What does Shane MacGowan, Christmas trees and the Goffs December National Hunt sale all have in common? They truly mark the start of the Christmas season. December 8th is the official day the trees go up and the season is at full swing, MacGowan (RIP) is back at number one at Goffs starts on Monday. It’s an exciting week for all things Syndicates.Racing as our first ever breeding syndicate are to be doubly represented through lots 689 and 858.
Fifty Stars ex. Lady Breffni filly sells as lot 689 at Goffs on Wednesday
The first through the ring is Lady Breffnis first foal, a Fifty Stars filly, described by Dermot Cantillon as the best looking foal that has ever been produced on the farm in Tinnakill. She’s got size, scope a walk and all the looks to match. She is not only an excellent advertisement for the sire but also for her mother who ranks as one of the most exciting mares listed in the Goffs catalogue being a Grade 2 winner in foal to sire sensation Blue Bresil.
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““She’s the best foal we’ve ever had on the farm.”
Lady Breffni was a hugely talented and good looking mare for Willie Mullins. She won her P2P on debut over 3m, won her bumper second timeout over 2m, won her maiden hurdle over 2m4f and won her Grade 2 over 3m. She was an extremely talented and versatile mare who had plenty left to give only for an injury to bring her career to a premature end.
Lady Breffni soaring over a hurdle en route to Grade 2 glory.
We had set out in 2021 to try and buy the nicest mare possible for our breeding syndicate to send to Fifty Stars and as soon as the catalogue dropped I knew that this was the mare we had to buy. I thought she was the perfect match for Fifty Stars being by Yeats, a son of Saddlers Wells, out of a Pivotal mare, the preeminent broodmare sire of a generation. The Sea The Stars (sire of Fifty Stars) over Saddlers Wells mares have an extremely potent 14% stakes winners to runners whilst Saddlers Wells line horses out of Pivotals have produced a countless amount of Champions. Fifty Stars is out of a Saddlers Wells mare so I felt it was the perfect cross suited for her first mate and the resultant progeny has not disappointed.
The decision of her breeding syndicate was inspired yet costly but the stars seem to have aligned as Blue Bresil has gone supersonic. Constitution Hill is mainly to thank for the Rathbarry inmates stock to rise but he has a number of top class individuals who are flying his flag high and well. We thought it was the perfect time to sell as her foal goes under the hammer the day before and is a super advertisement for the stock she can get whilst her covering sire came proper good, she has a top race record and is a beautiful mare to look at. Fingers crossed her syndicate members are in for a pre-Christmas treat.
Munster & Kerry National Winner Cabaret Queen with her second foal by Fifty Stars.
Lady Breffni and her foal are not the only stars on show at Goffs during the week. They will be joined by regal company in the form of Cabaret Queen’s second foal, a beautiful filly by Fifty Stars. The filly displays a look of class, good looks and shares her mother’s athleticism. Again, she is an excellent advertisement for her father and rates as one of the best bred foals offered for sale next week.
It’ll be a busy week all round for our NH division as my personal favourite Nós na Gaoithe is set to go under the hammer as the lot before Lady Breffni, 857. Nós will always hold a special place in my own heart as the first horse I officially bought for the syndicate. She was a €30,000 Derby Sale purchase and she took us all on a wonderful journey.
Nós na Gaoithe and Paddy Mullins after their debut victory in Sligo.
She upheld our still existing bumper record of winning first time out before going on to be 5th in a brace of Listed bumpers. She narrowly failed on her first two maiden hurdles attempts. However, it was third time lucky as she won her maiden hurdle by a scarcely believable 13 lengths in Ballinrobe sparking jubilant celebrations at the west of Ireland track. She narrowly failed on her handicap bow and looked a mare with a huge future only for an injury to bring her career to a premature end.
Nós comes from on of the best staying families in the book and she has the physical to match. She’s a beautiful, loose moving mare with an attractive head and good conformation. She was sent over to the UK to be covered by the multiple Champion Stayer, Stradivarius, who covered over 120 mares in his first season at the National Stud in the UK. Again, the resultant progeny will be bred on a variation of the Sea The Stars / Saddlers Wells cross that is 14% stakes winners to runners. I’d personally love to be adding her to my own broodmare band but I don’t think my pockets will reach quite far enough unfortunately.
Fifty Stars first foals have gone down a storm thus far.
In total ten foals by Fifty Stars will go under the hammer in Goffs this week with one mare in foal to the Group 1 winner. The very well bred She’ll Go Phar will go uner the hammer directly after Lady Breffni. She’s a half sister to the G1 placed Changing Times and the G2 placed Hilltop Tommy.
It’s an exciting week for us all and we expect to welcome a large group of members to the Kill venue to see their stars go under the hammer and mark the start of the festive season.
