Value Sires Part II: Under 10,000

Having started with the new stallions for 2024, we are continuing the series with those in the lower price tier beneath the fee of 10,000, whether in euros or sterling. For the benefit of this piece we are treating them as one and the same, despite the current exchange rate of £1 = €1.16.

This is the territory inhabited by many small breeders, and in plenty of cases the margins between operating at a profit and a loss are very tight indeed. 

I am reminded here of a particularly interesting quote from Paul Thorman in the interview with Brian Sheerin which appeared in these pages earlier this week. 

Thorman said, “Fashion has never been stronger. We used to be able to sell yearlings by unpopular stallions. If they were good-looking horses out of reasonable mares, they'd find a level and sometimes that level was quite good. Sir Mark Prescott, Peter Makin, the likes of those people would always buy a good-looking horse by an unfashionable sire. Now, if you have picked the wrong sire, there is nobody for it. Stallions are never as good or bad as fashion says they are.”

This does rather underline just why first-season sires are so popular, with their stock often given plenty of benefit of doubt at their first few rounds of sales. It can also be of benefit to breeders to have hit upon the 'right sire' in his second or third crop if his first-crop runners make an impression. Look how well some breeders have done from using Havana Grey (GB) in the seasons in which he was £6,000 before he shot up to £55,000, or Ardad (Ire) at his lowest price of £4,000 in the year that his first runners took to the track.

There are educated guesses to be had if this is your modus operandi and if you've seen enough of a young stallion's stock at the sales to have given you a favourable impression of how well his runners might fare. But even the finest minds and best stockmen have been flummoxed by the unpredictability of the soaraway success for some stallions and perceived failures of others. It's all part of the beauty – and the frustration – of the breeding industry.

Take Your Chance 

These selections mean that you are spinning the wheel of chance with stallions who have runners this year or in the next two years. We will start with Lope Y Fernandez (Ire), who is at the National Stud at a fee of £8,500. Lope he's called and lope he does, this good-walking son of the highly successful Lope De Vega (Ire) who had 40 first-crop foals sell for an average just shy of £22,000. He also has a strong syndicate behind him, with the National Stud teaming up with Coolmore and Whitsbury Manor Stud. He covered 134 mares in his first crop, followed by 152 in 2023, so should have a decent representation of runners next year.

Some sons of Kodiac have been quick to make an impression and it will be interesting to see if the Flying Childers winner Ubettabelieveit (Ire), who stands at Mickley Stud for £5,000, will follow suit. He has first yearlings this year from an initial season in which he covered 96 mares, a figure which increased slightly to 105 in 2023. Breeding a mare to him this year means you will have a foal in the year of his first runners. Richard Kent and his family support their stallions, and that has been the case again with this horse. They breed plenty of winners at Mickley Stud, and it would be no surprise to see Ubettabelieveit represented by some early sorts.

In A'Ali (Ire) and Caturra (Ire) we find two more winners of the Flying Childers, both of whom were bred by Tally-Ho Stud by their home stallions Society Rock (Ire) and Mehmas (Ire) respectively (and don't forget that this was also the team behind 

Ardad and his son Perfect Power). They are a year apart in their retirement to stud with A'Ali having joined Newsells Park Stud in 2022. He also won the G2 Norfolk S., G2 Prix Robert Papin and G2 Sapphire S., and there were favourable comments and results for his first foals, which averaged £23,200 for the 14 sold.

Caturra is now alongside the aforementioned Ardad at Overbury Stud and, like A'Ali, stands for £5,000. He covered 109 mares in his first season and his foals will be appearing in the coming months. Mehmas's sons are appearing thick and fast, with Minzaal (Ire), Persian Force (Ire) and Supremacy (Ire) all at stud in Ireland, and Lusail (Ire) new to France. Caturra is his sole representative in Britain.

Ballyhane Stud's Sands Of Mali (Fr) is a horse with a very interesting profile. He was the co-second top lot at the now-defunct Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Breeze-up Sale and his unheralded sire Panis had a few people scratching their heads. But he had impressed a notable judge in Con Marnane at the Osarus Yearling Sale and then Matt Coleman took a chance on him as a breezer when buying him for the Cool Silk Partnership for £75,000. It was money well spent. He won the G2 Gimcrack S. and the next year followed up with victories in the G1 QIPCO Champion Sprint, G2 Sandy Lane S. and G3 Prix Sigy (the race named after the champion sprinter who appears in the fourth generation of his pedigree), as well as being a close second in the G1 Commonwealth Cup. 

