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    • Tally-Ho Stud put in a dominant display at this year's Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale by selling 24 yearlings for a combined £1,743,000, which included the £150,000 day two session-topping colt by Mehmas, who went the way of Jason Kelly on behalf of Bond Thoroughbreds just minutes before the final whistle was blown on Thursday.  To illustrate how strong Tally-Ho's performance was this week, the Westmeath-based outfit finished the sale over £1 million clear of their nearest pursuer in the consigning ranks which was Baroda Stud, who sold 13 horses for £668,000. Before nipping off to catch the eight o'clock plane home to Ireland, Roger O'Callaghan reflected on what has been another memorable week in Doncaster and revealed that he was quietly confident the Mehmas colt [lot 410] would capture the imagination. “Lovely horse,” O'Callaghan simply said, before adding, “[He was] very popular and a great update. We saved the best until last.” The update O'Callaghan referred to was the fact that the Mehmas colt's half-sister Flowerhead (Starman) was second in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot and was last seen finishing a lovely third in a Listed contest at Newbury.  Kelly had left for the airport by the time the Mehmas made it to the ring and got his bidding done online. Commenting over the phone, the agent said, “He'll be in the Bond Thoroughbred colours with Geoff Oldroyd. Geoff's had a fantastic season and Charlie Bond was looking to find a nice, sharp two-year-old for him for next year.   “Geoff and PJ McDonald have been on the ground this week and both saw the horse and were keen on him. It was a long wait for him, but he was the one they wanted. PJ has been a big part of the team this year. He's been in Geoff's yard riding plenty of work and has been a big part of the success this season.”  Describing what he liked about the colt, he said, “He's a May foal but he's a very strong, powerful horse. Obviously the half-sister has looked sharp and precocious this year when running to a very high level, so hopefully he'll be able to do something similar. This mare looks like she's producing strong two-year-old types.” The Premier Yearling Sale catalogue was down 77 horses on last year, which obviously played a huge part in the turnover dropping by 5% to £14,297,000. However, the clearance rate remained stronger than ever with a 3% bump to 86%, while the average climbed by 9% to £43,194 and the median by 17% to £35,000.  And while Tally-Ho clearly backed the Premier Yearling Sale, which saw 26 horses clear six figures, O'Callaghan said that more vendors need to get behind the Doncaster highlight, hinting that the overall standard of horse presented was not up to scratch. He said, “Great sale. Goffs deserves great credit for what it has put on here over the past two days. But the Irish and English vendors could do with backing Goffs a bit better. We target this sale because it has always been good to us. We do our bit and Goffs repays us. They could do with more support.” Richard Hughes Makes Hay Off The Back Of Best-Ever Season You've got to make hay while the sun shines and Richard Hughes, who is enjoying his best-ever season as a trainer, did exactly that. Through bloodstock agent Ted Durcan, Hughes spent £746,000 on nine yearlings and came away from Doncaster as the third-busiest buyer behind Anthony Bromley and Richard Spencer, who spent £830,000 on behalf of owner Phil Cunningham, and Ed Sackville, who spent £750,500 on behalf of Manor House Stables. Hughes and Durcan were responsible for one of the most expensive horses on day two, a Minzaal colt [lot 321] that was bought for £135,000 from WH Bloodstock on behalf of prominent owner Jaber Abdullah.  Hughes said, “Very nice colt. [He's by] Minzaal and anything we saw by him we liked. A nice horse with nice balance and there's plenty about him. He comes from a great farm. He's for Jaber Abdullah who has an affinity with horses out of Tamayuz mares. I said that we'd look for one of the nicest colts here and we think he is.” Asked if he was upping his spend purely off the back of his best-ever season, which included breakthrough Group 1 success with No Half Measures in the July Cup, Hughes replied, “Obviously, yeah. We're spending more. We always buy five or six here and obviously you have to put your neck on the line a little bit more when you buy the expensive ones. We bought a filly here yesterday for  £175,000 yesterday and four different people rang me looking to buy her. That never happened before. It gives you a bit of confidence to go and buy an expensive horse on spec.” That trade represented another shrewd piece of business for Mimi Wadham and Violet Hesketh of WH Bloodstock given the Minzaal was sourced for €55,000 at the November Foal Sale last year. However, another lady is deserving of plenty of credit, as Kelsey Lupo of Atlas Bloodstock stepped in for Hesketh who gave birth to her first child during the foal sales last year.  Wadham commented, “Really thrilled. Coming here, we felt we had a six-figure horse but to get £135,000, it definitely exceeded expectations. We really liked the foals by Minzaal last year and they were really hard to buy. We had to push to get him and we were really lucky to get the big update.” The Minzaal colt was bred by Highpark and is out of Oriental Step, whose two-year-old by Ghaiyyath, named Zaafir, made a winning debut in Japan, where the colt earned just shy of £40,000 in prize-money.  Wadham added, “Violet was in the foaling unit so Kelsey worked the foal sales with me! Fingers crossed, we have some more good yearlings to come this year. We had a good sale here a few years ago with a Kuroshio and a Phoenix Of Spain selling well. We hadn't had a six-figure sale here for a while so it's nice to be back with a bang.” Hillen And Ryan Team Up For 'A Queen' Stephen Hillen and Kevin Ryan enjoyed a productive sale with eight horses bought for a combined £419,000, headed by a £120,000 Zoustar filly that the bloodstock agent was convinced represented value at that sum. The Zoustar filly was consigned by Tweenhills and is out of Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes runner-up Moravia (Siyouni).  Hillen commented, “She's a gorgeous filly. Listen, I expected she'd make £100,000 or more and I'd say if she was in a different sale she might have made even more. I just find there is more of an international brigade that goes to Book 1 at Tattersalls and, if she were there, maybe there would have been more foreigners to latch onto her because Zoustar is obviously a big name in Australia but he's not as big here. That's the first Zoustar I have bought and he's for Peter Tingey and Angie Bailey, who have had good horses with Kevin Ryan before. When Book 2 comes around at Tattersalls, you always wish you had bought more here at Doncaster so we're delighted with the business.” Ryan, who has trained smart horses like Brando and Bogart on behalf of Bailey, added, “This filly is an absolute queen and showed herself very well both days I saw her. She's very relaxed and has a great mind. In the parade before she went into the ring, I thought she just stood out.” Aguiar And Amo Add Mehmas Colt To Their Arsenal Robson Aguiar revealed to TDN Europe on the eve of this sale that he was in the process of sitting the trainers' course in Ireland and that he hoped to join Adrian Murray on the licence by the end of this season.  Amo Racing has supported him with two six-figure lots this week and, following on from the £110,000 Persian Force colt that was bought on day one, Alex Elliott landed a Tally-Ho Stud-drafted colt by Mehmas for £120,000. The latter is a brother to Shelton, who finished second in a Group 3 for Paddy Twomey. “This was one of Robson's picks,” Elliott said after signing for the Mehmas colt. “He'll go back to Robson and is one for him to have when he has his name on the licence next year. He's a man you have to row in with when he likes a horse. We've bought five or six horses this week and I think it's good that Kia [Joorabchian] came up here yesterday and saw a number of horses.” Elliott added, “He was very keen to come up and I think he said yesterday that, rather than just going to Book 1, you've got to try and be at all of the sales and try to buy some of the better horses at every sale. I think it's a good change to the policy and hopefully it continues.” Talking points It was at this sale in 2023 where Stephen Hillen and Kevin Ryan bought Ain't Nobody, one of the highest-rated runners by Ballyhane-based stallion Sands Of Mali, for just £30,000. Hillen and