Starspangledbanner | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘He Could Go Right To The Top’ – Has Flynn Sold The Next Designs On Rome?

A decade on from selling Designs On Rome (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) to Hong Kong, where he became a Group 1-winning machine and recorded over €5 million in prize-money in that jurisdiction, Pat Flynn is predicting his latest Far East export Starspangledwaves (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) to be destined for a similarly bright future.

Flynn has been training for over 40 years and is perhaps best known for sending out Supreme Novices' Hurdle winners Montelado (GB) and French Ballerina (Ire) in the nineties.

The 66-year-old revealed that the sale of Starspangledwaves, which is reported to have run well into the six-figure mark, will eliminate the financial woes that come with training racehorses for a living for the next number of years but admitted that he has been left perplexed as to why his yard has fallen out of fashion in recent times.

“We're still pucking the ball out after 40 years in business, which is not a bad achievement in this game and I'm very proud of that,” – Pat Flynn.

From a high of 65 horses at one point, the County Waterford trainer explained that he has just 25 horses within his care at present, and says that Starspangledwaves proves that he can still do the job as well as anyone else in the profession.

“What I can't figure out is why I don't get more 2-year-olds to train,” Flynn said. “I have a really good opening to Hong Kong and we do what it says on the tin. No horse has ever come into this yard and made a fool of us once it left. If we get a horse good enough, we'll get it to win. I know the time of day with horses and have had loads of good ones down through the years. I don't know why we fell out of favour. It's a tough game.”

Facing into the cold winter mornings were made a hell of a lot easier with a horse of the caliber of Starspangledwaves to look forward to. After posting a solid debut at the Curragh, the gelding bolted up in a five-furlong maiden at Dundalk in October and subsequently netted Flynn a major payday with Gaelic Bloodstock swooping in to get a deal done for clients in Hong Kong.

He explained, “I remember when we sold Designs On Rome to Hong Kong, I said to John Moore that he would be one of the best horses they had ever seen. He probably thought to himself, 'this f***er must be mad.' But anyway, he turned out to be a serious horse down there.

“Starspangledwaves is not too far behind him. He's a different type of horse but he's a fair machine. He's incredible. We ran him on bottomless ground at the Curragh, which he'd hate, and he still managed to finish fifth on debut there. Well, he won apologising at Dundalk after that and Conor [Hoban, jockey] said he never won a race as easily in his life before.”

He added, “We're still pucking the ball out after 40 years in business, which is not a bad achievement in this game and I'm very proud of that. We're not complaining and have some lovely horses coming through. A lot of people have gone to the wall since I started and it hasn't been easy but this makes it all worthwhile.

“We got a lot of money for Designs Of Rome and we got something similar for Starspangledwaves. We got a very good price. But I stuck to my guns. I knew he was a serious horse and I told the agents not to be annoying me until they came up with a realistic offer. They have a very good horse to look forward to in Hong Kong and I can see him being top-class over five and six furlongs over there. When you get a good horse, you need to get a good price.”

Starspangledwaves failed to sell as a yearling but confirmed himself a top-notch prospect with his exploits on the track. In doing so, he continued a growing trend of Flynn maximising the potential of a horse who at one point fell through the cracks.

“Where were all the fellas who know it all the day we brought Starspangledwaves to the Orby? Thank God they weren't there that day anyway! We also sold a very good horse to Australia last year, All In The Mind (Ire), who we brought to the Royal Ascot sale but we couldn't get him sold. “Thank God we didn't as it worked out for luck in the end when we got a deal done privately. It was a similar story with Designs On Rome–we bought him off Moyglare Stud for €10,500 outside of the ring at the Orby in 2011.

“I can remember my hands were trembling when we came out of the office after buying him. I told my wife that I was after buying the best horse that would ever come through our yard. So, what does that all mean? The three horses I did well with were all led out unsold so, when your horse doesn't sell, you're not dead in the water by any means.”

He added, “I think Starspangledwaves will do really well over there. He has a phenomenal stride and is an easygoing type. He's like a puma the way he gallops and I'd say he could go all the way to the top. Over five and six furlongs, he could be a serious force.”

