By Brian Sheerin
Jimmy Murphy of Redpender Stud had double reason to celebrate on Sunday when the progeny of his mare Swirral Edge (GB) (Hellvelyn {GB}) landed back-to-back Listed race triumphs at Deauville.
The renowned breeder knows better than most that these crucial updates are what drives the results in the sales ring and, for Swirral Edge to produce a memorable double through Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) and Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), it took even Murphy by surprise.
At one point in his career, Asymmetric was one of the smartest juveniles in Britain having landed the G2 Richmond S. at Goodwood before filling the frame behind Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) in the G1 Prix Morny.
However, after an unsuccessful stint in America for Wesley Ward, the four-year-old made a winning return to France by taking out the Prix du Cercle on debut for trainer Maurizio Guarnieri.
That proved the perfect aperitif for what was about to come next as the Jane Chapple-Hyam-trained Mill Stream, cruelly denied by winning machine Quinault (Ger) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in a valuable handicap at Newmarket last month, grabbed that all-important black-type success in the Prix Moonlight Cloud.
Murphy commented, “It's seldom the likes of that happens but it did, thank God. I genuinely didn't know where Asymmetric was up until the evening before the race. With Mill Stream, there was more relief involved because he had been running to a good level and deserved to get his head in front.
“I know a lot of his form was in handicaps but he had bumped into some smart horses and was running to a high rating. You'd have to say he won well at Deauville on Sunday and there could be more to come.”
The same sentiments could apply to Murphy's Swirral Edge who, at 10 years of age, has the potential to become a hugely important part of the Gowran operation in County Kilkenny for the coming years.
Murphy said, “The mare has a yearling colt by Mehmas (Ire) going to Book 1 at Tattersalls and she is covered by Minzaal (Ire). It seems to be a very fast family and you'd like to be sticking to sprinters with her. Mehmas is obviously a very good sire and Minzaal could be the same. I thought he was a very good racehorse and obviously won his Group 1 as a four-year-old.”
He added on how he came across Swirral Edge in the first place, “Geoffrey Howson and Matt Holdsworth brokered the deal for me. When I was a young lad going to the Doncaster Sales years back, Joe Foley's father PJ was very pally with a fella in the north of England by the name of John Ellis and he had that family at Bolton Grange.
“I had been following the family for years and years but could never find anything to come into it from a strong side. Even though this mare is by Hellvelyn (GB), her dam [Pizzara (GB)] is by Shamardal. Pizzarra had five runners and five winners, including the Listed winner Fashion Queen (GB) (Aqlaam {GB}).”
Swirral Edge is not the only multiple stakes producing mare to have made a name for herself at Redpender Stud. It was here where Danetime Out (Ire) produced the classy Richard Hannon-trained performers Toormore (Ire) and Estidhkaar (Ire) and things will turn full circle on Wednesday when the late mare's final produce graces the track.
“We've 10 or 12 mares on the farm,” Murphy explained. “We had Danetime Out (Ire) (Ire), the dam of Toormore (Ire) and Estidhkaar (Ire), but unfortunately she's dead now and we've got nothing left from the family. Believe it or not, her last foal, Point Given (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), runs at Pontefract on Wednesday. He made 270,000gns at Book 1 at Tattersalls last year.”
Point Given was bought by Blandford Bloodstock on behalf of Saeed Suhail, whose blue and yellow silks were carried to Derby glory by Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) last year.
Like Desert Crown, Point Given is trained by Sir Michael Stoute, who has booked Ryan Moore to ride the colt at Pontefract.
Like every other consignor, the next few months will be busy for Murphy and, while he admits to having “some nice yearlings and some flat tyres as well,” he is approaching the upcoming sales with cautious optimism following his rare double with Swirral Edge.
He said, “I learned a long time ago that what I think doesn't really matter. What matters is what the market and what the people viewing the horses thinks. But we like the Mehmas going to Book 1. Asymmetric and Mill Stream are two nice colts and he's similar to them.”
He added, “I have a nice Equiano (Fr) colt for the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale at Doncaster and a lovely homebred Starspangledbanner (Aus) filly who is a three-parts sister to Aloha Star (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}. She's a tasty lady. That's what we like, nice and fast families because it's so hard to take on the bigger breeding operations.”
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