Shop Local: Grand National Winner Emmet Mullins Nets Big-Money Sale 

His roots may be deeply entrenched in National Hunt racing and just this spring he won the most famous jumps race of them all–the Grand National with Noble Yeats (Ire) (Yeats {Ire})–but Emmet Mullins has now netted himself yet another major payday–this time on the Flat with a filly that he bred, owned and trained to win a maiden at his local track before selling her for six figures. 

Thebestisyettobe (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) became the second 2-year-old winner of Mullins's career when sluicing up in the opening seven-furlong maiden at Gowran Park on Saturday and, in the process, announced herself to the international market.

Duckett's Grove was Mullins's first juvenile scorer and, like that Point Of Entry colt who the trainer sold after he broke his maiden tag at the first attempt at Cork back in 2018, Thebestisyettobe is set for export and has already passed the vet. 

“That's just the second 2-year-old winner I have trained and it was done from start to finish with Thebestisyettobe, I suppose,” he said. “I bought the mare, bred her locally there in Ballyhane to Elzaam (Aus) through Joe Foley. It was fairytale stuff really.”

Mullins picked up the dam [Kramer Drive (Ire) (Medicean {GB})] of Thebestisyettobe for just €18,000 at the mixed sale at Goffs in February 2016. 

“Elzaam is hugely commercial and is also great value. He's constantly getting nice horses and is very desirable on the international market as well as here” – Emmet Mullins, trainer

She has become a proven source of winners, with three of her foals of racing age winning a hatful of races–none more so than Ventura Flame (Ire), by another Ballyhane-based stallion in Dandy Man (Ire), who has won seven in Britain–and Thebestisyettobe shaped like she could be the best of them at Gowran Park.

Mullins said, “Kramer Drive has been a good servant. I sold her first foal as a yearling, Shadow Breaker (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}), for €12,000 and he went on to make good money after he won a barrier trial for Jimmy Coogan.

“The second foal was Ventura Flame, who I got €48,000 for at the breeze-ups to Middleham Park, and she has won seven races for Keith Dalgleish in Britain.

“Midgetonamission (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) has won two for David Evans and this one [Thebestisyettobe] was in the sales last year as a yearling but she didn't make enough so I got Martin Wanless to buy her back for me.”

A decision to shop local with Elzaam, who stands less than 10 minutes from Mullins's base, has proved fruitful with the trainer lauding Foley's stallion and describing him as exceptional value. 

Mullins said, “Elzaam is hugely commercial and is also great value. He's constantly getting nice horses and is very desirable on the international market as well as here.”

With the benefit of a barrier trial under her belt, where she showed distinct promise and afterwards Mullins fielded a couple of inquiries, Thebestisyettobe showed an abundance of ability in accounting for a well-touted Joseph O'Brien-trained filly to get off the mark at Gowran Park. 

Less than a week after that highly promising debut, the filly is set to leave Mullins's yard after passing all of the veterinary procedures that come with selling to foreign jurisdictions. 

He said, “We got a couple of inquiries after the barrier trial but I felt that I wouldn't get what I wanted for her so I told them [the agents] to keep an eye out for her and that she'd be running in a few weeks and hopefully she will show her true colours. Joseph's filly [Karaoke (Ire) (Acclamation {GB})]was highly-touted and, while I didn't think Thebestisyettobe was a good thing to go and win, I knew she'd run a big race.”

Mullins added, “Fingers crossed, she's passed all of the vetting and we're just waiting on the blood work. I think she's going to America.”

As well as Kramer Drive, Mullins breeds a couple of National Hunt broodmares with his cousin and champion amateur jockey Patrick. The pair have had quite a lot of success, too. 

Screaming Witness (Ire) (Shernazar {GB}) has produced a Grade 1-winning novice hurdler in Airlie Beach (Ire) (Shantou) while the cousins are also breeding from the foundation mare's daughter, the bumper and hurdle-winning Dr Machini (Ire) (Dr Massini {Ire}). 

Mullins said, “Patrick and I have two broodmares. I have a leg of Screaming Witness with Patrick. We also bought back her first foal, Dr Machini, after she raced for the Pottses. “Screaming Witness has been an unbelievable broodmare for us. She has had five runners on the track and the five of them were bumper winners.

“Airlie Beach won the G1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle while Screaming Rose (Ire) (Darsi {Fr}) also got black-type for her so she was a huge foundation mare. 

“We have two more out of Screaming Witness–a 2-year-old and a yearling–but she has been retired now as she's quite old. We have a few of Dr Machini's foals on the ground as well. So Patrick and I are breeding those National Hunt mares but I decided to take a chance on this Flat mare in 2016.”

Mullins added, “I'd like to keep about four mares around the place–that's a good number. So two National Hunt mares and maybe two on the Flat. You'd have a lot of stock on the ground breeding out of three or four mares for a few years. 

“Kramer Drive was actually unlucky this year. She had a filly foal by Profitable (Ire) who was born on the morning of the Grand National. I thought she was destined to be lucky but, unfortunately, there were complications and we lost her that week. The mare is back in foal to Make Believe (GB). We are staying local-this time with Ballylinch and not Ballyhane!”

