John Bourke

A person whose job it is to promote horse racing was, rather disappointingly, being sniffy about the Craven meeting on social media last week. I understand that some people don't like racing at the Rowley Mile and, yes, last Tuesday in particular was a little challenging on the weather front. But if you're a Flat racing person, and particularly one who is being paid to tell other people that they should come racing, then you really should appreciate all that is wonderful about these weeks of Classic trials across Europe....

Hyde Park Stud's John Bourke, who supplies 19 of the 68 juveniles at this week's Osarus Breeze-Up Sale, has described the La Teste fixture as an important outlet for handlers. Bourke, who is best known as the man who consigned 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale, has sold plenty of good horses at Osarus down through the years.  Top of that list, according to the County Westmeath-based breeder and breeze-up consignor, is the Group-placed Samedi Rien (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}).  Speaking during the...

Connections of Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) have described it as "a no-brainer" to offer the 1,000 Guineas heroine for sale at the Sceptre Sessions as part of the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls given how strong trade was at the corresponding sale 12 months ago. Not only did Cachet provide Highclere Racing and trainer George Boughey with a breakthrough domestic Classic success when storming to 1,000 Guineas glory at Newmarket last year, but she also followed up on that effort by running out a gutsy second to Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark...

If anyone had been chalking John Bourke's Classic success down to pure fluke, well then they may have been forced to reevaluate the Hyde Park Stud operator's method to breeding high-class horses on a budget after Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) stormed to G2 Vintage S. glory at Goodwood on Tuesday.  Bourke famously bought Poyle Sophie (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) carrying last year's 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) for just 3,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2018.  Haatem is the latest triumph for his approach to...

European champion Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), was represented by his first reported foals when the Kingman (GB) mare Sempre (GB) produced a filly and Shaiydana (Fr) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) foaled a colt earlier this month. The former arrived at John Bourke's Hyde Park Stud in Ireland, who said, "On Saturday, Jan. 14 we had a gorgeous foal with great quality and physique by Lope Y Hernandez--she was the first foal out of a beautifully bred Kingman mare Sempre. I will be sending two mares back to...

As unlikely triumphs go, the story of Diego Dias plundering a 13-runner Naas maiden with a 100-1 outsider son of the unheralded Johnny Barnes (Ire) would fit nicely in the catalogue of improbable dreams realised.  But that's exactly the trick the Brazilian native achieved on Sunday with the now likely-to-be-sold Winemaker (Fr)--and he even backed the colt to win that six-furlong maiden at massive odds for good measure.  In between sniffing out the next Shelton (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) or Malavath (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), both of whom have passed through the...