Sands Of Mali is a good-looking horse with a lot more scope than some sprinters. Through his grandsire Miswaki he brings in a different strand of the Mr. Prospector sire-line than that more readily seen in these parts now through Dubawi (Ire), and his is a pedigree which should be open to plenty of mares. Indeed, plenty did visit him in his first book, but that 152 dropped to 74 and 56. His first runners this year could help to put him back on a similar upward curve to Ardad and at a fee of €5,000.

Don't You Forget About Me

It is hard to believe that Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) is now 20, and don't policemen look young these days? He's a grand horse, who in my mind is still that neat two-year-old who went down valiantly and so narrowly to the prize fighter Teofilo (Ire) in the Dewhurst, having already won the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. His stud entrance was hastened by the poor fertility of George Washington (Ire), so we only saw Holy Roman Emperor at two, and in his now-lengthy stud career he has assembled an impressive portfolio that makes his current fee of €8,000 very enticing.

It feels like Dream Ahead has spent most of his stud career being quietly good and not really gaining the recognition and support he deserves. He has two sons at stud in France, where he stood himself for four years after spending his first five seasons at Ballylinch Stud. Now he is at the speed-orientated Bearstone Stud, a sensible place for this top sprinter to be, and the farm is also home to his best daughter, the treble Group 1 winner Glass Slippers (GB). At £6,500, he is at his lowest fee yet and he is far better-credentialed than many younger sprinters at stud. If you have a fast, young mare, why wouldn't you take a chance on a horse who was an excellent racehorse and who has already shown that he can get a good one?

Mayson (GB) is in a similar boat. A July Cup winner who has sired a July Cup winner, he is standing in Ireland for the first time this year at Springfield House Stud for €4,250. Mayson has never covered big books – 90 in his first year, dropping down to 71, 54 and 41 in the last three seasons – but he has the potential to give you a speedy two-year-old who will train on and, as Oxted (GB) and Rohaan (Ire) have shown, he can get a classy individual too.

Owner-Breeder Selections

If you have the luxury of being an owner-breeder with a penchant for middle-distance and staying horses then there is plenty of value to be found by the top-class gallopers who have been recruited by National Hunt studs but could very clearly do a good dual-purpose job. I'd include former Horse of the Year Crystal Ocean (GB) in this bracket at €8,000, along with Haras de la Hetraie's gorgeous liver chestnut G1 Prix Ganay winner Mare Australis (Ire) at €4,500, and the Adlerflug (Ger) full-brothers In Swoop (Ger) and Ito (Ger), at The Beeches Stud and Yorton Farm respectively for €3,500 and £3,000.

And let's not forget an old favourite, Sixties Icon (GB), at Norman Court Stud, with his first-class pedigree and value fee of £3,000. He's far from one-dimensional as a stallion and gets winners across the distance range.

Interesting First Impression

Talking of Adlerflug, his son Iquitos (Ger) made a notable impression last year with only five runners from a total of seven foals in his first crop. His two winners from that set were both stakes winners, including the Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Mr Hollywood (Ire), a TDN Rising Star who is worth following again this season. Iquitos, a treble Group 1 winner over 10 and 12 furlongs, covered a larger book of 32 mares in 2023 and has subsequently moved from Gestut Graditz to Gestut Rottgen, where he stands for €6,000 and should gain some extra support.

Breeder perspective: Fiona Denniff

Fiona and Mick Denniff of Denniff Farms have focused their attentions on breeding speedily-bred horses with notable success, much of which has stemmed from the purchase of Hill Welcome (GB) (Most Welcome {GB}), ancestress of Beat The Bank (GB), Chil Chil (GB), and Kachy (GB) among a raft of decent winners.

Typically, Fiona provides a pragmatic approach in considering this year's mating plans and admits that she has reduced her broodmare numbers.

She says, “I always add on £20,000 to the stud fee to think about whether I will break even. So if you're using a stallion at, say, £10,000, they've got to make £30,000 before I've made a profit selling them as a yearling, so really to make money and call them good value they've got to make £40,000.

“GBB has been fantastic for improving the lot of fillies but you still have to think very carefully about whether you would get £40,000 if your mare produced a filly.

“There will come along another Havana Grey at some point and those who are astute enough to use that stallion will make their money but you have to consider the flipside. I have sat outside stables waiting for people to come and I know what it's like when nobody does come. Last year was very difficult. I feel that the bottom market has gone and the middle has slipped down.

