Star Bloodstock, the consignment that unearthed talents like Malavath (Ire), A'Ali (Ire) and more, is set to wind down its breeze-up operation and concentrate entirely on producing future top-notchers on the racetrack instead.  The shift in focus has reaped immediate rewards with the aptly-named Make Haste (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}), a leading Royal Ascot contender [...]

They say it's the hope that kills you. And in the case of Paul McCartan, he had been holding his breath that Fairy Godmother (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) would do something special since as far back as January when he heard his Ballyphilip Stud graduate was burning up the gallops at Ballydoyle.  The annoying [...]

Royal Ascot-bound Cowardofthecounty (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) has been snapped up by Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables and other American-based partners. Cowardofthecounty made a scintillating start to his career when scoring on debut for Joseph O'Brien over 6f at the Curragh.  The form has since been franked with the runner-up, the Aidan O'Brien-rained Whistlejacket (Ire) (No [...]

Do you want to feel old? It's over a decade since a baby-faced Connor King burst onto the scene in Ireland and landed Champion Flat Apprentice titles in 2013 and 2015.  King rode winners for some of the biggest names in the sport but his career on the Flat was cruelly cut short when he [...]

Frances Crowley has ruled out a full scale return to the training ranks and described sending out her first runner in 16 years at Leopardstown on Friday as “just a bit of fun” with the ultimate goal being to provide her daughter Hannah with a breakthrough victory in the saddle.  Wife of the late Pat [...]

Norman Williamson set a new record for the highest-priced horse sold at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale when his Justify colt was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin for €2.3 million on what was a banner day for the stallion.  The result came less than an hour after Eddie O'Leary broke his own [...]

DEAUVILLE, France–The temperature is rising at Arqana and so, too, are the stakes. Breeze-up consignors young and old have made no secret about the fact that trade this year has been tricky, particularly at the middle to lower tiers.  All duck or no dinner, feast or famine–whatever way you want to describe it, vendors have [...]

DEAUVILLE, France—Nothing good usually comes from constant scrolling on Instagram. That was until last week, when a poem popped up from none other than Muhammad Ali, widely considered one of the greatest fighters of all time–and not a bad poet and philosopher it would seem.  The poem read, “Friendship is a priceless gift, that cannot [...]

The Gowran Park Breeze-Up Sale is set to make its return in 2025 with powerhouse consignors Willie Browne, Con Marnane and Roger O'Callaghan pledging to support what was formerly known as the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale.  The Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale was relocated to Fairyhouse and run by Tattersalls Ireland back in 2019. However, this year marks [...]

Danny O'Donovan described first-season sire King Of Change as his 'hero of the year' after the young consignor topped the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale at 180,000gns with a filly by the Starfield Stud-based stallion.  King Of Change may have emerged as something of the surprise package from the breeze-up circuit so far but O'Donovan has [...]

Wednesday provided a taste of what might be to come at the Tattersalls Guineas Sale when a Kingman (GB) filly from the John Dance dispersal sold for 130,000gns to Alex Elliott and Billy Jackson-Stops on behalf of powerful owners Valmont and Michael Blencowe. Over 50 horses connected to Dance's Coverdale Stud and Titanium Racing Club [...]

During a time where rising costs and a shaky underbelly to the yearling and foal market is causing many producers to rejig their approach to the breeding season, James Cloney certainly did his bit to provide smaller breeders either side of the Irish Sea with some much-needed encouragement when Camille Pissarro (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) [...]