Spotlight on the Night of the Stars: Onshore

With a star-studded lineup preparing to go through the ring on a night showcasing some of racing's most prestigious broodmares and broodmare prospects, Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning has high praise for Onshore (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire) — Kalima {GB}, by Kahyasi {Ire}), a royally-bred Group I producer who will sell as Hip 216 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

“I believe Onshore is one of the most exciting broodmare offerings that we've had the privilege of selling in my lifetime at Fasig-Tipton,” Browning said. “She embodies everything you look for in the Thoroughbred industry. She has an amazing Juddmonte family. She's in foal to Wootton Bassett, who is a very influential rising star in the European stallion ranks. She has produced a Grade I winner in Onesto (Ire) (Frankel), who has demonstrated tremendous ability on the racetrack. I can't imagine any mare having a brighter future with the resume she has put together thus far.”

The Sea The Stars mare now has five foals on her produce record led by her brilliant son Onesto, the winner of this year's G1 Grand Prix de Paris. At the 'Night of the Stars' sale, Onshore will be consigned by Gainesway.

“It's a privilege to be able to offer a mare like Onshore,” said Gainesway's Alex Solis. “To be just nine years old and the dam of a French Classic winner with your second foal, that's pretty remarkable. She could be the cornerstone of any broodmare band wherever she goes.”

Onshore was one of the first remunerative Thoroughbred purchases for Adam Bowden's Diamond Creek Farm (profiled by Chris McGrath here). Diamond Creek launched as a Standardbred operation in 2005, when Bowden was just 24, and then made its foray into the Thoroughbred business several years ago. During one of Bowden's first buying trips overseas, he found Onshore at the 2016 Tattersalls December Mares Sale.

“She fit the bill for what we were looking for,” he recalled. “She had a well-bred pedigree and physically, she fit the European style of racing. She was in foal to Frankel, who was young at the time but I was a huge fan of his.”

Bowden purchased the maiden mare from Juddmonte for 320,000gns. Diamond Creek liked her resulting filly so much that the next year, Onshore returned to Frankel. That mating producing Onesto.

“I actually never got to see him as a foal because it was during the COVID year,” Bowden explained. “My advisor there, Eddie Fitzpatrick at Coolmore, told me that he was a nice horse and that I shouldn't give him away.”

When the colt failed to meet his reserve as a yearling, he shipped to Ciaran Dunne of Wavertree Stables and sold for $535,000 to Hubert Guy at the 2021 OBS April Sale before making his way back to Europe. Onesto landed with trainer Fabrice Chappet and earned the 'TDN Rising Star' nod when he broke his maiden on debut as a juvenile. This year, he took the G2 Prix Greffulhe before claiming his Group 1 score in the Grand Prix de Paris while also placing second in the G1 Irish Champion S.

“Anyone who has watched Onesto run has to be impressed by his turn of foot,” Browning noted. “He's explosive when he makes his move. He demonstrates the brilliance that is so critical to racing around the world, but especially in Europe.”

Onshore's produce record also includes an unraced juvenile filly by Australia (GB), a yearling Gleanagles (Ire) filly that sold for €460,000 to Michel Zerolo of Oceanic Bloodstock at Arqana this summer, as well as a another filly by American Pharaoh.

“To have four daughters working for her going forward is pretty awesome, but really the big appeal to her is that it's such an international family,” said Solis. “She comes from an amazing Juddmonte family anchored by Hasili (Ire) (Kahyasi), who threw five Group 1 winners herself and two other graded stakes horses including the very influential stallion Dansili (GB). Onshore is even a half to an international Group 3 winner Jet Away (GB) (Cape Cross), who went to Australia and proved himself there.”

“It's literally the who's who of the Thoroughbred breeding industry all combined into one package,” added Browning of Onshore's pedigree. “She's also in foal to Wootton Bassett, who produced a champion in his first crop. More importantly, he's a sire that Coolmore has made a significant commitment to. So you've got the Juddmonte pedigree with the Coolmore influence in the covering sire, and if that's not a good bet in the Thoroughbred industry, I can't think of a better set of circumstances.”

Bowden is looking forward to seizing the moment with Onshore while Onesto is in the limelight, but he said that the mare has forever made her mark on Diamond Creek's story.

Sara Gordon

“I think we're in the business to make money,” he explained when asked why Onshore is for sale. “The money we make from Onshore will be put right back in the market to try to do it again. She's really the first big-time horse for us to sell back to the market so there's a soft spot in my heart for her and part of me doesn't want to sell her, but the other part of me knows that it's the right financial decision and one that could provide us with more and more capital to go back to the market.”

This year has been a fruitful era for Diamond Creek with the likes of Bashford Manor S. winner and GI Hopeful S. runner-up Gulfport (Uncle Mo) and three-time Grade I-placed Family Way (Uncle Mo) both representing their breeder at the highest levels of the sport in the U.S. while Onesto carries the banner abroad.

“I don't know that we were originally planning on having Group 1 winners,” Bowden admitted. “I think we were looking for sales and racing success, and whatever grew out of that would be great. To have this kind of success this quickly was obviously not what we had planned, but we're very happy with it.”

As for Onshore, Browning said he believes the mare could wind up starting the next chapter of her story anywhere in the world.

“I think Onshore truly has international appeal,” he said. “She's a collector's pedigree. I don't know if the new buyer will reside in Europe or Japan or America, but I do know that the new buyer will have an opportunity to have a tremendously accomplished mare with a tremendous amount of potential in front of her.”

“This mare could go anywhere and be a standout,” added Solis. “It will be exciting to see who shows up.”

To take a look at more 'Spotlight on the Night of the Stars' features, click here.