TDN Q&A With Anthony Rogers

Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) proved herself the top 2-year-old filly so far in Ireland this year when winning the G2 Debutante S. at The Curragh last Sunday. She is co-owned and co-bred by Anthony Rogers and his mother Sonia of Airlie Stud, a farm that has bred a long roll call of Classic and Group 1 winners since its establishment by the late Captain Tim Rogers and his wife Sonia in the 1960s. TDN's Daithi Harvey caught up with Anthony Rogers about the exciting times of being involved with such a filly.

TDN: Skitter Scatter really announced herself as a top-class filly last weekend. Did you get to enjoy the occasion?

AR: It was one of the best days I've had on a racecourse. My mum has had one or two as good or better but for me, it's taken a while to get there and it was a very exciting day. Up until Sunday she has been totally underestimated, in my opinion. I don't usually bet but I couldn't believe it when I saw 11/1 about her and said 'I'll have a bit of that.' Normally, on the rare occasion that I do have a bet it puts the kibosh on them but even I couldn't stop her on Sunday.

TDN: Skitter Scatter hails from a family that you have had an involvement with for a while now. Can you tell us how she came about?

AR: It all started with Skitter Scatter's granddam Daneleta (Ire) (Danehill), who Robert Clay of Three Chimneys Farm purchased from Nicolas Clement around 2002, and he asked my mother to partner with him on her. We sent her to America to a friend of mine, Ben Cecil, with the hope of getting some more black-type into her but unfortunately it didn't work out for her on the track so we sent her to the breeding shed. That career has worked out very well for her as she bred G1 Dewhurst S. winner Intense Focus (Giant's Causeway), among others. When Skitter Scatter's dam Dane Street (Street Cry {Ire}) came along we raced her with Robert until buying him out of the partnership at Keeneland in 2016. She is back home in Airlie now.

TDN: Dane Street got off to a great start as a broodmare with her first produce, the winning graded stakes-placed filly Data Dependent (More Than Ready) before foaling Skitter Scatter. What has she produced in the interim?

AR: Dane Street has a yearling by More Than Ready that is going to Book 1 at Tattersalls (lot 321) and a colt foal by No Nay Never who we will also sell as a yearling. That foal came quite late in mid-May so we rested the mare this year. It's just a thought but perhaps I might give Mr. Magnier a call to see if he can fit her into Galileo (Ire) next year.

TDN: Skitter Scatter was out early in the season; she had her first run at Dundalk at the end of March when third to Jungle Jane (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}). Were the reports always positive from Patrick Prendergast?

AR: To be fair to Patrick, within the first couple of months he said 'this could be a stakes horse.' I don't think he predicted she would be winning a Group 2 but he liked her a lot, he liked her attitude and basically everything about her. She is not a robust, big strong filly but she is very professional and has learned from each race. Her first race was just an outing, even though she ran well, but then she beat Sergei Prokofiev (Scat Daddy) on her second run. She got into a battle there with him and he is 16.2 hands or something close and I think he even gave her a bump but she never flinched. She loves a battle and is a very tough filly.

TDN: So what is next for Skitter Scatter? The G1 Moyglare Stud S. at The Curragh Sept. 16 looks the logical next step?

AR: Yes, she is in the Moyglare but I am slightly worried about Mr. Bell's filly Pretty Pollyanna (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Rumour has it he is going to bring her to Ireland, though personally I think she should stay in England! If she comes she would look the obvious one to beat; I wouldn't be scared of anything else, really.

TDN: I presume there have been a few offers to purchase Skitter Scatter?

AR: Yes, there have been and we have turned them down. We want to race her and you can't sell everything. My mother is a certain age and is really enjoying it so we will hopefully continue to enjoy her. Patrick has done a wonderful job with her and it's great for him also as he has seen his fair share of good horses being sold through the years and she looks like being as good as he's had, and he is going to keep her. Ultimately she will come back to Airlie as she is the kind of filly you'd want to breed from. As I said she's not big but she has a huge heart and a great mind and they are two very important factors when considering breeding. Also it's a great family that has been very good to us and the best way to keep a pedigree like that alive and strong is to keep a few members of it and support it.

TDN: Being by Scat Daddy hasn't done her any harm so far and should allow plenty of covering options when the time comes?

AR: Absolutely, and the granddam is by Street Cry and I love him as a broodmare sire. Of course Scat Daddy is a huge loss not only to Coolmore but also the international bloodstock industry. If he was standing now I imagine his covering fee would be pretty high. Obviously Skitter Scatter is from his last crop so it's just exciting that we have got a little bit of him to race with. I guess we are lucky she is a filly as, if she was born a colt we would have sold her. We sell all the colts and keep the odd filly; we need to keep a few as we are cleaning out and replenishing each year. We move along around four or five and bring in three or four fillies from the track. It's important to try and keep upgrading and to keep the momentum going.

TDN: I guess this is a busy time of year for you prepping yearlings for the sales?

AR: Indeed it is. We have about 30 yearlings to sell, between our own homebreds and some for clients. This will be followed by between 15 and 20 foals. It's an exciting time of year and it's great to have a few good winners in the lead up to a sale; it keeps the farm's name in the minds of buyers. It's a pleasure watching the youngsters grow and develop. Mum and I sit down probably in a month or two to plan next year's matings so it's a three-year cycle to bring them to the yearling stage. Then you bring them to the sales and its three minutes in the sale ring. It's high pressure stuff; my wife avoids me for a while at this time of year, but it's what we are about and I wouldn't swap it.

TDN: I noticed you have a yearling out of the granddam Daneleta catalogued at Goffs next month.

AR: Yes, we have a very nice Dark Angel colt out of Daneleta in the Orby Sale at Goffs (lot 254). Unfortunately he managed to give himself a cut behind his fetlock out in the field. It needed stitching and it looks good so far but there is only a 60% chance he will get to the sale; we will just have to see closer to the time. He has x-rayed fine, it's just a superficial wound and it is annoying but these things happen with horses and he is a lovely colt.