Budding trainer David Weston enjoys breakthrough sale with Nathaniel colt

Flintstone Stud brought just the solitary lot to the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, but what the farm's draft lacked in quantity it more than made up for in quality, as the Nathaniel colt went the way of Ballyhane Stud's Joe Foley for 95,000gns during Saturday's concluding session.

"He's a lovely horse and has been very straightforward - Matt Coleman's just told me he's the nicest foal he's seen here," said Flintstone's David Weston. "Funnily enough the first mare I bought 15 years ago was off Joe, so what goes around comes around!"

The colt is out of Robema, a daughter of Cadeaux Genereux who has produced the Listed-winning Connect and the stakes-placed Atlantic Sun to former Ballyhane resident Roderic O'Connor. Weston also explained that Foley had another reason for keeping a close eye on Robema's broodmare career, having come off second best when the mare was purchased for €25,000.

He said: "Joe's always been very helpful, we used Roderic O'Connor when he had him and he was actually underbidder when we bought this mare, so he's always watched what we produced out of her. That's our biggest sale to date so we're delighted."

While the Nathaniel colt had been the subject of glowing reviews from some seasoned judges, Weston said he had a plan B in place had the youngster failed to live up to expectations in the sales ring.

"I've just been granted a trainer's licence, so if this colt hadn't made 50,000gns I'd have kept him to train him - though Joe did tell me that too many people wanted him for that to happen!"

El Tanner leads the Nathaniel colt out of Robema around the Tattersalls ringCredit: Laura Green

The stud is situated just outside of Marlborough, and is currently home to four jumps horses, three Flat performers and four broodmares, as well as one racing-mad family.

Weston was joined at Tattersalls by his ten-year-old son Sam, while his elder son, Ben, was back at base helping with the horses. He added that his partner, El Tanner, was responsible for putting in many of the hard yards on the farm, as well as prepping and leading up the 95,000gns Nathaniel colt.

"We've built the stud up from scratch 14 years ago, it was an old dairy farm that had been derelict for a long time," he continued. "I've been training from there as a permit holder for nearly four years and trained 16 winners. Our dream now is to train some nice Flat horses. I have an electronics business that I'm looking to exit at some stage, then we'll really be able to upgrade what we're doing."

The breeder also conceded that, having come into the industry from a standing start, it has been something of a steep learning curve.

"We bred a horse called Easy Tiger who won his first two races as a two-year-old," he said. "We were offered a lot of money by Hong Kong for him but I stupidly turned it down. I'd like to think we've learned from our mistakes down the years."

With some ambitious plans in place, Weston indicated he would be looking to add to his broodmare band during next week's Tattersalls December Mares Sale.

"We have four active mares at the moment," he said. "We've just retired two and bought one in July and will be looking to buy next week. We're trying to upgrade our stock, hopefully mares whose progeny will get in Books 1 and 2 [of the October Yearling Sale]."

More Tattersalls news:

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Laundry Cottage clean up with 185,000gns Bated Breath colt at December Foal Sale