'I don't get preoccupied by the sire or follow fashion' - Bromley bags bloodstock agent of the year title

Anthony Bromley has received the coveted bloodstock agent of the year award. The Highflyer Bloodstock man was selected by Geoffrey Howson, honorary president of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents (FBA), on the back of a 2023 campaign that saw his purchases win no less than ten Group/Grade 1 races. 

Bromley, who was presented with a bottle of vintage port ahead of day three of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, said: “I really am thrilled and to be given an award by your peers is very heartening. As an agent you’re reliant on owners letting you spend their money and, despite not always getting it right, people keep letting me have a go.” 

The agent has shown himself to be a man for all seasons this year with top-level successes on the Flat and over jumps. On the level his talents have been advertised by the likes of King’s Stand Stakes scorer Bradsell, a 12,000gns yearling buy, and 31,000gns breeze-up purchase Trueshan, who landed his third top-flight contest in the Prix du Cadran. 

Bromley also manages the interests of owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede whose two-tone green silks were aboard El Fabiolo and Impaire Et Passe when the pair registered impressive victories in the Arkle and Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. 

When asked about his highlights of 2023, Bromley said: “The two Cheltenham Festival winners for Simon and Isaac, as well as winning the Lowther Stakes [with Relief Rally] for them, were the big ones. Then to see Trueshan come back and win the Doncaster Cup and the Prix du Cadran for some lovely owners was the best feel-good moment of the year. He’s taken connections on a great journey and to see him come back after people had slightly written him off in the spring was very special.” 

Top two-year-old Relief Rally was a purchase Bromley was proud of this yearCredit: Alan Crowhurst

While Bromley will be forever associated with the National Hunt icon Kauto Star, he has become an increasingly significant player in the Flat market in recent times. Things reached new heights this year as he signed for 84 yearlings across the European sales. 

“The late, great Henry Ponsonby was my only Flat client for a number of years, but he kept the faith and we did really well and were regularly getting 100-rated horses for less than 30 grand,” said Bromley. “It was through him that I got the Eve Johnson Houghton role. Henry always said I was the best kept secret in Flat racing! To be fair to him he did shout about it to everyone but no one was listening.

“I’m spending more money on the jumpers and I have bigger clients in that sphere but, numerically speaking, I’m buying more horses on the Flat than I am over jumps. Jumps is still the biggest part of the business but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed doing the yearling sales this year. I’ve bought 84 yearlings, which is double what I’d normally buy.” 

Moreover, Bradsell and Trueshan are not Bromley’s only elite-level winners on the Flat, although he said that when Kingsgate Native landed two Group 1 sprints the consensus was that luck was the deciding factor. 

“When I bought Kingsgate Native many, many moons ago everyone just wrote that off a fluke,” recalled Bromley. “That brought no new business in even though I thought that was quite a good deal from Tally-Ho at £20,000. Because I was doing so well with Kauto Star at the time I never really got any credit for it, so it’s nice to have finally come full circle.” 

When it comes to identifying future talent Bromley said there is no substitute for putting in the hard yards, whatever the discipline. 

Anthony Bromley: "It’s all about an eye for an athlete"Credit: Laura Green

“I can differentiate between a five-furlong horse and a three-mile chaser but it’s all about an eye for an athlete,” he said. “I don’t get preoccupied by the sire or follow fashion, that might help. I don’t think there’s anything else to it other than doing the legwork. I pride myself on seeing as many of the yearlings at a sale that I physically can. That helps. There’s no genius about it beyond that though, other than being prepared to look outside the box.” 

Bromley and David Minton established Highflyer Bloodstock in 2001. The Highflyer team is a previous winner of the agent of the year award while Minton received the FBA’s lifetime achievement award in 2019. The pair work alongside Tessa Greatrex.  

After presenting Bromley with his award, Howson commented: “I first met Antony through David Minton and the late Peter Calver – a good judge of horses and men. I can recall Peter telling me that ‘Brains’, as he called Anthony, would go far in the industry. Anthony’s knowledge of English, Irish and French jumping form is phenomenal. I have always been impressed by Anthony’s management of the Souede and Munir horses and his dealings with the media regarding their runners.” 

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