Birchwood

Osarus has added eight 2-year-olds and seven horses-in-training to its Breeze-Up and Horses-In-Training Sale on May 4. The juveniles include lot 45A, a colt by Wootton Bassett (GB) who is the first foal out of a winning daughter of Excelebration (Ire); lot 41A, a Kodiac (GB) colt out of a half-sister to Sageburg (Ire) and from the family of Sagamix (Fr), Sagacity (Fr), Japan (GB) and Mogul (GB); as well as colts by first-season sires Recorder (GB) and Birchwood (Ire). The additions to the horses-in-training section include lot 72, Rue...

Birchwood (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who won the G2 Superlative S. at two in 2015 and went on to listed success at three in the Godolphin blue, sired his first winner at Marseille Pont De Vivaux on Friday when Oulalah (Fr) took a 950 metre claiming race for trainer Jerome Reynier. The colt, in fact, led home an exacta for Birchwood, with the filly Madame Babette (Fr) filling second. Birchwood has stood his first four seasons at Haras de la Huderie for €5,000.

Continuing our series featuring feedback on the European stallion with first runners this year, bloodstock agent Ghislain Bozo of Meridian International shares his view with a particular focus on the French scene. He said, "Generally speaking it is always tough to get a strong idea of the first-season sires at this stage but of course we are always keeping our ears open. I'm always a little but careful when the talk is too hot but this time there has been no strong word like we might have had in the...