How some sharp shooting helped an up-and-coming bloodstock agent unearth his first Grade 1 winner

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On this occasion, James Thomas talks to up-and-coming bloodstock agent Charlie Dee about sourcing his first Grade 1 winner – subscribers can get more great insight every Monday to Friday.

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A dramatic conclusion to Saturday’s Grade 1 Jenny Wiley Stakes provided a landmark moment in the burgeoning career of bloodstock agent Charlie Dee. In forcing a dead-heat, Expensive Queen provided the up-and-coming talent scout with his first winner at the highest level. 

Some agents wait a lifetime to taste success in elite company. But while Dee is only in his eighth year in the role, his wait was extended in rather agonising circumstances as the Keeneland officials confirmed the outcome of the photo-finish. 

“When she crossed the line I thought she’d won, but as the stewards took longer and longer to make a decision and more and more replays were being shown, I started to get a bit nervous that she might've lost it on the bob,” he says. “In a weird way I was relieved it was a dead-heat because she’s still a Grade 1 winner, and they’re so hard to come by. I’ve had three Group 2 winners before but this is my first Group 1 winner, which is incredibly exciting.” 

Expanding on the triumph, Dee continues, “It was a goal that I set out to achieve so it feels amazing to have done it. I’ve been lucky enough to buy horses to go to Australia and Hong Kong, but America is becoming the focus for the horses-in-training work I do, so for my first Grade 1 winner to come there was very cool. Hopefully a few people might take note too.” 

Not only did Dee have to endure a prolonged wait to learn whether he had reached the status of Group/Grade 1-winning agent, he found himself in somewhat unusual surroundings to boot. 

“I was in Scotland in an AirB&B with some friends, which was quite fun,” he says. “Normally I’m watching these races late at night at home [in London] by myself, so it was cool to be able to celebrate with some friends afterwards.” 

Expensive Queen’s rise to Grade 1 stardom is a fine advertisement for Dee’s talents. Although she boasts an eye-catching pedigree, being a sister to black-type performers Al Haarith, Antonia De Vega and Luckin Brew, all of whom are by Lope De Vega, she did not rate an obvious top-level winner in waiting when she was secured towards the end of 2024. 

Her final start in Britain saw her finish fourth in a class four handicap at Chelmsford from an official rating of just 81. So, what did Dee see in her profile that suggested she had untapped potential? 

“Although her form doesn’t look particularly exciting, I’m quite big into my speed figures,” he says. “She’d run two speed figures at Sandown and Chelmsford that were in the high 80s. For me, that means a filly could be Listed class. And if she’s good enough to be Listed class in Britain, she could quite easily, if she adapts to training in America, be a stakes filly over there. 

“When Joe [Miller, bloodstock agent] and I went to see her at James Tate’s we absolutely loved her. She was the perfect model for what we think fits turf racing in America, and I think that’s an important part of why she’s jumped up. She’s medium-sized, well-balanced, not too heavy, correct and has a really good hind leg. 

“We saw enough of a turn of foot at Sandown and Chelmsford to give us hope that she’d be able to build on that once she got to the US. Horses seem to gain more speed in America because of the way they train them, so that turn of foot is so important.” 

He adds, “Obviously she’s thrived in America to get to the level she has, and she’s lucky to be with Brendan Walsh, who’s an incredible trainer, but it’s actually not a huge surprise that she’s progressed to being stakes class given her profile.” 

Expensive Queen, who dead-heated with Ghostzapper filly Segesta, is trained by Walsh for owner Kip Knelman’s Farfellow Farms. Explaining how the deal came together, Dee says: “Joe and I have worked together on various trades for America, and we bought Kip Knelman a filly called Fuente Ovejuna from Ralph Beckett around four years ago.

“She was by Lope De Vega and went to Brendan Walsh too; she won two Listed races and was Grade 2-placed. He traded her quite well at Keeneland [sold for $400,000] and he wanted to reinvest. We were looking in that year’s Tattersalls December Sale for a racing prospect but couldn’t find anything. 

“We were looking for a filly with pedigree so I started going through some of the higher profile stallions who’d had runners in Britain recently and were trained in Newmarket because Joe was in town for the sales. We came across Expensive Queen and she just happened to be by the same sire as Fuente Ovejuna.” 

Head-to-head: Segesta and Expensive Queen (nearest) tie for the Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland Credit: Keeneland Photo

Dee holds a degree in equine science and thoroughbred management, and also completed the BHA graduate scheme. However, he says it was during his time on the renowned Irish National Stud course that his eyes were opened to a career as a bloodstock agent. 

“The thoroughbred breeding course is amazing because lots of interesting people come to speak to you, and the ones who resonated with me most were the bloodstock agents,” he says. “He wouldn’t know this, but the talk that most piqued my interest was Mick Flanagan. He told us about his career and what he does and I loved the sound of it.” 

He also gained formative experience under Alastair Donald during his final year of university. “I did the breeze-up sales, the July Sale and the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale that year and absolutely loved it,” he says. “I was really lucky that Alastair had previously worked for Luke [Lillingston], so Alastair gave me a good recommendation when Luke was looking to bring someone into the agency in the summer that I finished the BHA grad scheme.”  

The 31-year-old has been a part of the Lillingston Bloodstock agency since 2018. As well as Expensive Queen, his growing roll of honour features other success stories like the Group 2-winning trio Lemista, Quattroelle and Waterford. 

Dee has also enjoyed success at a more ordinary level this winter, albeit the results have had consequences that go beyond the level of the usual all-weather winner. The agent purchased the consistent Southwell scorer Dosman, who provided his close friend Oli Rix with his first winner since taking out his trainer’s license. 

The five-year-old son of Kingman was picked up in a Tattersalls online sale last October for just 4,000gns, but has proved a real money spinner after reaching the frame in all bar one of his six starts since joining Rix’s Newmarket stable. 

“Oli and I absolutely love that horse and he means a lot to us,” says Dee. “The main reason is he’s helped put Oli’s name in lights, but he also owns a piece of the horse. Starting training is not easy, particularly financially, so the prize-money that Dosman has earned has taken the pressure off a bit. 

“We lived together at uni and he was the best man at my wedding, so to have bought his first winner was really cool. Oli couldn’t have done a better job placing him and keeping him sweet to get him to hold his form.”

If Dee can hold his own form on the purchasing front, we will be hearing plenty more about his exploits in the years to come. 

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Pedigree pick

Breeding buffs should clear their schedules at around half past two today, as Newbury is staging a seven-furlong maiden for three-year-old fillies (2.32) that is made up entirely of newcomers, three of whom are siblings to Group 1 winners.

Sapphire Secret, a 420,000gns yearling trained by Harry Charlton for Juddmonte, is a Kingman half-sister to Sir Delius, who took the scalp of Autumn Glow in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on Saturday; Seet, a 425,000gns yearling in the care of John and Thady Gosden for Shadwell, is a Too Darn Hot half-sister to dual British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes heroine Kalpana; and Synchronicity, a 900,000gns yearling stabled with Ed Walker for TBT Racing, is a Night Of Thunder full-sister to brilliant three-time top-level scorer Ombudsman.

I would recommend a blueblood combination forecast or swinger, except there are other well-bred sorts in the race too: Akademy Lady, a daughter of No Nay Never and Coronation Stakes third Irish History, and Song Of The Clouds, a Night Of Thunder half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Mighty Ulysses, for example. Perhaps this is a race to savour without a bet.