“Hopefully in this new year some of the factors which affected the sales in 2023 will go, but they won't all go. I'm pulling back on breeding because it's not as commercial at the moment, and I have always been very much in the commercial field.”

Denniff adds,”The reason I never went for middle-distance horses is firstly that I love the look of a sprinter, I love the shape of them. Secondly, when I first started, I couldn't get into a middle-distance pedigree for £3,000, which is what I bought Hill Welcome for. It wouldn't have bought me a good enough pedigree to get going, but for a sprinter it was a good enough pedigree.”

“I am sure among this group of stallions there will be another Havana Grey lurking there, but quite which one it will be is hard to say.

“I don't want to put people off breeding, because we need young blood coming in, and there is nothing better than the feeling of having bred a winner. I'd say that money can't buy that feeling, though of course money does buy it, but it is the best feeling in the world.”

TDN Value Podium

Bronze: Awtaad (Ire), Derrinstown Stud, €5,000

Awtaad remains one of the best value sires in Europe. The son of Cape Cross (Ire) had five black-type winners last year, putting some other much more expensive stallions to shame, and these included G1 Prix d'Ispahan winner Anmaat (Ire) and dual Grade I winner Anisette (GB). His global reach was extended by two Group 3 wins in Sydney for Diamil (Ire). 

His Listed-winning daughter Primo Bacio (Ire) sold for 1.1 million gns at Tattersalls in 2023 and while he had only a handful of yearlings sold last year, the previous season the returns had been decent enough, with 28 sold for an average just over £40,000.

Having dropped to 38 mares covered in 2022, Awtaad was back up to 79 last year, so someone loves him, and rightly so.

Silver: Intello (Ger), Haras de Beaumont, €8,000 

Intello spent his early years at stud alternating between Cheveley Park Stud and Haras du Quesnay, and he is just about to embark on his second season across the road from the latter at Haras de Beaumont. 

From his initial feel of £25,000 he has been at €8,000 for three seasons and that of course tells its own story, but he is clearly a capable sire, and while he may fall more into the owner-breeder category his yearling prices weren't too shabby last year: the 12 sold from 13 offered at Arqana October returned an average of €43,417 and a top price of €135,000. 

That may have been helped by Intello's five black-type winners last year, with Junko (GB) ending his year on a high with victory in the G1 Hong Kong Vase.

Gold: Without Parole (GB), Newsells Park Stud, £8,000

There is a growing surge of Frankel's stallion sons in the pipeline but Newsells Park Stud's Without Parole (GB) was among the first and the fastest, as the winner of the St James's Palace S. in 2018. He's now at £8,000 having opened at £10,000, and he has physical refinement to match his lovely pedigree. His half-brother Tamarkuz (Speightstown) preceded him at stud and won the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, while his dam, who brings some Lemon Drop Kid blood to the equation, was a half-sister to the GI Travers S. winner Stay Thirsty (Bernardini).

Thirty of Without Parole's first yearlings sold for an average of £35,700. His book size actually rose to 92 last year, after he covered 83 then 75 mares in his first two seasons. That is hopefully a sign that breeders were encouraged by his youngsters. He could surprise a few people this year and if he does, his fee would likely rise again. It could be a good time to jump aboard. 

 

The post Value Sires Part II: Under 10,000 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

A New Look Ringfort Stud? Derek Veitch Announces Mating Plans 

Derek Veitch, famous for producing Group 1-winning sprinter Minzaal (Ire) and high-class runners Threat (Ire), Miss Amulet (Ire), Ubettabelieveit (Ire) and Indigo Lady (Ire), has outlined his intention to dramatically scale back his broodmare band to 15 or less at his Ringfort Stud base in County Offaly this year. 

The move will come as a surprise to many, given the Rhode-based Veitch has just enjoyed his greatest year as a breeder after Minzaal scorched the Haydock turf when landing the G1 Sprint Cup, not least his wife Gay, who is taking a 'believe it when she sees it' approach to the decision. 

“He was one of the nicest foals we've sold for a long time. He could be a Derby or St Leger type of horse. That's what he was bred to be and the vibes that I am getting back on him are really good,” – Derek Veitch.

However, Veitch is concentrating on diversifying the Ringfort Stud brand, and explained how his decision has been made in the knowledge that none of his three kids have any desire to continue the famous breeding operation. 

