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Mystery Power's brother the latest Gems jewel for Siobhan and Padraig O'Rahilly

Lot 672: the No Nay Never brother to Mystery Power on parade at Goffs
Lot 672: the No Nay Never brother to Mystery Power on parade at GoffsCredit: Peter Mooney

If ever a mare was well named it was Gems, the daughter of Haafhd who has proved to be a glittering jewel for owners Siobhan and Padraig O’Rahilly.

The couple purchased Gems at the Goffs February Sale in 2013 for just €5,500, but she has gone on to establish herself as a producer of excellent foals whose exploits on the track have matched their success in the sales ring.


View full Goffs November Foal Sale catalogue


All four of Gems' runners have won, including Mystery Power – a son of No Nay Never – who landed the Group 2 Superlative Stakes and finished runner-up in the Mill Reef Stakes for Richard Hannon and King Power Racing.

What makes Gems’ success all the more special is that she is the only mare owned by the couple, who run Seskin Stud for Eddie Fitzpatrick of Coolmore. At Goffs on Wednesday they offer a full-brother to Mystery Power through Whitehall Stud

"It took a long time for Mystery Power’s success to sink in," says Siobhan. "It’s still hard to believe we have bred such a good horse."

Mystery Power (blue) lands the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket
Mystery Power (blue) lands the Superlative Stakes at NewmarketCredit: Edward Whitaker
Padraig says of Mystery Power: "He was a big, strong horse, very like his sire and grandsire, and was a lovely foal. We sold him as a foal at Goffs to Willie Browne and Mark Dwyer for €110,000 and they sold him to King Power as a yearling for 250,000gns.

"To have bred and raised him ourselves and done everything with him, it was just brilliant when he went on to do what he did this year."

The exploits of his older brother have made the March-born colt (Lot 672) very popular with buyers at Goffs this week, as he has been inundated with viewers keen to get their hands on a colt by one of the hottest young sires around.

Siobhan sees some similarities with Mystery Power but believes Gems produced an even better model on her second visit to No Nay Never.

"He’s a lovely, big colt, all dark bay, who looks very much like his sire but he's a much better mover than Mystery Power was as a foal. He’s very typical of his sire and grandsire and has the best temperament, he's taking all this in his stride," she says.

As well as Mystery Power, Gems is the dam of Group 3 Prix Miesque second and three-time winner Seaella, whose first foal, a colt by Almanzor, sells in France next month. Both of Gems' sons by Zoffany have won and her yearling colt by Australia moved into his new home at Ballydoyle on Monday.

The couple retained a quarter share in the Australia colt after his sale for €56,000 last November and that decision was rewarded when he made €525,000 to MV Magnier at the Orby Sale last month.

Gems is back in foal to Australia and believed to be carrying a filly foal, which the couple will retain.

The Goffs offering is not the couple's only cause for excitement. Having been married for four years after they met at Seskin Stud ten years ago, they are expecting their first baby.

"We're taking every day and hour as it comes," adds Padraig. "We're very lucky that Eddie is so good to us and we can have the mare and her foals on the farm."


More Goffs November Sale news:

First-crop sires in demand as Caravaggio colt tops Goffs opener at €100,000

Decorated Knight reigns at Goffs as Blue Diamond Stud up home support

Aisling CroweBloodstock journalist

Published on 19 November 2019inNews

Last updated 08:38, 21 November 2019

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