The post ‘He Could Go Right To The Top’ – Has Flynn Sold The Next Designs On Rome? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Value Sires Part II: The Middle Ground

Continuing our series on the profitability of stallions, this week we are looking at those who stood between £20,000 and £49,999 in 2020. Three of the top four in this table have subsequently graduated to the higher-fee bracket outlined in Part I of this series last Thursday.

As previously stated, we will be examining sires in four key price brackets according to their yearling sales returns of 2022 set against their fees at the time of covering. The average profit has been determined by the stallion's fee plus a figure of £20,000 for keep costs. The profitable stallions featured must have had at least five yearlings sold in 2022 to make the list and prices have been converted to sterling from Euros according to the conversion rate on the day of the sale.

Just as Dubawi (Ire) headed the list of those in the most expensive fee bracket, so does his son Night Of Thunder (Ire) claim top honours here in this second tier when his fee was €25,000, having been as low as €15,000 for two years before that. It stepped back up a notch after the Kildangan Stud resident's stellar first crop of two-year-olds demonstrated just what their sire was capable of and, since that time, his price has kept climbing to a current high of €100,000. Yes, that's expensive, but the clamour for Night Of Thunder's yearlings was such that 90 were sold (84 of which were in profit) last year for an average of more than eight times his fee at £197,346, with an average profit of £154,565.

Clearly it will be hard to maintain such a level from a higher fee, but it is fair to assume that with the price rise comes an uplift in the quality of mares he is covering, and he was no one-crop wonder. With a top-rated sprinter in Europe to his name last year in Highfield Princess (Fr) and 32 stakes winners from four crops of racing age, Night Of Thunder is fast reaching the elite bracket at only 12 years of age.

Wootton Bassett (GB) has been an incredible success story for Haras d'Etreham, where his stud career started at a lowly €6,000 fee, which dropped to €4,000 in 2014 and 2015 and rose in line with his achievements from relatively small books of lowly mares in his early years. The figures shown on this table represent his final crop bred in France at €40,000. He has subsequently taken another two big price leaps following his move to Coolmore in Ireland – to €100,000 and now €150,000. That, predictably, has been accompanied by strong support from plenty of big breeders. His upward rise will need to continue but, given the mares he has covered in recent years, it would be staggering if it doesn't. Like Dubawi and his sons, Wootton Bassett provides a useful outcross option for many via the Mr Prospector line, in this instance through Mr P's extremely influential son Gone West, who is Wootton Bassett's great grandsire.

Wootton Bassett has at least one top Classic prospect in the Group 1-winning juvenile Al Riffa (Fr), who provides an early example of just what his sire of capable of when crossed with Galileo (Ire). His 83 yearlings sold in 2022 returned an average price of £151,427, giving him a profit margin of £94,978.

Starspangledbanner (Aus) had noted poor fertility at the outset of his career but this appears to have been largely overcome, which is a bonus to breeders. From 121 mares covered in 2020 at a fee of €22,500, 62 of his yearlings were sold with a decent profit margin of £70,801. This year marks the 16-year-old's career-high fee of €50,000, which means that unlike Night Of Thunder, Wootton Bassett and Camelot (GB), Starspangledbanner will remain in this bracket for now. He is joined at stud this season by his high-flying son State Of Rest (Ire), a Group 1 winner in four different countries, and is responsible for one of the most exciting sprinter/milers in Hong Kong, California Spangle (Ire), who recently downed the colours of the outstanding Golden Sixty (Aus). It is easy to see why Starspangledbanner's popularity has been consistently high, just like his fellow Coolmore-based forefathers Choisir (Aus), Danehill Dancer (Ire), and Danehill.

Then there's Camelot, the horse who should be a Triple Crown winner and the sole remaining son of Montjeu (Ire) in the Flat division in Britain and Ireland (his fellow Derby winner Authorized (Ire) is still plying his trade in Turkey).

Camelot may divide opinion but as the sire of ten Group/Grade 1 winners in five different countries he is unquestionably a good stallion, and one who has piqued the interest of Australian buyers thanks to the exploits of Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet and dual Group 1 winner Russian Camelot (Ire), who is now at Widden Stud. His two highfliers of last year, Irish Champion S. victor Luxembourg (Ire) and Deutsches Derby hero Sammarco (Ger), remain in training and the yearlings of 2022 posted average profit of £54,918 from the 45 that were sold. That crop was conceived at €40,000, and Camelot's fee rose to €60,000 the following year, where it is again now after a brief high of €75,000.

