Tony O’Callaghan, Tally-Ho Stud

Perfect Power (Ire), 2019 c. by Ardad out of Sagely, by Frozen Power

FOR the second successive month Tony O’Callaghan has been shortlisted for a Connolly’s Red Mills/The Irish Field Breeder of the Month Award. In what has been a truly outstanding year for Tally-Ho Stud stallions, it has also been an equally memorable one for horses bred at the Co Westmeath farm.

In August the farm bred two Group 1 winning juvenile colts, Ebro River being a son of their resident sire Galileo Gold, while Perfect Power is by Ardad, a son of Kodiac, who was also bred there. Both Galileo Gold and Ardad are represented by their first crop of runners.

Ebro River’s victory came in the first Group 1 race in Europe for two-year-olds, the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes, while Perfect Power won the Group 1 Darley Prix Morny. Now Perfect Power has doubled his Group 1 tally with success in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes.

Tally-Ho bought Sagely, giving 42,000gns for her after she had won twice. Covered by Ardad, her son Perfect Power is her first foal and he is now a four-time winner. His previous successes included the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot.

This year Tally-Ho is also the breeder of Kodiac’s 2021 Group 1 winner Campanelle, and Mehmas’ Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes winner Lusail, while Caturra was a winner in September of the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes. Tally-Ho won the Connolly’s Red Mills/The Irish Field Breeder of the Year in 2012-13 for Sky Lantern.

Noel O’Callaghan, Mountarmstrong Stud

No Speak Alexander (Ire), 2018 f. by Shalaa out of Rapacity Alexander, by Dandy Man

IT is a case of brother versus brother this month as Tony’s brother Noel is also nominated for his homebred No Speak Alexander. This Group 3 Athasi Stakes winner and classic-placed filly from the first crop of Shalaa caused something of a surprise when she won the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend.

Given her third-place finish in the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas, she was well entitled to win a race of this calibre, and this weekend she will attempt to double her tally at Newmarket. She is the first foal of her stakes-winning dam, and she gave her sire his first winner at the highest level.

Rapacity Alexander is one of a pair of stakes winners from Umlani, and both are by Ballyhane’s Dandy Man. The other is the outstanding Hong Kong runner Peniaphobia. When his racing career came to an end he had amassed 12 victories and earnings of €4,862,621. This staggering amount came from landing races such as the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (he also finished second and third in the same race), a pair of Group 2 races and another couple of listed events.

Rapacity Alexander was trained by Tommy and Fozzy Stack and she was acquired as a yearling for 90,000gns, more than double what she brought as a foal when she was sold by her breeder Aidan Fogarty for €42,000. Mountarmstrong Stud is enjoying a great season in 2021 with horses bred on the farm.

Julie Lynch, Fastnet Stud Ltd

Romantic Proposal (Ire), 2016 f. by Raven’s Pass out of Playwithmyheart, by Diktat

THE five-year-old Romantic Proposal, winner of the Group 1 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes, mare was bred by Julie Lynch’s Fastnet Stud and sold as a foal to Amy and Aileen Lynam for €25,000 at Goffs.

She returned to the same ring for the following year’s Orby Sale, falling to Joe Foley’s £55,000 bid. There was an added bonus for the Lynam clan when the filly was sent into training, on behalf of Clipper Logistics, with Amy’s father, and Aileen’s husband, Eddie.

Now winner of five races, Romantic Proposal’s best previous effort was at the Curragh when she won the Listed Belgrave Stakes. Now she is a Group 1 winner, from a Group 1 family, and is due to run this weekend in Paris.

Romantic Proposal’s dam Playwithmyheart, a €65,000 buy by Fastnet Stud at Arqana as a five-year-old in 2011, was a juvenile winner in France, and she had the added attraction of being a half-sister to the Group 1 Prix de la Foret winner Toylsome. Two years after her sale to Lynch, the mare’s half-sister Coral Mist won a Group 3 race at Ayr for two-year-olds.

Coral Mist brought to eight the number of winning offspring of Treasure Trove, a daughter of The Minstrel and a half-sister to three American stakes winners. The best of that trio was Dance Parade who won the Group 3 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot at two, the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes at three, and then stepped up a level to win the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes at Santa Anita. At stud Dance Parade bred the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup winner Leading Light.

Maria Niarchos, Niarchos Family

Discoveries (Ire), 2019 f. by Mastercraftsman out of Alpha Lupi, by Rahy

WHAT heights can Discoveries scale in the future? The recent Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner has done something both her Group 1 winning siblings, Alpha Centauri and Alpine Star, failed to do, and that is to gain a top-level success as a two-year-old.

When Alpha Lupi returned from the 2007 Arqana December Sale unsold, any disappointment felt is surely well gone now. From the great female family that descends from Pasadoble, through her daughter Miesque, the unraced Alpha Lupi has established herself as one of the great broodmares of the past decade. Her six winning offspring now includes three Group 1 winners.

Alpha Centauri started that ball rolling when she was crowned champion filly of her year in Europe, her four Group 1 wins coming in the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas, Coronation stakes, Prix Jacques Le Marois and the Falmouth Stakes. Two years later Alpine Star emulated her sibling when she too was successful in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Discoveries, an own-sister to Alpha Centauri, now makes it three Group 1 winners.

Alpha Lupi is a daughter of three-time Group 1 winner East Of The Moon, successful in the French 1000 Guineas and Oaks, and that mare’s half-brother was the three-time Group 1 winner and classic hero Kingmambo. Their champion dam, Miesque, gained 10 of her 12 wins at Group/Grade 1 level, won two classics and two Breeders’ Cup Miles.

Under Pasadoble, in addition to those listed, appear the following Group/Grade 1 winners – Amanee, Karakontie, Rumplestiltskin, Tapestry, Loves Only You, Study Of Man, Old Persian, Lucayan and Six Perfections.