He explained, “This year is slightly different for us because we've had a transition of assets over the past four years and it finishes this year in December 2023. I was 65 last weekend and the plan has been to cut back a lot. We started this plan five years ago so, what we will be doing this year will be the same as every other, in that we will foal down a good number of mares and get them back in foal. But, in June or July, things will be very different in that we are going to aim a lot of mares at sales and we will have a big reduction in the size of the farm and try to take things a little bit easier.”

He added, “We have three kids and none of them have any interest in the farm. We have to plan for the next 20 to 25 years without the kids coming in as a support structure on the farm. There's no point structuring the place so that it stays the same or possibly gets even bigger. We are trying to restructure and get to a point where we'd probably sell the farm to get to a small acreage. We could retire into that and not be what we are for the past 20 years. That's a big change. We've been here 22 years and have done nothing but expand since we got here.”

Many of the Ringfort mares are owned in partnership, meaning they will be offered at public auction, although no concrete plans have been made as to what sales they will be entered up at. While revealing mating plans to TDN Europe ahead of what promises to be another busy breeding season, Veitch explained how he could turn his hand to pinhooking foals or possibly racing horses in the future. 

He said, “I don't know if you can time a group of mares to be at their best to go to the sales but it's a necessary evil so that we can get to where we want to go and not still be killing myself working when I'm 75. The plan is to make things more manageable. In a way, that affords us to consolidate and concentrate on quality. It's also an opportunity to diversify into racing ownership a little bit more and to foal pinhooking rather than just breeding. We could run a slightly different business model and reinvent the Ringfort image. That's what we're trying to do this year. It will be more of a surprise to people, even Gay, if I actually do it. They don't think it's in my nature.

“They think I need to work to live. The plan is to try and balance the rest and relaxation element of life and emphasise that a lot more than the work end of it, which has been a necessity to get three kids through college and through private school. We had to work hard but we don't have to do that anymore if we reduce our number. Our partnership mares will go to the sales to be sold and there's a bunch who can't be sold because they're too old or if they have veterinary issues. Then there's younger mares who are unexposed and are maybe starting to breed this year. They could stay around for the next few years. That's the plan anyway.”

Asked how he feels stepping off the wheel, Veitch said, “I'd loved to have stepped off it at 21 and lived the high life but you can't do that. The idea of getting up at half six in the morning having been up all night foaling mares and then working all day, it's not appealing anymore, the whole novelty of that has worn off. As I said, we don't need to do it anymore because the kids have got their own jobs.”

The important milestone achieved with Minzaal, who Veitch intends to support with three or four mares during his debut season at Derrinstown Stud, helped fulfil a lifelong ambition for the breeder which Gay believes will help with the decision to scale back on the operation. 

She said, “You have to remember, Derek has to be doing something different otherwise he's bored. He's bred his Group 1 winner and he always said that he would breed until he got a Group 1 winner. Now that he has it, I suppose he can turn his hand to something else. He reinvents himself.”

Derek added, “Winning the race was a big thing but, being there on that particular day was unique because, nine times out of ten, it happens to be when we're sitting at home watching it on the television. It was lovely to be there on the day.”

And they have their daughter to thank for being there. With no intention of making the trip to Haydock for the race, a last-minute plan was hatched to support their superstar graduate, and boy was it worth it. 

Gay explained, “We were just lucky because our daughter lives in Manchester and she phoned to ask us what we were doing at the weekend. Derek was going to Newmarket for the Somerville Sale anyway, and my daughter asked did we know that Manchester was only half an hour away. She told us to get on a flight and come racing. It was pure fluke and was literally organised at the last minute.”

Derek added, “It was a nice fluke. It's a wee memory that is important about the whole thing and justifies getting up at night, rearing and bringing a foal to auction. It's an interesting journey and the story continues 50 minutes away from here at Derrinstown Stud. He seems to be popular and he's going to get plenty of mares so, if he is fertile, he could be a successful sire. He's had over 300 mare applications but they are limiting him to 175. We have three mares that will visit him.

“Rocana (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), the dam of Youth Spirit (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who won the Chester Vase will visit Minzaal. She is the dam of a nice Australia (GB) colt who is in training with James Ferguson as well. I'd say that Australia horse is a dark one for this year and we're looking forward to seeing him run. I'd say he's a Group horse. He was one of the nicest foals we've sold for a long time. He could be a Derby or St Leger type of horse. That's what he was bred to be and the vibes that I am getting back on him are really good.”

He continued, “The other mares booked in to Minzaal are Shenoya (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Aunt Bee (Ire) (Australia {GB}). Shenoya is a young mare and her first foal was by Gleneagles (Ire) and we sold her to Cathy Grassick and she is gone into training with Joseph O'Brien. The second foal was by Ghaiyyath (Ire) and we sold her to Tally-Ho Stud for €130,000. We liked her a lot. She could be an Oaks filly. Aunt Bee is a stakes-placed mare and in foal to Bated Breath (GB). That will be her first foal. We've a mare in partnership with Corduff Stud, Boo Boo Bear (Ire) (Almutawakel I {GB}), and she will go to him as well.”

Along with Minzaal, Ringfort will support a nice blend of up-and-coming and proven stallions, with Baaeed, Sea The Stars, Ghaiyyath and Mehmas featuring on the list. 

Veitch said, “Coolminx (Ire) (One Cool Cat) will go to Baaeed (GB). She has a very nice Cracksman (GB) called Madly Truly (Ire), who I sold to Brendan Holland of Grove Stud for 95,000gns, but she subsequently sold to Joseph O'Brien and Justin Casse at Book 1 for 410,000gns. She's won her maiden at Naas and is well-regarded. She's a big filly and is very much a three-year-old. David Redvers bought the two-year-old by Profitable (Ire) for 65,000gns and she's one who could rock and roll in early June. She was bought to be a fast, precocious two-year-old and that's what she is. Coolminx is the dam of Fearby (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}), a nice horse we bred.

We haven't made any plan for the dam of Minzaal, Pardoven (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), who is in foal to Mehmas {Ire}). She is not due until April so we are going to see how she foals down. If everything is okay, we'll consider something for her rather than resting her for the year. There's a very nice mare called Daring Diva (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who has a big page. We sold the Violence filly out of her for €190,000 to Niall Brennan, who is a very good breeze-up man, so she could be a lovely breeze-up filly. He will do well with her. Daring Diva is the dam of Brooch (Empire Maker), who is the dam of Mandaloun (Into Mischief), the new Juddmonte stallion. It's a classy pedigree and Violence is an exciting stallion in America. We haven't organised who she will visit yet.” 

He added, “Woven Lace (GB) (Hard Spun) is in foal to Ghaiyyath and is almost ready to foal. She's going to Camelot. Like A Charm (Fr) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) is in foal to Zarak (Fr) and will go to Mehmas. La Australiana (Australia), the dam of the Kitten's Joy colt we sold to WH Bloodstock for 130,000gns last year, is in foal to Starman (GB) and is going to Kodiac (GB). We've a breeding right in Kodiac. 

African Moonlight is also worth a mention. She is the dam of Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}), a good horse for Owen Burrows last year, and her yearling filly by Kodiac was bought by John Dance for 300,000gns. She's a nice filly and we're looking forward to her. That mare is in foal to Palace Pier and will go to Sea The Stars (Ire). There's another mare in foal to Violence, who we bought in America, and her name is Air Cavalry (Air Force Blue). She's going to see Earthlight (Ire). I think that will be a good covering for her.

Indigo Lady (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}) has been very lucky for us in partnership with our friend Paul Hancock. She produced Indie Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a winner at Royal Ascot. Indigo Lady is in foal to Dark Angel so she is carrying a full brother or sister to Indie Angel. She's going to Ghaiyyath this year.”

Not only is Ringfort's faith in Ghaiyyath notable, but the fact that the majority of the mares breeding on the farm were sourced for relatively small fees is another trend to emerge. The best example of that is Flare Of Firelight (Birdstone), the dam of Threat, who Veitch picked up for just 9,000gns in 2014 before selling privately to Juddmonte for a great deal more. Veitch may be winding down his operation this year, but he is not afraid to share some of the advice that has helped him grow his empire. 

He explained, “A workable number is ten mares. There's always two or three barren mares and you might only get four or five foals. Of those foals, you'd be lucky to get one or two that would ring a bell at the sales so, to make it pay, year on year, you need that sort of number. If you go below that number, it's never practical. You'd do better out of it by just buying the foals that you want at the sales. 

He added, “For me, it's never about the produce record of the dam at the time, but more about where she is. If she's in a good hotel and has been well-covered, then something will happen. I wouldn't buy a filly unless she has a very good third and fourth dam. It has to have great depth. But I would rather buy the 54-rated or the unraced filly out of a nice mare who was rated 100 plus or had minor black-type. That's the sort of thing that turns me on when I open the page.”

