove Stud's grey filly by Starspangledbanner (Aus) for £35,000.

It proved a bountiful day for consignors, with many buyers-be they agents, trainers and breeze-up operators-relaying that there was stiff competition for the nicest horses, which was evident in the figures.
Of the 218 lots offered, 199 were sold, representing a clearance rate of 91%. The aggregate, average and median were all up as well. An aggregate of £8,954,500 represented a 28% rise on last year while the average was up 15% to £44,997 and a median of £38,000 cemented a 27% rise on 2021.

Renowned bloodstock agent Ross Doyle reflected on an encouraging day's trade after purchasing lot 211, a Baroda Stud-consigned colt by New Bay (GB), late in the day for £200,000. That brought Doyle's total spend on day one to £642,000 across nine yearlings and he was quick to praise Goffs for assembling a fantastic bunch.

Doyle said, “It's been very good, very strong, which is great to see. I've never seen so many people here than over the past few days, which is a testimony to Goffs and all their team. You only have to look around the pictures on the walls, some very good horses have come out of this sale so they deserve people to turn up and get stuck in. We'd a very good shortlist and we're the same tomorrow.”

On lot 211, he added, “I thought he was outstanding. I thought he was the best-moving horse here today. He's obviously by a sire doing extremely well and he seems to upgrade everything. “He's out of a black-type mare [Rubira {Aus} Lope De Vega {Ire})] and comes from a good home. We put him down as the best individual that we've seen, as far as movement goes, for a long time. He covers serious ground and it's all very natural and relaxed, which is a good sign. “He's been bought for an existing client who has plenty of horses with Richard [Hannon] and has been a very good supporter of this sale in particular.”

Hesketh and Wadham in Clover With Cracking Kuroshio

Violet Hesketh and Mimi Wadham, who run WH Bloodstock, have rightly earned a reputation for being one of the shrewdest young operators in the business. The pinhook of lot 171, purchased by the pair as a foal at Goffs for €38,000 before selling on Tuesday to Avenue Bloodstock for £120,000, confirmed that reputation to be bang on the money.

Some of the top buyers were on to the son of Starfield Stud's Kuroshio. In the end, it was Mark McStay, flanked by trainer Fozzy Stack, who secured him.

Hesketh said, “I am delighted. We knew we had a nice colt but you never expect to get that sort of a price. We bought him in the February Sale at Goffs for €38,000 and he has just improved and improved.

“He was an absolute pro and didn't miss a beat in every show. Some of the top judges were on him. We'll be sad to see him go but very happy with the price we got. We'll look forward to seeing him racing.”

 

A lovely colt, lot 171 was out of the Pivotal (GB) mare Pivotal Era (GB), herself a full-sister to Humouresque (GB), who carried the Cheveley Park silks to Group 3 glory at Saint-Cloud in 2003.

Hesketh added, “He was a gorgeous foal and is out of a good Pivotal mare, which obviously everyone loves. He had such a good attitude. We're very happy.”

Jamie Railton's pinhook with lot 21, a filly by Ten Sovereigns (Ire), was another shrewd piece of business. Bought by Railton for €26,000 at Goffs last November, the filly was knocked down to Richard Hughes for £110,000.

Hughes, who is operating at a 25% strike-rate with his 2-year-olds this season and has nine winners on the board in that sphere, bought four yearlings all told for a combined sum of £224,000.

Kinane on the Hunt for Hong Kong

In his role of sourcing European horses on behalf of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mick Kinane has already come up trumps with this year's Hong Kong Derby winner Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), and the legendary jockey revealed that lot 57, a £200,000 colt by the same sire, will chart a similar path.

The Trinity Park Stud-consigned son of Acclamation is from the family of Puncher Clynch (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), who did well in Hong Kong, and Kinane is hopeful that his latest acquisition can forge out a career for himself in that jurisdiction in time.

Kinane said, “He has a champion in Hong Kong [Puncher Clynch] and is a similar type. He's a nice horse. I was here the past two years but I didn't find them [good horses]. There's nicer horses here this year.

“He'll be broken and will go into pre-training and then we'll see what he can do. Hopefully he'll do well in Hong Kong.”

 

The Acclamation colt was consigned by Trinity Park Stud on behalf of Peter Gleeson, who bought and raced the dam Isole Canarie (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}), a dual listed winner in Italy. From the family of Puncher Clynch (Ire), who did well in Hong Kong, lot 57 was fancied by those closest to him to go down well with the buyers, but the £200,000 fetched in the ring exceeded all expectations.