With Night Of Thunder out in front, there is plenty for the Darley team to like about this list and they have another three in the top ten at varying stages of their career: Blue Point (Ire), Teofilo (Ire), and Cracksman (GB). Much will be expected of Blue Point this year, and with 98 of his first-crop yearlings offered in 2022 it is clear that breeders viewed him as a commercial prospect from the outset. He is after all made in the image of his late and celebrated sire Shamardal and his race record had that intoxicating blend of precocity and speed which is catnip to modern-day breeders.

Having started out at €45,000, he is now down to €35,000 for his fourth season at stud, and his first yearlings returned average profit of £36,872. Of course this season is crucial for him as we start to see his first runners but you can bet that Charlie Appleby has a few smart juveniles up his sleeve by the sire who lit up Royal Ascot not once but twice in a week with a Group 1 double. A two-year-old winner at the same meeting this year for Blue Point would be just the ticket to get his secondary career off to a similarly fast start.

Cracksman took a few people by surprise last year with a spate of relatively early winners which has grown to a list of 18 to date, including the G2 Premio Dormello winner Aloa (GB) and Listed Star S. victrix Dance In The Grass (GB). His opening fee of £25,000, gave average profit of £25,201 on the 34 yearlings sold from his second crop. Cracksman is now available at £17,500 and, given his own racing profile, there is cause to believe that his offspring take another step forward in their Classic season and beyond.

Cracksman's fellow first-season sires of 2022, Zoustar (Aus) and Saxon Warrior (Jpn), were also buoyed by solid results from their debutants. Zoustar is of course several seasons ahead in the southern hemisphere. G1 Cheveley Park S winner Lezoo (GB) was the stand-out of his European runners, prompting a fee rise to £30,000 this year from his opening mark of £25,000. From 67 yearlings sold, his average profit margin was £23,951.

Saxon Warrior gives renewed hope of the Deep Impact sire-line taking root in Europe and from his first runners, Victoria Road (Ire) flew the flag for him with a Breeders' Cup victory, while the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac runner-up Gan Teorainn (Ire) has now spread her wings even farther through being exported to Australia after being bought for 1,000,000gns by Yulong Investments. From a starting fee of €30,000, which dipped to €27,500 in 2020, his yearlings averaged almost £67,000 last year, showing average profit of £21,938.

My pick from this list, however, is the dependable Nathaniel (Ire). There are few stallions in the world who will ever sire a filly of the calibre of Enable (GB), but the brilliant light of his stud career shines well beyond that obvious beacon. A Classic heroine in France and Grade 1 victrix in America, backed up the top-class British-trained duo of God Given (GB) and Lady Bowthorpe (GB), could have had Nathaniel pegged as a fillies' sire, but then Desert Crown (GB) breezed down the hill at Epsom to win the Derby with consummate ease.

Nathaniel's success extends beyond the Flat to some smart jumpers, including Zanahiyr (Ire) and Concertista (Fr), and the offers to Newsells Park Stud from National Hunt stallion operations in recent years have surely been numerous.

The average price of the yearlings conceived from Nathaniel's 2020 fee was £66,259, leading to average profit of £21,259. Good on the team at Newsells Park for hanging on to this extremely useful stallion, who surely represents excellent value at his current fee of £15,000.

Value podium

Gold: Nathaniel

Silver: Cracksman

Bronze: Starspangledbanner

The post Value Sires Part II: The Middle Ground appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Small-Time Irish Breeder Molloy Over The Moon With American Oaks Winner

Small-time breeder Kevin Molloy was provided with the best possible Christmas present late on Monday night when Rhea Moon (Ire), the first produce out of homebred Callisto Star (Ire), became Starspangledbanner's fourth top-flight winner of 2022 when battling to Grade I American Oaks glory at Santa Anita.

Rhea Moon began her career for Ken Condon in Ireland, for whom she showed bundles of potential when placing in six-furlong maidens at Dundalk and the Curragh before being purchased privately by BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe and international bloodstock agent Niall Dalton to join Philip D'Amato.

Monday night's success was described by Molloy, who sold Rhea Moon through Ballybin Stud for £24,000 to BBA Ireland at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale in 2020, as his best experience in racing.

