Michael O'Callaghan

LONDON, UK--There has been an awful lot of water under the bridge since Goffs UK last convened its London Sale in the royal parks, but somehow the bloodstock market has meanwhile stayed buoyantly afloat. In this country, demand for horses in training has remained a priceless lifeline, and the additional kudos of a Royal Ascot entry for the majority of lots elevated the bidding along with the thermometer as summer made a timely arrival in Kensington Palace Gardens. That proved equally true among those defending reserves and those managing to...

There was no catching Michael and Julia Iavarone and Michael O'Callaghan's Twilight Jet (Ire) (Twilight Son {GB}) in Sunday's G3 Goffs Lacken S. at Naas as he led from pillar to post in a dynamic display of speed. Sent off at 9-2, last year's G3 Cornwallis S. winner was quicker than Ballydoyle's 6-5 favourite New York City (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) at every step and gave generously for Leigh Roche to beat that Listed Committed S. scorer by three lengths. The returning G3 Anglesey S. winner Beauty Inspire (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire})...

NEWMARKET, UK--Officially the breeze-ups in Europe are no time test, but unofficially most people with a desire to buy a 2-year-old from these auctions avail themselves of a list of times, or time the breezes themselves, and usually speed sells. Appropriately enough then, it was a colt by one of the current buzz sires, Time Test (GB), who lived up to his father's name when put through his paces on the Rowley Mile on Tuesday morning before topping the sale at 160,000gns.  Michael O'Callaghan is a regular buyer of breezers...

Del Mar, CA--This spring, Irish trainer Michael O'Callaghan decided to roll the dice. Betting on his own past successes at the breeze-up sales, O'Callaghan and his investors doubled down on prospects they predicted could get them to the winner's circle and land lucrative overseas sales. That gamble has taken them all the way from The Curragh to Southern California for the Breeders' Cup, with Twilight Jet (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}) lining up in Friday's GII Juvenile Turf Sprint for O'Callaghan and new part-owner Michael Iavarone. At £210,000, Twilight Jet was...

Dual Group 1 runner-up Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) has been confirmed for the upcoming GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar in November. A winner of the G3 Brownstown S. on July 11 and G3 Fairy Bridge S. on Aug. 26, the Haras de Saint-Pair homebred was second in both the G1 Matron S. at Leopardstown on Sept. 11 and the Oct. 3 G1 Prix de la Foret. Trainer Paddy Twomey said, "She came out of the race last weekend fantastic and she's in good form. She's going...

NEWMARKET, UK--So which way would the breeze blow this time? Just like the spring, teetering between the frost that coated the sales grounds on Friday morning and the imminent return of the swifts, the Tattersalls Guineas Sale caught the juvenile market at a pivot of the weathervane. After a traumatic experience last year, the sector had opened a new cycle with a solid start at the Craven Sale here, followed by a quite astounding rally at Doncaster where records tumbled across the board. This catalogue, which doesn't always benefit from...

DONCASTER, UK--Look, we all know to refrain from any bold pronouncements in such an uncertain world. But the same market that was last year first to be broadsided by the pandemic has now made consecutive statements: first one of cautious optimism and now, remarkably, one of record-breaking confidence. For if we left Newmarket last week reminding ourselves that a single swallow does not a summer make, then flight after flight seemed to fill the air at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale. Whatever the ups and downs that inevitably still await,...

During the nine-year stretch from 2006-2014, no fewer than five European-bred and -raced gallopers were successful in the BMW Hong Kong Derby: Viva Pataca (GB) (Marju {Ire}, 2006); Helene Mascot (Ire) (Peintre Celebre, 2008); Collection (Ire) (Peintre Celebre, 2009); Akeed Mofeed (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}, 2013); and Designs On Rome (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), 2014). Sunday's 2000-metre feature at Sha Tin includes five horses--four European-bred, one US-bred--that were imported with this very race in mind. Here is a brief recap of how they have gotten to this point. For handicapping...

Group 3 winner Steel Bull (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), owned and trained by Michael O'Callaghan for his first two starts, will contest the Aug. 9 G1 Phoenix S. at The Curragh under new ownership, as he was purchased privately by Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez, Racing Post reported on Monday. The son of Macarthurs Park (Ire) (Equiano {Fr}) will be supplemented to the six-furlong feature. For O'Callaghan, the £28,000 Goffs UK Breeze Up juvenile broke his maiden by 2 1/2 lengths at first asking at Naas on July 22. He followed up in the...

Exactly a month before Steel Bull (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) won the G3 Molecomb S. he was parading around the sales ring as one half of the Kilbrew Stables draft at the Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale, which had been delayed from its traditional late April slot. Andrew and Riona Lynch of Kilbrew Stables took just two horses to Doncaster and in fact it was the other one, a colt by Mehmas (Ire), who was initially the star package as he vastly exceeded his yearling price when selling for £165,000 to King...

Colin Keane came to Goodwood for the first time on Wednesday and his debut ride was one of a rider who had been here many times before as he guided Steel Bull (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) to success in the G3 Markel Insurance Molecomb S. Held up in rear off the pace burn-up in front, Michael O'Callaghan's July 22 Naas maiden scorer was still sitting chilly at the back passing two out but when the gap was big enough he was through with relish to seize the advantage 100 yards from...