Blandford Bloodstock

Respected point-to-point handler and ex-jumps jockey Charlie Poste says that he is "absolutely loving" his first endeavours into the breeze-up business and looks forward to consigning his first draft at the upcoming Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up and Goffs UK Doncaster Breeze-Up sales.  Poste trained over 100 winners between the flags in Britain, including talented chaser Third Time Lucki, but explained how the broad international market for breeze-up horses compared to the parochial feel to the point-to-point game made it a no-brainer to try his hand at the former.  The early indications...

In a little over a year, Wathnan Racing has carved out a reputation for being an emerging ownership force, and the early signs are that the operation is here for the foreseeable future after continuing its recruitment drive by spending 500,000gns on talented sprinter Dark Trooper (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale on Wednesday.  That purchase through Blandford Bloodstock's ace agent Richard Brown came after the team spent 750,000gns on He's A Monster (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Just Bring It (Ire) (Harry Angel {Ire}) from...

As debut performances go, they don't come much better than what Alex Elliott achieved in clearing over 2 million gns across 10 horses and supplying the two most expensive lots through the ring so far at this year's Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale through Imperium Sales. This was the sporting equivalent of scoring a hat-trick in the Champions League final on your full professional debut, landing any of the majors as an amateur golfer to winning Wimbledon at the first attempt. Quite understandably, Elliott, best known for sourcing top-notch equine talent--with...

Many hands make light work. Or in this case, it was many feet and steps that allowed Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock to find and then secure the Sea The Stars (Ire) colt who topped the final session of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Wednesday at 425,000gns. It was Juddmonte's Sam Guyette, shortlisting for the top bloodstock agent this week, who first lauded the Norelands Stud-drafted colt as a potential nap.  Brown revealed that, after taking this nugget with a heavy pinch of salt initially, he...

The second and final day of the Arqana Summer Sale featured both breeding stock and horses in training, and it was one of the latter contingent, La Filomena (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) (lot 480), who proved the most expensive at €395,000 on a bid from Stuart Boman of Blandford Bloodstock on behalf of Speriamo Bloodstock's Larry Young. Offered by Jean-Claude Rouget, who led the way as a vendor during the second day with six sold for a gross of €734,000, the George Kent-bred 3-year-old filly placed at two and...

George Strawbridge's 5-year-old mare Free Wind (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Alive Alive Oh {GB}, by Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), seen out just once since 2021, was fit and raring to go for Thursday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Middleton Fillies' S. at York and collected a fourth straight pattern-race rosette with a narrow victory in the extended 10-furlong contest. The April-foaled bay, whose resume also features wins in the G3 Prix Minerve, G2 Park Hill S. and G2 Lancashire Oaks, was settled off a sedate pace in sixth until turning for home....

Minutes after freshman sire Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) notched his first winner at Leicester, Ballyhane Stud incumbent Soldier's Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) repeated the feat when Archie Watson trainee Dreadpirateroberts (Ire) (Soldier's Call {GB}--Gangster Squad {Fr}, by Astronomer Royal) graduated in Saturday's Black-A-Moor Inn Half A Mile Away EBF Restricted Novice S. at Ripon. The 85-40 favourite ran second in his Brighton debut last week and broke sharply to seize an immediate lead in this return. In command throughout, he was last to come off the...

Aga Khan Studs' sire Zarak (Fr) continued to prove popular at the sales, as Tom Goff's Blandford Bloodstock shelled out 350,000gns on behalf of Chasemore Farm for a 1/50th share (lot 63) in the rising sire star to top the Tattersalls Online January Sale on Thursday. The son of Arc heroine Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar) has gone from strength to strength with his progeny in the past few years. Among his many stakes winners are group winners Purplepay (Fr), Sirjan (Ger), Baiykara (Fr), Lavello (Ire), and Lizaid (Ger), while La Parisienne...

Annabel Neasham's dreams of one day winning the Melbourne Cup were provided with a boost when the leading Australian-based trainer added the ultra-consistent Fancy Man (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) to her stable for 675,000gns. Fancy Man, a four-time winner who rarely let the Richard Hannon side down by placing a further eight times and amassing close to £150,000, was identified as the best horse in the sale by Stuart Boman of Blandford Bloodstock. The big horses were making big money at Tattersalls this week and, with a rating of...

Waterville (Ire), the main attraction on day one of the Autumn horses-in-training sale at Tattersalls, did not disappoint by topping the session at 410,000gns to join Chris Waller in Australia.  Guy Mulcaster, who also bought the 84-rated Postwick (GB) (Postponed {Ire}) from Barton Sales for 130,000gns to join Waller, secured Coolmore's Irish Cesarewitch winner.  Described by his trainer Aidan O'Brien at the beginning of the season as a lively each-way contender for the Derby, Waterville [lot 275] never made it to Epsom but went some way to justifying that high...

NEWMARKET, UK -- "Trickledown" felt rather too contentious, given what was meanwhile happening to its proponents out there in the real world. In this environment, after all, the original label of "horse-and-sparrow economics" would always have conveyed the theory rather more intelligibly. Some alternative word was required on Friday, then, to describe how a rampant market at the front end of the Tattersalls October Sale was filtering somewhat more quietly into the base of the pyramid. In the end, the second half of Book 3--in which momentum reliably ebbs relative...

Charles Hill trainee Sydneyarms Chelsea (Ire) (Sioux Nation--Wedding Dress {GB}, by Tamayuz {GB}) ran fourth in Deauville's July 10 Listed Prix Roland de Chambure last time and was back over the same seven-furlong strip to register a career high in Tuesday's G3 Prix Six Perfections Sky Sports Racing, whilst also providing her freshman sire (by Scat Daddy) with a first black-type success. She had previously snagged her May 31 debut at Newbury and posted a fifth contesting Royal Ascot's June 17 G3 Albany S. in her penultimate start. Isolated in...