New recruits going down a storm
Our Class Of 2024 was officially launched during the week and the response has been phenomenal. We’ve had old members, current members and new members all row in behind our biggest and best looking group of yearlings we’ve ever bought. We’ve probably gone against are usual modus operandi this year and have a lot of sharp, early looking horses. We’ve got two Far Above colts that look like bodybuilders, a Starspangledbanner filly with Ascot aims heading to Joseph O’Brien, a Harry Angel half to a Coventry winner and a Ravens Pass with Johnny Murtagh who I think is the best looking yearling we’ve ever bought.
Let us introduce you to our Harry Angel filly heading to @DiegoDiasracing
☑️ A sister to Coventry winning sire Buratino
☑️ By a proven sire that’s on the rise
☑️ Heading to one of Ireland’s emerging trainers that loves a fast fillyGetting a piece starts at just €395 pic.twitter.com/DIvytx5rFz
— Syndicates.Racing (@SyndicatesHQ) December 10, 2023
We haven’t forgot our routes however and bought a 7f/1m type filly to go to one of the most exciting young talents in the training ranks, Ollie Sangster. Study Of Man has done exceptionally well this year with a G2 winner from his first crop and a 30% winners to runner strike rate. Her dam is rated 99 and she came highly recommended from her breeders, Chasemore Farm.
Introducing our Study of Man filly heading to @OllieSangster
An emerging sire catching the eye that we targeted to bring home the best value filly we could by him
She’s fully eligible for the £20k GB Bonus to give immense fun next year at a very affordable price pic.twitter.com/G0O6eWOo7R
— Syndicates.Racing (@SyndicatesHQ) December 9, 2023
Far Above took the sales ring by storm and we fully expect him to do the same on the racetrack. So much so we bought two of his nicest colts and gave them to two of the youngest, most progressive European trainers. Tim Donworth takes charge of a strapping chestnut colt out of a stakes winning mare from the famed Park Express, stallion making family.
Introducing our new Far Above colt with @TimDonworth94
He’ll be trained in the most vestigial training centre in the world Chantilly and be aimed at the lucrative €50k early season maidens
Shares start at just €495 for 1% for some French premiums plundering in 2024 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/ksoclLF5Bl
— Syndicates.Racing (@SyndicatesHQ) December 8, 2023
As you’ll hear from Jack he’ll compete for very lucrative prize money in France and looks like he has March written all over him. We have a small amount of package deals available in all of our yearlings so please get in touch to grab your share.
Syndicates Horse Of The Week
The Tattersalls Ireland Derby sale has been a very happy hunting ground for us namely through West End Victory and Nós na Gaoithe who were the only two fillies we’ve ever bought from the sale and both won first time out. This year we managed to buy two fillies from the sale and one of those fillies had a hugely exciting update during the week.
Our Waldpark filly looks absolutely born to jump (3rd pair near side) 👀 She is a half sister to the Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle winning Adagio and goes into training with @HenrydeBromhead 💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/gUpO9oBm9a
— Syndicates.Racing (@SyndicatesHQ) December 10, 2023
Our Waldpark filly schooled over hurdles during the week and the natural, raw ability that she showed was hugely exciting. She was born to jump and be precocious as she’s a half sister to the Grade 1 Juvenile hurdle winning Adagio. She heads to Henry de Bromhead and her pre-training to date has gone swimmingly.
Adaliz (Waldpark ex. Aspidistra) at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.
She could represent one of our best value purchases we’ve ever made at €17,500. Waldpark isn’t necessarily the best known sire but he only had his first 4-y-o’s hit the track in 2020. He’s already had three horses rated over 140 and comes from one of the most exciting families in the book that includes Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe winner Waldgeist and his half sister is the dam of exciting young NH sire Masked Marvel. She is a lovely physical, looks exactly like what she was bred to be which is an early, sharp, strong horse that will be precocious. She has been given an entry in the €100,000 George Mernagh Bumper at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival which we will take aim at but given how well she jumps she may head straight over obstacles. In any event we’re delighted to have our first jumps horse with Henry de Bromhead and here’s hoping we have unearthed the next Honeysuckle!
Unlucky Queen on stable debut
Queen Of Atlantis had her run completely cut-off at a crucial point on stable debut for Peter Chapple-Hyam in Lingfield on Monday. She belongs to our #BargainBreezer23 group and looked like she was going to get herself into a winning bracket before being squeezed out on the rail and having any chance destroyed.
Hugely unlucky run for Queen Of Atlantis having what looked like a winning run up the rail stopped at a crucial point in the race on stable debut❌
Definitely looks like she’s up to getting a winning 2yo bracket for our #BargainBreezers23 crew🤞🏽
— Syndicates.Racing (@SyndicatesHQ) December 6, 2023
She did display that she retains the ability shown on her excellent debut 2nd in Newbury and is one that can hopefully get her head in front before the year is out.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading. If there is anything we can do please get in touch john@syndicates.racing.