'Once she learns to settle she’ll be a proper mare' - dual dreams for Phelans with Aintree queen Seo Linn

That Seo Linn has given the impression of being a mare ready to shine at the top level all year-round is no happy coincidence for the Phelan family of Glashare House Stud, whose logical approach to breeding makes for a refreshing change.

A standard-setter for Coolmore’s young National Hunt stallion Order Of St George after her Grade 2 victory in the Goffs Nickel Coin mares’ bumper at Aintree, Seo Linn was a rare representative in the sphere for Paddy Twomey as he continues his impressive ascent in the world of the Flat.

The rigorous Twomey would not particularly have taken her on the basis of either her sire or her dam, the Italian Listed-placed Persian Filly. It was largely because Seo Linn and their association was forged through a familiar and trusted chain of command.

"I got the mare [Persian Filly] originally from my nephew, Damian Burns in Lodge Park Stud," says Anthony Phelan, who runs Glashare House with wife Margaret at Johnstown, County Kilkenny.

"The idea was that in Order Of St George’s back pedigree there is an awful lot of speed and that if we got a colt, he would go to the December foal sales and if we got a filly out of an old mare with a good pedigree, who had already bred a horse who ran second in an Italian Derby [Permesso], then we would keep her.

"We’re very lucky we have some good friends that do the breaking for us, Tom and David Brickley, who will tell us if they’re of any use or not. If they say it’s no good, we don’t go on and have them trained. If they say it’s got ability, we do."

A piece of exercise given to Seo Linn up the stiff nearby gallops of Michelle Gannon intimated to the Brickleys, as well as the Phelans and fellow owners Jerry and Bridget Beckett, that they might just have something. Even so, similar standards would then apply with Twomey.

Seo Linn's connections Jerry Beckett and Anthony Phelan (top row, centre and second from right) with Margaret Phelan and Bridget Beckett (both holding trophy), among the celebrating party at AintreeCredit: Grossick Racing

Phelan continues: "I’ve known Paddy since he was 15 years old. He was working on Lodge Park for a summer with yearlings, so it’s not today or yesterday.

"He and [wife] Claire are so genuine. So Seo Linn went to Paddy and Paddy said if she’d got ability, they’d keep her. If Paddy doesn't like them, they don’t stay there very long."

Even with the bar raised, Seo Linn sailed over as nimbly as Yaroslava Mahuchikh. She stuck on nicely to finish second in a bumper at Ballinrobe in late May last year behind the Willie Mullins-trained Kalix Delabarriere and returned to the same County Mayo track in late summer to win with ease.

"The one day she disappointed was the next time in a Listed bumper at Gowran," Phelan says. "It was mine and Jerry’s fault. Paddy thought it was a bit early to run her but we wanted to have a go at our local track. She was only fourth on ground which wouldn’t have suited her. But Paddy has been positive about her all along, take it day-to-day and give her time."

This is a similar mentality embodied at Glashare House Stud, with the Phelans treating Persian Filly on the merits they regarded as important.

"She was 23 when Seo Linn was born," Phelan explains. "We got her when she was empty and we covered her with Ivawood. That turned out to be [triple winner] Persian Queen, who Joanna Morgan had such success with. We tried to buy Persian Queen back from Joanna a couple of times and she wouldn’t sell.

"We don’t mind an older mare’s foal, as long as it’s the right cover. We look at more nurture and nature, rather than the way other people might look at it. We can’t afford to get those younger fillies that you’d love to buy, so we have to compromise on age and different things."

Paddy Twomey: rising force of the Flat can turn his hand to a bumper horseCredit: Laura Green

Glashare House is principally a Flat breeder and has produced the likes of Eastern Appeal, the winner of the Group 3 Concorde and Athasi Stakes for Mick Halford in 2007.

They keep just half a dozen active broodmares, along with their old-timers, and tend to offer the progeny at Goffs or Tattersalls as foals, receiving a terrific return at the latter last December when selling a son of Too Darn Hot out of the winning Sea The Stars mare My Twinkle for 270,000gns. Their son, Ciaran, is a source of even more bursting pride as he is currently in Kentucky as the winner of a Gerry Dilger Equine Scholarship.

Seo Linn, who had been an easy winner of a Listed bumper at Cheltenham in November and skipped a return to the track in favour of Aintree, faced her biggest assignment yet at a somewhat inconvenient time.

"We had our first foal, a nice Awtaad filly out of Alltherightmoves, a few days earlier, and then there was a colt foal by Calyx, out of a mare called Morning Line, who was born at half past one on the morning of the race," Phelan says. 

"That was a bit of a rush of a day. We got home at 3.10 the following morning. It was only by the Monday we started to recover!"

Phelan is quick to add that more than 24 hours of being wide awake was absolutely worth it. Seo Linn, who took a fierce hold throughout, still retained enough energy to defeat 19 useful rivals and tee up what could be an exciting 2025.

"It was my first time going to Liverpool, and we couldn’t have been treated better by anybody," he says. "From the time we got off the aeroplane, to the Uber driver, the people, the staff at the racecourse, everyone was so nice."

Aintree: Seo Linn's owners were impressed by the warm welcomeCredit: Edward Whitaker

The result of the Grand National two days afterwards, with Patrick Mullins steering Nick Rockett home for his father Willie, was also one which brought back a pertinent memory for Phelan.

"The first time I ever learned how to feed horses was off Willie’s dad [Paddy], 30 odd years ago," he says.

"He was sitting in the old stand in Gowran Park, reading The Sporting Life. I told him I’d just started to breed horses and if he had any advice for me. He told me what he did for feeding them, and I’ve just followed it ever since."

The Mullins team know quite a bit about training a dual-purpose horse themselves but Seo Linn appears to be in the safest of hands. A trip to the festival at Punchestown has been suggested before Twomey directs her attention towards staying races on the Flat.

"I’ve told Paddy since the start that we’re in no rush with her and just to do what’s right," he says.

"Every day she goes out, she improves. It’s hard to see a mare pulling for a mile and a half and finishing like she does at two miles. Billy Lee has ridden her brilliantly the last twice and he said once she learns to settle properly, she’ll be a proper mare. She’s done us proud."

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