THE Jessica Harrington yard could not be in better form and they are hoping to take a share of the €300,000 on offer in Monday’s Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes at Naas.

Recent course-and-distance winner Keepupwithmyempire might well have started favourite for this race but that colt was sold privately this week to Hong Kong. Instead, connections will rely on It’s Showtime Baby, a 52,000gns purchase and already a winner.

Richie Galway, a member of the management team at Commonstown Stables, expects the Showcasing filly to give a good account of herself. “She’s a winner and she has blacktype, so to a degree she will always hold her value,” he told us this week. “There wouldn’t be too many rated higher than her in Monday’s race and I think she will go well.”

It’s Showtime Baby is owned by the Alpha Racing Syndicate whose members have had a great year to date. “It’s a trading syndicate and one of our main objectives every year is to return capital to investors, as well as having a lot of fun,” Richie explained.

“This year we sold our flagship horse Cadillac for £500,000 last month and we’ve just sold Keepupwithmyempire too. We have a few runners at Galway this week too, including Cowboy Justice who won at Killarney this month.”

Alpha Racing buy a handful of yearlings each year and auction races, such as the Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes, are very much on their mind. Richie said: “We’re always keen on horses who are qualified for auction races. The prize money is attractive and of course the Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes is a huge pot.

“But there is no easy option in Irish racing any more. These races are very competitive. More and more you’re seeing all the top yards with eligible candidates. When you go and try and win an auction maiden you run into very good horses.

“Bloodstock agents are conscious of this and they keep a close eye on auction races, with a view towards trying to buy horses who show up well in them.”

Certainly, the first six or seven finishers in Monday’s race will be easily sold if connections are interested in a sale. In the meantime, those owners can look forward to being treated like royalty at Naas.

Richie commented: “Naas look after owners brilliantly. It’s a very well-run track – everyone says that. It’s not just the facilities but the racing surface as well – you can see from the stands how well the turf is prepared. The entire team at Naas deserve great credit. We love having runners there.”