Sir, - BUCA (Breeze Up Consignors Association) would like to respond to Mark Boylan’s article in last Saturday’s edition of The Irish Field [p17, Was Ger's breeze-up prediction right or wrong?

We believe that Mark has taken a very narrow perspective in the article. In his own words: “The scope to go through every single breeze -up purchase in Ireland, Britain and France over the course of the year picking through their individual profiles to find which horses broke the 100 mark was unfortunately beyond my limitations this week”.

However, Mark did find the time to rehash an old interview with Ger Lyons and to then comment at some length about the cost of two-year-olds at the breeze-up sales.

In order to put a better perspective on these sales, here are some statistics that BUCA did find the time to compile.

Horses sourced at the breeze-up sales (public auction) have included:

These are impressive results from a niche market place.

We feel that Mark’s article does not fully reflect the success of the breeze-up sector in recent years. As these results show, the breeze-up sales have progressed to a new level in terms of professionalism and quality. They are now a proven source of high class horses at all distances from champion sprinter Bradsell to champion stayer Trueshan. These winners were purchased at a range of prices from €31,000 up to the very rare seven-figure sum.

It is not our place to judge, justify or explain the purchase price of any horse sold at public auction. Certainly, greater minds than ours have failed to do so. Our job is to source and produce young racehorses to the highest standard.

The breeze-up sector is an Irish bloodstock success story as 96% of our consignors are Irish. In 2024 they spent in excess of €20 million purchasing yearlings in Europe.

We are rightly proud that the breeze-up sector has developed and grown into a hugely successful and important part of the bloodstock industry that allows owners, trainers and agents the opportunity to source young two-year-olds already broken ridden on the track.

Thank you for the right to reply. We would happily have provided any statistic needed if contacted by your correspondent.

Finally we would like to wish everyone involved in the bloodstock and racing industry a very happy and healthy Christmas, and a prosperous new year to all. - Yours etc.,

Brendan Holland, Chairman

Malcolm Bastard

John Cullinan

Con Marnane

Jim McCartan

Willie Browne

The Breeze-Up Consignors Association Committee

Mark Boylan responds: Nobody is arguing that top horses don’t emerge from the breeze-up sector - they absolutely routinely do and I was at pains to reiterate this point in my column last weekend. The BUCA will have seen that I cited the versatility of graduates like Group 1 winners Vandeek and Trueshan, as well as the value that can be found in a Dewhurst scorer like Gewan.

To quote what I wrote a week ago: “There is no question that high-class horses can emerge from this breeze-up space - and they will absolutely continue to do so. There are too many excellently skilled horsemen and women operating in the field for it not to be a successful avenue to produce smart stock.”

That said, the sole point of my analysis last week was to discuss whether Ger Lyons’ comments to The Irish Field about “expensive horses” coming from this year’s breeze-up sale crop had any merit to it or not. I analysed those “expensive” horses (anything selling for six-figures-and-above) and of the 137 to have run so far (according to established European databases), there were no Group 1 winners, just three blacktype race winners and three with Racing Post Rating (RPR) performances of 100+ (a 2.2% strike rate in the latter two cases). Their average peak RPR was 77.

To be clear, no names of individual horses, consignors, purchasers or sales companies were mentioned in relation to horses who may have disappointed this season. There was zero personalised criticism. In fact, the only names mentioned were those who consigned and purchased blacktype winners in the 2025 study sample - they were highlighted favourably in the piece.

What’s more, I have received an above-average level of positive feedback to the article over the past week as being a fair assessment from people across the racing and bloodstock industries.

In their letter, the BUCA is citing figures about the overall record of horses from this route at all prices over a number of years. The sector has every right to be proud of that record and if Ger Lyons’ argument was that the breeze-up sales can’t produce good horses, then my approach to the piece would have been entirely different. That was not the point of his argument, though.

His quotes specifically referred to if there was value in the 2025 top lots, to be judged by the end of the year, and I simply let the figures speak for themselves on this front. If the BUCA had an issue with Ger’s comments in The Irish Field in May, I find it slightly curious that they did not make a response to this publication at the time.

Nevertheless, I hope to see more and more Group 1 winners come from the breeze-up sector in the years to come. I have no doubt they will.