Sioux Nation

DONCASTER, UK--What a difference a year can make. It was at this sale 12 months ago when Gary de Souza left us poor scribes befuddled. Consigning under the imaginatively-named Gary Bloodstock [!], his Sioux Nation filly, who would later go on to be the Group-placed Gunzburg (Ire), rocked the clock before being knocked down to trainer Paddy Twomey and bloodstock agent Mark McStay for £160,000.  But where was de Souza when it came to getting a quote on Gunzburg, who could conceivably be described as a life-changing filly in the...

Making headlines at a sale with big-figure results is all well and good, but any breeze-up consignor with their eye on the future understands that a more significant indicator of sustainable success is how those graduates go on to perform on the racetrack. Cormac Farrell, a trainer and a trader of both breeze-up and point-to-point horses, is a firm believer in the concept. After launching CF Bloodstock in 2023, the horseman has ambitious goals in mind for his fledgling operation's future. "I want to produce horses that go on and...

With an increasing number of international stamps in his passport, the multiple Group winner Brave Emperor (Ire) (Sioux Nation) is fast becoming one of the most admirable horses in training. Only twice in his 16 starts has the Archie Watson-trained four-year-old ever been out of the first three, but more impressive is that 10 of those runs have ended in victory - in five different countries, and counting. On Saturday, his 2024 debut resulted in a win in the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup in Qatar, a local Group 2 staged...

Trainer Kieran Cotter says that he is optimistic his stable star Matilda Picotte (Ire), a filly he has continuously turned down big-money offers for, will put her best foot forward in the valuable Group 2 Saudi National Bank 1351 Turf Sprint on February 24. The daughter of Sioux Nation developed into a high-class three-year-old last season, finishing third in the G1 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket before landing the G3 Sceptre S. and G2 Challenge S. in the autumn. The 1351 Turf Sprint will be the filly's first start of the...

Havana Grey (GB) was the most profitable British- and Irish-based yearling sire of 2023 according to the newly-published Weatherbys Bloodstock Sales Review. Havana Grey topped the standings with a profitability index of 10.75, comfortably ahead of the next best stallion, Sioux Nation, on 6.61. Those figures were calculated by dividing each sire's 2023 yearling average by their covering fee of 2021, when the offspring in question were conceived. It was another hugely successful year on the racecourse for the progeny of Havana Grey, with the G1 Prix Morny and G1...

We're at the top end now when it comes to stallion fees, but there is quite a range to those prices, which for this feature is anything above £/€20,000. There is of course a massive difference, certainly when it comes to value, in a stallion standing at £35,000 and one at £350,000. In fact, we have two at that latter fee, which makes Frankel (GB) and Dubawi (Ire), the champion sires of the last two years in Britain and Ireland, the most expensive stallions in the world. Those two representatives...

Pa Doyle of Galbertstown Stables labelled the pinhookers who were out in force at the Goffs November Foal Sale "as brave as lions" with the popular consignor capping off a memorable week by topping the Thursday session with a €90,000 Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) colt.  The Thursday sale-topper was bred by Tony Cosgrave, who Doyle described as one of the best show people in the business, and it played a part in Galbertstown ending the week as one of the top consignors with 17 horses selling for €632,000. The Phoenix...

Goffs has been a lucky place for the Finegan family of Milltown House Stud given they sold a foal at this complex for €250,000 in 2018 and the County Meath outfit reached similarly dizzying heights on Tuesday when a Ghaiyyath (Ire) colt fetched €200,000 to Tally-Ho Stud.  The buyer in this story came in for special mention from Jack Finegan, the third generation of Finegans working on the family farm, who is under no illusions about the role the O'Callaghans of Tally-Ho Stud have played in their success in producing...

A quartet of wildcards, among them G2 Premio Lydia Tesio heroine La Gite (GB) (Sioux Nation) (lot 180), will be offered during Arqana's Vente d'Elevage next month. The sale will be held in Deauville from Dec. 9-12. She is part of The Castlebridge Consignment. Joining her is lot 150 is the listed winner Maliparmi (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) from the Coulonces consignment, while Golden Attitude (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), a daughter of Gold Round (Ire) (Caerleon) from the family of Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa), is consigned in foal to Mehmas (Ire) as lot...

Coolmore has introduced three new names to its Irish roster for next year with Paddington (GB) heading the list of newcomers at €55,000. The son of Siyouni (Fr) won six of his eight races this year, including four Group 1 victories in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace, Eclipse, and Sussex S. Little Big Bear (Ire), winner of the G1 Phoenix S. at two followed by the G2 Sandy Lane S. this year before finishing runner-up in the G1 Commonwealth Cup, will stand for €27,500. The Antarctic (Ire), a...

Crystal Ocean (GB), the top-rated horse in the world in 2019, now has a new accolade as the busiest stallion at stud in Britain and Ireland, according to the Return of Mares, which has been published by Weatherbys. The son of Sea The Stars (Ire), who stands for Coolmore's National Hunt division at The Beeches Stud in Co Waterford, covered 335 mares. Leading the Flat sires was Coolmore's Sioux Nation on 289. Frankel (GB), who is on his way to regaining his champion sire title in 2023, covered 196 mares...

RATOATH, Ireland--When Laura Joy netted what she described at the time as a "life-changing" result here last year when her 2,000gns Tasleet (GB) colt rocked into €42,000, it proved captivating to read of the young pinhooker's profit.  It was a similar story at the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale when the Shinnick brothers--Andy and Johnny-netted a €170,000 payday with their Make Believe (GB) filly who was now famously said to have 'looked quick going past thistles' at home.  Tattersalls Ireland has punched well above its weight in delivering the good news stories...