Cathal Beale, Irish National Stud
How did Covid-19 affect your business?
During the breeding season we were fortunate to be able to continue as normal. Stud farms are already very used to biosecurity measures and we took the necessary steps to make sure everything went smoothly.
The level of compliance shown by the industry to the measures was exceptional. The sales season was far more difficult but again the sales companies and the industry at large can be very proud of how the situation was managed. The effect on our tourism business was far more disruptive as we lost the vast majority of our season.
Was the bloodstock market better or worse than you expected in 2020?
It was better than we would have expected in March. The fact that every sale took place in various forms was a credit to everyone involved. That said there is no doubt that it was difficult and the market contracted significantly.
What was your highlight (or highlights) of 2020?
We were delighted to sell the Goffs Orby Sale’s second highest lot with our Invincible Spirit colt out of Aimhirgin Lass selling to Ben McElroy. His full-brother winning his maiden for Charlie Appleby was exciting. Phoenix Of Spain covering 148 high-class mares was a great thrill.
What are your expectations for the bloodstock industry in 2021?
This industry is incredibly resilient. I think there is a lot more hope now with a Covid-19 vaccine in the pipeline and with certainty around Brexit that there will be a good rebound in the second half of the year, hopefully in time for the yearling sales season.
What horse or horses are you most looking forward to running in 2021?
Our racing club is exciting again for next year and we look forward to them running in the INS Racing silks. Of our own homebreds you would have to be excited to see what Wesley Ward can do with our Invincible Spirit colt out of Aimhirgin Lass.
The first runners of Decorated Knight and National Defense are in the hands of many of the top trainers including Joseph O’Brien, John Gosden, Roger Varian, Mark Johnston, Sir Mark Prescott, Roger Charlton and Richard Hannon, among others, and so we will follow them with great anticipation. The word from the trainers is very strong so far.
Who do you think will be champion first-season sire in 2021?
I think in terms of prize money and stakes winners that both our stallions will have an excellent chance of being right up there. National Defense was a champion two-year-old himself by Invincible Spirit and Decorated Knight is an immaculately bred son of Galileo from a brilliant, fast and precocious family.
As mentioned, their progeny are in safe hands and we are excited about them both.
Other than the first season sires, what stallion or stallions should we look out for in 2021?
I think Equiano is really great value as a new option for Irish breeders. His progeny stats are very strong with two Group 1 winners and 29 stakes performers to his name.
The Acclamation sire line is on fire with Dark Angel and Mehmas doing so well. He has plenty of soldiers on the ground this year and we look forward to him adding to his tally of high-class, durable and sound racehorses. Of course I can’t wait to see the first foals by Phoenix Of Spain.
Madeline Burns, Rathasker Stud
How did Covid-19 affect your business?
During the breeding season there was no big changes on the farm – we all just adhered to the Covid protocols. There were logistical challenges with having all the yearling sales in the UK and we had to split the team but it all went smoothly and everyone went above and beyond.
Was the bloodstock market better or worse than you expected in 2020?
The foal and mare sales were remarkably resilient given that the yearling sales were very selective. The bloodstock business is built upon the idea of future potential and we all hope that by the time of this year’s yearling sales there will have been a sufficient number of the population vaccinated and that owners will have been able to go racing to fuel demand.
However, the problem of prize money was already with us before the pandemic and this is an issue that needs to be addressed for all our survival.
What was your highlight (or highlights) of 2020?
There were many highlights for Rathasker in 2020 and each of them was sweet for differing reasons. Santosha really kicked things off for Coulsty winning the Group 3 Princess Margaret at Ascot – I’m sure she could hear us cheering her home from Kildare!
Winter Power’s win in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes was also very special as she is bred by my uncle Patrick and trained by the Easterbys who are great people – it was a real treat to be there in person to see her raw speed. The father and son team of Clodovil and Gregorian supplying the top-rated two-year-old fillies in France in Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Tiger Tanaka and Group 2 Criterium de Maisons Laffitte winner Plainchant (who also broke the six-furlong track record at Chantilly) was a phenomenal achievement for the farm.
Perhaps most personal to me is Steel Bull’s win in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes – I purchased him as a foal from his breeder John O’Kelly – when he won that day in Goodwood he produced the most scintillating display of guts and determination.
What are your expectations for the bloodstock industry in 2021?
If we can get the pandemic under control I think there is going to be a cultural boom. People have been unable to socialise for such a long time that there is a desire to let loose and enjoy themselves – racing can feed into this from an entertainment perspective if we play our cards right and this could in turn feed into racehorse ownership.
What horse or horses are you most looking forward to running in 2021?
Que Amoro because she really put it up to Battaash in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes and forced him to battle it out. She is a high-class sprinter and Michael Dods thinks she is only getting better. I am also dreaming that some of the yearlings that we sold in 2020 will become stars.
Who do you think will be champion first-season sire in 2021?
Of the English sires I think that Aclaim has a very good chance; he is a Group 1-winning son of a sire of sires in Acclamation. In Ireland, Profitable has the numbers and is also by a sire maker in Invincible Spirit – he is out of an Indian Ridge mare which is a big positive.
But the dark horse of the Irish contingent could be Highland Reel – he was a talented two-year-old and campaigned as an older horse whose toughness has to be admired. For the longer term and in France, Almanzor could be the one to watch.
Other than the first-season sires, what stallion or stallions should we look out for in 2021?
Other than our own stallions I am a big fan of Havana Gold; with his first crop he was the champion first-season sire in the UK. He produced Group 1 winner Havana Grey (whose first runners will be also be very interesting in 2022 given he is from a fantastically fast family).
This year Havana Gold’s runners will be the ones conceived off the back of a very successful first crop and he covered a high-class book at a fee of £15,000. He is also a very good-looking individual.
Joe Foley, Ballyhane Stud
How did Covid-19 affect your business?
Obviously it was vital to keep the covering sheds open and while there was understandable reticence from some breeders, in the midst of a global pandemic, it was business as usual with the stallions.
Decreasing sales prices and the consequent loss to bloodstock values will have had a knock-on effect on the bloodstock business but, in general, the business has rebounded well already.
Was the bloodstock market better or worse than you expected in 2020?
Last April during the period with no racing anywhere, prospects looked bleak for this year’s markets, but with credit due to many including the racing authorities and sales companies, the market was much more resilient than some predicted.
What was your highlight (or highlights) of 2020?
I’ll pick three if I can. The strength of Soldier’s Call’s first book of mares was highly encouraging to everyone here at Ballyhane and a highlight of our covering season.
Watching Johnny and Orla Murtagh celebrate their first Group 1 winner with Champers Elysees on Irish Champions Weekend knowing how much it meant to them, her owners and to her breeder, Karl Bowen.
Seeing Dandy Man’s supporters getting so well rewarded at the sales this year was also highly satisfying.
What are your expectations for the bloodstock industry in 2021?
To continue to prove itself a most resilient sport and business.
What horse or horses are you most looking forward to running in 2021?
I’m really looking forward to getting Space Traveller back on the track after an injury sustained during the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot last June, while Lady In France and Last Empire are stakes-winning fillies we’ve left in training who we have high hopes for.
Who do you think will be champion first-season sire in 2021?
With deference to the sensibilities of my Irish stallion-master colleagues, it might be safer if I mention a UK-based stallion! I bought two fillies from Time Test’s first crop and while I’m not saying he’ll be champion first-season sire, I thought his stock looked promising.
Other than the first season sires, what stallion or stallions should we look out for in 2021?
Wootton Bassett and Lope De Vega are two very exciting stallions that we are lucky to have standing here in Ireland and it’ll be interesting to watch their careers flourish.
