Search

The Sunday Syndicates Post – Vol. 3, Issue 32

The stock of our Australian Colts Syndicate continues to rise through impressive track performances, top-class prize money and eye watering sums of money in private offers. The aptly named Run Harry Run has won three of his last four starts including his last three on the bounce culminating in the $500k Group 3 Catanach’s Jewellers Blue Sapphire Stakes in Caulfield on the 18th of November.

After some consideration on offers and consulting with Mike Moroney, the trainer, the decision was taken to give Harry a spell (break) and bring him back for an ambitious campaign that might even include a trip to Royal Ascot. Capitalisation ran a very good race on Melbourne Cup day to be fourth in the Listed Schweppervesence Plate. He looks an improving colt who has more to give but an offer that was too good to refuse came in from Hong Kong where he will continue his racing career.

Down but not out

Sharp Object supporters had their enthusiasm blunted in Cheltenham when the flashy chestnut just failed to fire on the day. Jockey Ben Harvey and trainer John McConnell said to draw a line through the run that it was far too bad to be true. Credit to the winner on an impressive victory but on all known formlines from Sharp Object’s first two runs we feel we have the better filly. The pencil sharpeners will be back out for the Dublin Racing Festival as we go for round two against our Gowran conqueror Aurora Vega. The 4yo has already achieved a huge amount in a short space of time and promises to be an exciting filly well into the future.

We had a formidable crew descend on Prestbury Park and the craic that was had over the three days was mighty. We are nothing without our owners and even though we didn’t get the result we wanted creating experiences, making memories and forming new friendships is what Syndicates.Racing is about.

Winter Warmers

The jumps season has really kicked up a notch in the last few weeks with the big guns starting to reappear from all of the mammoth stables. Gaelic Warrior and State Man were mightily impressive yesterday in Punchestown whilst Cullentra has unleashed a raft of exciting prospects including the live Gold Cup Contender Gerri Colombe who registered yet another Grade 1 victory in a race for the ages in Down Royal at the beginning of this month.

West End Victory heads up our older national hunt division this year and the exciting daughter of Westerner is reported to be in rude health. She will hopefully make her hurdling debut in the coming month and looks to build on her exciting debut bumper season which saw her win her bumper first time out before running a very credible 5th in a competitive Listed mares bumper in Fairyhouse on her last start.

Ellen Kelly, another daughter of Westerner, is back on track after a minor setback. She’s cantering away in Sonny Carey’s as we look to build her back up towards a racecourse debut. She has already shown some sparkles of talent and we’ve had to be patient to get her back to 100%.

Milan Dollar Lady owners had a nice update from Peter Fahey during the week with the striking daughter of Milan having thrived since returning from a short break. She was barely recognisable in the video having grown and strengthened immensely and whatever she does on the flat she’ll be even better over obstacles given her shape and her pedigree being a half sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Road To Respect. She will hopefully go for an away day to the Curragh at the beginning of December and we’ll begin looking at options for a debut soon after all going well.

It’s not just our national hunt owners who will have excitement over the winter months as our Gleneagles filly out of the Group 1 winning Spinning Queen looks to be set for a winter all-weather campaign. The Joseph O’Brien trainee had her first piece of work at the Curragh during the week which went very well and she will continue her build up to a racecourse debut early in the new year.

NEW SEGMENT – Syndicates Horse Of The Week

We’re always looking to shake things up a bit and some of the feedback we’ve had from owners is to preview some of our horses that haven’t run yet. I think it would be remiss not to kick this section off with Kara de Thaix who is a daughter of new Rathbarry & Glenview Stud’s sire Jeu St Eloi.

Kara de Thaix striding out in Tinnakill.

When we approach national hunt store sales we look for value and in doing that we aim to identify sires who may have gone cold. This is how we got Nós na Gaoithe (Yeats) and West End Victory (Westerner) for €30,000 a piece as both sires were deemed unfashionable or “cold” by the market at that point in time. Statistically speaking both sires were already successful, established, Grade 1 producing sires who we knew could get you the goods and luckily it paid off.

Jeu st Eloi will stand his first season in Rathbarry & Glenview for the 2024 breeding season.

