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

John and Karen Hannon of Killulla Stud pulled off one of the touches of the day when their Starman colt out Dilaza made €85,000 to the bid of Paddy Twomey. The youngster, who was offered during the opening session of Orby Book 2, had been picked up in the Goffs ring back in February before the sire created a big impression with his debut runners. On that occasion the hammer fell at just €10,000. 

“We’re just really happy,” said John Hannon, who expanded on the fortuitous circumstances around his fruitful pinhook. “We had one colt at home, a Blackbeard, so I came up here in February to get a second to go with him. I took a chance on the sire but I loved the foal. He was handy but has done really well for us. Then it was getting obvious very early on that the sire was clicking. 

“We were watching Starman and he was getting better and better the whole time, as this lad was growing and growing. Then, by the time we got to the sale, we had the individual to match. He’s a very smart, correct horse. We’re pinching ourselves because this wasn’t really the plan. If we’d had a couple of colts at home we mightn’t even have come to the sale in February!” 

The €85,000 trade was not the only good result among the Hannons’ two-strong yearling crop. John continued: “We sold the homebred Blackbeard colt [to Linehan Bloodstock] for €100,000 yesterday too so we’ve had a brilliant sale.” 

Hannon, who is based in Newmarket-on-Fergus in County Clare, explained this was not the first time they had enjoyed success at Goffs. 

Paddy Twomey signs the docket for the Starman coltCredit: Sophie Webber Photography/Goffs

“We tend to come to Goffs with the horses as it’s always been good to us,” he said. “We won the jeep [vendor prize for selling the winning horse] after Some Article won the Land Rover Bumper in 2012. My father [Pat Hannon] passed away two years ago but he won the Goffs Million back in 1991 with Fair Crack for Richard Hannon. Goffs has always been very lucky for us. We didn’t expect today at all, we’re just thrilled.” 

The Hannons are far from the only vendors to receive a tidy dividend after investing in the stock of flying first-season sire Starman. The Tally-Ho Stud resident has carried all before him in this year’s freshman class, siring 29 winners at a strike rate of 37 per cent and nine black-type horses. 

His headline act is the Group 1 Prix Morny heroine Venetian Sun, while Green Sense landed the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin and Lady Iman and North Coast both struck in Group 3 company. 

Twomey, who was joined by owners Declan and Phillip Corbett, said of his new recruit: “He’s a nice horse. Starman needs no introduction and this is a lovely colt. He was very well bought here in February and we’re delighted to get him. The €50,000 Goffs Bonus is great for the owners. He’s been bought for the Corbett family, they had a runner in the Goffs Million the other day [My Corbett Court] and that horse was a winner for them earlier in the year, so they’re enjoying it.”

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