Henry O’Callaghan, Tally Ho Stud
How did Covid-19 affect your business?
Other than the delayed sales dates and the additional logistics of having more sales in the UK, things have been relatively okay.
Was the bloodstock market better or worse than you expected in 2020?
Considering everything that we had to contend with last year, the market showed good resilience.
What was your highlight (or highlights) of 2020?
Kodiac’s three group winners on the Saturday at Royal Ascot was a highlight of the year for us; his son Hello Youmzain added a second Group 1 with the Diamond Jubilee and Kodiac had a pair of two-year-old group winners with Nando Parado in the Coventry and Campanelle winning the Queen Mary, and she went on to win the Group 1 Prix Morny later in the season.
Mehmas becoming champion first-season sire was another highlight for us. He broke the record for most winners by a first-season sire and had five blacktype winners in 2020 with Supremacy’s victory in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes a real standout.
What are your expectations for the bloodstock industry in 2021?
My expectations for the industry in general would be positive ones; as best we can we need to help ourselves and in this regard I have heard some encouraging ideas about a potential race series which will improve prize money and its distribution.
What horse or horses are you most looking forward to running in 2021?
All our yearling graduates of 2020 including: the Kodiac colts out of Khaimah and Odyssee that we sold at Tattersalls Book 1, a Mehmas colt out of Shoshoni Wind that we sold in Book 2 and a filly by Almanzor out of Party Animal we sold to Paddy Twomey at the Goffs Orby Sale.
Who do you think will be champion first-season sire in 2021?
All I’ll say is I’m looking forward to Galileo Gold and Cotai Glory’s first runners!
Other than the first-season sires, what stallion or stallions should we look out for in 2021?
I think Mehmas should continue to have more success in 2021, and not forgetting Vadamos, whose first crop are also three-year-olds this year – there will be more to come from them.
Michael O’Donohoe, BBA Ireland
How did Covid-19 affect your business?
It had a big impact on some areas and then in other ways it provided opportunities, we worked in conjunction with people who couldn’t attend the sales themselves and earlier on in the year when the breeze-ups were looking in doubt we bought quite a few privately.
On the negative side some of my clients weren’t as active or as keen to buy because they were apprehensive about what was going to happen and having to move some of the Irish sales to the UK had a negative impact, which was unfortunate, but there was nothing the sales companies could do about that; their hands were tied but they did their best in the circumstances.
Was the bloodstock market better or worse than you expected in 2020?
At this stage now it seems that no matter what goes on in the world, whether that’s 9/11, financial crashes or a global pandemic, I’ve realised that the thoroughbred industry is extremely resilient. It is affected to a certain degree by global events but not as much as other industries so I wasn’t that surprised the market held up quite well, all things considered.
What was your highlight (or highlights) of 2020?
Lucky Vega winning the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes closely followed by Miss Amulet winning the Group 2 Lowther Stakes and being placed in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She was particularly sweet because she was a £7,500 purchase as a yearling at Tatts Ascot. Lucky Vega was a Group 1 winner who I bought at Goffs Orby for Mr Zhang and it was great to get that big winner for him as he has invested a lot in Irish bloodstock and with whom I have a long association.
The success of Miss Amulet for Colm Griffin, a new man into the game, and for Ken Condon too, that gave me an awful lot of satisfaction.
What are your expectations for the bloodstock industry in 2021?
I think it will be much the same as last year, I think people know more about what to expect and will be better prepared for any eventualities that we will face. I think trade will be at a similar level to last year but if the vaccine can be given to the majority of the population by mid-summer, before the yearling sales you will see a lot of people maybe splashing out a little bit more. People will want to treat themselves, whether it’s a new car or a holiday or a horse, if we can get out of the worst of this pandemic so there might be an uptake on sales and forming syndicates, that sort of thing.
What horse or horses are you most looking forward to running in 2021?