The post A New Look Ringfort Stud? Derek Veitch Announces Mating Plans  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Ubettabelieveit To Mickley Stud

Richard Kent's Mickley Stud will welcome the G2 Flying Childers S. winner Ubettabelieveit (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}–Ladylishandra {Ire}, by Mujadil) to its stallion ranks for the 2022 season.

Trained by Nigel Tinkler for owner Martin Webb, Ubettabelieveit won on his second start at two and followed that up with victory in the Listed National S. at Sandown. Dropping back to five furlongs after failing to see out the six in the G2 Gimcrack S., he then won the Flying Childers in a tight finish with subsequent Group 2 winner Sacred (Blame). He rounded off his productive juvenile campaign by finishing third in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf over 5½ furlongs at Keeneland.

“I'm delighted that Mickley Stud is to stand Ubettabelieveit as he's a really good-looking individual and son of the highly successful sire Kodiac, whose sons are proving to be sire sons as well,” said Richard Kent. “Kodi Bear (Ire), Adaay (Ire), Prince of Lir (Ire) and Coulsty (Ire) have all sired Group-winning 2-year-olds, and Ardad (Ire), who also won the Flying Childers Stakes, has sired the Middle Park and Prix Morny winner Perfect Power (Ire) from his first crop of impressive 2-year-old winners this season.”

He continued, “I'm grateful to Martin Webb and Nigel Tinkler for giving me the opportunity to acquire Ubettabelieveit and am also grateful that they are retaining shares in him and will be supporting him. We will be making shares available to breeders and will be announcing further details regarding his nomination fee after the conclusion of the October Yearling Sales.”

Trainer Nigel Tinkler added, “Ubettabelieveit is one of the fastest horses that I have trained and completely sound in every way. His attitude was completely professional and all he wanted to do was please you.”

Bred at Ringfort Stud by Derek and Gay Veitch, Ubettabelieveit is out of the juvenile winner Ladylishandra (Ire), herself a daughter of Flying Childers S. winner Mujadil and now the dam of four black-type winners. These include the dual Group 3 winner Tropical Paradise (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}) and listed Rothesay S. winner Shenanigans (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}). Ubettabelieveit shares his fourth dam Dinner Partner (Tom Fool) with Noverre (Rahy), and she also features as the grandam of July Cup winner Ajdal (Northern Dancer).

Sold for 50,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale to Roger Marley and John Cullinan of Church Farm and Horse Park Stud, Ubettabelieveit was originally catalogued for the Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale but was sold privately to Tinkler when the 2020 breeze-up season was delayed by the Covid-enforced lockdown.

The post Ubettabelieveit To Mickley Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Big Sprint Targets For Acklam Express

The Nigel Tinkler-trained 3-year-old Acklam Express (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) will stay in Dubai and target the key five-furlong sprints at the end of the carnival after finishing second to the elder Equilateral (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) in the G2 Meydan Sprint last week.

Acklam Express could resurface in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint on Super Saturday Mar. 6, or wait for the G1 Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night on Mar. 27.

“He ran a marvellous race,” Tinkler said. “He's very well, came out of the race absolutely fine. He's entered for Super Saturday. He might run there. We'll know in a few days if we've got an invite for World Cup night. If he gets an invite for that, he might just go straight there.”

Tinkler provided an update on another speedy 3-year-old in his North Yorkshire yard, Martin Webb's G2 Flying Childers S. winner and G2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint third Ubettabelieveit (GB) (Kodiac {GB}).

“He went to Mark Dwyer's for the winter,” Tinkler said. “He's been back three weeks, and we're very happy with him. We don't know what races there are, because we've only got the programme book until April. The next one doesn't come out for a fortnight, so I can't say anything concrete. In a normal year we'd look at the something like the [G2] Temple S. or a race at York at the May meeting, before going to Royal Ascot. I don't think he's going to go beyond five furlongs.”

Tinkler reflected on the situation of having two exciting pattern-level 3-year-olds in the yard, saying, “It's just amazing to think one of them is rated 110 and the other is rated 109–and they live next door to each other,” he said. “They were two of the fastest 2-year-olds in the UK last season–over five furlongs there won't be many rated higher, and they are next-door neighbours. It's unbelievable, it's just fortune.”

The post Big Sprint Targets For Acklam Express appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights