'He’s been very consistent since the start' - Tally-Ho team still backing Mehmas with €135,000 filly

Tally-Ho Stud were in the thick of the action throughout the four days of the Goffs Orby Sale. The O’Callaghan family sold 15 yearlings for receipts worth €2,683,000 during Book 1, and a further four during Book 2 that fetched a combined €63,000. 

The all-conquering outfit reinvested some of its dividend by signing for four Book 2 lots, a haul that included Thursday’s €135,000 joint top lot. 

The family know plenty about the sire, as Cahermorris Stables’ filly is by Tally-Ho kingpin Mehmas. 

The O’Callaghan silks have been carried with great distinction in recent times by the likes of Caught U Looking and crack two-year-old Lady Iman. When Tony O’Callaghan was asked if his purchase had been bought to go breezing, he said with a twinkle in his eye: “Or racing, maybe. We loved the filly, she came from a very good breeder in the west of Ireland, Mr Joyce.” 

The youngster is from a pedigree that has already been in the headlines during this week’s sale as her dam, the winning Dawn Approach mare Smart Flies, is a half-sister to the likes of Round Tower Stakes scorer Smash Williams. A Fracas half-sister to the dam sold to Blue Diamond Stud for €240,000 during Book 1.

Mehmas has stood at Tally-Ho since 2017, in which time his fee has climbed from a low of just €7,000 through to this year’s career high of €70,000. In that time he has broken the record for the number of individual two-year-old winners in a single crop and has come up with 87 black-type performers. Nine of those have won in Group 1 company, the most recent of which came when the Tally-Ho-bred Wise Approach annexed the Middle Park Stakes. 

Tony O'Callaghan: "They’re honest and they have a will to win"Credit: Sophie Webber Photography/Goffs

“He’s been very consistent since the start,” said O’Callaghan. “They put their heads down low and try. Trainers like them. They’re honest and they have a will to win.” 

Reflecting on trade over the four Orby Sale sessions, O’Callaghan said: “It was good, but then every sale has been good this year. It’s quite extraordinary. It’s been hard to buy, but we still have room for a few more.”

The six-figure transaction is far from the first good turn this family has done breeder Joe Joyce. He raced Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Saoire, who is under the third dam, and has bred three stakes horses from her sister Take Flight, namely Smash Williams, Royal Entry and She’s Trouble. The latter has a Mehmas colt being offered by Tally-Ho at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. 

“I’ve had this family for a long time,” said Joyce. “I bred the dam, and this is a smart filly; she’s definitely a two-year-old. I’m back selling at Goffs, I was gone out of here for a while. Goffs have treated us very well and put up a good show with buyers here from all over the world.” 

He added: “I had to give the O'Callaghans a bit of a push earlier on and told them I had a nice filly. I think they copped on! The dam is in foal to Good Guess and she has a cracking foal on the ground by the same sire. He’s a really nice stallion.” 

In keeping with trade elsewhere in recent weeks, Book 2 of the Orby ended with trade having reached unprecedented heights. 

There was just the single six-figure transaction during last year’s Book 2. This time around there were five. Turnover for the two days duly rose by 28 per cent year-on-year at €8,550,000, despite 55 fewer lots being offered. 

The average price reached a record level for this event, up 25 per cent to €25,295, while the median was up 33 per cent to €20,000. The clearance rate was a healthy 86 per cent as 338 yearlings found a buyer from 394 offered. 

Althani adds another 

Upwardly mobile owner Alanood Althani made another notable addition to her growing racing string when her team bid €85,000 for a daughter of Sioux Nation. 

Althani secured nine lots during the four days of Orby trade for a spend of €862,000. These include the Book 2 top lot, a State Of Rest filly who brought €150,000 during Wednesday’s session. 

While that six-figure recruit is set to head into training with Karl Burke, Gerrardstown House Stud’s Sioux Nation filly seems likely to begin her racing career in Ireland. 

“She’s been bought for Mrs Althani,” said the owner’s spokesperson Eissa Senan. “I’m here with her dad and she’s bought quite a few lots since day one. This filly might go into training in Ireland. 

“She’s by Sioux Nation. If you look at the granddam, she’s black type and has a good page. If you look at the half-brothers and half-sisters, I think Sioux Nation can help this filly do well. She’s a lovely walker and has the physique to develop next season and the season after.” 

Althani’s colours have been carried to three successes by the classy Andrew Balding-trained juvenile Sir Albert. His Goodwood nursery victory was followed by a third-place finish to Avicenna in the Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes. 

“She’s been involved in racing since 2018 and has a few horses in training in England,” said Senan. “Sir Albert was bought from Goffs last year, Mr Althani saw the potential in the horse and he’s done very well. She had six horses in training last season and that is up to nine this season. We also retire the fillies for breeding, some of those, the ones that perform well or have a good page, retire to stud in Ireland. 

“We also have horses in training with William Haggas and Karl Burke. We started with Andrew from the beginning, he’s brilliant, as we all know, he’s the top trainer in the country. We got to know Karl Burke also because he’s got very good success, particularly his two-year-old statistics. We sent him some horses for the first time last season.” 

Senan said the Qatari owner’s buying mission could well continue over the next fortnight at Tattersalls. 

“We’ll get together after the sale and assess what we have bought so far and how we can grow,” he said. “We want a manageable operation, we don’t want the numbers to explode.”  

Browne bags a breeze-up brace 

Pinhookers continued to restock ahead of the two-year-old sales next spring, with Willie Browne making the biggest breeze-up investment when signing for an €80,000 Minzaal filly from Forenaghts Stud. 

“We’ve seen her for the last couple of days and she’s the standout filly,” said Browne. “She’s a lovely walker and is very well put together. Her sire Minzaal was a fast horse and hopefully he will pass it on. 

