FOR many decades the upper echelons of flat racing were viewed as solely the preserve of the elite and National Hunt racing had a somewhat more egalitarian feel to it and afforded its participants, no matter how small, a far more tangible chance of making an impact on a big stage.

The make-up of both codes has shifted over time and latterly National Hunt racing has seen the emergence of some hugely dominant outfits although as Cheltenham showed there is still the chance for someone like a Paul Hennessy to make a big splash on the greatest stage of all.

On the flat many of the same names that were dominating 20 years ago are still centre stage with Aidan O’Brien and Godolphin remaining at the forefront of world racing. Nonetheless, high profile success on the level is possibly more accessible than flat racing gets credit for.

This is both positive and important and it was brought home by a quality card at Naas last Sunday. Admittedly there weren’t any Group 1s on offer on Royal Ascot Trials Day but this was still a decent card featuring four stakes races and the winners of each of those races offer hope in terms of the accessibility of big race success on the flat.

By far the most expensive of the four stakes winners at Naas was Fozzy Stack’s Hermana Estrella whose yearling purchase price of £42,000 looks a mere snip in light of her debut success in the Group 3 Coolmore Stud EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes. However, this filly’s yearling price is nothing when one takes into account that she could have been picked up for just 2,500gns as a foal.

Racing character

Perhaps the most enduring memory of the day at Naas was the success of Logo Hunter in the Sole Power Stakes.

For many years Michael Browne has been one of Irish racing’s great characters and the hugely popular trainer was inundated with good wishes when his three-year-old absolutely bolted up in this listed sprint, producing the sort of performance which suggested he could hold his own at a much higher level of competition later in the season.

The fact the horse can’t run in Royal Ascot’s Commonwealth Cup because he is a gelding is a great pity and such a stipulation in the conditions for that race is something that needs revisiting.

The fact that a horse is a gelding shouldn’t preclude him from running in the only three-year-old only Group 1 sprint in Europe and there is something rather undemocratic and anti-competitive about such a condition.

Is it not the case that on a stage like Royal Ascot the best horses should be able to compete against each other irrespective of whether they are geldings or not?

Back to Logo Hunter himself though and he was picked up for just 5,000gns at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale. His sale there came after just two runs which had seen him chase home the subsequent Group 2 heroine Aloha Star on his debut before he then took third in a Down Royal conditions event where Measure Of Magic defeated Miss Amulet.

Later on the card at Naas, A Case Of You bounced back to form to pounce late in the Group 3 Goffs Lacken Stakes. As a winner of last year’s Group 3 Anglesey Stakes, this Adrian McGuinness representative had already established his credentials at pattern level.

Bought cheaply

However, he was another that could have been picked up very cheaply as he was registered as being bought back by his vendor for €3,000 when he came under the hammer as a yearling at the 2019 Goffs Sportsman’s Sale.

Lastly there is the case of Joseph O’Brien’s Owenstown Stud Stakes winner Snapraeterea who secured a first win at listed level for his owner-breeder John Farrell.

He too was offered at the same sale as A Case Of You but returned home after being bought back for €15,000. This visit to the sales ring came after he was conceived off a €5,000 fee which his sire, Buratino, was standing for at the time.

Of course it’s easy to be wise after the event and the benefit of hindsight makes everything look so obvious. However, the point here is not to suggest that four stakes winners were hiding in plain sight. Rather it was heartening to see that the four horses who won last Sunday all came from varied but comparatively humble backgrounds yet they were all able to make their mark on one of the highest profile cards of the domestic season so far.

While various superpowers continue to make their presence felt at the highest reaches of flat racing there exists an accessibility to secure notable triumphs with either commercially bred or bought horses.

This isn’t to say that this is a trend that has come out of nowhere as similar success stories punctuate each and every season on the flat and the hope is that such trends will continue long into the future as the sport is much the richer for them.