Blandford bonanza at Goresbridge Breeze-Up as Lope De Vega colt stars

Goresbridge and Tattersalls Ireland may want to consider renaming their breeze-up sale the Blandford Bloodstock show after Friday, as the agency's Richard Brown landed four of the most expensive two-year-olds offered during a session of distinctly solid trade at Fairyhouse.

Heading Brown's haul was the sale-topping Lope De Vega colt who fetched €175,000 when offered by Norman Williamson's Oak Tree Farm.

"He did a very good breeze yesterday and, for me, he was the best colt here," said Brown. "He comes from a proper vendor too so I'm delighted to get him. He'll go into training with John Gosden."

View full Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale results

The third foal out of the winning Lawman mare Legal Lyric clocked one of the quicker times recorded during the pre-sale breeze, but the sire power factor was also central to Brown's high opinion of the colt.

"I'm a huge fan of Lope De Vega and I think the best is still to come from him," he said.

Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown signs for a €100,000 Camacho fillyCredit: Pat Healy

"I've sent umpteen mares to him this year, I really have piled into him, I think there's an explosion about to happen imminently. At least I hope so otherwise all my breeding clients will fire me! God Given, Andrew Stone's filly who won a Group 1 at the end of the year, is among those we've sent."

With lively trade throughout the session the colt was one of many to show a healthy bit of pinhooking profit, as Williamson picked the youngster up in the Fairyhouse ring for just €28,000 last September.

O'Callaghan connection

Brown also struck at €125,000 for the Kodiac colt out of Alexander Youth offered by the O'Callaghan family's Tally-Ho Stud, who pinhooked the April-born youngster for 110,000gns.

"He came highly recommended by a vendor we've been very lucky with over the years," said Brown. "We've bought Ardad, Dream Ahead and plenty of other decent horses from Tally-Ho down the years.

"When Roger [O'Callaghan] knew I was coming here this was the horse he told me I should buy, and when that matches up with what we like to see you have to take it very seriously. He's been bought for Sheikh Hamed. He wanted to buy one proper colt and we were lucky to get him."

Brown's spree also included the acquisition of a €115,000 Muhaarar colt offered by Roderick Kavanagh's Glending Stables, who pinhooked the son of Group 3 winner Tropical Paradise for 32,000gns, and kicked off with a Camacho filly from Meadowview Stables who fetched €100,000.

"I've had a lot of luck with the stallion's progeny at the breeze-ups, I bought the Camacho filly [Teppal] who won the French 1,000 Guineas last year, so I'm partial to his progeny, particularly the fillies," said Brown.

"But it is a breeze-up sale, and she was as far clear of the others on times as we've seen for a very long time. She's for Sheikh Rashid, and I bought him another horse, a good filly called Pretty Baby, and she was that far clear at Arqana two years ago. When there's 200 horses and they do that, you really have to take note.

"She's also a very sweet filly, she gave a great show outside, I really fell for her out there. Delighted to get her but Sheikh Rashid will work out after today where he wants her to be trained."

Offered by Meadowview Stables, the Camacho filly was a copybook example of what a power-packed breeze can do for a horse's value, as she was retained by her vendor, Morning Star Stud, at just €5,000 at the Goffs Sportsman Sale.

Kingmania strikes

Other buyers did occasionally get a look in, including BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe, who collected the session's second-top lot, a filly from the second crop of red-hot sire Kingman for €165,000.

"We all know how good the sire is, Kingman has the potential to be exceptional," said Donohoe. "She took a while to get going in her breeze but did a fantastic gallop out, she went right to the top of Ballyhack. She's a lovely filly for the back-end of the year and next year."

Bred by Sun Kingdom Pty Ltd and offered through Kilminfoyle House Stud, the juvenile is the second foal out of the Listed-winning Exceed And Excel mare Pure Excellence. Donohoe could not hide his enthusiasm for the filly, but said plans remained fluid as to her future.

