Willie Browne’s Unbeaten Port Augusta Sold For “Proper Money” To Hong Kong

Willie Browne's unbeaten Port Augusta (GB), who racked up wins over six and seven furlongs at Dundalk over the winter, has been sold for “proper money” to Hong Kong.

The legendary breeze-up handler has described his recent upsurge of form on the track as “a breath of fresh air” and, while the 77-year-old admitted to being sorry he couldn't hold on to a horse as talented as Port Augusta, he revealed the son of Zoustar (Aus) fulfilled what he was bought to do by getting sold. 

A 75,000gns Book 1 yearling, Port Augusta missed his engagement in last year's Craven Breeze-Up Sale back at Tattersalls after pulling out of the pre-breeze with a small splint. 

After being given the necessary time to recuperate, the colt went some way to proving his ability by landing back-to-back races at Dundalk, providing Browne with plenty of enjoyment in doing so. 

He explained, “I would think he will suit Hong Kong very well. He is a very sound horse and rattles off quick ground. He has a lot of pace and he stays. We haven't seen the best of this horse, not by a long way. I feel we have only been scratching the surface with him over six and seven furlongs at Dundalk and, if he got a fast pace to aim at over a mile, he could be a serious horse. He's out of a very good race mare [Ship Of Dreams (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire})] and he's very good-looking himself. 

“I thought I might be able to hold on to him and take him to Dubai but he wasn't bought for that and came to me to get sold rather than to race. I got my days in the sun with him and it's good money to get. Proper money.”

Browne added, “He went to the Craven and did the preliminary canter but was slightly lame that evening. We couldn't figure it out. We thought he had given himself a little twist or something. On the morning of the breeze proper, he was still a little off and we discovered that he had a tiny splint halfway down the inside of his shin. We had to withdraw him and give him time. It's probably been a blessing in disguise for this horse.”

Browne may be best known for his breeze-up exploits but his Tipperary stable has been represented by some classy performers in recent times. Spirit Gal (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), winner of the Listed Star Appeal S. at Dundalk, famously took Browne to the Breeders' Cup in 2022 before transferring to Andre Fabre. In the past three seasons, Browne has sent out a hugely respectable tally of 15 winners domestically. 

“To say I am enjoying it would be putting it mildly now,” the veteran operator chuckled. “It's been a breath of fresh air. We've been terribly lucky to get a half dozen nice horses at the same time over the winter. Sure I didn't know myself. They've all done their job and the next trick is to try and replace a few of them, which isn't easy.”

Asked if would consider buying a few more yearlings specifically to race rather than to breeze, given how much he has enjoyed his trips to the races in recent times, Browne replied, “I'd say not, to be honest, and there's two reasons why. Number one, I am too old to start doing that and number two, it's very hard to separate the two in terms of deciding that this yearling is for racing and this one isn't. You would only complicate the thing too much and then you would become known as a trainer. It could affect the main business, which is the breeze-ups.

“No is the short answer. I wouldn't buy specifically to go down the road of racing but what I would love is for somebody else to send me a horse. But I'm not stupid enough to think that, at 77 years of age, there'll be a queue of people wanting to send me a horse. For me to go buying yearlings and start putting them into different boxes wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be good for business.”

At 77 years of age, Browne has made it clear that he is not going to go reinventing himself or anything crazy like that. But one thing's for sure, the man who has blooded many top-notchers under the banner of Mocklershill still gets as big a kick out of the game as ever before. 

He concluded, “It's not that easy to explain what the kick of training winners is because it's very different to breezing horses. Once you breeze them, okay you follow them for their new connections, but your input is finished. When you're training them and get them ready for a race and go out the next morning and look at them in the box and admire them, it's a great feeling. There's huge job satisfaction when you can prepare your horse to go and win a few nice races. That's my idea of heaven.”

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Oaks Heroine Tuesday To Skip Irish Classic

Eight fillies will head postward for Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks following Thursday morning's confirmation of final declarations for the €500,000 Classic. The Co. Kildare venue will be denied the opportunity of a rematch between Epsom's G1 Oaks first and second, Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), with the former being the highest-profile absentee from the select field. Aidan O'Brien will instead rely on Toy (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}, who is set to partnered by Ryan Moore, Wayne Lordan's mount History (Ire) (Galileo {Ire} and the Seamus Heffernan-piloted Emily Dickinson (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). They have been allocated stalls six, seven and two, respectively. John and Thady Gosden trainee and 'TDN Rising Star' Emily Upjohn, who is rated an odds-on chance to regain her winning thread, will have Frankie Dettori in the plate and has drawn gate four. Zhang Yuesheng's G2 Ribblesdale S. victrix Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has been drawn on the outside in gate eight.

