ON his 40th start at the Curragh, last year as an eight-year-old, Big Gossey (Gutaifan) won the Listed Gladness Stakes, his first victory in a blacktype contest. At the weekend, making his 50th start at headquarters, he repeated his win in the same race, his first success since the same meeting 12 months ago, and took his tally to 11 wins and a total of 45 top-four finishes in a noble career that now stretches to 86 starts.

There will surely be a race named in honour of Big Gossey at the Curragh where he has posted nine of his 11 wins – the other two have come at Dundalk. He has never travelled outside Ireland to race, and indeed has never gone more than a short drive from Charles O’Brien’s yard to compete. He went up to Co Louth on 22 occasions to race at Dundalk, ran 11 times at Naas, twice travelled to Fairyhouse, and made a single excursion to Leopardstown.

In addition to winning the Listed Gladness Stakes twice, Big Gossey was second and third in the Group 2 Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh, twice runner-up in the Group 3 Renaissance Stakes there, and he placed three times in the Listed Waterford Testimonial Stakes, once at the Curragh and twice in Naas. As well as providing great joy to the Allegro Syndicate, his owners, Big Gossey has banked more than €580,000 in winnings.

On his only visit to the sales, Big Gossey was unsold at Goffs as a foal when bidding reached €21,000. At the time he was a half-brother to five winners, and a member of the first crop of Yeomanstown Stud’s Gutaifan (Dark Angel). The sire had only raced at two when his four victories included the five-furlong Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes and Group 2 Prix Robert Papin over half a furlong longer. He found only Shalaa too good for him in the Group 1 Prix Morny. Gutaifan stood his first season at a fee of €12,500.

In Hungary

That fee was to be the most expensive he commanded, though he stood for €10,000 for the next three seasons. His first crop produced just a single Group 3-placed runner, Graceful Magic, resulting in a drop to €6,000 for his fifth and final year in Ireland. From 2021 until last year Gutaifan was based at Haras des Faunes, but this season he has moved again, to the National Stud Babolna in Hungary at a fee of €2,000.

While a disappointment as a stallion, Gutaifan still managed to get a couple of useful runners, and the clear best was Fev Rover in his second crop. Bought by Nick Bradley as a yearling for £20,000, she sold for 695,000gns two year later and went to race in the USA. There she won the Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes and the Grade 1 E P Taylor Stakes in Canada. She earned a total of $1.5 million racing.

Big Gossey is the best of six winners from 11 foals produced by Toy Show (Danehill). Bred by Tom Gaffney at Churchtown House Stud, Toy Show was listed as sold for 180,000gns as a foal, unsold as a yearling at Arqana, but raced for Tom when trained by Richard Hannon, winning at two and twice at three. After her last win at Lingfield, connections sent Toy Show to race twice on Ireland in search of some blacktype, but with no success.

Goffs cull

After a few years at stud, Toy Show was culled at Goffs as an eight-year-old, and it was there that Eugene Heary bought her for €14,000. Big Gossey was her last foal, and she had a single filly among her 11 offspring. She was trained by Jessica Harrington, but never raced and had no foals. When Big Gossey finishes his racing career, hopefully not for some time yet, this will bring the curtain down on this branch of the family.

Toy Story is a daughter of March Hare (Groom Dancer) who was bred and raced by Lord Halifax and trained by John Dunlop. She was placed once in six starts, but still sold for 90,000gns as a filly out of training back in 1998. March Hare had nine foals at stud, eight of which ran and all bar one of them won, though there was no blacktype earned by any of them, or her descendants – with the honourable exception of Big Gossey.

March Hare’s dam Spring (Sadler’s Wells) was also trained by John Dunlop for Lord Halifax, and was campaigned well to win a Group 3 in Italy, finish second in a Group 2 in France, and get a number of group placings in England. Spring’s seven winners are headed by the French and British listed winner Inglenook (Cadeaux Genereux).

Long association

This is a family that the second Lord Halifax had a long association with. Spring was one of two stakes winners out of the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner Gull Nook (Mill Reef). It is a feature of this line that the dams were all multiple winner producers. It is worth looking up Gull Nook’s win at Royal Ascot. On just her second start for Dunlop and Lord Halifax, she came from the clouds to win in fine style from a high-class field.

Though she failed to add to that achievement, Gull Nook bred the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Pentire (Be My Guest), and is the grandam of Group 1 two-year-old winner Konigstiger (Tiger Hill) and Grade 1 chase winner Tarxien (Kendor).