Ryan returned to the well on Thursday to snap up two colts by the stallion for a combined £105,000. Both horses were consigned by Joe Foley's Ballyhane outfit. Hillen commented, “Sands Of Mali only has 26 yearlings this year. We've been lucky with the stallion and the two we bought today were reasonably-priced. I think the stallion is pretty hot. We got Ain't Nobody here and he ran well [second] in the Nunthorpe. We think he is better in big fields and he might go to the Breeders' Cup for the Turf Sprint.” Mickley Stud's Ardad colt [254] carried a big reputation into the sale with Richard Kent labelling the grey as one of the nicest horses he has bred for some time. The Ardad colt out of Lady Caroline (Teofilo), a three-part-sister to popular young stallion Havana Grey, will race for Ian Jones, who has enjoyed some good recent success on the track with the 101-rated Paddy The Squire (Golden Horn), a three-time winner this season. He went the way to Micheál Orlandi and Ian Jardine for £90,000. Kent commented, “Havana Grey was the first foal out of the granddam and this is the first foal out of Lady Caroline. It's quite emotional selling him. We'd have loved to have kept him but we don't usually keep the colts – we need to sell them. We have the full-sister at home and we'll probably avoid the temptation of bringing her to a sale. We'll go and race her instead. The mare is in foal to Perfect Power.” Orlandi added, “We felt he was the pick of today, and we tried hard yesterday. It's a lovely pedigree and he's a good individual – as a type he could easily have been in Book 2. He's got a lovely action and he's by a proven stallion.” For the first time in its history, ownership group Pompey Ventures paid £100,000 on a horse at public auction, with lot 281, a full-brother to the 95-rated Fairy Oak meriting such a price tag. The A'Ali colt was consigned by Longview Stud and will go into training with Ollie Sangster, who has sent out a host of winners for the syndicate, including Tuco Salamanca and Profit Refused. Owen Haly, who heads the syndicate, said, “Obviously he's a full-brother to Fairy Oak, who was fifth in the Albany at Royal Ascot. She made a good amount of money [£225,000] at the Goffs London Sale. We've spent money on horses for the lower grades of race and did well at that so now we're trying to take things to the next level and hopefully we can do that. Dave [Byrne, partner in Pompey Ventures] was mad keen on him. He buys all of our unraced horses and he loved him. He came up here on Monday evening and said this is the one we need to go for. Alex Elliott was the underbidder so that tells you everything you need to know. He'll go to Ollie Sangster.” Owner Peter Trainor, who has horses in training with Michael Bell and Natalia Lupini, has dipped his toe into the breeze-up business this week and bought two colts – a Cotai Glory for £95,000 from Tally-Ho Stud and a son of A'Ali who cost £50,000 from Baroda Stud – in partnership with Sean Davis. While Davis signed as GS bloodstock, it is understood that he will be going out on his own for the upcoming breeze-up season, with long-time partner and fellow jockey Gary Halpin stepping away. Speaking after signing for the Cotai Glory colt, Trainor said, “It's going breezing and is for a new partnership. I plan on having a few breeze-up horses for next year to try something different. He'll go to Sean Davis. I have come in this year with Sean – a bit of fresh blood and we'll see how we go.” He added, “I have had a number of Cotai Glorys and Tally-Ho are well-renowned for being a good hotel so, for me, he was one of the standouts today. He was an expensive foal [€85,000] so they [the O'Callaghans] liked him as well. Delighted to get him. Hopefully we'll come back here for the breeze-up sale. Both horses we bought today could do that.” Anthony Stroud waited until deep into the second session to secure his first two horses of the entire sale, beginning with the Jenny Norris-consigned Havana Grey filly [389] from the family of Shouldvebeenaring. Bred by Con Marnane, the filly was sold to the leading bloodstock agent at £100,000. He commented, “She has been bought for Sharpoor Mistry, who won a Listed race the other day with a daughter of Havana Grey called Rosy Affair. He also owned Thundering Nights. This filly is very racy and Con bred her. She just looked particularly sharp. She looks like she can motor.” Stroud followed up by going to the same figure for a Sioux Nation filly [402] that was bred and consigned by James Cloney's Clara Stud.   