Another angle we look at is pedigree and sires that may not have had many representatives in Ireland or the UK just yet. For us this year that was Jeu St Eloi. As a son of Saint Des Saints he made huge appeal to us mainly through his dominance as a broodmare sire. Daughters of Saint Des Saints can count some of the most notable jumping stars of the modern era as their progeny. Full brothers Douvan and Jonbon, Envoi Allen, El Fabiolo, Appreciate It, Saint Roi, Maskada make up just a smidgen of his impressive list. It’s not only as a broodmare sire he prospers. He counts Djackadam, Protektorat, Fastorslow, Gentleman De Mee, Saint Calavados and a whole host of other Grade 1 performers as his own. Furthermore, our good friends at Haras de Cercy, the Cypres family who were responsible for Grangee, highlighted Jeu St Eloi to us as a sire to watch when he stood under the Cercy banner before his move to Ireland so we were well aware he was able to produce some very good winners from lesser quality mares.

Kara de Thaix at the Goffs Arkle Sale.

When the catalogue for the Goffs Arkle sale was released she was one of the first pedigree pages that stood out as a Syndicates.Racing special. By an up and coming sire, half sister to a black type horse from deep French page. She was one of the first horses I saw on the complex and straight away I loved her. She had everything we look for the walk, the pedigree, she was correct, depth of girth, a good shoulder, was beautifully balanced, not over big, compact and strong and had a gorgeous big ear with an honest eye which I love to see in a horse. My excitement soon turned to disappointment as my instant reaction was that we wouldn’t be able to afford her.

>
I love her but she’ll cost too much
— John Bourke

I wasn’t on the complex the day she was selling but I had put together my lists and sent them onto Jack who was bidding online in Brussels. Jack text and said “What about the Jeu St Eloi?” I said “I love her but she’ll cost too much.” When I touched down I saw we landed her for the bargain price of €26,000 and couldn’t believe it. I had one of the most prominent owners (who will remain nameless!) in national hunt racing come to me a couple of weeks later and tell me we committed daylight robbery that she should have made at least double what we paid.

The sire has done nothing but improve since the summer with a new Grade 2 winner in England yesterday (Blueking D’Oroux), a Grade 1 2nd in France (Jazzy Senam), It’s For Me breaking his maiden hurdle for Willie Mullins and a £155,000 pointer at the Tattersalls Cheltenham sale.

It looks like his book is already full in his new home so I don’t think we’ll be robbing the sires progeny any longer. Kara is broken and riding and Sonny loves her. He said “she’s professional, forward going and jumps well with a great attitude towards her work. A really likeable filly.” She will join Willie Mullins in the new year and looks sure to uphold our 100% bumper record with with master of Closutton.

Champ.ie partnership

We’re delighted to be sponsoring Season 5 of the Champ.ie podcast with Barry Doyle and Ronan Groome. The lads do great work to promote the sport and they’ve built up a very reputable and enjoyable weekly podcast full of interesting interviews, tips and previews. Make sure to tune in weekly and subscribe the the YouTube Channel.

Bouttemont on the board in a big way

There were rumours swirling around the Goffs sales ground over the last couple of days that Bouttemont had escaped from his stable in Rathbarry and was handpicking mares for his first season at stud such was the volume of mares that were signed for simply as “Bouttemont”!

Breeding right holders really got behind the sire and he is set to cover a very exciting first book in 2024. He will cover the dam of Coventry Stakes winner Buratino, the dam of the 113 rated speedster Raeed, Group 1 Fillies Mile winner Lyric Of Light and exciting young black type mare Ceaseless to name but a few.

The imposing Bouttemont strikes a pose.

If you have a mare that you think would suit or you’d like to enquire about purchasing a mare please do get in touch.

First Fifty’s catch the eye

Fifty Stars took the Tattersalls Ireland National Hunt foals sales by storm with his foals averaging almost three times his covering fee and a top lot of €24,000 for his son out of a half sister to Wicklow Brave.

Fifty Stars standing at Sunnyhill Stud, Co. Kildare

A further ten exciting foals will go under the hammer at the Goffs December NH Sale in a few weeks time headed by fillies out of Cabaret Queen and another filly out of Lady Breffni for our mares syndicate.

Thank you.

On every single one of our feedback calls we learned that the SSP is a huge part of the experience so on a personal note I’d like to thank you all for taking the time to read as I put a lot into it so it was very heartening to hear that you all get a lot out of it. As always if there’s anything you’d like to see more or less of please do let us know. For any queries get in touch john@syndicates.racing.

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Related articles:

Experience racing.

We're everything you need.

Join our Community WhatsApp Group

To receive early access, news and exclusive events