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Virtual Reality For Tattersalls 2021 Opener

When the curtain came down on the 2020 December Sale, all participants could have been forgiven for hoping that it would be the last we would see of Covid-restricted sales. Regrettably, the situation in Britain has subsequently worsened, meaning that Tattersalls, which managed to stage all of its scheduled sales last year, along with a few extras and a few delays, has been forced to conduct its first auction of 2021 entirely online.

The mixed February Sale is perhaps the one through the year which could withstand some disruption best but it is nevertheless a very useful sale and one which has produced its fair share of success in its 20-year existence. Indeed, Venetias Dream (Ire) (Librettist) is an example of the value that can be found in February. Sold for just 1,000gns in 2013, she was subsequently bought back from Turkey when Charm Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), a son of her half-sister L'Enjoleuse (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), burst onto the scene, and Venetias Dream has since found fame in her own right as the dam of last year's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Dream And Do (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}).

Results such as this keep optimistic breeders returning to these midwinter sales, and this one in particular usually offers a chance to see some new sires at the TBA Stallion Parade. This year, potential buyers will have to be content with sitting in front of their computer screens, scrolling through form and videos, rather than patrolling Park Paddocks. 

The brave new world of online sales may be suboptimal in this regard but it has nevertheless been embraced by buyers and vendors, particularly as the alternative while lockdown continues is to have no sale at all.

Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock is based within hollering distance of Tattersalls in Newmarket and in lieu of being on the sales ground this year he has put in plenty of work ahead of the sale, both on the computer and at racing yards and studs. 

He said, “The better quality videos and photographs, and the more information online, such as veterinary certificates and heights and weights for horses in training, has been great. There needs to be, and I have found that there has been, an increased transparency and disclosure from the vendor when you ring up to ask about a horse.”

McStay continued, “In certain instances where possible I have been able to do socially-distanced and Covid-safe visits to stud farms and training yards to inspect animals of interest, so I think that all of those things make it workable. It's not ideal—we'd all rather be inspecting horses thoroughly and maybe reinspecting a second time, but that isn't practical. In the situation that we're in Tattersalls and their competitors have made an incredible effort and they are to be commended for still being able to hold a sale. The fact that they've been sensible and are going to hold a second sale in six weeks' time, which hopefully people will be able to attend, is also a big benefit.”

McStay avers that demand for horses in the UK remains high, with an increasing number of overseas buyers involved in public auctions and private purchases. 

“Whether it be a broodmare or a horse in training, the market for a good horse is stronger than ever,” he adds. “However, it is very selective in the middle tier and the bottom end of the market has had a huge drop, and it will continue to drop until the prize-money issue is resolved. 

“Thankfully, people love our game, they love racing, and people want to win the top races around the world so the demand for a good horse is still high. Our product in the UK is becoming more and more export-orientated. A lot of the horses I would buy, and the same for a lot of other agents, will continue their careers in Australia, America, Hong Kong or Dubai. That unfortunately is a reflection on our prize-money.”

So what potential gems can be found in this year's February catalogue, which started out with 497 horses but had been depleted by the withdrawal of around 200? One which won't be found in the book but is a wildcard entry online is the last horse to sell on Thursday, Noble Yeats (Ire) (lot 256A).

The 6-year-old son of Yeats (Ire) is an unusual entry for this sale and would be more likely found in a Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale in a normal year. The gelding recently won a Thurles bumper by 19 lengths for trainer Emmet Mullins and is entered in Saturday's G2 Goffs Future Stars Bumper at Leopardstown. Noble Yeats was also runner-up on his sole point-to-point start and was third on his bumper debut in late December. 

Coloratura Soprano (ITY), a Golden Horn (GB) half-sister to last season's G2 Oaks d'Italia winner Auyantepui (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) is among the horses offered by the Castlebridge Consignment. The 3-year-old (lot 162) has been trained in her first three starts by John Gosden.

Oakshott Bloodstock consigns the sole mare in foal to Showcasing (GB) in the catalogue in 8-year-old Little Voice (lot 39), a dual-winning daughter of Scat Daddy who has a yearling filly on the ground also by the Whitsbury Manor Stud stallion. 

Part of the continuing Broughton Bloodstock dispersal is lot 63, Carter's Grove (Ire), a Lilbourne Lad (Ire) half-sister to the useful stallion Sir Prancealot (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) and to listed winner Nice Applause (Ire) (Royal Applause {GB}). The 8-year-old mare is sold with an early May cover to young stallion Le Brivido (Fr). Her yearling filly by Charm Spirit (Ire) features later in the sale as lot 96.

Among the horses in training in the opening session is the Daniel and Claire Kubler-trained Chitra (GB) (lot 146). The hardy 5-year-old is a rare sprinter by Sea The Moon (Ger) who has won seven of her 34 races over five and six furlongs. 

On behalf of breeder Lordship Stud, New England Stud consigns lot 153, Swiss Kiss (GB) (Dansili {GB}). The winning 10-year-old mare is in foal to Acclamation (GB) on a May 22 cover and is a daughter of Lordship's successful broodmare Swiss Lake (Indian Ridge {GB}), whose 12 winning offspring include the Group 3 winners Swiss Spirit (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Swiss Diva (GB) (Pivotal {GB}).

The sale is conducted online on Thursday and Friday from 10am. Potential buyers, once registered, can place bids via the Tattersalls internet bidding platform or on the telephone to a member of staff.

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