Obviously we are excited about the three-year-old careers of Lucky Vega and Miss Amulet and there are the yearlings we bought last year. The Acclamation colt out of Exquisite Ruby, a half-sister to Maarek, that I bought for Mr Zhang from Rathbarry Stud at the Goffs Orby Sale has gone to Jessica Harrington and he’s doing well so far – they like him.
There is a very nice Churchill colt I bought quite cheaply for Colm Griffith at Book 2 in Newmarket and he looks precocious. They are two that I am particularly looking forward to and there is a horse called Deputy Sandy who won first time out in Naas and disappointed subsequently at Dundalk but looks like a nice sprinting three-year-old for Mr Zhang and Jessie who also have Soaring Sky; she broke her maiden on her debut in Dundalk at the back end of the year, is by Free Eagle and looks like she could be a nice three-year-old.
Parent’s Prayer, I bought her for a Middle Eastern client and she won the Listed Garnet Stakes for Archie Watson in Naas. We think she could be an exciting filly for this year.
There’s a very nice Kingman colt I bought in Deauville who has gone to Andre Fabre – he has a nice pedigree – and a Frankel filly out of Manderley that I bought privately as a foal and is in training with Andre Fabre too.
Who do you think will be champion first-season sire in 2021?
I don’t think there will be another Mehmas amongst them! Personally I like Profitable, I bought two yearlings by him and I really like them. I know he wasn’t terribly precocious but he was a very fast horse and is by a sire of sires in Invincible Spirit. I really loved them at the sales, I thought they all had great temperaments and looked strong and fast. The reports I’m getting are they have great minds. He should have the numbers and he could have the profile for it.
I like the Churchills as well and Almanzor too, I thought they would be lovely back-end and three-year-old types but I really thought they were very, very impressive.
Other than the first-season sires, what stallion or stallions should we look out for in 2021?
I know he is a first-season sire but I really like Almanzor. I don’t think he will be champion first-season sire as he probably doesn’t have the profile, but I think he could be very successful in the future. He is in a great farm; Haras d’Etreham has a great record producing stallions and they give them a great start. They bought some themselves to give him a kickstart and I’d be backing him to be successful.
James Cloney, Breeder
How did Covid-19 affect your business?
Talking about Covid was banned from our yard! Covid-19 brought about a lot of uncertainty throughout the year and the worry about racing and the sales taking place wasn’t pleasant for anyone involved. Sales were quite different this year. They were very lonely as success and hard luck stories couldn’t be shared among friends as in previous years.
Was the bloodstock market better or worse than you expected in 2020?
In general, and in the context of what is going on all over the world, I thought it was very resilient. I would be concerned that the bottom and middle market is getting more difficult.
What was your highlight (or highlights) of 2020?
Being involved in the breeding of two Group 1 winners, Golden Horde and Dream Of Dreams, was definitely the highlight. Another highlight was having five two-year-old winners from six runners out of a crop of seven foals in 2018.
What are your expectations for the bloodstock industry in 2021?
I am optimistic. Hopefully racing will continue, even if it’s behind closed doors, and once again there will be resilience in the market.
What horse or horses are you most looking forward to running in 2021?
That would be Golden Horde’s half sister, a Zoffany filly which is in training with Aidan O’Brien. She was a stunning yearling and described by Aidan as “different gravy”. He noted her as a Queen Mary or Albany Stakes prospect. I am also looking forward to the Mehmas three-year olds.
Who do you think will be champion first season sire in 2021?
In my opinion it will be between Profitable and Churchill. Churchill is bred on the same lines as Gleneagles (Galileo out of a Storm Cat mare). Gleneagles has has done quite well but is yet to produce a star horse. Churchill offers a dam line which is very precocious and fast.
Other than the first-season sires, what stallion or stallions should we look out for in 2021?
Zoffany does not get the credit he deserves, in my opinion, but that could change next year. I believe he will be influential in pedigrees of the future, either as a sire or broodmare sire. It was sad to hear of his demise yesterday.