“From what I’ve seen of the sire's yearlings they’re sharp looking and look like they will be early two-year-olds. We’re looking for speed and she looks like she will have it.”

Browne also gave €65,000 for a colt from the second crop of St Mark’s Basilica offered by The Castlebridge Consignment. 

Willie Browne signed for an €80,000 Minzaal fillyCredit: Sophie Webber Photography

“He was one of the better colts here,” said Browne. “St Mark’s Basilica is starting to do very well, whether he's quick enough for our job I’m not sure, but I hope he is. 

“His two-year-olds seem to have come into their own in the second half of the year, which is a little bit worrying for us, but he’s a grand horse. He looks like a runner and his siblings are well rated, so he has a chance.” 

St Mark’s Basilica has sired 15 European winners at a clip of 38 per cent. His debut crop contains five black-type performers, headed by Group 2 May Hill Stakes scorer Aylin and the Listed-winning Diamond Necklace, who topped last year’s Arqana August Sale at €1,700,000. The latter-named filly is set to contest the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp on Sunday. 

Browne also shared his perspective on the pinhooking landscape at this year's yearling sales, saying: “All these breeze-up horses are probably 20 grand dearer than last year, but that’s just the way it is. There’s a young bunch of breeze-up people now and they’re very brave, so we’re having to try to keep up with them.” 

Weld rekindles Ghaiyyath connection 

Leading trainer Dermot Weld got among the buyers when agent Bobby O’Ryan signed on his behalf for a well-related Ghaiyyath filly at €75,000. The youngster was presented by Ballygallon Stud. 

Weld knows plenty about the sire, having bred and sold Godolphin’s horse of the year from his Springbank Way Stud. 

“Bobby and I bought her on spec,” said Weld. “She’s by the right sire. I know all about Ghaiyyath, I bred him and he’s doing extremely well. She also comes from a very good family, there’s a nice bit of Linamix in there and you can see that colour coming through in her. She looks a racey filly and she was beautifully presented.” 

Ballygallon Stud's Ghaiyyath filly takes her turn in the ring at GoffsCredit: Sophie Webber Photography/Goffs

Weld bred Ghaiyyath from Nightime, who became Galileo’s first Group 1 winner in the 2006 running of the Irish 1,000 Guineas. 

Weld reported that the 22-year-old Nightime has been retired from breeding duty. Remarkably she is set to see out her retirement alongside her 28-year-old dam Caumshinaun. 

“We still have both Nightime and Caumshinaun at home and they’re in great order, I’m glad to say,” he said. “Nightime didn’t go in foal this year, so we’ve retired her as well now. It’s been a wonderful family for us over the years.” 

Weld is offering a Wootton Bassett half-brother to Ghaiyyath as Lot 304 during Book 1 of next week’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. 

“We’re very happy with him and looking forward to next week,” he said. 

End of sale statement

Group chief executive Henry Beeby said: "Book 2 of the Irish National Yearling Sale always has a hard act to follow after two days of the best in Orby Book 1, and this year upped the ante as Monday and Tuesday returned record breaking results with new highs for average at €136,256 and the €98,000 median headed by a trio of millionaire lots.

"That Orby 1 is a world class yearling sale that is the measure of any on the planet when we have the horses is proven time and again and so it was the case this week as we enjoyed a trade of sustained demand as demonstrated by the 89 per cent clearance rate. 

"Orby 2 operates at a different level but the unceasing hunger for horses over the last two days has continued the trends set since August as we have seen mighty trade at Saratoga, Deauville, Doncaster, Keeneland and Fairyhouse, all at their own levels. In fact, the Orby 2 average is a record as well, and the median came within a bid of the high of 2022, whilst we have sold more six-figure lots and the number making €50,000 or over has also risen dramatically, and all from a strong clearance rate of 86 per cent. Another notable statistic is that the last 10 lots averaged well above the sale average so dispelling any suggestion of the sale tailing off in any way.

Selling concluded at the Goffs Orby Sale on ThursdayCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

"Buyer diversification is also noteworthy and the combined efforts of the Goffs Purchaser Attraction Team and our friends at Irish Thoroughbred Marketing has led to a huge number of buyers from all over the world with new faces coming specifically for Orby 2 and 35 different entities signing for lots making €50,000 and above – that’s some spread. 

"There is no doubt that the unique Goffs Two Million Series has a positive impact on Orby 2 as well as its predecessor and the five Book 2 graduates who took home a €50,000 Goffs Bonus have acted as inspiration for buyers over the last two days much the same as those buying earlier in the week. Indeed, the €5,000 Orby 2 daughter of Coulsty bought by Nick Bradley last year is a graphic illustration of why it pays to “Tick the Box” at Orby 1 and Orby 2.

"As we close out the Irish National Yearling Sales week there is no doubt there will be more headlines elsewhere in the coming weeks to follow those from USA, France and closer to home over the last couple of months, but nothing will diminish the record-breaking achievements and vibrancy of Orby1 and Orby 2. For that we repeat our thanks to every vendor and each purchaser as we are nothing without both groups."

Read more

'I’m cutting back' - Jim Bolger reduces stable numbers as master breeder 'consolidates' bloodstock interests 

'I have a good feeling about the stallion' - €150,000 State Of Rest filly tops lively Orby Book 2 trade 

‘We’re pinching ourselves because this wasn’t really the plan!’ - Hannons on a high after punchy pinhooking triumph 

‘She’s a rare mare to have’ - sister to Blackbeard and Charles Darwin tops ‘consistent’ Orby Sale at €1,900,000 

'He's the full package' - Group-winning sprinter Elite Status to stand at Whitsbury Manor Stud