David Duo Taking Gems To Tatts

DAVID DUO TAKING GEMS TO TATTS 
By Aisling Crowe 
Three years after David Cox and David Myerscough joined forces in the sales arena to create the Baroda & Colbinstown Studs consignment, the two Irish horsemen approach the upcoming Tattersalls December Mares Sale with what Cox describes as their “best draft ever” for the breeding stock sale. 

Baroda & Colbinstown Studs will consign 10 fillies and mares during the four days of action in Newmarket next week. Having enjoyed much success since a meeting at the sales convinced the two Davids of the merits of amalgamating their two sales operations, Cox will be hoping they can continue their upward curve over the next fortnight. 

Cox owns the famous Baroda Stud on the outskirts of Newbridge, Co Kildare, while Colbinstown Stud belongs to the Myerscough family, but the relationship between the pair predates the establishment of their current business. 

Baroda Stud was sold by the Myerscoughs to the Cox family a number of years ago, and David Cox joined his family’s neighboring Rosetown Stud with Baroda. In addition to sales consignments, Cox boards mares and spells racehorses for clients from Ireland, France, the UK and the U.S. independently from the consigning business. Heavily involved in the National Hunt sphere, the purchase of Baroda was the catalyst for Cox’s expansion into breeding flat horses. 

“I was mainly into National Hunt racing and then when we bought Baroda I started dabbling in the flat a bit because I had an extra 140 acres and I had an extra 25 boxes,” he explained. “David [Myerscough] had retired from training at the time and we met at the sales. He was selling a draft, and I was selling a draft– we both had small drafts and we just said, ‘it makes sense to join up,’ and we did. We have built it up slowly each year, increasing the numbers.” 

Myerscough, the grandson of legendary trainer Vincent O’Brien and son of former Tattersalls’ director Philip Myerscough, trained from Fox Covert Stables at The Curragh for five years and has traveled the world as a bloodstock agent. 

Cox noted the partnership has made great strides in 2014. 

“This year we had 70 yearlings to sell, which was great, and we had a good year and got plenty of exposure for it,” he said. “We do a good job and we have great staff. We get a lot of positive feedback, which is great.” 

Cox’s father, Dermot, is a well-known businessman and owner of leading National Hunt horses including, G1 Punchestown Gold Cup winner Tranquil Sea (Ire) (Sea Raven {Ire}) and Ninetieth Minute (Ire) (Old Vic {GB}), while Cox’s wife, Tamso Doyle Cox–who runs the farm with him–is the former communications manager of Horse Racing Ireland and owns her own consultancy firm. 

Despite successfully striking out into the flat world, Cox remains active in the National Hunt sphere and will remain so. The work and the horses are divided up between the pair with no discrimination. 

“The farms are roughly 500 acres between my two farms and David’s farm,” Cox explained. “We do all our own foaling and we board mares for other people.” 

Of the various strands of the business they combine, he added, “We split the yearlings between the two farms as they are bought. We don’t say, ‘I’m taking a certain pedigree or a certain sale.’ We divide them up as we buy them–they are going home in twos or threes and a box will come from Dave’s farm and one from mine and we will bring them home.” 

Baroda & Colbinstown’s draft at Tattersalls contains a mixture of mares in foal to some of the best stallions around and younger, impeccably bred fillies. One of those is lot 1518, a 2-year-old Lope De Vega (Ire) half- sister to the G2 Rockfel S. winner Al Thakira (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Lope De Vega made a sizzling start to his stud career this year, his progeny headed by G1 Dewhurst S. winner Belardo (Ire). There was an insatiable demand for his foals at Goffs last week and Cox is hoping that, coupled with the exploits of his filly’s year-older sibling, will have bidders reaching for their check books at Newmarket. 

Another well-related mare consigned by the organization that could prove one of the highlights of the sale is lot 1828. Maid To Master (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) is a 5-year-old full-sister to Mastercraftsman (Ire), and if that wasn’t enough to set pulses racing, she is the only mare in the sale in foal to War Front. 

“[Mastercraftsman’s dam] Starlight Dreams (Black Tie Affair {GB}) has gone to some of the best stallions in the world, and this pedigree has become a very important pedigree that will be in production for generations to come,” Cox said. “Mastercraftsman has firmly planted his feet in Tipperary with two Classic winners this year, and what more can I say? She is a good-looking, attractive mare with a good walk and is a winner, so she should tick a lot of boxes. The fact that she is in foal to War Front should add to the excitement.” 

The War Front connection continues with lot 1827, Kimono (Bernardini), a mare who is carrying to the first crop of the Claiborne sire’s sensational G2 Coventry S. winner Declaration Of War, who stood his first season at Coolmore in Co Tipperary this year and will relocate to that operation’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky in 2015. 

Cox pointed out a handful of other highlights of the Baroda & Colbinstown mare draft. 

“We have a highly rated Dubawi (Ire) mare [Split Trois] in foal to More Than Ready, lot 1790. Split Trois was a good racemare,” Cox said. 

He added, “She will be joined by two of the only mares in foal to Shamardal in the entire sale. The first of those is lot 1791, Truth Beauty (Ire) (Dubai Destination), who is out of a half-sister to Street Cry (Ire). We also have a beautifully bred daughter of Shirocco (Ger) [Alazya] carrying her first foal, lot 1826. Alazeya is from an Aga Khan family, out of a Group 1-placed mare by Barathea (Ire). Her half-sister Alanza (Ire) (Dubai Destination) is a Group 3 winner and her 2-year-old Raven’s Pass sister, Alonsoa (Ire), has already won a listed race.” 

Building the quality of the stock that they offer is the key next step in the evolution of Baroda & Colbinstown Studs as a consignor. 

“This year we were one of the top consignors in Tattersalls [October] Book Two, and if we could get into the top five or six in the [Goffs] Orby that would be another goal,” he admitted. “I’d like to be in the top 10 consignors at every sale and maybe even top consignor at some of the sales. I would like to fill Tattersalls Book One up a bit more. We had five in that sale this year but if we could get that up to 10 or 15, try and increase the quality for there and the Goffs’ Orby sale as well, we would like to go that way.” 

Purchasers have regularly been forced to exchange six-figure sums for horses consigned by Cox and Myerscough, such is the quality they already trade in. With a high-class draft for Tattersalls next week, that trend is likely to continue.