Grove Stud

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...

A €210,000 daughter of Too Darn Hot (GB) headlined what was a predictably tricky two-year-old section to the Summer Sale at Arqana as the curtain definitively came down on the 2024 breeze-up season.  It was Brendan Holland's Grove Stud who consigned the day one top lot, who was bought by bloodstock agent Arthur Hoyeau on behalf of MyRaceHorse.  "She's been bought for MyRaceHorse and will go to the United States," said Hoyeau. "She's a very interesting filly with lots of qualities and has the perfect profile to go to the...

DEAUVILLE, France--Close to €38 million had already been spent on juveniles at the four breeze-up sales in Europe to have preceded Arqana, and that figure has now risen to around €59 million following a bullish day of trading in Deauville. Featuring the season's only seven-figure breezer and with a much larger catalogue than usual, it was no surprise to see turnover increase, though a near-50% upturn was perhaps even better than anticipated, with the 140 sold bringing in a total of €21,110,500 to ring the new record bell. Other indicators...

Lot 145, a son of Siyouni (Fr) and the Lope De Vega (Ire) mare Isabel De Urbina (Ire), became the most expensive yearling of Saturday's Arqana Breeze-Up session to that point, when selling for €1.2 million to Oliver St Lawrence on behalf of Bahraini buyers. Consigned by Brendan Holland's Grove Stud, the bay colt's dam won twice at listed level, and is a full-sister to dual group winner Manuela De Vega (Ire), who was also second in the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern. Grove Stud picked up the Merriebelle Irish...

Lot 162, a bay filly by Night Of Thunder (Ire) consigned by Grove Stud, took the lead just after the halfway point of the second session of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale when selling for 600,000gns to bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe. A half-sister to G3 Molecomb S. winner, G1 Middle Park S. third, and sire Rumble Inthejungle (GB) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), the May-foaled current sale topper is also a half-sister to the Group 2-placed Great Prospector (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}). This is also the family of G2 Superlative S. hero and...

Coolmore and Westerberg's 2-year-old colt Alexandroupolis (Ire) (Camelot {GB}--Jazz Cat {Ire}, by Tamayuz {GB}), who is a 240,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 graduate loaded with Group 1 entries, was let go at odds of 17-2 for Tuesday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden over an extended mile at Galway and displayed a rare turn of foot in the closing stages to outclass overmatched opposition for a 'TDN Rising Star'. The eventual winner settled in a midfield seventh through the early fractions of this debut. Taking closer order rounding the home turn,...

The sales ring can be a magical place, full of hope and expectation, and when an opening bid of €100,000 was struck for Katie Walsh's Saxon Warrior (Jpn) filly (lot 151) at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale on Thursday, those in attendance knew something special was on the cards. What started as a trickle soon became a flood of people packing into the arena to see the Greenhills Farm-consigned and James Hanly-bred filly set a new record at this sale with the hammer falling at €520,000 to Stephen Hillen....

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin DEAUVILLE, France--It wasn't until the wild-card selection after the end of the main catalogue that the day's top lot walked the ring at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale, and that honour went to Willie Browne's Mocklershill team and their colt by the late Zoffany (Ire), who sold for €550,000. Oliver St Lawrence had kept his powder dry for much of the day, but having warmed up with a €520,000 bid for a Siyouni (Fr) colt from Longways Stables, he went strong again for the session...

Hootenanny (Quality Road) became the latest freshman sire off the mark when the Kevin Ryan-trained Louisiana-bred filly Esken Rose shed maiden status on debut in Thursday's Northern Commercials Service, Sales & Parts Novice S. at Pontefract. The $4,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling and £38,000 Goresbridge@Newmarket breezer, who sported the colours of Hambleton Racing, made all to defeat Clarets Glory (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) by a length. 1st-Pontefract, £7,200, Nov, 9-16, 2yo, 6fT, 1:16.39, g/f. ESKEN ROSE (f, 2, Hootenanny--Eskenforandreya, by Eskendereya) was the sharpest of nine into stride and seized...

NEWMARKET, UK--A turbulent season of disrupted breeze-up sales has seen many firsts. Goffs UK and Arqana teamed up as allies to stage a combined sale, while Tattersalls stepped in to the breach to host the final 2-year-old sale of the year for its sister company Tattersalls Ireland, which had only a year earlier combined forces with Goresbridge to host this particular auction at its Fairyhouse base. With quarantine rules still stricter in Ireland than in Britain, a late move was made to bring the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale to...

As the action switched from the Goffs UK catalogue to Arqana at Doncaster, Grove Stud's daughter of War Front (lot 224) lit up the ring with a £650,000 final bid from Kerri Radcliffe and U.S.-based owner Larry Best of OXO Equine. The $185,000 Keeneland September yearling is out of the GIII Orchid S. winner Beauty Parlor (Elusive Quality)--not to be confused with the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Beauty Parlour (GB) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

NEWMARKET, UK—It's usually a little bracing on the Rowley Mile in mid-April but we're now heading towards the end of June and one consolation for people out watching the horses breeze for the Tattersalls Craven and Ascot sales was a warm, bright morning. And, happily, there was a good crowd in attendance on Monday, with the expansiveness of the Heath lending ample provision for social distancing once the pre-approved attendees had had their temperatures checked on arrival at the racecourse. We've heard far too much talk of the new normal....