Mark Wallace looking to the future with Grenane House Stud

After many years spent at the sharp end of the action, Mark Wallace is adjusting to a step further back up the production line.

The former trainer of the fleet-footed Benbaun, who claimed the 2007 Prix de l’Abbaye and a hat-trick in the Flying Five Stakes, is playing his part in the resurrection of Grenane House Stud, a family concern which had lain idle for some time.

"We’ve always had the farm at home," he says. "For a few years I wasn’t involved with breeding and racing as such but my brother Adrian and I decided that we needed to do something with it to make it viable.

"My dad’s a doctor and has never really been into it. My mum had a few National Hunt mares, just to have a bit of fun, but we’ve got 300 acres in Tipperary so you as may as well use it commercially rather than it just being a farm, especially where we’re situated.

"So myself and my brother went into partnership, we boarded mares, got a few of our own, and this is the third year we’re consigning foals and mares."

Mark is the man on the ground, with Adrian, who has a significant role as head of nomination sales with Coolmore America, also supplying some valuable clients.

Benbaun (near-side) was a regular in Europe's top sprintsCredit: Caroline Norris

They have already enjoyed some good results at the Goffs November Foal Sale, including from a Showcasing colt last year.

"Last year we had one make €160,000, our friends at Grove Stud bought it and got a good turn out of it (later sold for €420,000 at Goffs Orby). We were happy with what we got as a foal, and they were happy with what they got as a yearling.

"You want people to get a turn out of them. We want to make money, and for them to as well. We’re basically just selling foals at the moment, and nice foals. It’s not like we’re keeping the best ones for yearlings, they’re all going as foals.

"We’re ahead of schedule, we’ve got more than we thought after three years, we’ve just gradually built it up and the clients are good clients. They pay - that’s the main thing in this day and age, you don’t want to take on anyone. It’s grand, but we want to keep it manageable."

The Grenane consignment

Wallace has eight foals entered for this sale, nearly all of which are by prominent Coolmore stallions.

"There's a Caravaggio colt out of Yet Again (a daughter of St Leger runner-up Quiff, 347) he looks a nice horse, and a Highland Reel out of Maany (721)," he says. "They’re both by first-season sires, so we’ll see how those go. It’s exciting with first-season sires to see if you got them right.

"There’s a No Nay Never (586), we’ve been pretty lucky with the sire the last couple of years, we got into him fairly early, so hopefully he’ll sell okay. We’ve got an Australia, he’s a good stallion, and a couple by Zoffany, who still gets plenty of winners."

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More poignantly, they will also be selling some broodmares belonging to the late Peter Magnier, who ran Brittas House Stud with great aplomb. His broodmare Brigid is the link to such marvellous performers as Sequoyah, Henrythenavigator, Listen, Cliffs Of Moher and Magician.

"Peter and my dad were great mates - Peter was godfather to one of my sisters, he passed away and we’re consigning some for him," Wallace says.

"It’s unfortunate that we are, really, it’s terrible, but what can you do. There are some nice mares, there’s a Galileo mare, Height Of Elegance (861) out of Brigid, Peter’s brilliant mare that he had, and another out of one of her daughters."

Change in direction

Wallace served as an assistant to the likes of Aidan O’Brien and Mick Channon, and during Benbaun’s pomp was regarded as a budding talent of the Newmarket training ranks.

However, just a few months after the Abbaye he announced he would be relocating to the more lucrative waters of Australia. It was to prove a disastrous decision, with his career move beset by false starts and financial difficulties.

He drifted for a while, working for others, including another brother with businesses outside racing, and harbours no desire to make a comeback to the training ranks.

"Definitely not," he asserts. "We had a look, we didn’t do too bad. It’s a different mindset, you get more into the pedigrees and you’re watching the young ones coming on. I always liked that side when I was training but it’s now more like a year earlier.

"I like seeing the foals coming along and we bred our first Group 2 winner this year, Night Colours (who took the Premio Dormello in Italy for Simon Crisford), that was very exciting.

"There’s not the complete high you get training a Group 1 winner but it’s a bit steadier away, a bit of a better business model.

"It’s still never great, with horses, but it’s a steadier operation and if you’re lucky to surround yourself with decent people, that helps an awful lot."

GOFFS NOVEMBER FOAL SALE FACT-FILE

Where Kildare Paddocks, County Kildare,

When Part 1 from Monday to Wednesday, Breeding Stock and Part 2 on Thursday and Friday, with the sessions starting at 10am

Last year's stats From 665 lots offered at Part 1, 480 sold (72 per cent) for turnover of €20,311,000 (down 20 per cent year-on-year), an average of €42,315 (down 11 per cent) and a median of €28,000 (up 4 per cent)

Notable graduates Ghaiyyath (sold by the Castlebridge Consignment to John Ferguson in 2015 for €1,100,000); Latrobe (Castletown Stud in 2015, €88,000 to Mags O'Toole); Glorious Empire (Killourney Mor Farm in 2011, €20,000 to Whatton Manor Stud)

More sales news:

Smart broodmare Wahgah the pick of the Derrinstown draft

Kevin Doyle nets Altior's half-brother by Camelot for €155,000

Select January Sale to return to Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham