Breton Rock may have been 50-1, but breeder odds-on to succeed

Breton Rock, a seven-year-old Bahamian Bounty gelding, provided a huge upset when he produced an explosive run in the final furlong of the Group 2 Lennox Stakes over 7f at Goodwood on Tuesday to win going away at odds of 50-1.

That result may have come as a shock to many, but not to his breeder George Kent of Knockenduff Stud in Tramore, County Waterford - a small farm defying the odds.

"I thought the Lennox was a hot race on paper," says Kent. "But Breton Rock likes a bit of ease in the ground and [trainer] David Simcock has selected the right races for him. I thought he was fresh going into Tuesday, and he is a hardened competitor at that level.

"That might have been close enough to a career best, but he is capable of doing that."

Asked whether he thinks the now three-time Group 2 winner could strike in top-flight company, Kent says: "If he got his conditions he could. Look at his third in the Lockinge.

"He's probably a solid Group 2 horse and he's Group 1-placed. Something like the Foret on soft ground might play to his strengths. I think he can go on very soft - extreme - conditions.

"We'd love to think he could. We know how hard it is at Group 1 level, but he's not far away from winning one if things fell right for him."

Focus on breeding

Kent goes on to describe the set-up at Knockenduff Stud.

"We've about a dozen mares here, but to be breeding a Group 2 winner at Goodwood on the big stage is brilliant," he says.

"We're mostly breeding and selling now, though we did train a few of the fillies that we kept - we're now breeding off Shanooan."

Shanooan, a $65,000 Keeneland foal purchase, gave Kent his first win as a trainer on Irish Oaks day three years ago.

Breton Rock is out of Anna's Rock, a €125,000 yearling purchase for Jim Bolger, who was raced by the Kent family.

And while Breton Rock may have caused plenty of tickets to be ripped up on Tuesday, perhaps the biggest racing upset caused by a member of his family was by Arcangues, out of Breton Rock's great-granddam Albertine, who won the 1993 Breeders' Cup Classic at the orbital odds of 133-1.

A winner of the Listed Fairy Bridge Stakes at Tipperary, Anna's Rock also has a Muhaarar colt foal at foot likely to be sold later this year.

The 13-year-old daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar was rested this year with a view to putting her back in foal next year.

"We'd like to think we will race some fillies out of her," continues Kent. "She's at that level now that we just have to pick a sire for her. It would be nice to get a filly out of her."

Nahham, the mare's two-year-old Dawn Approach colt now in the care of Richard Hannon, was pinhooked as a foal for 180,000gns by Stauffenberg Bloodstock before fetching 275,000gns from Peter and Ross Doyle and Al Shaqab at Book 1 of last year's Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Her Kingman colt, meanwhile, fetched €320,000 from Shadwell at last year's Goffs November Sale.

Breton Rock: his relative Arcangues caused a 133/1 upset in the 1993 Breeders' Cup ClassicCredit: Edward Whitaker

Alland, the only daughter of Anna's Rock to date, has been retained for breeding. The five-year-old Teofilo mare has already produced a War Command colt, bought by Glenvale Bloodstock for £55,000 at last year's Tattersalls December Foal Sale.

She is in foal to New Bay, the 2015 Prix du Jockey Club winner who joined the ranks at Ballylinch Stud this year.

The production line at Knockenduff Stud is showing no signs of slowing down, with Listed scorer Burke's Rock having produced Shaaqaaf, a maiden winner for John Gosden at Goodwood in June. Ventura Blues is another to be bred from the small, choice broodmare band at Knockenduff.

Another to defy the odds was Custom Cut, who under the guidance of Kent's father - another George - won the 2013 Gladness Stakes at Breton Rock-like odds of 25-1 at the Curragh.

Custom Cut, a half-brother to Free Eagle and Sapphire, matured into a three-time Group 2 winner for David O'Meara.

"Custom Cut was originally bought as a lead horse for a filly that we had here," says Kent. "But he turned out to be more than just a lead horse! He was bought out of the Goffs Horses In Training Sale from Dermot Weld.

"This is a young, growing farm, and I recommended him to David O'Meara, who bought him. A lot of this game is about selling and breeding good, solid horses and getting your name to where it needs to be. Custom Cut did a lot after we sold him, but that meant a lot to us. It gives people the trust and confidence in what we're doing.

"We'd like to think we have quality rather than quantity," adds Kent, who worked for 14 months with Jim Bolger, and also completed the Irish National Stud course.

"It's important to get these young mares started with solid stallions. Bahamian Bounty was great to get Anna's Rock a two-year-old Listed winner with her pedigree. You see what Breton's Rock is after doing. He's really after getting that mare rolling."

Following in his father's footsteps

With a Racing Post Rating of 116, Breton Rock is among his sire's best runners to date, and would not to have far to go to match the achievements of the top-class sprinting brothers Pastoral Pursuits and Goodricke.

Kent's father also raced Tropical Lady with Bolger, who was second in the 2004 Royal Whip Stakes and went one better the following year. She has produced Elthea, a Carlisle novice stakes winner in June.

Alas, Kent jnr was unable to travel to Goodwood to witness perhaps Breton Rock's finest hour, and had to settle for watching it at home as he busily prepares yearlings for the upcoming sales.

At the Goffs UK Premier Sale, Knockenduff have two lots on offer: a Kodiac filly, whose granddam Charita is also the granddam of sprint veteran Gordon Lord Byron and the great-granddam of recent Eclipse second Barney Roy; and a homebred filly from the first crop of Slade Power.

The odds of success long into the future seem weighted in Kent's favour.

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