“The Vibes Are Good” – O’Callaghan Excited By Well-Bred Starman Newcomer

[Wandering Eyes]

In the pantheon of propaganda, Tally-Ho Stud would hardly get a look in compared to its competitors, so when Tony O'Callaghan says “the vibes are good” about Lady Iman (Ire) (Starman {GB}) ahead of her debut in the two-year-old maiden at Dundalk on Friday, it can be taken as a major positive. 

Lady Iman is a significant runner for O'Callaghan given she is the first representation of Tally-Ho Stud's first-season sire Starman in Ireland this year. She boasts a pretty smart pedigree, too, being a half-sister to West Acre (Ire), who is by the Mullingar-based stud's flagship stallion, Mehmas (Ire).

An unfortunate set of circumstances led to the well-bred filly remaining in the custody of O'Callaghan after she was returned to the vendor after being sold for £185,000 to bloodstock agent Daniel Creighton at the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale last year. There is an old saying that a pessimist finds a problem in an opportunity while an optimist will find an opportunity in a problem. O'Callaghan took the return of the Lady Iman on the chin last August and is confident that things will work out in his favour in the fullness of time.

“The vibes are very good,” O'Callaghan remarked, before adding, “She passed all the scopes before the sale but, low and behold when she went down to lunge after she was sold, they said she made a noise. That's the story. If they didn't want to take her, they didn't want to take her. We didn't want to take any less and we weren't too bothered to be quite honest with you. But you always hate when this kind of thing happens because we would have bet bottom dollar that she was perfect. Anyway, we have her now and we didn't even think about breezing her either. We said we'd put her into training and that's it-I think things are going to work out in our favour.”

He added, “The vibes were good on her when we had her here and they are still good. We dropped her up to Ger [Lyons, trainer] six weeks ago and he seems pretty happy with her. The vibes are good but the vibes are also good about four or five of them in the race so we're looking forward to Friday.”

West Acre: a sprinter going places | Erika Rasmussen

Lady Iman's pedigree is on the up. The George Scott-trained West Acre has been something of a revelation in Dubai this winter, carrying Michael Blencowe's colours to back-to-back successes in Group 3 and Group 2 sprints. He is now a leading fancy for the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint at the Dubai World Cup meeting and, happily for O'Callaghan, his dam is reported to be back in foal to Mehmas at Tally-Ho Stud.  

O'Callaghan said, “We bought the dam [Lady Aria (GB) (Kodiac {GB})] off Amo Racing at the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls for 160,000gns in 2019. They don't always ring a bell but thankfully this mare seems to be doing well. She has a yearling colt by Persian Force (Ire) and is scanned in foal to Mehmas.”

Lady Iman will face eight rivals in her bid to get off to the best possible start in the 5f maiden at Dundalk [7.00] on Friday. She will be partnered by Ireland's dominant champion jockey Colin Keane. 

O'Callaghan concluded, “West Acre looks a smart horse and we think this filly is pretty smart, too. We can't be heard saying it but plenty of people seem to be happy with Starman and we've three nice fillies going to the Craven Breeze-Up Sale by him as well.”

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