Richie Galway | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Good Horses Keep Us All Going’ – Jessica Harrington Stable Tour

Jessica Harrington is the most successful female trainer that Ireland has ever produced. The 76-year-old has sent out multiple Cheltenham Festival winners, including the legendary Champion Chaser Moscow Flyer (Ire), as well as Classic winners Alpha Centauri (Ire) and Magical Lagoon (Ire) from her Moone-based stables in County Kildare.

Plans are now afoot to take home more big-race riches this season and, despite the fact that Harrington is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer, there is only one topic of conversation at the breakfast table at this time of year.

“We are very excited about the season ahead and, training horses as good as this, they keep us all going,” Harrington said in typically upbeat fashion.

She added, “We haven't pushed any buttons with our two-year-olds yet but, at this early stage, a filly called With Style (Ire) would have to be my pick.

“Overall, we have a very nice bunch. But even the two-year-olds we had last year, they were a quality bunch as well, so we have some very nice three-year-olds this season to go with the juveniles coming through. It's very exciting.”

Before the Flat season takes centre stage, there is the small matter of the Fairyhouse, Aintree and Punchestown Festivals to navigate, and Harrington will be hoping to break her duck in the Grand National in Liverpool with the aptly-named Lifetime Ambition (Ire).

“He's very well-named, because it has been a lifetime ambition for me to win the race and of course we came very close to doing that when Magic Of Light (Ire) finished second to Tiger Roll in 2019.

“Lifetime Ambition is nicely-weighted and we're hoping the ground will dry out a bit for him. He's had experience over the fences and jumped them very well so we are hopeful.”

All told, the Harrington stable has 170 horses to look forward to on the level, of which, 65 are two-year-olds. Below, Harrington gives her verdict on some of the juveniles who have been showing up well on the gallops at home.

High Five: Harrington celebrates Magical Lagoon's Irish Oaks triumph with Shane Foley | Racingfotos.com

Two-Year-Olds
Fillies
Heavenly Being
Pedigree: Night Of Thunder (Ire) filly out of Rapacity Alexander (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire})
Bought by BBA Ireland for €525,000 from Mountarmstrong Stud at Goffs Orby
Owner: Yuesheng Zhang
Comment: We like her a lot. She's a half-sister to No Speak Alexander (Ire) (Shalaa {Ire}), who won the G1 Matron S. for us a couple of seasons back. She looks as though she will make a two-year-old and we hope to get her out in May. We haven't had many Night Of Thunders but we think we have some good ones by him this year. She's very like No Speak Alexander in that she is a light-framed filly.

Glamourously
Mehmas (Ire) filly out of One For June (Ire) (Arcano {Ire})
Bought by BBA Ireland and the Glamour and Glory Syndicate for €33,000 from Mountarmstrong Stud at Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale
Glamour And Glory Syndicate
We're delighted to have this filly for the new syndicate for the girls. She is a lovely Mehmas filly and has been away to the Curragh. She could run in two or three weeks' time.

What A Squeeze
Dark Angel (Ire) filly out of Fashionable (GB) (Nashwan)
Bought by BBA Ireland for €75,000 from Glacken View at Goffs Orby
Alpha Racing Syndicate
A half-sister to Jack Naylor (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}), we are very happy with her. She is quite like Jack Naylor, is a little bit bigger than she was, but they have the same physique–strong and plenty of bone. She goes nicely. The Alpha Racing Syndicate has been quite successful, I think members have made a profit every year it has been running, so it is a good way for people to get involved in racehorse ownership.

Ally Pally
National Defense (GB) filly out of Myth Creation (More Than Ready)
Cormac O'Flynn
Bought by Cormac O'Flynn for 37,000gns at the Tattersalls Somerville Sale
She's a nice filly, is sharp, and actually has an entry to run at Dundalk next Tuesday. She could run in the Somerville Auction Sale race.

September Leaves
Night Of Thunder filly out of Antique Platinum (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire})
Homebred
Moyglare Stud
She looks sharp and will be out in May. She is a nice Moyglare homebred and we're looking forward to her.

Matter Of Fact
No Nay Never filly out of Malicieuse (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})
Homebred
Niarchos Family
She's a very nice filly and looks like being a proper two-year-old. She has plenty of size but is compact. We've had plenty of No Nay Nevers down through the years but no superstars. We think that might change this year as we have a lovely bunch by him.