The post ‘We Saved The Best Until Last’ – Tally-Ho Dominates Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • 4th-Newbury, £12,000, Mdn, 8-28, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:13.80, gd. IMPERIAL BALLET (GB) (f, 2, Blue Point {Ire}–Osipova {GB}, by Makfi {GB}), sent off at 5-1, travelled strongly towards the fore from the outset. Taking control passing two out, the homebred powered to the line for an impressive 3 1/2-length success from Khafar (Dubawi). The dam, whose first foal was the G3 Solario Stakes winner Positive (Dutch Art), is a half to that sire's G3 Sovereign Stakes scorer Zonderland who was placed three times at Group 2 level. A granddaughter of the four-times Group 1-winning champion and 1,000 Guineas heroine Russian Rhythm (Kingmambo), she is connected to a host of smart Pattern-race performers including the top-level scorers Makarova (Acclamation) and Good Guess (Kodiac). Her yearling filly by Ulysses was sold for 45,000gns to Blandford Bloodstock at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale and is being offered at the upcoming Tattersalls October Book 2, while she also has a filly foal by Lope De Vega. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $8,479. O/B-Cheveley Park Stud; T-Andrew Balding.   The post Blue Point’s Imperial Ballet Impresses On Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • The Wesley Ward-trained SHOULD'VE (f, 2, Not This Time–More'n Likely, by Blame), who drew in off the also-eligible list and started widest out, wired her Kentucky Downs debut Thursday under Joel Rosario. Away smartly to the front, she built up a sizeable enough gap heading into the long straightaway and managed to last on the front end as the 5-2 favorite over Petronella (Not This Time) to top an exacta for her sire. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0. O-Lael Stables; B-Mr. & Mrs. M. Roy Jackson; T-Wesley Ward.   The post ‘Should’ve’ Bet Her As Not This Time Filly Wires Kentucky Downs Maiden appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo and Niigata Racecourses: Sunday, August 31, 2025 6th-NII, ¥14,250,000 ($97k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m MATENRO DA VINCI (c, 2, Uncle Mo–Spring Eclipse, by Unbridled's Song) was sold to trainer Mitsumasa Nakauchida for an even $1 million at last year's Keeneland September Sale and has the services of leading jockey Yuga Kawada for this first spin. The Mar. 29 foal is out of a stakes-placed mare whose four winners from five runners to date includes Bet She Wins (First Samurai), winner at two of the Arlington-Washington Lassie. Spring Eclipse is a daughter of the late Jim Tafel's SP Coragil (Metfield), the dam of the graded winners Softly (Binalong), Coragil Cat (Forest Wildcat) and the granddam of GSW Conquest Big E (Tapit). Under the third dam White Jasmine (Whitesburg) is GSW & MGISP Til Forbid (Temperence Hill), herself the dam of GSW Scoop (Gone West). The Not This Time yearling half-sister to Matenro Da Vinci made $775,000 to the bid of Live Oak Plantation at this month's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. O-Chiyono Terada; B-Camas Park Stud (KY); T-Mitsumasa Nakauchida       11th-CKO, Chukyo Nisai S.-G3, ¥58.6m ($399k), 2yo, 1400mT ENVY ME (f, 2, Munnings–Seattle Slang, by Tapit) belied debut odds of 23-1 to finish a promising third in a 1400-meter newcomers' event at Tokyo June 14 and got it right last time, taking out a 1200-meter Fukushima maiden by 2 1/2 lengths June 28 (video, SC 2). A $275,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling, the April-foaled chestnut is out of a Grade III-placed daughter of GISW Seattle Smooth (Quiet American), whose five additional winners includes SP Gunfire (Tapit). O-Kodai Maeda; B-Phoenix Thoroughbreds (III) Ltd (KY); T-Hideyuki Mori   The post Million-Dollar Uncle Mo Colt Makes First Start at Niigata appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
    • A race like the Spinaway Stakes (G1) can reveal a great deal about the future for a collection of 2-year-old fillies. View the full article
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