Stephen Hillen

Bloodstock agent Stephen Hillen has recalled how Sunday's G2 Dahlia S. winner Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) would not have won any beauty pageants as a yearling but revealed a certain amount of thinking outside of the box has led to him dreaming of big-race riches with the George Boughey-trained mare.  Via Sistina couldn't have been more impressive at Newmarket on Sunday. She travelled into the race like a dream under Jamie Spencer, a good friend of Hillen's, and won going away by six lengths without having to be...

Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) produced a career-best performance to win the G2 Howden Dahlia S. at Newmarket in a style that suggested there could be even bigger things to come from the gigantic five-year-old mare.  Trainer George Boughey revealed prior to the race that he does not have a bigger horse in his yard and that he had been praying for rain in the build-up to the Group 2 contest. Those prayers were answered, with Via Sistina sluicing through the soft ground under a statuesque Jamie Spencer, who,...

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES -- A colt from the third crop of boom American stallion Gun Runner (lot 18) was hammered down to Stephen Hillen, agent for prominent owner Dr Jim Hay, for €543,210 to top Tuesday's second renewal of the Goffs Dubai Breeze-Up Sale, held in the parade ring at Meydan Racecourse. On behalf of the Scotsman, Hillen also acquired the second-dearest offering of the evening, a Justify half-brother to GISW Fog of War (War Front) (lot 2), for the equivalent of €518,519. Following the withdrawal of 10 horses,...

If it's bargains you want, look no further than the Tattersalls July Sale, but you will need to be able to think outside the box to secure them.  Nobody can accuse Edgar Byrne, Stephen Hillen and Milton Harris for rigid thinking, however, as the three men are responsible for unearthing arguably the best value buys at Newmarket in the past few years.  Just 3,000gns was all it took for Byrne to buy the Godolphin-bred Kitty Marion (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), who went on to win a group 3 in Germany, while...

The sales ring can be a magical place, full of hope and expectation, and when an opening bid of €100,000 was struck for Katie Walsh's Saxon Warrior (Jpn) filly (lot 151) at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale on Thursday, those in attendance knew something special was on the cards. What started as a trickle soon became a flood of people packing into the arena to see the Greenhills Farm-consigned and James Hanly-bred filly set a new record at this sale with the hammer falling at €520,000 to Stephen Hillen....

A filly from the first crop of dual Group 1 winner Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) out of Causeway Queen (Ire) (Giant's Causeway) was hammered down to Stephen Hillen and Kevin Ryan for €520,000 to shoot to the head of the class at Thursday's Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale. The final price set a new record for the Goresbridge Sale, easily surpassing the €410,000 set at last year's event. The March-foaled chestnut was consigned to the auction by Greenhills Farm as lot 151 and is out of an unraced...