'He'd Be On The A-Team' – Ger Lyons Stable Tour

Ger Lyons has been competing at the top table of Irish racing for well over a decade and recorded breakthrough Classic success in 2020 when Siskin (First Defence) stormed to G1 Irish 2000 Guineas glory under Colin Keane at the Curragh.

The pair didn't have to wait long to record their second when, just five weeks later, Even So (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) landed the Irish Oaks.

Lyons has a typically-strong team of older horses to go to war with this season. Tough Talk and Hellsing appear to be the pick of the 3-year-old colts while Zarinsk, Amazing Show and Mauiewowie are just a handful of 3-year-old fillies that the trainer is looking forward to this term.

As well as an array of classy older types, Lyons has a galaxy of well-bred youngsters to unleash this term, but revealed that he will be adopting a kinder approach with his 2-year-olds this term.

He said, “I won't have my first 2-year-old runners until April. I am letting them grow in front of my eyes and cuddling them along. You can see them growing week after week at this time of year and we haven't dipped any of our 2-year-olds yet.”

In the first edition of TDN Europe's stable tour series that will concentrate on 2-year-old talent, Lyons has put forward 14 juveniles to note ahead of the new season as well as outlining plans for some of his older horses below.

Hellsing: a smart prospect | Racingfotos.com

2-Year-Olds
Name: Quadruple (GB)
Breeding: Frankel (GB) filly out of Soffia (GB) (Kyllachy {GB})
Purchaser: Homebred
Owner: Juddmonte
Comment: She's a lovely and straightforward filly. We are not rushing any 2-year-olds this year and will let them come to themselves in their own time. She is only new to me but she seems very straightforward and anyone who has ridden her has been pretty excited by what they are feeling. You'd like to think she could be smart.

Halberd (GB)
Showcasing (GB) colt out of Battlement (GB) (Dansili {GB})
Juddmonte
He is a lovely grey horse. His dam is a half to Logician (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and he looks a smart, precocious type. He'd look an early sort and he'll tell me when he's ready. He's very straightforward and, at this early stage, he's one I like–but that could be the kiss of death!

Bellezza (Ire)
Siyouni (Fr) filly out of Terrific (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})
Moyglare Stud
A lot of quality and by the right type of sire. She has a lot of size and scope, as her brother Tough Talk (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) has, and he would be one of our big bullets to fire in the 3-year-old ranks this year. She has grown humongously–she was big when we got her but she is still growing and filling into herself. I'm letting her come in her own time but she is as sweet as a nut and is definitely one that's exciting us.

General Assembly (Ire)
Starspangledbanner (Aus) colt out of Black Rodded (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB})
Bought by Richard Ryan for 130,000gns at the Somerville Sale at Tattersalls from Ballyhimikin Stud
Teme Valley
He has been a very professional horse since the day he walked into the yard. He came in with a tall reputation for being the pick of the Somerville Sale and is just an awesome Railway-type horse who is just oozing quality. He will be as early as I need him to be and could be a Royal Ascot 2-year-old. That's the type of horse we view him as if he keeps doing what he is doing. Everything comes so easy to him. But, again, I haven't dipped any of my 2-year-olds so I don't know how good or bad they are, but I would be very positive about this colt. Richard Ryan bought him–he bought Rocking Tree as well–and he buys a nice type. He bought Hellsing (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), who was a very good 2-year-old and one we're looking forward to for this year so, if he keeps sending us horses like that, we'll be very happy.

Rocking Tree (Ire)
Kodiac (GB) colt out of Rocktique (Rock Hard Ten)
Bought by Richard Ryan at Goffs Orby Sale from Glenvale Stud for €130,000
Teme Valley
Kodiac has been a phenomenal success and has even surprised me by how he has kept improving. This is a fine stamp of a Kodiac–strong, but not typical in that he has plenty of size and scope about him. He's very straightforward and has a good mind. He could be anything. Again, he was bought by Richard Ryan so, if he continues to buy that type of horse for us, he can fill the yard.

Beauty Thunder (Ire)
Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt out of Tawayna (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire})
Bought at Goffs Orby from Yeomanstown Stud for €100,000 by Gaelic Bloodstock
Beauty Stable
By one of my favourite sires, Night Of Thunder (Ire). You would think that he lacked size when we bought him but, the few colts that I have bought by the sire, they all looked on the small size at the sales. I said to myself, 'if he's like the ones I bought, he'll come,' and he's just to die for. Back in January, I was thinking that he was still on the small side but he is starting to sprout now and he's typical of the colts that I have had by Night Of Thunder. I should say that it is untypical of Thunder Kiss (Ire), who is by Night Of Thunder as well, but this lad is showing all the right qualities. I could see him being a nice 2-year-old for the middle part of the season. We have had a lot of luck for this owner but they buy for Hong Kong, so the horses spend their 2-year-old career with us before moving over there. That's what they like to do and the dream is to find them a Hong Kong Derby horse.

Unnamed
Zoustar (Aus) colt out of Ainippe (Ire) (Captain Rio {GB})
Bought by David Redvers at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale for £70,000 from Furnace Mill Stud
Richard Pegum
Richard has had horses with me before through David Redvers and the obvious connection with this colt is that we trained his dam, Ainippe. She was a very smart and fast filly. I've never had a Zoustar before this season and now I have a few of them in the yard. They are the most gorgeous physicals and this one is most gorgeous as well. He goes very well and would be a better-looking horse than his mother was. Zoustar is rocking the world down under in Australia and, again, I think they will need their time but this lad is more precious than the others. At this moment in time, you'd love what he is doing.

