Business As Usual For Baroda Stud

As break-ups go, the dissolution earlier this year of the consigning force of Baroda & Colbinstown to just Baroda Stud was the purely amicable kind. While Colbinstown's David Myerscough was keen to take a step back from the consigning aspect of the business, Baroda's David Cox was even keener to drive the business forward and judging by the farm's first Orby draft as a single entity, Cox looks likely to make a flying start. With a team of 19 yearlings in the Orby and nine in the Sportsman's Sale it will be all hands on deck but Cox was his usual relaxed self when the TDN called into himself and his wife Tamso's magnificent farm located on the outskirts of Newbridge last week.

“I had extended the facilities here in anticipation of going solo and taking on more horses so there has been no real change in operations,” Cox explained. “I have the same team of staff for the sales that I had built up over the past few years and we'll be located in the same barns at the sales as before so there will be very little different. We'll be consigning over 90 yearlings this season so it will be a busy period.”

Baroda's Orby draft consists of a mix of their own homebreds and pinhooks as well as yearlings that belong to well-known clients such as China Horse Club, Newsells Park Stud and Rick Barnes, among others. One of the first yearlings to stand out on paper is lot 156. This daughter of Dark Angel (Ire) is a full-sister to 2017 European sprint champion Harry Angel (Ire), while the Roger Varian-trained debut juvenile winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Pierre Lapin (Ire) (Cappella Sansevero {GB}) added further depth to the page after his win in the G2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef S. at Newbury last week. Their dam Beatrix Potter (Ire) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) was purchased privately by China Horse Club from Paul and Marie McCartan's Ballyphilip Stud and is currently in America having been covered by Justify.

“She has been very straightforward since she was born, a lovely attitude and takes everything in her stride,” Cox said. “It's great to have a filly with a pedigree and physical to match. She will also be a lovely broodmare in a few years' time but she looks like she is going to be a racehorse first. The mare was covered by Justify this year so that's something for potential buyers to keep in mind for the long term. Mr Teo [Ah Khing] likes doing business at Goffs. He met Henry [Beeby] at Ascot and he committed this filly to Goffs back then and when Henry appraised her soon after he reckoned she would be among the top fillies of the sale.”

Not only has China Horse Club become a significant vendor at the Orby Sale, but it has also made its mark as a purchaser having bought the subsequent dual stakes winner Goldrush (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) for €1.7-million at the 2015 Orby. “Goldrush boards with us here and is in foal to Dark Angel, she is a lovely mare,” Cox said.

Another familiar name from recent years is G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas winner Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) and Baroda will offer her first produce, a colt by Le Havre (Ire) as lot 301. Jet Setting was bought by China Horse Club at the Goffs London Sale for £1.3-million and the pedigree benefitted from a nice update when Jet Setting's 2-year-old half-brother Eloy D'amerval (Ire) (Capella Sansevero {GB}) made a smart winning debut at Naas the week before last.

“It's very exciting for us to be consigning the first foal of a Classic winner at the Orby Sale,” Cox said. “This colt is one of just three colts in the catalogue by Le Havre and he has done really well during his preparation and is a lovely first foal for Jet Setting.”

Also belonging to China Horse Club is lot 218, a filly by Australia (GB) out of the two-time American winner D'Oro Princess (Medaglia d'Oro), and a colt by the same sire, lot 53, out of Sugar House (Distorted Humor). “The filly is quite classy with a huge walk and loads of scope and quality,” Cox said. “She has filled out nicely the past few weeks and should look the part on sale day, while the colt is the best foal the dam has produced to date; he is a fine colt with plenty of size about him.”

Cox has enjoyed watching the success of Darley first-season stallion Night Of Thunder (Ire) this year as he has two by the sire in the Orby. The first, lot 111, is a half-sister to the high-class Set To Music (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) from a deep Aga Khan pedigree, while lot 226 is a half-brother to the stakes winning Sweepstake (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who is the dam of this year's G3 Ballysax S. winner and G1 Investec Derby fourth Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}).

“He's a fair colt and the stallion is flying,” Cox said. “I actually bred a nice winner by him recently, a filly called Stormy Girl (Ire) and I imagine his stock will be popular this year.”

The second day of the Orby will see Baroda offer stock by some elite sires such as Frankel (GB), Lope De Vega (Ire) and Dubawi (Ire). Lot 357, a Frankel filly out of Gregorian (Ire)'s full-sister Manderley (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), is being sold on behalf of a client, as is lot 440, a filly by Dubawi out of MGSW Purr Along (GB) (Mount Nelson {GB}) who was bred in partnership by Newsells Park Stud and Qatar Bloodstock.

“The Dubawi filly is in Newsells Park Stud and we will meet her at the sales,” Cox said. “I went to see her in July and she's a gorgeous individual, a very attractive racy filly with a great walk and lovely balance. We sold a Galileo (Ire) filly for Newsells Park at the Orby last year and when they suggested sending over a Dubawi this year I didn't need much convincing. There is only two in the sale so it's great to be offering one, especially a filly out of such a good mare as Purr Along.”

Two lots later Baroda offer a colt by Lope De Vega out of Queen Of Carthage (Cape Cross {Ire}). Lot 442 was bred by Kilcarn Stud and was pinhooked as a foal in Goffs last year by Michael Roy for €110,000.

No elite draft would be complete without a Sea The Stars (Ire) yearling and lot 191 ticks that box. The colt is a half-brother to an Italian graded stakes winner while in the latter stages of the sale Baroda offers a Gleneagles (Ire) filly out of a half-sister to Group 1 winners and stallions Excelebration (Ire) and Lancaster Bomber.

Sales season is a real test of the delegation and multitasking skills of Cox and his wife Tamso as while one yearling sale bleeds into another the home fires must be kept burning. A herd of cattle and sheep help maintain the pastures in optimum condition for the many boarding mares and their progeny along with the home stock of Baroda and Cox's neighboring parents' farm Rosetown Stud. It is a hive of activity at even the quietest time of the year and from that perspective the Orby and Sportman's Sale is one of their favourite's.

“Goffs is our home sale so it's very convenient but besides that we've done very well there over the past few years, so it's only right that we support it accordingly,” Cox said. “The Goffs team do a great job promoting the sale and all the major international buyers will be there. Having been in Keeneland myself two weeks ago I know the sale has become increasingly on the radar for a lot of U.S. buyers, so hopefully that will translate into some great trade this week.”