'He's a horse Richard really wanted' - Hughes and Ted Durcan combine for 130,000gns Too Darn Hot colt at Book 3

It was closing in on 9pm by the time Ted Durcan struck a bid of 130,000gns for the top lot on day one of Book 3 of the October Yearling Sale, but the agent revealed he was under strict instruction not to leave Tattersalls without the blue-blooded son of Too Darn Hot. 

The Hazelwood Bloodstock-consigned colt is the first foal out of Moohareeba, a winning half-sister to Dubai Warrior and Mootasadir who claimed Group 3 races at Lingfield and Dundalk respectively. The session-topper was bred by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum under the Essafinaat UK banner and will now head into training with Richard Hughes. 

“Richard and team had seen the horse this afternoon, as I had, and we all loved him,” said Durcan. “He’s a smashing, big horse and the sire is red hot. I know the family extremely well from my time in the Middle East, which helped. Mike De Kock and Sheikh Khalifa had the whole family.” 

Durcan added: “Richard was adamant we were not to leave the sale without him. We spent plenty on him but he’s a horse Richard really wanted. I respect Adrian O'Brien [of Hazelwood], he’s a great producer and has a marvellous nursery, and he was adamant this is a horse we should have. We’re over the moon to have him but there is no owner for him yet.” 

Dalham Hall Stud’s Too Darn Hot has made a notably bright start to his second career as his debut two-year-olds include 20 European winners and six black-type performers. The best of those is Fallen Angel, winner of the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, while Darnation also landed the Group 2 May Hill Stakes. 

Ted Durcan: "He’s a smashing, big horse and the sire is red hot"Credit: Alisha Meeder

The champion son of Dubawi could double his tally of Group 1 winners this weekend with Alyanaabi, who was last seen landing the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes, around 9-1 third favourite for the Dewhurst on Saturday. 

Pinhookers drove the bulk of the action during the session, but the breeze-up speculators also had to give best when Olivia Perkins-Mackey stepped up to the plate late around an hour before the top lot sold. 

Q-Cross Stables presented the Invincible Spirit filly out of Mardie Gras that prompted a prolonged duel between Perkins-Mackey and Danny O’Donovan, and the former was left somewhat overwhelmed when she won out at 115,000gns. 

The buyer, whose initials also appeared besides a 310,000gns Siyouni colt in Book 2, explained she was working with US agent Justin Casse and that her purchase would be heading into training with Joseph O’Brien. 

“I saw her this morning and loved her, so I told Joseph and Justin about her and they loved her too,” said Perkins-Mackey after letting out a big sigh of relief. “She’s got a big walk, she’s beautiful, there’s nothing to knock her on. She’s a May foal too so there’s plenty of room to improve.” 

Q-Cross Stables' Invincible Spirit filly out of the Galileo mare Mardie Gras sells to Joseph O'Brien and Olivia Mackey for 115,000gns at Tattersalls Book 3 Credit: Alisha Meeder

Reflecting on the session’s first six-figure price, Perkins-Mackey added: “Honestly, I had no idea she’d make that much, that’s not my forte. I just spotted the athlete and sent her on to Justin and Joseph. I get so nervous bidding!” 

The filly is a sibling to a minor Flat winner in Italy and is out of a Galileo half-sister to the Listed-placed Midnight Game. The dam’s other siblings feature a host of talented jumpers including West With The Wind and New Year’s Eve. If the filly is to receive any immediate updates to her pedigree it is likely to be at Cheltenham rather than Royal Ascot, as her dam has a Blue Bresil colt foal and was bred to Crystal Ocean this spring. 

The nature of trade meant pinhooking profit wasn’t easy to come by, but the Q-Cross Stables team were certainly in clover having picked the filly up for just €23,000 from the Tullogher House Stud draft at Goffs last November.

Earthlight colt bound for Tally-Ho

Tony O’Callaghan may have been hiding away down the back stairs when he was bidding on Ballyshannon Stud’s Earthlight colt, but once the hammer fell there was no concealing his purchase as the youngster fetched 95,000gns. 

Bred by Con Harrington, the colt is the second foal out of Crafty Madam, a winning and Group 3-placed Mastercraftsman sibling to four black type performers, most notably Group 1-winning sprinter Profitable. 

There was a Group 1 update under the second dam as Perdika, a granddaughter of Crafty Madam’s half-sister Danidh Dubai, was last seen finishing second to Highfield Princess in the Prix de l'Abbaye. As with so many of the market principals on Thursday, the colt is bound for next year’s breeze-up sales, in his case the Tattersalls Craven. 

Tony O'Callaghan: "We’ve sold one by Earthlight who went quite well and he’s getting nice stock"Credit: Alisha Meeder

“We’ll get him home and see how he performs before we make a plan, but he’ll probably come back here in April,” said the Tally-Ho Stud man. “We liked him from the word go; sharp, a good walker, nicely balanced. We’ve sold one by Earthlight who went quite well and he’s getting nice stock. They look racy and behave well. This colt is from a good family too and Con Harrington is a good breeder.” 

Yearlings from Earthlight’s debut crop also proved popular during Books 1 and 2 with 16 selling for an average of 159,690gns. His first crop was bred at a fee of €20,000. 