"I'm absolutely pumped to get her as I thought she'd make a lot more than that," he said. "She's for a new client of mine who's bought a couple of breeze-up horses this year but it's as yet undecided where she'll go.

"She could be one to race and breed from or even for resale, as she vetted good. She'll need a bit of a break now but we'll sit down and decide what to do with her next."

Extra weight was added to Donohoe's high opinion of Kingman later in the day when the Banstead Manor Stud resident sired his eighth black-type winner with Cocked Hat Stakes scorer Private Secretary.

O'Callaghan collects

Another buyer to show a winning hand on multiple occasions throughout the session was Michael O'Callaghan, with his purchases including a €130,000 Night Of Thunder colt and a €125,000 Dark Angel filly.

"That was a busy few minutes!" said O'Callaghan after securing back-to-back six-figure lots. "The Night Of Thunder breezed very well and he's a lovely individual. He looks to be a very fast colt and the stallion is doing very well with his first two-year-olds."

The Night Of Thunder colt, out of a half-sister to the dam of Banimpire, was offered by Katie Walsh's Greenhills Farm, who topped last year's Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale when selling the Classic-placed East to Stephen Hillen for €315,000.

"The filly has been bought for an existing owner Robert Moran, who owns Rionach," said O'Callaghan of the Knockatrina House-consigned lot. "She's a filly with residual value as a daughter of Dark Angel who's a three-parts sister in blood to Lethal Force.

"We've been lucky out of this sale when it was at Goresbridge so hopefully that continues here."

Biggs plays it late

Richard Brown was not the only member of the Blandford Bloodstock team to get on the mark, as his colleague Tom Biggs parted with €90,000 for a Canford Cliffs filly during the closing stages.

"She's going to Ed Dunlop," said Biggs. "She's a lovely filly, I thought she was the best filly here. She did a lovely breeze, was always in hand, was an easy mover and showed a lovely attitude.

"She might not be ready to run straight away but I don't think she's one that we'll have to wait too long to see run. She could run over six or seven furlongs but she's really going to be a filly to run over a mile next year."

The filly, whose second dam is the Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Mail The Desert, was offered by Skryne Stables on behalf of Colin Magnier.

Ross returns to source

Biggs' purchase capped a fruitful day for Skryne Stables, as the operation's only other offering, a colt by Morpheus, went the way of Kevin Ross for €90,000. The colt, who shares his page with Oaks winner Talent, had been pinhooked by Colin Magnier for just €5,000 in the Fairyhouse ring.

"He's a lovely horse who breezed nicely," said Ross. "I bought I Could Do Better [wide-margin winner at Carlisle on Monday] off the same vendor last year and he looks a good horse.

"The full-sister has won twice now too. I don't know who'll train him yet but he's been bought for Paul and Claire Rooney. We got I Could Do Better at Goresbridge last year and Crack On Crack On the year before, so we've been lucky at this sale."

The colt's sister, Shimmering Dawn, is simply listed as having been placed in the catalogue, but has now won her last two starts for James Tate and Sheikh Juma Dalmook.

Final figures

Trade was brisk right from the outset, and by the time the last lot had exited the ring 178 of 196 lots had sold for an enviable clearance rate of 91 per cent.

Those transactions resulted in turnover of €4,990,500, down just one per cent compared to the aggregate at last year's Goresbridge Sale. The average stood at €28,035, down six per cent year-on-year, while the median rose to €18,000, up from €16,000.

Commenting on the session, Tattersalls Ireland chief executive Matt Mitchell said:"The relocation of the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale to the Fairyhouse sales complex has resulted in an extremely successful sale.

"A clearance rate of 91 per cent with an average of €28,035 and a median of €18,000 is indicative of the sale's strength with the middle market particularly strong.

"We wish to thank firstly our loyal vendors who supported the sale with a quality selection of two-year-olds, purchasers who came from 12 countries, Fairyhouse racecourse management who provided the track for the breeze up and ITM who ensure a large number of foreign purchasers attended the sale. The assistance that Martin Donohoe provided has contributed very much to the success of the sale."

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