With Style
No Nay Never filly out of Inca Wood (UAE) (Timber Country)
Bought for €150,000 by BBA Ireland from Manister House Stud at Goffs Orby
Yuesheng Zhang
This is a lovely filly and will probably be ready to run in May. She is big and strong and everything she has been doing is really good. She's been showing us plenty and we're looking forward to her. Yulong are great supporters of our yard and have been increasing their numbers every year and now have 30 in training here. We have some lovely two-year-olds for them this year and this is one of them.

Ocean Bliss
El Kabeir filly out of Gold Zain (GB) (Aqlaam {GB})
John Kirkland and Jim Ryan
A half-sister to Ocean Quest (Ire) (Sioux Nation), she's sharp and will want really nice ground because she has lovely action. We will be waiting for the ground to get a bit tighter for her.

Comic Book
Frenkel (GB) filly out of Vagabonde (Ire) (Acclamation {GB})
Bought by BBA Ireland fo €250,000 at BBAG September Yearling Sale
Yuesheng Zhang
This could be very smart. She won't run until June or July–she's a mid-season filly and you'd expect her to be that on pedigree. She has been doing everything very nicely and we're quite hopeful about her.

Annupuri
Too Darn Hot (GB) filly out of Mirror City (GB) (Street Cry)
Bought by Jamie McCalmont for 120,000gns from Jamie Railton at Tattersalls Book 2
Marc Chan and the Niarchos Family
She's a nice filly but she's not as sharp as we thought she was initially. She has started to grow and might need a bit more time. The Too Darn Hots we have are lovely-actioned horses and they look like they will want good ground.

Betula
Lope De Vega (Ire) filly out of Galileo Gal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})
Craig Bernick
She's beautiful and is typical of Lope De Vega. She'll be out in the middle of the season and is out of a half-sister to Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}).

Emerald Banner
Starspangledbanner (Aus) filly out of Green Castle (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire})
Homebred
Francis Jennings
She's a full-sister to Millisle (Ire) and is actually stronger than Millisle was at this stage of their careers. There's actually a little bit of a story behind this filly. Her dam, Green Castle was retired at Francis Jennings' stud but, when Millisle won her Group 1, she was whipped back in from the field and went straight in foal to Starspangledbanner and has even produced another filly, so now they have two full-sisters. I think she was 22 or 23 when she had this filly but she doesn't look like an old mare.

Earth
Galileo filly out of Alpha Centauri
Homebred
Niarchos Family
The second foal out of Alpha Centauri, she's a very big lady and is a lovely-mover. She will take a bit of time but she has an incredible pedigree and we are looking forward to seeing what she can do. She might be more of a three-year-old.

Unnamed
Kingman (GB) filly out of Starfish (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})
Homebred
Mrs Frank Barry & Mrs Luke Barry
A half-sister to Astadash, who won the Denny Cordell Lavarack S. at Gowran Park for us, she is very nice and will be out in the middle to back end of the season. Starfish has been an excellent producer for the Barry family and hopefully this filly can be another.

Lucky Melody
Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) filly out of Queen Of Carthage (Cape Cross {Ire})
Bought by BBA Ireland for €195,000 from Baroda Stud at Goffs November Foal Sale in 2021
Yuesheng Zhang
Very nice filly. She's a big girl but is also very sharp and is a half-sister to Lucky Vega (Ire), who did so well for us and obviously means a lot to the Yulong team. We hope to have her out in the middle of the season and she's nice.

Colts
Dundrum
Profitable (Ire) colt out of Rosy Morning (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus})
Bought by BBA Ireland for 31,000 from Castlebridge at Goffs Sportsman's
John G Hennessy
We fancied him to run a big race on debut at Dundalk last week but he came back lame. He actually pulled muscles quite badly so there was a genuine excuse for him disappointing on the day. We hope to get him back to what he was showing us at home before that because he's a colt with an awful lot of speed.

Old Sea
Blue Point (Ire) colt out of Liver Nauticus (Ire) (Azamour {Ire})
Homebred
Moyglare Stud
He's a half-brother to Trevaunance (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}). He's very big and has good action. He does everything very easily and, while we thought he was early, he's started to grow a little and may need more time.

The Bear Trap
Kodi Bear (Ire) colt out of Dat Il Do (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB})
Bought by BBA Ireland for 60,000gns from Pier House Stud at Tattersalls Book 2
Alpha Racing Syndicate
He's a gorgeous colt and we're hoping to start him off in a Curragh maiden before long. We think he could be nice.

Guest Star
Due Diligence colt out of Livella Fella (Ire) (Strategic Prince {GB})
Bought by BBA Ireland for €46,000 from Boherguy Stud at the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale
Hronis Racing
A sharp colt, he'll be out within the next month. He looks early and is training well.

Star Hunter
Lope De Vega colt out of She's Complete (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire})
Yuesheng Zhang
A lovely Lope De Vega colt who will be ready to run by the end of May. He's showing up well.

Imperial Magic
Showcasing (GB) colt out of Solfilia (GB) (Teofilo {Ire})
Yuesheng Zhang
Bought by BBA Ireland for €200,000 from Manister House Stud at Goffs Orby
He is sharp and will run in two or three weeks' time. His work has been good and he is very straightforward.

Highland Bling
Highland Reel (Ire) colt out of Padma (GB) (Three Valleys)
Bought by Hubie De Burgh for €22,000 from Vinegrove Stud at Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale
OTI Racing and Brosnan Racing
A very nice Highland Reel colt, he will want a mile but does things nicely at home.

Instant Appeal
Advertise (GB) colt out of Moment Of Time (GB) (Rainbow Quest)
Bought by BBA Ireland for 78,000gns from Newsells Park Stud at Tattersalls Book 2
Alpha Racing Syndicate
Another sharp colt, we'd expect him to be early and he's a very nice colt to do anything with. He's from the first crop of Advertise, who was a very fast horse himself, and we like what we see so far.

Kinesiology
Study Of Man (Ire) colt out of Kinaesthesia (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire})
Bought by BBA Ireland for €65,000 from Staffordstown Stud at Goffs Orby
Alpha Racing Syndicate
On breeding, he will be a middle-distance horse in time and we won't be in any rush to get him out. It will probably be the middle of the season before we see him but he's quite a likeable colt and is doing everything we have asked of him.

The post ‘Good Horses Keep Us All Going’ – Jessica Harrington Stable Tour appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Galway Excited by Next Crop of Alpha Racing Runners After Cadillac Sale

Just over a week after selling the syndicate's flag-bearer Cadillac (Ire) (Lope De Vega) for a cool £500,000 at the Goffs London Sale on the eve of Royal Ascot, Alpha Racing are concentrated on sending out the stars of the future at the Curragh on Derby weekend, headed by G2 Airlie Stud S. contender It's Showtime Baby (GB) (Showcasing {GB}).

A winner of a Dundalk maiden on debut back in April, the Jessica Harrington-trained It's Showtime Baby achieved black type when running third in a Group 3 at Naas last month.

Connections opted to sidestep the royal meeting in preference for the Curragh this weekend and Richie Galway, who set up the commercially-driven Alpha Racing Syndicate with Harrington, is optimistic about the next batch of 2-year-old coming through.

He said, “We have It's Showtime Baby (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) to look forward to in the G2 Airlie Stud S. at the Curragh on Sunday. We decided against going to Royal Ascot with her because we thought this race would suit. She has won her maiden and has black type. She looks progressive.

“We have two nice colts running at the Curragh as well. We bought them at the breeze-ups. National Emblem (Ire) (National Defense {GB}) looks to be a lovely horse and he runs on Friday. The First And Last (Ire) (No Nay Never) runs on Sunday so it's a very exciting weekend for the group.”

Galway added, “We try to make Flat racing accessible and give people an opportunity to spread their risk. The syndicate is somewhat commercial. We have fun but we also trade and have been very conscious about that in the four years we've been up and running.

“Everything we run is for sale at a price. When we go to the yearlings sales, we have a limit and we try to limit the syndicate to 20 people at around €50,000 apiece. We all take a share ourselves; myself, Jessica [Harrington] and Patrick [Cooper] so we are all invested in it.”

Cadillac was the last of the yearlings bought in 2019 on behalf of the syndicate. His sale ensured that the owners recorded an overall profit and, according to Galway, the current crop of 3-year-olds in training with Harrington are on course to ensure it will be another lucrative investment for the 20 or so people who make up the syndicate.

He said, “Cadillac's sale was the highlight. He has been a flagship horse for the syndicate and has brought us all over the world. He ran brilliantly at the Breeders' Cup, got us to Bahrain and won at Leopardstown a few times as well. We were sorry to see him go but the objective of the syndicate is to trade.”

Galway added, “In this year's 3-year-olds, we have Nectaris (GB), who ran well in a Listed race at Longchamp, and she's a lovely filly by Sea The Moon (Ger).

“We also have Viareggio (Ire) (Caravaggio) and she has been third now in two Listed races and Cowboy Justice (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) who is another solid horse. We also had an unraced Zoffany (Ire) colt in that year. I'd be disappointed if that syndicate doesn't make a profit on their initial investment as well.”

Excitement levels are on the rise among the syndicate members as Harrington lifts the wraps on the next batch of runners this weekend and Galway is cautiously optimistic about the future, outlining an ability to sell horses all over the world after they show a level of ability in Ireland.