Unnamed
Blue Point (Ire) filly out of Cosmic Love (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire})
Bought by Grassick Bloodstock and Ronan Fitzpatrick at Goffs Orby Sale for €300,000 from Kilminfoyle House Stud
Mark Dobbin
We are going with Blue Point because he seems to be a first-season sire who is ticking all the right boxes. We're very positive about the ones that we have by him. She wouldn't be the biggest filly but hopefully she comes a bit in size. There's something about her that we like and she looks precocious. I would say she cost enough, but they were the sales everyone was operating in last year. Winning a maiden won't be good enough to justify her price tag and hopefully she is better than that. The talk on the street would be that Blue Point is doing it and the few that I have would suggest he's going to be alright.

Unnamed
Blue Point (Ire) colt out of Gwael (A.P. Indy)
Bought by Kerri Lyons for 70,000gns out of Genesis Green Stud at Book 2 at Tattersalls
Sean Jones, David Spratt and Lynne Lyons
Kerri bought him and he's nice. He'd be quite typical of the filly that we have by Blue Point–you could nearly say they are brother and sister. They are doing their thing and the word on the street is quite positive about the stallion but I won't be rushing them. I'd be happy with him at the moment anyway.

Unnamed
Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) colt out of Alfea (GB) (Kentucky Dynamite)
Bought by Wyanstown House for €34,000 at the 2021 Goffs November Foal Sale from Farran House Stud
Vincent Gaul
He reminds me of a horse I used to train called Gold-Fun (Ire) (Le Vie Dei Colori {GB}), who went on to be a very good horse in Hong Kong. He is a big, strong, powerful beast. I think Vincent Gaul bought him as a foal and there is something about this horse I just love. He can gallop and will be a middle-season plus horse. He'll be a real miler and there's something very taking about him, he does things very easily.

Unnamed
Bated Breath (GB) filly out of Rosie Cotton (Ire) (King's Best)
Ballygallon Stud
A gorgeous filly but more likely to be a 3-year-old rather than a 2-year-old. She is doing what we are asking her but gives us the impression that she will be lovely for the back end and beyond.

State's Evidence (GB)
Expert Eye (GB) colt out of Palmette (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB})
Juddmonte
I'd say he's typical of Juddmonte's in that he is smart. I have a very smart bunch for Juddmonte this year–roughly 17 in total–and he would be right up there as being rated among the smartest. He does things very easily and there is a lot of quality about him. He'd be on the A-team at this moment in time.

Dandy Lichious (Ire)
Dandy Man (Ire) colt out of Ana Lichious (Ire) (Makfi {GB})
Patrick Hanlon
He will be our earliest runner. He has been standing on his hind legs telling me he is ready to run since Christmas Day! He's not as ready as he thinks he is but he'll be one of our earliest runners and is a good-looking son of Dandy Man. He's not over-big but he is big enough and, as soon as the ground dries up, he'll be out.

Serious Notions (GB)
Advertise (GB) filly out of Darling Grace (GB) (Nayef)
Bought by Kerri Lyons for €68,000 from Kildarragh Stud at Goffs Orby
Rick Gaynor
A nice filly that Kerri bought. We are liking what we are seeing and is shaping up as a nice filly at the minute anyway. We like to throw six balls up in the air with the fillies that we buy at the sales in the hope that two come down as nice fillies and she could be one of the nicer ones. She looks the part and I hope she is nice because Kerri picked her and she's for a nice owner.

Tough Talk: beating Little Big Bear on debut | Racingfotos.com

Older Horses
I have a lovely bunch of 3-year-olds and up for the season. Of the horses who won their maidens last year, the Amazing Show (GB)s (Showcasing {GB}) of this world, they have all gotten very strong so I have a very exciting batch to look forward to.

Zarinsk (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) has already stepped up to listed class and you'd hope that some of the horses who won their maidens last year can do something similar. After that, you are hoping that they will keep building, that's the dream.

Hellsing and Tough Talk would be the outstanding colts. The bubble has not burst on them yet. Tough Talk had a setback last year but he has been in training for quite a while and is one to really look forward to.

Hellsing was just denied in the Goffs Million last year but did everything right by us. He is the most gorgeous horse and he will want a

mile minimum–he could even be a 10-furlong horse. He could be anything. He outperformed what we thought he would do at two because we always viewed him as an older horse in the making.

There is a list of fillies that we are dreaming about and they have all done very well. We pulled up early with Mauiewowie (GB)  last year because she won her stakes race and, typical of Night Of Thunders, we said we'd let her grow. She could be a Commonwealth type of filly and the Lacken S. could suit her prior to Ascot. She'll probably be better with a bit of juice in the ground. Here's hoping she steps up to the next level.

Amazing Show won her maiden well and the form of that has worked out fantastic. I overfaced her in the Moyglare but, if you look at her now, she's a 500kg filly. That Moyglare entry shows you what I thought of her. While she is a long way shy of that, you'd like to think she can step up to be a Listed/Group 3 filly at a minimum.

Cairde Go Deo (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) is a dream filly. She needed to strengthen up from three to four if she's to get to the next level and I think that she has. I couldn't be happier by how well she has done physically. She could be shy of the top level but we'd be hopeful she can be competitive in Group 2s over a mile-and-a-half to start although she will get further.