O’Callaghan ‘Ho’-peful of Tatts Success
by Aisling Crowe
Tony O’Callaghan prefers to let his horses speak for him rather than talk up their achievements and two of the stallions he stands at Tally-Ho Stud are eloquent advocates for his talent and skills.
The farm on the shores of Lough Ennell in Co. Westmeath is home to a couple of the hottest stallions around at the moment in Kodiac (GB) and Zebedee (GB). The pair sits atop the list of leading sires of 2-year-olds in Britain and Ireland this season while Zebedee heads the field of first-season sires by winners, with 34 victories from his first crop of runners.
On the track, the exploits of Tiggy Wiggy (Ire), by Kodiac out of Khleyef’s Silver (Ire), have helped propel her sire to the top of that list and boost his popularity in the sales ring. The precocious filly completed the G2 Lowther S./G1 Cheveley Park double for trainer Richard Hannon Jr. and her speed and toughness, qualities that Kodiac possesses, have sparked an increase in sales prices for his current crop of yearlings.
It is a rewarding turn of events for the O’Callaghan family, who actively supported Kodiac right from the start of his career.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with how things have gone so far this season for Kodiac,” said Tony O’Callaghan. “We always had plenty of faith in him and supported him with our mares. We took a chance on him and it worked out.”
Tally Ho Stud is a family business with Tony’s wife Ann and the couple’s sons Henry and Roger all involved in running the farm. They previously had success with a son of the mighty Danehill, with Danetime (Ire) siring back-to-back G1 Prix Morny winners from his final two crops before his death at just 12 years of age. It was Kodiac’s connection to the champion sire, which caught Tony’s attention.
“I liked his pedigree to begin with and the fact that he is by Danehill really appealed to me,” Tony explained. “He is a half-brother to Invincible Spirit (Ire), which was a big help, but the biggest thing really was the Danehill factor. Danehill was on fire at the time when Kodiac came to us so it was a combination of things really.”
Invincible Spirit is the thread binding Kodiac to Zebedee, as the 6-year-old is a son of the Irish National Stud’s leading sire. He has got his stud career off to a flying start, much like his own racing career which encompassed his 2-year-old season.
Ivawood (Ire) is the first foal out of Keenes Royale (GB), a half sister to last season’s Royal Lodge winner Berkshire (Ire) and a daughter of Prix de l’Opera winner Kinnaird (Ire). Trained, like his sire, by Richard Hannon, the £220,000 Tattersalls purchase has showcased his sire’s talents with victories in the G2 July S. and the G2 Richmond S. and is set to step up to the highest level on Future Champions’ Day at Newmarket on 17 October in either the G1 Dewhurst or G1 Middle Park S.
Those successes on the racecourse have helped fuel the demand for progeny of Zebedee and Kodiac in the sales ring. Tally-Ho bred and consigned Classic winner Sky Lantern (Ire), by their late sire Red Clubs (Ire), to star at Goffs in 2012 and their stallions shone in the Kill auction ring last week.
Kodiac was the sire of 11 yearlings to go under the hammer at Goffs with 10 of them selling for above €50,000 and the top price was €325,000 for a colt from the family of Trade Fair (GB). Zebedee too was in demand, with a colt by the stallion surpassing Kodiac’s highest price and selling for €330,000.
Although loathe to say it, because of misfortunes that have befallen the farm in the past, Tony O’Callaghan is cautiously optimistic about the farm’s prospects at Tattersalls Book One this week, and Book Two next week.
Lot 207 is one of the Kodiac yearlings the stud offers on today’s second day of the sale. A brown colt out of listed winner Cache Creek (Ire) (Marju {Ire}), he is preceded in the sales ring by lot 186 a Zebedee 3/4- sister to Bailey’s Cacao (Ire) as two of the standout lots from Tally-Ho’s own draft.
O’Callaghan is keen to underline that the farm is not just about Zebedee and Kodiac, proud though he is of there achievements, and he is excited about the upcoming foal sales.
“We have Sir Prancealot (Ire) hitting the market with his first crop of foals and there are some nice ones to come,” he reveals. “He is a good-looking horse and we are pleased with what we are seeing so far. He was an expensive yearling but he is a handsome horse and stamping his progeny.”
A new voice adding to the sound of success for Tally-Ho Stud.