Following The Irish Stallion Trail

Following a successful inauguration in 2015, the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Irish Stallion Trail saw stud farms once again open their gates to the public for two days Friday and Saturday. I took the opportunity on Friday to hit the road and pack in as many visits as daylight would allow. I had two traveling companions, John Baker and David Hayes, two friends involved in agricultural farming who have recently seen the light and diversified into mare ownership! Despite the perils of Thoroughbred breeding, both possess a back pedigree that should stand them in good stead in their latest venture; John's grandmother Mary Baker bred Ireland's greatest-ever steeplechaser, Arkle, while David's uncle, Brendan Hayes, owns Knocktoran Stud in Limerick, consignor of a Dubawi (Ire) foal at Tattersalls in December that fetched 720,000gns.

So, on to the stallions. As we are based in North County Dublin we decided to work backwards geographically and began our tour at Ballylinch Stud in Kilkenny with the intention of gradually working our way home. Now owned by John and Leslie Malone, Ballylinch is adjacent to the impressive Mount Juliet Hotel and Golf Course and is managed by John O'Connor, who was to there to welcome us along with David Myerscough, who handles nominations. An impressive roster of young stallions were on show, with Lope De Vega (Ire) (Shamardal) the most expensive at a fee of €45,000. Sire of a Group 1 winner in his first crop, he has made a great impression as he faces his third season with runners. He has made his mark internationally also, with Consort (Ire) and Hero Look (Ire) entered in the G1 Hong Kong Derby in March. Domestically, the 3-year-old Blue De Vega could be a lively G1 2000 Guineas candidate for trainer Michael O'Callaghan.

Having bought some weanlings last year by both Lawman (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Dream Ahead (Diktat), I was interested to have another look at those two Ballylinch residents. Lawman has produced a Classic winner in Just The Judge (Ire), and he could be in for a big year with G1 Racing Post Trophy winner Marcel (Ire) high on the antepost lists for the G1 Investec Derby. Dream Ahead made a pleasing start with his 2-year-olds in 2015, bagging a late-season graded stake courtesy of Donjuan Triumphant in the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte. Myerscough mentioned that “quite a few are big horses that need time,” so they should be interesting as 3-year-olds. Ballylinch has an interesting new stallion for this year in Make Believe (GB) (Makfi {GB}). His former trainer, Andre Fabre, felt this G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner had the speed to contest a G1 July Cup, and he will be well supported in his first year.

Mindful that we had a tight schedule to stick to, we regretfully had to skip what looked like being a quality lunch at Ballylinch and moved a short distance north towards the village of Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow, home of Ballyhane Stud (and a stone's throw from the all-conquering stable of Willie Mullins). Joe and Jane Foley run a great operation at Ballyhane and are involved with almost every aspect of the Thoroughbred life cycle, with the exception of running an equine retirement home. Dandy Man (Ire) (Mozart {Ire}), recently tipped for stallion stardom in the TDN by Kevin Blake, looks in fine shape. His international reputation is on the rise following the exploits of Group 1-winning sprinter Peniaphobia (Ire) in Hong Kong, and he looks set to be busy in 2016. I also had a look at Elzaam (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}). This powerful individual has an important year ahead as his first runners hit the track in a few months time. He has provided some good returns to breeders already in the sales ring off his €3,500 stud fee.

We picked up the pace and as we drove through Kilcullen we thought it would be only right to visit Sea The Stars (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}). It's probably a good idea for people to go see him every now and again, as it reminds you what perfection in a horse looks like. He just has it all: size, athleticism, brilliance, pedigree and temperament. His brother Born To Sea (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) also looks well, a more compact sort to his illustrious sibling and he could be very good value at €10,000; again, we will have a better idea in six months time, but isn't that the beauty of this game–the uncertainty. Another reason we were glad to stop into Gilltown was the excellent refreshments laid out by Pat Downes and the Aga Khan team. Their beef and Guinness stew was very well received.

Irish National Stud was next up, and Gary Swift gave us the lowdown on the stallions as they were paraded before us. Their lynchpin, Invincible Spirit (Ire) (Green Desert), knows he is top dog and he just has that X-factor that elite stallions seem to possess. Swift reveals that rookie stallion Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) was a very sick horse until recently and it is only in the last week that he is starting to thrive and put back on the condition that he lost. He assures us he will be ready for action when the breeding season kicks off in a couple of weeks time.

We decided that if we pushed on we would have time to fit in Kildangan Stud before we finished up for the day in Yeomanstown, and we timed it perfectly as Goffs auctioneer Andrew Nolan had just began introducing the stallions to an assembled crowd as we arrived in Kildangan. The stallions were shown with military efficiency and it was run like clockwork. The horses looked magnificent and the reverse shuttlers Hallowed Crown (Aus) (Street Sense) and Shooting To Win (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}) both seem competitively priced at €7,000 based on their racecourse achievements in Australia. Slade Power (Ire) (Dutch Art {GB}) is maturing into a beautiful- looking horse while Night Of Thunder (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) surely has great credentials to make it as a stallion.

We enjoyed a quick cup of tea and a sampling of some excellent lemon cake before we drove down Kildangan's avenue, proactively adhering to the 25kph speed limit just so we could take in the beauty of the farm. The final stud stop on a busy day was the O'Callaghan family's Yeomanstown Stud, home of Dark Angel (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), and now his young Group 2- winning son Gutaifan (Ire). The latest addition to the O'Callaghan family, David's wife Rolline, has settled into her new role as 'nominations manager' and she tried her hardest to sell me a Camacho (GB) (Danehill) nomination; food for thought and well-discussed on the journey home. Speaking of food, the final, final stop of the day was reserved for Ryan's of Ratoath, well renowned for their steaks, so three T-bones please!