FOR the second week in succession, the main review concerns a horse who also has to be accorded the title of bargain of the week. It is not every day that you can purchase a Grade 1 winner for €3,500, and it even took a private deal to secure the sale.
Pat Crowley, who pretrained him, was the man who sourced I’ll Sort That (Sandmason), winner of the delayed Grade 1 Slaney Novice Hurdle at Naas, in what can only be described as a fairytale win for owner David Needham, and trainer/rider Declan Queally. Victory was fully deserved and this is a gelding who just keeps improving. It is hard to believe that 13 months ago I’ll Sort That made his debut in a Cork maiden hurdle at odds of 100/1, and was beaten 23 lengths into seventh.
Six weeks later and it was a very different picture at Fairyhouse when he fought his way to a neck win on his debut in a bumper, and he put daylight between himself and the rest a month later in a similar contest at Naas. Next stop was the Punchestown Festival where he was no match for Sortudo, but he was a clear second-best. At Naas he reversed form with that Willie Mullins runner.
Queally had I’ll Sort That ready for an early campaign over hurdles, and we saw the gelding at Listowel in late September when he was an easy winner of a maiden hurdle. Victory the following month in a novice hurdle at Galway set I’ll Sort That up to challenge for the Grade 3 For Auction Novices’ Hurdle at Navan, and he showed again what a battler he is with another victory. Now he has continued to build his reputation and took his hurdle tally to four at Naas.
The win was also special for the Walsh family at Beechlane Stables in Wexford. Bred by Liam, I’ll Sort That is out of Tuscarora (Revoque) who was obviously one tough cookie. Patrick Haslam gave 20,000gns for her as a yearling at Doncaster a quarter of a century ago, and trained her before she joined Tony Carroll. She went on to race an incredible 81 times, all but once on the flat, and she won nine times and placed on no fewer than 29 occasions. It looks like her son has inherited her toughness and soundness.
Hit and miss
Until now, Tuscarora’s record as a broodmare has been hit and miss. I’ll Sort That is her eighth and final offspring, three geldings and five fillies. Four of the fillies were never named, and the one that was placed in a bumper. The geldings proved to be better, though no world beaters until now.
Marley Joe (Arcadio) won over hurdles and placed a few times, and then Demothi (Le Fou) won a point-to-point at the age of nine, having finished third in a chase at Newton Abbot, beaten 29 lengths. I’ll Sort That is a class apart, and great credit must surely go to his sire, Sandmason (Grand Lodge). Paul Rothwell stood him at Lacken Stud, and for years he was ignored by breeders. Then along came two Grade 1 winners in successive crops, and he was back in vogue when it was too late.
Having had no foals for two seasons, at the age of 21 Sandmason was swamped with 200 mares. This resulted from getting the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle winner Summerville Boy, and the Aintree Grade 1 novice hurdle winner Black Op. Both were bred by Paul Rothwell. That book of 200 mares has since produced Grade 2 hurdle winner Personal Ambition and Grade 3 winner Electric Mason, in addition to the Grade 2 bumper runner-up Destination Dubai.
THE demise of Kalif Du Berlais at the weekend robbed the Grade 2 Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton of much of its gloss, but it would be remiss to overlook the achievement of the winner, Edwardstone, especially in a week when race meetings were decimated by cancellations.
At the grand old age of 12, Edwardstone posted his eighth career win over fences, adding to three earlier successes over the smaller obstacles. His career earnings now are over £700,000, and while he was a useful hurdler, being placed a few times in graded races, he has been a far better chaser, and all but one of his wins over fences have come at Grade 2 level or better. At the highest level, he won the Grade 1 Arkle Chase at Cheltenham, and at Sandown was successful in both the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase and Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase. His story is wonderful tale of a treasured homebred.
Edwardstone’s sire Kayf Tara (Sadler’s Wells) retired from stallion duties in July 2020 due to declining fertility and spent his final years in retirement at the Sweeting’s Overbury Stud. He died peacefully in his paddock at the age of 28 in December 2022. He spent his entire stud career at Overbury, going there in 2000.
Kayf Tara is the sire of 13 Grade 1 winners, including Cheltenham Festival favourites Special Tiara, Ballyandy, Blaklion and Thistlecrack, while his latest star at racing’s top table is Romeo Coolio. With one stakes winner on the flat, the dual Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup and Irish St Leger winner has sired 66 blacktype winners over jumps.
Bred by his Norfolk-based owners Robert Abrey and Ian Thurtle, Edwardstone is out of the point-to-point winner Nothingtoloose (Luso), who Abrey purchased at the Doncaster Spring Sale 17 years ago for £22,000. Edwardstone is her second produce, followed by Nothingtochance (Kayf Tara), the Grade 1 winner’s full-sister who won over hurdles. They are the only runners from four foals produced by Nothingtoloose. The dam side of the family has produced a Grade 1 performer in each of the first three removes.
Nothingtoloose is a half-sister a single racecourse winner and a point-to-point winner, and they are the only three runners out of Phairey Miracles (Phardante). She won two chases and two races between the flags. Her other offspring include the unraced Awesome Miracle (Supreme Leader). That mare’s progeny are headed by Shotgun Paddy (Brian Boru), a Grade 3 chase winner, and by the Grade 1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper-placed Queens Brook (Shirocco), denied a Grade 1 win when runner-up in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The unraced Many Miracles (Le Moss), third dam of Edwardstone, is responsible for four successful offspring, led by the Grade 1 chase winner Patricksnineteenth (Mister Lord). His biggest payday came at Sandown Park in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase.