Lynches Chasing Breeze-Up Success

Goresbridge is the setting for Europe's final breeze-up sale of the spring on Friday, and for leading National Hunt jockey Andrew Lynch and his wife Riona, travelling head girl for National Hunt trainer Noel Meade, future flat stars are what matters. Pinhooking yearlings to 2-year-olds is a relatively new venture for the couple that began last year.

“Myself and Riona bought a Foxwedge (Aus) filly at the yearling sales in 2015 and sold her at the Guineas Breeze-Up last year,” Lynch explained. “We paid €15,000 for her and had a nice touch with her, selling her for 60,000gns. That got us into it a bit more and we said we would buy a few more yearlings.”

One of those turned out to be a colt from the first crop by Tally Ho Stud's much-lamented late sire Society Rock (Ire), although colts weren't supposed to be on the shopping list.

“I was told that the best way to get going is to buy a filly with a page as she will hold her value as such,” he said. “When we had the success with her last year, a couple of other people approached us about getting involved in yearlings and I explained to the people getting in with me that they might be better off buying a filly.”

Lynch didn't heed the sage words at Tattersalls Ireland's September Yearling Sale in 2016 when he came across the Society Rock colt. A half-brother to two winners from two runners so far produced by his dam Box Of Frogs (Ire) (One Cool Cat), the April foal hails from the family of G2 Lowther S. winner Soar (GB) (Danzero {Aus}).

It was just as well that the Lynches went with their instincts for their own purchase, as the colt turned more than their heads when breezing on the Rowley Mile at the Craven meeting before selling for 130,000gns to Dwayne Woods. Quite the return on the €17,000 the couple paid for him eight months previously.

“He was a really athletic colt and I liked him a lot,” Lynch said. “We were taking a chance on him but lucky for us he sold well. We had been keeping an eye on Society Rock's early runners and luckily they were going well so it helped.”

The Lynches consign under the name of their Kilbrew Stables in County Meath and have entered two horses for Goresbridge, including another by Foxwedge.

“The Foxwedge colt is by a sire we had our first success with last year,” Lynch comments on the horse who sells at Goresbridge as lot 11. “We bought this colt for handy enough money and we liked him. He is a different type of horse from that filly and he goes well so hopefully he will sell well.”

The colt is the first foal of Lascaux (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who is out of the listed-winning mare Tora Bora (GB) (Grand Lodge). He was a €1,200 short yearling at Goffs February last year when bought by Coisdeel Bloodstock and later RNA'd for £1,300 at Goffs UK's Autumn Yearling Sale.

That colt will be followed 21 horses later by the other offering from Kilbrew Stables, a daughter of Acclamation (GB) (lot 32) with the black-type pedigree Lynches advisor said was a pre-requisite.

“The filly is by a good sire and has a good page,” Lynch explained. “She is a nice filly and moves nicely.”

Kilbrew signed for the filly for €14,000 at Goffs's Sportsmans Sale last year and scratched her from the Tattersalls Guineas Sale earlier this month.

Her dam is an unraced Cape Cross (Ire) half-sister to G2 Middle Park S. winner Amadeus Wolf (GB) (Mozart {Ire}) and she has produced one winner from one foal to race.

Gowran's track, the pastoral setting for today's breezes with its cambers, quirks and opportunities, is well-known to Lynch. The horse he won Cheltenham's Arkle and Champion Chases with, Sizing Europe (Ire) (Mandalus {GB}), returned annually to Kilkenny as the blackberries ripened in the hedges around the track and usually announced his health with victory in Gowran's champion chase.

Despite his familiarity and knowledge, Lynch was not in the saddle of his colt and filly during Thursday's breeze show. Riding Champion Chasers is one thing; galloping 2-year-old breezers quite another.

“Rory Cleary normally rides them for us and Mick Hussey too,” he explained. “They know the time of day, besides I'm probably a bit too heavy for it.”

A broken arm stubbornly took its time to heal, forcing Lynch to miss seven months of the recently concluded National Hunt season. Having the yearlings to tend to made enduring the frustrations of injury more bearable.

“Having the horses gave me something to do while I was out injured and it definitely made it easier for me,” Lynch said. “The injury dragged on too long but now, touch wood, everything is fine. Without the yearlings to work with, I would probably have gone mad, sitting at home watching all the winners I could have ridden, but because I was busy it kept my mind occupied.”

Kilbrew Stables is also home to some point to pointers, with Lynch not only breaking and pre-training young horses but running them between the flags too. It is a natural fit for a man who has won a score of Grade 1 races at National Hunt racing's biggest, brightest festivals. What is more surprising is how much he has become absorbed by the process of choosing, preparing and selling 2-year-olds for the flat. The business of pedigree research, of watching sires, of working with fast young horses and preparing them to gallop for a couple of furlongs is one which enthuses Lynch.

“I'm definitely getting a kick out of it, I found I just enjoyed doing it,” he said. “I like looking at the different pedigrees, it's a huge change from National Hunt racing but it's really enjoyable. I suppose the time is so much shorter than with young jumpers, you're not waiting as long for them to do something. They are running within a year from the time you buy them as yearlings.”

A venture that began with a single horse last year could lead them down a new road in the future.

“Both of us really enjoy it and I'm sure that down the line we could expand the operation, but it is all about getting results,” Lynch noted. “If we keep getting good results then maybe people will send us more horses or ask us to buy horses for them. It's definitely something I can see us developing.”