'It's by far the best we've had' - Barton Stud's Tom Blain looking ahead to Doncaster in the midst of excellent year

Barton Stud is having a 2023 to remember on the track and the team will be hoping the good fortune continues at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, which starts on Tuesday. 

The Suffolk stud has had black type-winning and performing graduates flying the flag from the United States to France and Britain. 

They include this month's Listed Churchill Stakes one-two Warnie and Deepone, Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap winner Maltese Falcon, and the Listed-winning juveniles Kylian and Action Point.

Sales success this campaign includes the top lot on the opening day of the Tattersalls July Sale; Balalaika. The winning daughter of No Nay Never sold to BBA Ireland’s Eamonn Reilly for 330,000gns, having finished third in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot carrying the colours of Lady Ogden. 

Barton managing director Tom Blain said: "It's been a great year, by far the best we've had, and it's what we do it for. Our whole process revolves around raising racehorses, the sales is obviously part of that and we raise them for the sales, but the whole focus is on producing racehorses.

Kylian: Dragon Stakes victor and Molecomb Stakes third was consigned by Barton Stud at Book 1 Credit: Mark Cranham

"For example, our yearlings are turned out throughout prep in their own paddocks, that's purely a decision we think is better for the horses long term. They might get a few knocks and lumps and bumps, but it's better than locking them in their stables."

The operation has sent yearlings to Doncaster only since 2018, and this latest edition will see their most significant consignment yet, with 16 catalogued and 14 still set to come under the hammer. 

Blain said: "This is the biggest team we've brought to the sale and we've got yearlings by some very exciting stallions among them. I think they're a very nice bunch of horses, very strong and early looking, and everything you'd expect to see in a Donny draft."

The batch includes a well-bred son of Sea The Stars out of the winning Frankel mare Tiger Eye (lot 234). The third foal out of the triple winner - a half-sister to Group 2 scorers Spirit Quartz, Caspian Prince and Tuscan Gaze, and to the dam of Hong Kong champion Irishcorrespondent - the March-born yearling is held in high regard. 

"We've got a very nice Sea The Stars colt out of a Frankel mare who has blossomed with prep," reported Blain. "We think he's a particularly nice, forward-looking type and I'm very fond of him.

"There's also a nice Pinatubo colt (428), out of a mare called Grande Bleue, whose sister Sea Of Thieves looks like a good filly and will be running in stakes races quite soon. 

"We've also got a New Bay colt (224) out of the 102-rated Sweet Promise, he's a nice mover and I think he might go quite well."

In addition, there is a Mehmas colt who is the first foal out of a ten-time winning daughter of Dutch Art who was also second in the Radley Stakes and third in the Firth of Clyde, with Blain saying: "The colt (63) out of Momalorka is an out-and-out Donny type, he's a strong colt and, being by Mehmas, he looks a real racehorse."

Blain is a fan of Darley's first-crop yearling sire and dual Group 1-winning juvenile Earthlight, with Barton Stud having two of his Doncaster representatives. The first of the Barton colts by Earthlight is out of Rashaaqa (131), who is an Oasis Dream full-sister to Listed winner Mushir and three-parts sister to Annaf, a Listed winner and Group 1-placed sprinter. 

Their second son (199) of the Prix Morny and Middle Park victor is a half-brother to three winners, headed by the Listed Diana Trial third Sea Of Love, and their dam Soprana was twice Listed-placed in Germany.

Earthlight, like Pinatubo, is by Shamardal, whose champion sprinter son Blue Point has enjoyed phenomenal success with his first crop of two-year-olds, including Action Point.

Havana Grey: Prix Morny-winning sire has a representative in the Barton Stud draft at Doncaster

The powerful-looking draft also contains representatives by two sires-of-the-moment in Havana Grey and Wootton Bassett. 

The colt by Whitsbury Manor Stud sensation Havana Grey (390) hails from the family of Irish Derby hero Jack Hobbs, while the Wootton Bassett youngster (323) is out of a Zoffany full-sister to National Stakes winner Thunder Moon, who has produced a winner with her first runner and comes from the brilliant Moyglare family of Polished Gem.

Blain said: "I think we all knew Wootton Bassett was going to be good, but he's certainly delivering and that's exciting for everyone, while it's unbelievable what Havana Grey's doing. He's just an amazing success story for Whitsbury Manor Stud and for everyone involved in him. 

"What's lovely is that there's a lot of smaller breeders with Havana Greys running around so hopefully they'll get a payday, which really helps."

The yearling sales season is a hectic period, with the Premier Sale in Doncaster just one stop of many on the line. 

Looking ahead, Blain said: "We've got ten in the Somerville Sale, including two nice Blue Points, which is exciting, along with a couple of other forward-looking individuals. 

"That sale is going from strength to strength and the results have been unbelievable. Last year we sold Got To Love A Grey, who won the Marygate Stakes, so we're looking forward to it.

"For Books 1 and 2 we've got some really exciting prospects raised at Barton and by other clients. Touch wood, the prep is going really well, so hopefully it's an exciting rest of year for us."

Premier Yearling Sale

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