A grand double for Jerry Horan as two of his 1,000 euro buys come up trumps

Jerry Horan is noted as one of the rising stars of the bloodstock world and on Saturday we saw exactly why, as two purchases he made for just €1,000 each were justified within ten minutes of each other.

First the Wicklow native celebrated the victory of Under The Stars in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Keeneland Stakes, the curtain-raiser to King George day at Ascot, as he secured the Night Of Thunder filly's dam Jumeirah Palm Star from the Godolphin draft at the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale for the minimum bid last year.

Second, Horan was the pinhooker of Dandy's Beano, who notched her fourth career success by taking the fillies' handicap that opened Newcastle's card by three and a quarter lengths.

The Dandy Man filly was purchased for €1,000 – one bid above the basement price – at the second part of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale in 2016 and was resold through Dolmen Bloodstock to Stephen Hillen and Hambleton Racing for €20,000 at the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale.

Horan, who operates as Paragon Bloodstock and made his debut auctioneering on the Goffs rostrum this year, no longer has an interest in either horse – he resold Jumeirah Palm Star the day after her purchase – but he was justifiably proud that they have showcased his keen eye for a bargain.

Explaining why he bought Jumeirah Palm Star when others had turned their noses up at her, he said: “It's a relatively young family and I just liked that Godolphin had the mare's colt foal by The Last Lion and that she had the Night Of Thunder filly, who hadn't made a lot of money at the sales but was in good hands with James Tate.

“She's by Invincible Spirit and she had a cover by Slade Power, so she had to be worth a grand of anyone's money.”

Dandy's Beano, bought by Horan as a yearling for 1,000 euros, wins well at NewcastleCredit: Grossick Racing

Horan quickly sold Jumeirah Palm Star to Shane Walsh in a private deal and the new owner welcomed a colt foal by the sire of this season's star two-year-old filly Raffle Prize in March.

Regarding Dandy's Beano, Horan added: “She was a small but sharp filly and I love Dandy Man, so she was easy to like. I sent her to Dolmen Bloodstock, who breezed her at Goresbridge, and she made a nice profit.”

Horan told the Racing Post in an interview earlier this year that his goal in the industry would be to “breed or pinhook a Royal Ascot or Cheltenham Festival winner” and Saturday's double suggests the ambition is not far from being fulfilled.

For the time being, though, he is pleased that he is becoming known as a source of profitable horses. “I'm just delighted with Jumeirah Palm Star and Dandy's Beano that the next people in the chain have been lucky and have made money, or will make money in the future," he said.

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