He said, “I stayed up to watch the race with my family and it was very exciting. We were concerned about the draw but she has that turn of foot which gets her out of trouble.

“It was my best day in racing. To win a Grade I and to have that on the page is great. They are keeping her in training and I see more improvement coming so it's quite exciting.”

Peter Kelly of Ballybin Stud sold Rhea Moon along with her winning full-sister There's The Door (Ire) for €80,000 at the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale last year and the Magna Grecia half-brother who commanded €145,000 to Johnny Hassett's Getinthegame syndicate at this year's Sportsman's Sale at Goffs.

He recalled, “I know from talking to Ken Condon that he was mad about Rhea Moon and he went hard trying to buy the full-sister last year and the Magna Grecia this year as well. I thought she'd be a good filly but I never dreamt she could go on and win a Grade I, so it's great.”

Kelly added, “Rhea Moon was a gorgeous, big filly as a yearling. Big, scopey and strong but she was a small bit turned in in front, which spoiled it a little. I remember her being a gorgeous filly in the lunge ring-she'd a huge big action on her-and you just knew she was going to be good. I remember trying to put a few people on her. Every now and then you get a glimpse of what could be a good one and she was one that I really liked at home.

“The dam Callisto Star has had an exceptional start and I'm delighted for Kevin as he has three mares all of whom are from this family. The sister has won for David Evans and is not far off black-type while Johnny Hassett bought the Magna Grecia colt at the Sportsman's Sale off us. I'm delighted for Johnny as he was a big fan of the colt and hopefully this pedigree update will help them achieve a nice profit at the breeze-up sales next year.”

It has been a bountiful year for the progeny of Starspangledbanner. Rhea Moon capped a memorable season for the Coolmore sire by joining Aristia (Ire), State Of Rest (Ire) and California Spangle (Ire) by claiming success at the highest level.

Rhea Moon's dam Callisto Star is back in foal to Starspangledbanner with Molloy excited about what the future might bring for a family he has nurtured for generations.

He explained, “There's stamina in the dam's side and, if you go right back, there's the Mill Reef influence in there as well. I think the match is very good and I was advised by Christy Grassick in Coolmore to bring Callisto Star to Starspangledbanner. Thankfully, the mare is back in foal to Starspangledbanner, which is good news.

“Callisto Star was unlucky during her training career. She was with Jim Bolger but got injured. To get off to a start like she has, with her first produce bagging a Grade I win in America, is great.”

Molloy added, “Her second foal, There's The Door (Ire), has won for David Evans and was not far off getting black-type. She had a lovely Magna Grecia colt sell to Johnny Hassett's Getinthegame partnership at the Sportsman's Sale in September. He was a lovely colt with a great temperament and it will be interesting to see how he breezes for them.”

Molloy's enjoyment at seeing Rhea Moon achieve big-race success in America was heightened by the fact that he is surrounded by the family at his base in Luttrellstown in Dublin.

He said, “Rhea Moon is a Dublin girl. She was born in Coolmore but she was raised here in Luttrellstown. I only have a small operation here. I have kept a few different broodmares from different lines but gradually got out of them. The one line I kept is from Mohican Princess (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}).

“Mohican Princess produced a number of good horses, including dual Group 3 winner Satchem (Ire) (Inchinor {GB}) and Eye Of The Storm (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who despite only having one eye, was a very talented horse. I kept Livia Galilei (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) out of Mohican Princess and I have some of Livia Galilei's daughters here as well. I've only got three broodmares altogether.”

Molloy added, “I take a lot of advice from Peter's Dad Paddy Kelly. I am guided by him and Christy Grassick. I get good advice and it's very enjoyable to have the mares around me. As I am speaking now, I am looking out the window at Rhea Moon's dam. That adds a lot. There are ups and downs but, to be able to go out and pet these mares on the nose, it gives you a lot of satisfaction. You get very close to them all.”

The post Small-Time Irish Breeder Molloy Over The Moon With American Oaks Winner appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘Moon’ Shines Over Rivals in American Oaks

Rhea Moon (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) was produced by the hot-riding Juan Hernandez approaching the final furlong and fought her way past pace-pressing stablemate School Dance (Animal Kingdom) in the final couple of jumps to win Monday's GI American Oaks at Santa Anita.

