Rathbarry, Croom House, Yeomanstown and Grangemore reap dividends
A SUCCESSFUL ‘pinhook’ this week was that of Rathbarry Stud’s Night Of Thunder colt out of a half-sister to the Gimcrack Stakes winner Blaine.
However, the measure of success can only be guessed at as the colt was purchased privately as a foal by Frannie Woods from Genesis Green Stud. The sale was helped when the colt’s two-year-old full-sister won a week before the sale.
The now sibling to two winners cost Dwayne Woods 375,000gns, and he will be trained by his brother Sean. Dwayne Woods loved the colt, saying “for me he is the best colt in the sale. He is very strong, and probably the cleanest Night Of Thunder I have ever seen. He has it all for me.”
Frannie Woods was no less complimentary. He added: “He is a lovely colt, and a horse with a great mind. He is lovely to do anything with, just a pleasure. He looks fast, he vetted well, and everything went according to plan. The price is still a surprise.”
Visible success
A more visible pinhook success was the sale of the Plantation Stud-bred Zoustar colt out of an Exceed And Excel half-sister to Grade 1 winner Gorella, and the own-sister to Group 2 winner Royal Intervention. Yeomanstown Stud paid 110,000gns for him as a foal, but that daring was rewarded when he sold to Demi O’Byrne for White Birch Farm for 310,000gns.
The most expensive yearling at Tattersalls by the sire, the colt’s sale pleased David O’Callaghan. He said afterwards: “He is big, strong and I am delighted that Demi O’Byrne has bought him as he loved him. I was happy to take a chance last year.”
Yeomanstown also stuck gold with their 38,000gns foal purchase, a Mehmas colt out of a granddaughter of Palacegate Episode, the grandam of Dutch Art. He sold this time for 250,000gns to Donnacha O’Brien. “He is a beautiful horse, a strong sort, and is by Mehmas who has had a great season. He is the first by the sire I will train,” said the purchaser.
David O’Callaghan’s brother Guy at Grangemore Stud sold a son of the Yeomanstown sire Dark Angel for 250,000gns. A year ago Nurlan Bizakov merged Hesmonds Stud in England and Montfort and Preaux in France under Sumbe, and they purchased this full-brother to the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes winner Wings Of War.
“For me he is the best colt in the sale, if not maybe the best horse I have seen since I’ve been at European sales.” That was the post-purchase comment of Ben McElroy, an avowed fan of Kodiac, after he paid 285,000gns for a colt by the stallion from Denis and Cathal Brosnan’s Croom House Stud.