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Deep Impact’s Auguste Rodin A New TDN Rising Star

Unlucky on debut when second at The Curragh at the start of last month, Ballydoyle's Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}–Rhododendron {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) put that experience behind him to earn TDN Rising Star status at Naas on Saturday. Sent off the 30-100 favourite for the seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, the bay was swiftly into stride to race on the front end throughout the early stages. Shaken up by Seamus Heffernan to gain an outright advantage passing the two pole, he ran green in the clear but was always in his comfort zone en route to a two-length verdict over Shadowed (Ire) (Caravaggio), with Jim Bolger's highly-promising Young Ireland (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) a head away in third. “He had a lovely first run and he was an easy winner,” Heffernan said. “He gives me the feel of a proper horse and hopefully he keeps getting stronger. He won easy and it was nice to do the steering.”

Auguste Rodin is so far the sole foal out of the stable's high-class G1 Fillies' Mile, G1 Prix de l'Opera and G1 Lockinge S. heroine Rhododendron, who was also successful in the G2 Debutante S. and finished runner-up in the 1000 Guineas, Oaks and Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Her dam Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), who was the winner of the Irish 1000 Guineas, G1 Sun Chariot S. and G1 Nassau S., also produced one of this yard's best females in the seven-time group 1 winner Magical (Ire) by Galileo and her group 3-winning sire Flying The Flag (Ire). Alongside Halfway To Heaven, the G2 King's Stand S.-winning third dam Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) who is a half-sister to Verglas (Ire) was also responsible for Galileo's GI First Lady S. and GI Rodeo Drive S. winner Photo Call (Ire).

6th-Naas, €16,000, Mdn, 7-2, 2yo, 7fT, 1:31.53, y/s.
AUGUSTE RODIN (IRE), c, 2, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
     1st Dam: Rhododendron (Ire) (Ch. Older Mare-Eng at 7-9 1/2f, Ch. 2yo Filly-Ire, Ch. Older Mare-Ire at 7-9 1/2f, Ch. Older Mare-Eur at 7-9 1/2f, G1SW-Fr, MG1SW-Eng, GSW & G1SP-Ire, GISP-US, $1,786,763), by Galileo (Ire)
     2nd Dam: Halfway To Heaven (Ire), by Pivotal (GB)
     3rd Dam: Cassandra Go (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $13,375. O-M Tabor/D Smith/Mrs J Magnier/Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

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Galileo’s Star of India A New Rising Star at Leopardstown

He may have been niggled along earlier than ideal, but Coolmore and Westerberg's hitherto unraced Star of India (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) produced a finishing burst stamped with class and outpointed his rivals in style to earn 'TDN Rising Star' status in Saturday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF (C & G) Maiden over seven furlongs at Leopardstown. The 5-1 chance broke well to track the leaders in fourth and required mild urging to remain in contact rounding the home turn. Making eyecatching headway out wide in the straight, he quickened in some style to seize control approaching the furlong marker and powered away from toiling rivals in the closing stages to easily acoount for Sir Antonino (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by an impressive 2 1/4 lengths.

“[Clerk of the Course] Paddy Graffin said to me 'he's nice' leaving the parade ring and anytime Paddy says that to me they win, so he might be a good omen,” revealed winning rider Seamus Heffernan. “He's a grand staying type of horse and they went a good gallop there. He stayed on going well and I liked him.”

Star of India is the eighth of nine foals and sixth scorer produced by stakes-winning G3 Cornwallis S. and GIII Senorita S. third Shermeen (Ire) (Desert Style {Ire}), herself a full-sister to the dual stakes-winning G2 Flying Childers and G3 Molecomb S. placegetter Mister Manannan (Ire). The April-foaled bay is a full-brother to this term's G3 Hampton Court S. runner-up Roman Empire (Ire) and a half-brother to G1 Phoenix S.-winning sire Sudirman (Henrythenavigator) and a weanling colt by No Nay Never.

2nd-Leopardstown, €16,500, Mdn, 10-23, 2yo, c/f, 7fT, 1:30.07, gd.
STAR OF INDIA (IRE), c, 2, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Shermeen (Ire) (SW & GSP-US, GSP-Eng, $191,892), by Desert Style (Ire)
2nd Dam: Cover Girl (Ire), by Common Grounds (GB)
3rd Dam: Peace Carrier (Ire), by Doulab
1ST-TIME STARTER. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €9,735. O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Westerberg; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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