A 6-1 gamble exiting a 1 1/4-length success in the GIII Autumn Miss S. going a mile over this course Oct. 29, Rhea Moon was one of the last away, but improved along the inside while tugging a bit for her head and raced fourth-last with a circuit to travel as favored East Coast shipper and 'TDN Rising Star' Salimah (Ire) (El Kabeir) pulled her way along beneath Flavien Prat with School Dance in close attendance.

Hard held as she continued to scrape paint into the backstretch, Rhea Moon was shuffled back one spot and raced with just two behind into the final half-mile, but was always traveling smoothly. Full of run as she was ridden for luck at the fence, the bay was a bit short of room and in tight quarters with two furlongs to race. But allowed to follow the move of GIII Sands Point S. heroine Skims (GB) (Frankel {GB}) into the final three-sixteenths of a mile, Rhea Moon found the daylight she needed four or five off the inside and motored home to peg back School Dance on the money.

“I think going a mile and a quarter, the one hole was an advantage,” said winning trainer Phil d'Amato. “Juan took advantage, just saving every inch of ground and getting her out in time. He gets a lot of credit for developing this filly…Juan and I are really in a groove, as much as Flavien [Prat] and I do well, Juan and I just seem to really get on a hot streak and I have a lot of confidence in him as does everyone else. It is just great to see. I don't need to give him a lot of instructions and he gets the job done.”

Placed on a pair of Irish appearances for Ken Condon as a juvenile, Rhea Moon finished runner-up in her first two U.S. starts before graduating in a nine-furlong test over this course June 4. A wide-trip third in a first-level Del Mar allowance July 24, Rhea Moon cleared that hurdle Aug. 21 and overcame a bit of trouble to win the Autumn Miss by 1 1/4 lengths Oct. 29.

Pedigree Notes:

Rhea Moon completes a truly phenomenal season around the globe for the underappreciated Starspangledbanner, joining Prix Ganay and Prince of Wales's S. hero State of Rest (Ire); Longines Hong Kong Mile victor California Spangle (Ire); and G1 Prx Jean Romanet heroine Aristia (Ire) as top-level scorers in 2022. Rhea Moon is one of two winners from just two to race for Callisto Star. Her 2-year-old sister There's The Door (Ire) won her maiden at third asking at Haydock this past July and was a near-miss runner-up in a Newmarket handicap over nine furlongs Oct. 29. Rhea Moon, who is inbred 4×3 to the legendary Danehill, also has a yearling half-sister by Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

Monday, Santa Anita
AMERICAN OAKS-GI, $303,000, Santa Anita, 12-26, 3yo, f, 1 1/4mT, 2:00.75, fm.
1–RHEA MOON (IRE), 124, f, 3, by Starspangledbanner (Aus)
1st Dam: Callisto Star (Ire), by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
2nd Dam: Livia Galilei (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
3rd Dam: Mohican Princess (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
1ST GRADE I WIN. (£24,000 Ylg '20 TATIRY). O-Rockingham Ranch & Talla Racing LLC; B-Kevin J Molloy (IRE); T-Philip D'Amato; J-Juan J Hernandez. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 9-4-3-2, $371,831. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–School Dance, 124, f, 3, by Animal Kingdom
1st Dam: Ann of the Dance (SW & GSP, $198,332), by English Channel
2nd Dam: Dans La Ville (Chi), by Winning
3rd Dam: Syracuse, by Sharp-Eyed Quillo
1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK-TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK-TYPE. O-Agave Racing Stable & Rockin Robin Racing Stables; B-Betz/Lamantia/Ramsby/Strong, B & K Canetti/J Betz (KY); T-Philip D'Amato. $60,000.
3–Sparkle Blue, 124, f, 3, by Hard Spun
1st Dam: Silk n' Sapphire, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Golden Tiy, by Dixieland Band
3rd Dam: Tiy, by Nalees Man
1ST G1 BLACK-TYPE. O-Augustin Stable & Catherine Parke; B-Catherine Parke (KY); T-H Graham Motion. $36,000.
Margins: HD, 3/4, HD. Odds: 6.80, 11.70, 8.80.
Also Ran: Oakhurst, Skims (GB), Pizza Bianca, Salimah (Ire), Duvet Day (Ire), Lady Clementine (GB), Mise En Scene (GB), Bellstreet Bridie (GB). Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post ‘Moon’ Shines Over Rivals in American Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post