Breeze-up

Uncertainty hangs over the breeze-up sector ahead of the first major yearling sale of the season at Arqana this week after the Breeze-Up Consignors Association [BUCA] instructed Goffs and Goresbridge not to go ahead as previously planned with its respective new sales in 2025. Goffs chief Henry Beeby and Goresbridge boss Ed Donohoe revealed to TDN Europe back in May that they were planning to hold breeze-up sales in Ireland next year.  Both men explained that the decision had been taken after a number of consignors expressed views that there...

The racing and breeze-up communities in Ireland have been rocked by the news that prominent rider Valdi de Souza has died at the age of 49 following "a freak accident" at work. The Brazilian native's finest hour in the saddle came when he partnered Rock Of Rochelle to win a Listed race at the Curragh for trainer Andrew Kinsella back in 2007.  He had been part of the fabric of Brendan Holland's Grove Stud for the past 11 years and the leading breeze-up handler paid an emotional tribute to de...

Prominent breeze-up consignor and pre-trainer Ian McCarthy says that having a genuine Derby horse through his hands will be very hard to top and explained how he will be rooting for graduate Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) in Sunday's Irish Derby at the Curragh. McCarthy sold Ambiente Friendly on behalf of the colt's breeders Al Shira'aa Farms for 80,000gns to bloodstock agent Freddy Tylicki at last year's Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale.  Tylicki's opinion on the horse has since been vindicated 10 times over with Ambiente Friendly carrying the colours of...

With a little help from above, Stephen Byrne of Knockgraffon Stables enjoyed an emotional fillip during a time of unimaginable heartache when selling his Coulsty (Ire) colt for €200,000 just over two weeks after his brother and former jockey Michael died in tragic circumstances.   The sales ring can be a magical place. Full of dreams and disappointments, but on Friday, Tattersalls Ireland was full of tears. And smiles. Lots of smiles.  An understandably emotional Byrne said, "It's been a very rough couple of weeks but my brother Michael was looking...

The talk on the breeze-up circuit this year has been dominated by poor clearance rates combined with a record number of private sales, an ever-increasing polarisation to the market and a Houdini-like disappearing act by the middle tier buyers.  So what has the mood been like on the eve of what is widely considered to be the final big breeze-up sale in Europe at Tattersalls Ireland? Pretty good actually. This sale has almost always been operating in its own realm--you never know who you are going to see here. Take...

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 after posting a stunning debut success at Naas for trainer and breeze-up consignor Diego Dias, being snapped up by Gainesway and LNJ Foxwoods.  Bought by Byron Rogers, Star Bloodstock and Dias at the Tattersalls Book...

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 started to fill into his massive frame. In short, nature took its course.  After a spell riding under National Hunt rules, King is now concentrating fully on training winners rather than riding them, and sent...

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 had to negotiate some choppy waters, meaning a lot is still on the line at Arqana when the sale gets underway at 11am on Saturday. But, weirdly, the optimism is palpable. Maybe it's the baking...

The cliche of the difficult second album is very real. You have just recorded your greatest hit so, in many ways, you could feel destined to fail in attempting to follow up on something so special. Roderic Kavanagh set the bar pretty high in consigning Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale last year. The colt, bought by Anthony Stroud on behalf of KHK Racing, has turned out to be a dual Group 1-winning superstar who has yet to taste defeat. That's what you call a...

The search for the next Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) just became a whole lot tougher. That's not to say that separating potential Group 1 winners apart from the near-200 horses who breeze up the Rowley Mile is an easy task to start with.  However, the howling wind, vertical hailstorm and torrential rain added a whole new dimension to the breeze at this year's Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale.  They tell us year after year that the times don't matter. That they only serve as just another piece of the jigsaw...

Goffs have teamed up with Naas Racecourse and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM) to introduce a new two-year-old breeze-up sale in Ireland for 2025. The breeze will take place at Naas on Tuesday, June 3, with the sale being staged at Goffs on Wednesday, June 4. A practice breeze will also be held on the Bank Holiday Monday, June 2. Announcing the new breeze-up sale, Goffs chief executive Henry Beeby, said, "We are thrilled that Naas Racecourse has agreed to host the trackwork to enable this exciting new breeze-up sale in...

Is there anything like a pedigree update to get a consignor's blood pumping in the build-up to a big sale? A little winner here, a black-type update there, it can't hurt when it comes to advertising your wares.  Well, if it's happening pedigrees that buyers want, it won't take long to scope out lot 53 in the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale. A brother to leading 2,000 Guineas contender Night Raider (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), the colt will be offered under the hammer by the father-and-son team of Mick and Stephen...