Tally-Ho Stud have been busy selling at Park Paddocks too, with 6,264,000gns worth of yearlings traded during the first two sections of the October Sale. Eighteen Tally-Ho lots sold for 3,636,000gns during Book 1 and 28 more lots fetched 2,628,000gns in Book 2, at which the O’Callaghan family’s operation was the leading consignor. 

A Blue Point colt from Barton Stud hit 90,000gns later in the session, while Genesis Green Stud offered an Iffraaj filly that was hammered down at 82,000gns, but it transpired both lots had been bought in. 

A Dream pinhooking result  

A Group 1 pedigree update helped Hegarty Bloodstock turn a tidy profit with Live In The Dream’s half-sister, who was knocked down to Chasemore Farm manager Jack Conroy at 80,000gns. 

The daughter of Elzaam made plenty of appeal on paper last November as she was already a sibling to two black type performers, with Live In The Dream a half-brother to the Listed-placed Live In The Moment. However, despite those credentials, she was picked up by Sam Hoskins and David Hegarty at just €27,000. 

The Elzaam half-sister to Live In The Dream exits the sales ring at Park PaddocksCredit: Laura Green

Live In The Dream has doubled his tally of career victories since that transaction, with his standout effort coming in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes. The Adam West-trained son of Prince Of Lir is now being prepared for a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

“She’s for one of Chasemore’s long-term clients,” said Conroy, who signed the ticket as JP Bloodstock. “The owner wants to remain anonymous but he’s got a few broodmares with us, and myself and our vet, Pat Sells, buy for him. I don’t know which trainer she’ll go to yet. We liked her though and she has obvious residual value. 

“We know Adam very well and we think Live In The Dream will win at the Breeders’ Cup. Hopefully she’s as sharp as her half-brother then we can dream about races like the Queen Mary. Pat actually does a lot of vet work for Adam and he looks after Live In The Dream, so he knows him well. He’s pretty sure that she’ll grow into a bigger type than Live In The Dream. When you can get a half-sister to a Group 1 winner, she makes sense at that money. She vets nice and cleanly so we’ll take our chance.”

Hoskins was plainly delighted with the dividend, and was keen to heap praise on his pinhooking partner. 

“I’m a terrible vendor as I get very nervous,” he said. “I think she’s a racehorse of the future though, so good luck to Jack Conroy and his team. David Hegarty has done a wonderful job with her. He doesn’t blow his own trumpet much but he’s the co-owner with me and he consigned her, so the credit should all go to him because he’s done all the hard work. 

Jack Conroy: "When you can get a half-sister to a Group 1 winner, she makes sense at that money"Credit: Laura Green

“We bought her together in Goffs last year. I really liked her as a filly and she was a late foal, so I thought she’d improve, and she was already athletic and had a really good mind on her. She still has a great temperament so I’m sure she’s a racehorse. If I had lots of money I’d love to take a chance on her myself.” 

Expanding on the filly’s appeal at the foal sales, Hoskins added: “I thought Live In The Dream was one of those three-year-old sprinters who had the profile to get better at four. I was very aware of him, but I never thought he was going to win a Group 1! 

“At the very worst the mare had two 100-rated horses from two and I know from looking at yearlings ourselves we love that ratio of good horses in a pedigree. The dam is clearly a very good mare.” 

Hoskins has seen first hand just how fast Live In The Dream is, as he runs the Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds and Hot To Trot syndicates that fielded Equality and Get Ahead in the Nunthorpe. 

“In the syndicates we’ve been lucky enough to be represented in some of those good sprints with Get Ahead and Equality,” he said. “In the Nunthorpe I was watching our two, who were drawn on the wrong side, and suddenly I was like, ‘No way! Live In The Dream!’ Adam West has done a great job and hopefully he’ll win the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.” 

Breeze-up brace

The next two in the market are also set to reappear at the two-year-old sales, including the Hello Youmazin half-brother to Earl Of Sefton Stakes scorer Steel Of Madrid from Mount Coote Stud who fetched 72,000gns. 

“He’s a nice horse who will go breezing,” said Michael Fitzpatrick of Kilminfoyle House Stud, who signed at JC Bloodstock. “The sire was a very quick, well-bred horse by Kodiac so he must have a chance.” 

Mount Coote Stud's Hello Youmzain colt sold to Michael Fitzpatrick for 72,000gnsCredit: Laura Green

Earlier in the day Con and Amy Marnane went to 66,000gns for Kilcarn Park’s Blue Point filly. The March-born foal is out of Sun Lily, a Street Sense half-sister to German Listed scorer Clear Water and Group 2-placed Gold City. 

“She looks like a fast filly,” said Con. "We’ve been very lucky with Blue Point. We have four yearlings to breeze, a mare in-foal to him and a two-year-old in training, so you could say we’re big fans! He’s a phenomenal stallion.” 

Plenty of buyers had headed home after Book 2 concluded on Wednesday, but Amy Marnane said that she would be among the bargain hunters sticking it out until the bitter end of Book 4 on Saturday. 

“I’ll be here for Book 4,” she said. “I’ve bought four from Book 4 and they've all become stakes horses – everyone else has gone home by then. I have the stamina to stay through to the end, I just hope the horses don't have as much stamina as I do!” 

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