'It has paid dividends' - shrewd purchase could lead to rich rewards for Book 1 debutant Hunting Hill Stud

In a decade or two from now, when Conor Quirke has time to pause and reflect on the road so far, 2023 will surely figure prominently as a direction marker on the journey.

This year has been a breakout one for him as a bloodstock agent, having sourced Big Evs, the Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and Flying Childers Stakes winner who has connections California dreamin' with tickets booked for the Breeders' Cup.

For Hunting Hill Stud, the Cork farm Quirke owns and runs with partner Kathryn Birch, the year will also figure prominently in its history as the couple offers a yearling at Book 1 for the first time. Lot 429 is a half-sister to a Listed winner and last year's Mill Reef second and to a promising two-year-old entered in the Tattersalls October Auction Stakes at Newmarket this Saturday.

Quirke's forthright views and independent spirit blow a fresh autumn breeze through the normally couched language of the breeding world, and he is typically honest when discussing his and Birch's decision to send Joile Chanson to Ribchester.

He says: "When we sent the mare to Ribchester, he had the favourite for the Coventry and Queen Mary at the time. We were happy to use him in terms of what the mare needed and what would work with her family too.

Majestic Dawn: Listed winner and Group performer is a half-brother to lot 429Credit: Mark Cranham

"Hopefully people can see her for what she is, see through the sire and see she could be a jewel in their broodmare band in time."

She is a half-sister to the Listed Festival Stakes winner Majestic Dawn, who was also second in the Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron and the Listed James Seymour Stakes, and to Rousing Encore, runner-up in the Mill Reef for Richard Fahey. The trainer, who masterminded Ribchester's successful career, thought enough of the Acclamation colt that he bought his Invincible Spirit half-brother at Book 3 last year and The Bobster made a pleasing start to his racing career when fourth on his debut last week. He has the sales race entry at Newmarket this weekend.

The May-born filly enters the ring at Tattersalls on Thursday with late additional black type on a page that already required a lot of ink to print, with Justify’s daughter Hard To Justify having won the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes at Aqueduct on Wednesday night. She had previously made a winning debut at Saratoga and is out of Grade 3-placed Instant Reflex, whose dam Without Delay is a half-sister to Jolie Chanson.

Instant Reflex is also a half-sister to Grade 3-placed Before You Know It, whose two-year-old daughter Gin Gin won a maiden special weight at Churchill Downs last month.

The family will also figure prominently in pedigrees at the upcoming foal sales as another half-sister to Jolie Chanson –Slow Sand – is the second dam of the July Cup winner and Tally-Ho sire Starman, whose first crop of foals will come under the hammer shortly.

This wasn't on the page, which stems from the filly's third dam, the Grade 1 winner Corrazona, when Birch and Quirke purchased her, in foal to Dunaden, for just 3,500gns at the December Mares Sale of 2018. Jolie Chanson's own breeding career had yet to ignite when the couple tracked down her daughter You Will Be Queen, either.

A masked Conor Quirke and Kathryn Birch observe a yearling in the Tattersalls parade ringCredit: Laura Green

Quirke says: "When we sourced her half-sister there wasn't any black type up top, but we felt it was coming with Majestic Dawn. Then Rousing Encore came along last year and The Bobster looks a promising horse, so it has paid dividends."

Jolie Chanson is in foal to Sioux Nation, while You Will Be Queen has a filly foal by Due Diligence and is in foal to Acclamation, so is carrying a close relation to Rousing Encore.

Hunting Hill Stud is just Birch and Quirke, and it is very much a joint effort both at home and at the sales, where Quirke is playing two parts this week, while Birch concentrates on ensuring their homebred filly has the best opportunity to impress those who inspect her in the newly renovated Somerville Paddock.

"I got out and saw as many horses as I needed to at the weekend," says Quirke. "I think there were some consignors baffled that I was looking at Thursday horses on Sunday."

Now he has achieved a level of recognition through the exploits of Big Evs, there is additional expectation on him – and not just as a bloodstock agent but, alongside Birch, as a breeder.

"The filly isn't one of the brightest lights in the sale but it's a compliment to the mare she was chosen for Book 1, and there's a level of 'pinch me' about it," says Quirke. "When you're out there working every day, you sometimes lose sight of that."