Becky Marsh, of Trinity Park Stud, said, “I thought we had a very nice horse but I wasn't expecting that. I said to Henry Beeby this morning when he came to look at the horse before he auctioned him that I would be delighted if he made £100,000. Obviously I'm overwhelmed.”

She added, “We foaled and raised this yearling-he's been with us since day one and he's always shown a lot of class. Since he came here he's not put a foot wrong. He's walked out perfectly every day and he had the right people on him.

“Isole Canarie was bought by Peter Gleeson, who raced her in Italy and then France, then brought her back here to breed. He's been lucky with Italian mares before and it's worked really well for him. The mare has an Oasis Dream (GB) colt at foot, but was not bred back this year.”

Warren Tips Land Force For First-Season Sire Honours

Jake Warren of Highclere Stud, who stands Land Force (Ire), is confident that the young stallion has what it takes to be champion first-season sire in 2023. A total of 17 yearlings by the son of No Nay Never were catalogued in the sale, eight of which found new homes on day one, averaging at a highly-respectable £34,500 for a stallion who stands for just £5,000 [stood at £6,500 in his first season].

However, what was most notable were the hotels that the Land Force yearlings have joined as multiple Group 1-winning trainer Clive Cox and renowned breeze-up consignors Katie Walsh and Con Marnane featured among the list of buyers.

Warren said, “It's always a nervous time when you bring a new stallion to the market but, the thing with Land Force is, and one of the main reasons why we've had the confidence to keep breeding to him over the past three years, is he throws these powerful, strong, good-shouldered, big physicals that are just what breeders are looking to produce. It's also what 2-year-old buyers are trying to secure. He's just ticking those boxes.”

He added, “There's no first-season sires with more offerings at this sale so he has the numbers to back him up. No Nay Never has had an amazing year with his 2-year-olds and there's no reason why Land Force can't be the champion first-season sire next year. It's exciting.”

It was lot 71 who shot the lights out for Land Force at £85,000. On the eve of the sale, Natalie Folland and her partner Matt Bowen told TDN about how they wanted to make their clients proud with the first yearlings they offered under the Folland-Bowen Bloodstock banner this week.

Well, the couple could hardly have done a better job with their Land Force colt, the first yearling they sent through the ring together, who walked around like a pro en route to commanding that impressive price tag.

Fighting back the tears in Barn J shortly after the sale, Folland said, “I'm going to cry. The owner has just been on the phone, she's bawling crying telling us how delighted she is. He's gone to Clive Cox, who has the half-brother Ascot Adventure (GB) (Mayson {GB}) and Joe Foley was the underbidder. He was vetted four or five times so it's great to have received such support.”

She added, “I knew he was busy but we would have been happy with £50,000 so, to get £80,000, we're over the moon. His owner, Fiona Trenchard, is delighted. She's such a pedigree fanatic and has tried really hard with this mare as she's been very hard to keep in foal. It hasn't been easy so, to have a result like that, I'm more emotional for her really.”

Marnane went to £30,000 to secure lot 26, a Mickley Stud-consigned filly by Land Force, while Walsh bought a colt by the stallion, lot 63, off Anna Sundstrom's Coulonces for £40,000.

Soldier Answers Foley's Call

Land Force was not the only young sire making waves. Joe Foley expressed his confidence behind the progeny of his own Ballyhane Stallion Soldier's Call in Monday's TDN and, less than 24 hours later, he put his money where his mouth was in securing Tinnakill's chestnut colt by the classy sprinter for £105,000.

Lot 212 is a half-brother to Marygate S. winner Sardinia Sunset (Ire) (Guitafan) and was sold by Tinnakill House Stud on behalf of Kevin Blake's Golden Farm Thoroughbreds.

 

Seven of the eight yearlings by Soldier's Call were sold on day one with Mick Easterby forking out £65,000 to bag Trickledown Stud's colt by the sire [48] and Oliver St Lawrence going to £50,000 for Manister House Stud's offering [190].

Andrew Balding also picked up two by the sire, Ballyhane's lot 59 for £30,000 and 109 for £22,000. Of the seven yearlings sold by Soldier's Call, they averaged at just under £50,000 apiece.

The post McStay Strikes For £230k Night Of Thunder Colt At Doncaster appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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