TONY Bloom has had a lifetime family association with Brighton & Hove Albion football club, and as chairman and majority shareholder has guided it to the position of one of the most financially healthy clubs in the premiership.

The team’s first two games of the new season saw them make a stumbling start, conceding a last-minute goal at home to Fulham in the opening fixture, and losing 2-0 away to Everton, in spite of having most of the possession and chances. Last season they finished just outside the top 10, and hopes were high that they would improve this time. On Wednesday they had a morale-boosting 6-0 win away in the Carabao Cup.

While Brighton was losing on Sunday, Bloom and his friend and partner Ian McAleavy were enjoying an amazing half-hour, thanks to two fillies, juvenile Venetian Sun (Starman) and the three-year-old Sky Majesty (Blue Point). During that short timespan they respectively won the Group 1 Sumbe Prix Morny at Deauville and Group 3 Tally-Ho Stud Irish EBF Ballyogan Stakes at Naas. Bloom described the feat as one of the best sporting experiences of his life. Coincidentally, the O’Callaghan’s Tally-Ho Stud bred Venetian Sun.

Bloom is no stranger to big race winners, despite not having huge numbers in training at any time. Venetian Sun is his second Group 1 winner on the flat, after Librisa Breeze, and he has been even more prolific when it comes to bagging Grade 1 races under National Hunt Rules. Energumene and Penhill were standouts, while 2025 saw another Willie Mullins-trained winner for the owner at Cheltenham, Poniros causing a surprise in the Triumph Hurdle.

Unbeaten

Trainer Karl Burke has never hidden the regard he has for Venetian Sun, and his thoughts about her have been quoted on many occasions.

The 240,000gns yearling purchase is unbeaten in four starts, and is the fourth filly in the past 10 years to win the Morny, after Campanelle (also bred by Tally-Ho), Pretty Pollyanna and Lady Aurelia. The colts who have won during that time are Unfortunately, Earthlight (a relation to Venetian Sun), Perfect Power, Blackbeard, Vandeek and Whistlejacket.

Winning first time out at Carlisle is not generally considered a prelude to a glorious racing career, and when Venetian Sun was successful it could best be described as workmanlike. That all changed when she won the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, followed up in the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket, and now she is a Group 1 heroine. Her next stop will likely be the Moyglare Stud Stakes.

I have lauded Starman (Dutch Art) before, and have a perfect reason to do so again, as he leads the first-season sire table by every measure. One-third of his 21 winners have earned blacktype and four are winners at that level. Venetian Sun is the standout, Group 2 Prix Robert Papin winner Green Sense was placed in the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes, Lady Iman is a dual Group 3 winner and Group 2 runner-up, and North Coast is a Group 3 winner on his most recent start.

All the rage

Sons and daughters of Starman are set to be all the rage at the yearling sales, and having seen his fee set at €10,000 for the past two seasons, down from an opening €17,500, this surely will be reset next year for a much punchier number. Starman raced for, and was bred by, David Ward, and after a recent mention for the sire and his son Green Sense in these columns, David wrote to me. I hope he will not mind me sharing his email.

“Thank you so much Leo for sending the link to access your article on Starman for The Irish Field. It has been wonderful for me to read your superb article about what has become one of the most exciting and meaningful times for me in my life; Starman occupies my thoughts for most of each and every day!

“Being only the second horse that I have bred (his half-sister Sunday Star being the first), and to have him and his two half-sisters still with me (unfortunately Northern Star died soon after her Kingman filly foal was born) is truly the most fabulous blessing.

“My wife and I visited him a couple of weeks ago with my daughter and her three children. He allowed them to all fuss him and he buried his head in their laps to allow them to love him. He is quite remarkable in every way.

“We only hope that he continues to shine as he has done so far, and whatever the journey unfolds for him I will always remain so very proud of what he has given to me and my family - wondrous memories to last for more than my lifetime no doubt. Thank you once again Leo for writing so beautifully about him. It truly means the world to me.”

Bestseller

If one could bottle this joy and market it, what a bestseller it would be. This is what racehorse ownership can do for someone, and how gratifying to find his racecourse owner now so involved in Starman’s second career.

Venetian Sun is the best of three winners for the French stakes-placed Johara (Iffraaj).

Last year that mare’s two-year-old Sir Yoshi (Mehmas) was listed-placed at York. Johara was familiar to Tally-Ho as they purchased her as a foal, giving €35,000 for the filly, but took a rare loss when reselling her for 22,000gns as a yearling. She is off to a flying start at stud with her first three foals winning, and the fourth, a daughter of Kodiac (Danehill), will surely light up the ring in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale.

This female line is good at getting high-class juveniles. Venetian Sun’s third dam Summertime Legacy (Darshaan) was a Group 3 juvenile winner in France, bred a Group 1 two-year-old winner in Mandean (Manduro), and is grandam of the siblings Earthlight (Shamardal) and Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega). Both of the latter colts won the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, Earthlight also won the Morny, while Shadow Of Light added the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes last year.

Sky Majesty

Bred at Mountarmstrong Stud, owned by Tony O’Callaghan’s brother Noel, Sky Majesty was undefeated at two, winning a Group 2 in England and the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte. Though beaten on her first start this year, she contested the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup next time out, and was not disgraced when just a shade over five lengths off the winner.

Her two starts since have been at Naas, and William Haggas will now be eying Group 1 prizes for the filly who won the Listed Sweet Mimosa Stakes and the weekend’s Group 3 at the Co Kildare track. The trainer was the one who selected and purchased Sky Majesty as a yearling, paying 150,000gns for her in Book 2 at Newmarket.

Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale this year will see Sky Majesty’s half-sister by State Of Rest (Starspangledbanner) come under the hammer. She is bound to be popular both as a potential race filly and ultimately as a broodmare. Her seven older siblings are made up of six winners and a 2025 placed juvenile. Five of the six winners have blacktype, the other stakes winner being the speedy Democracy Dilemma (Cotai Glory).

Their dam, Majestic Alexander (Bushranger) was a stakes-placed two-year-old winner, and a half-sister to a pair of good sprinters.

Majestic Missile (Royal Applause) won a trio of Group 3 races at two, including the Cornwallis and Molecomb Stakes, and placed in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes. His half-brother Santo Padre (Elnadim), a listed Naas winner, was placed in the Group 3 Flying Five Stakes and Greenland Stakes.