He said, “It's an exciting weekend. But it's been an exciting couple of weeks with the sale of Cadillac and the two runners–Nectaris and Viareggio-at Longchamp.

“The benefit of having a small stake in all of these horses is that you get consistent and regular action. There are people involved from all over the world–Asia, America, Britain and Ireland.”

He added, “Last year for example, we bought a horse called Pioneering Spirit (American Pharoah) at the breeze-ups. We paid 100,000gns for him and ran him four weeks later in a Curragh maiden.

“He finished fourth and we got him sold straight after that. The syndicate owned the horse for six weeks and got a nice return on the purchase price in that short space of time. Irish racing is held in high regard all over the world. If you can win or be placed in a maiden here you have a pretty good commodity on your hands.”

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For Irish Shipper Cadillac, Saratoga is a Perfect Fit

With their horse coming off a win in a Group 3 stakes race, the connections of Cadillac (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) could have easily pointed their horse to some of the major stakes remaining on the European calendar. Instead, the 3-year-old colt will be in Saratoga Saturday for the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational. With so many lucrative opportunities available, it is growing increasingly difficult for European stables to ignore a stakes schedule laden with rich, winnable races.

“This is a very valuable race, it's a Grade I and it fit into Cadillac's program,” said Richie Galway, the racing manager for trainer Jessica Harrington. “He was obviously there at the Breeders' Cup in November, so we know that he travels. The American turf program is becoming more popular with European trainers and it is improving all the time. This sport that we are all involved in is really a global sport and is becoming more global every day. You have to look outside of what we race in here in Ireland and in Europe.”

In 2018, Harrington set up a syndicate, Alpha Racing, and set out to build up the stable with yearling purchases. Galway said that Cadillac was one of eight yearlings bought in 2019 by Alpha. Though by the star sire Lope de Vega, Alpha was bought for the equivalent of $43,597 at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale. It didn't take him long to establish himself. He broke his maiden in his first career race by nine lengths and, two starts later, won the G3 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. at Leopardstown. After a defeat at Newmarket, he shipped to Keenleand, where he was fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

“Cadillac is Alpha's flagship horse,” Galway said. “From a €40,000 yearling at Goffs Orby we have a horse to compete in a Grade I, $1-million race in Saratoga. It's dream stuff.”

Before she got into racing, Harrington, 74, was one of Ireland's top three-day event riders and competed in the Olympics. She turned to training in 1989 and enjoyed much success as a steeplechase trainer, winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2017. She still trains jumpers, but has added flat horses to her stable. One of her first top horses on the flat was Pathfork (Distorted Humor), the winner of the 2010 G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. Pathfork shipped to Santa Anita for the 2012 GII Arcadia S., where he was sixth. Harrington is winless in the U.S. from six tries. Harrington also campaigned Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), the winner of four Group 1 races, including the 2018 G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas.

Galway said that Irish racing has been slow to adopt racing partnerships, and Harrington took advantage of what she saw as an opportunity. Alpha Racing was born.

“Partnerships and syndications are becoming the most popular form of horse ownership,” Galway said. “In Ireland, we were slower to catch on to. We developed Alpha from that concept. It allows people the opportunity to get involved in horse ownership at a relatively modest investment level with the potential of landing on a superstar. We spread the risk and give the partners lots of action. It is really about spreading the risk, trying to be commercial about how we run the partnership and having a lot of fun along the way. When you buy a yearling at a modest level like that, it's hard to imagine you could end up running at Saratoga in a $1 million race at an iconic track, going there with a chance. We are hugely excited. Cadillac has proven those horses are out there, if you're willing to spread your risk and buy some horses.”

After the Breeders' Cup, Cadillac was given a break and made his 3-year-old debut in the G3 ARM Holding International S. at The Curragh, which he won by a nose. Galway said that after that win, the option that made the most sense was to come to Saratoga.

“It's not that we are passing any races in Europe,” he said. “It's more that this race is an ideal opportunity for him to run against his own age group. It's a good opportunity to put Cadillac in the shop window in Saratoga.”

Though it sometimes seems that European grass horses are better than American grass runners, Galway understands that the Saratoga Derby will be anything but an easy spot.

“As we saw in his last race, he's a tough and tenacious horse,” Galway said. “This will be his toughest task to date. It looks like a very deep race. No matter where you run when you run for $1 million in a Group 1, whether it's Ireland, the UK or the U.S. or anywhere else, you're going to be taking on some serious opponents. At this level, there's no such thing as a soft spot.”

The post For Irish Shipper Cadillac, Saratoga is a Perfect Fit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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