Coolmore

As it had 12 months ago, The Curragh's G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes went to Ballydoyle but not to their first string as Precise (Starspangledbanner) emulated Lake Victoria to emerge best of the stable trio under Ronan Whelan. Like Bedtime Story last year, the even-money favourite Composing (Wootton Bassett) cut out the running but faded late, leaving it to Precise and Beautify (Wootton Bassett) to fight out the finish with the former the stronger by 3/4 of a length. "I didn't jump as cleanly as I would have liked, but she...

LEXINGTON, KY -- The Keeneland September Yearling Sale marched into Book 3 Saturday with no signs of slackening of its torrid pace as the auction's fifth session continued to produce double-digit gains over last year's figures. During the opening Book 3 session, 278 yearlings sold for $61,799,000. The session average was $222,299--up 26.69% from last year's corresponding figure--and the median of $300,000 was up 20%. The buy-back rate ticked down to 26.43% from 28.62% a year ago. "Today marks the fifth consecutive session in which we've set a record, an...

Capping another red-letter day for Coolmore and Team Ballydoyle and a memorable one for Christophe Soumillon, Delacroix (Dubawi) justified favouritism in style in Leopardstown's G1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes. He also punched his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar on November 1. Sent off the well-supported 2-1 market-leader, the Eclipse hero sat a way off the strong pace before delivering a jaw-dropping killer kick between the three and the two as if he had just jumped in. In command before his chief rival Anmaat (Awtaad)...

Ed Dunlop trainee and 150,000gns Tattersalls October Book 2 graduate Pathein (St Mark's Basilica) was an unconsidered 28-1 outsider for Saturday's British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes at Doncaster and returned to the winner's enclosure with a TDN Rising Star rosette--and a free entry to next year's G1 St Leger-- after delivering a taking display in the straight one-mile heat. He becomes 14th winner and third Rising Star for his freshman sire (by Siyouni) and joins Listed Ingabelle Stakes victrix Diamond Necklace and Galway maiden winner Piazza San Marco in...

After a dark day Friday, the Keeneland September Yearling Sale picked up right where it had left off when a colt by Into Mischief (hip 1197) brought a final bid of $2 million early in Saturday's fifth session of the 12-day auction. Bloodstock agent Justin Casse signed the ticket on behalf of Coolmore, White Birch Farm, and John Oxley. Consigned by Gainesway, the bay colt is out of the unraced Miss Jessica J (Empire Maker), who is a half-sister to champion Jaywalk (Cross Traffic) and multiple stakes winner Danzatrice (Dunkirk),...

There was a moment in the closing stages of Doncaster's G1 St Leger on Saturday that summed up the state of affairs at Coolmore in this pivotal era. As Galileo's final Classic runner Stay True loomed to Justify's Scandinavia, the Classic briefly looked in the balance but it was ultimately the son of the operation's heir apparent and not of the departed giant who earned the statement win. At the line, Tom Marquand had secured a neck success for Aidan O'Brien's third in succession and ninth overall in this prize...

Christophe Soumillon was forced into switching mounts, taking up piloting duties aboard Killarney maiden winner Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) after TDN Rising Star Montreal (Sea The Stars) was scratched, in Saturday's G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes--formerly known as the Golden Fleece Stakes--and the rider continued on a winning roll as the son of Newspaperofrecord (Lope De Vega) stepped forward to claim a career high in the one-mile contest. His tally earned him a spot in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar at the beginning of November. "He's a...

Coolmore and Westerberg's €1.7-million Arqana August sale topper Diamond Necklace (St Mark's Basilica) backed up a TDN Rising Star performance at the Curragh last month with a first black-type triumph in Saturday's Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes at Leopardstown. "I was quite confident when I saw the attitude she had going down to the start and she was really professional," said winning jockey Christophe Soumillon. "She was a little impatient in the stalls and didn't jump out properly. I had to change plans because she was quite far...

Coolmore's Aidan O'Brien-trained G1 Phoenix Stakes fourth Puerto Rico (Wootton Bassett) was a five-race maiden heading into Saturday's G2 Betfred Champagne Stakes and made all for a breakthrough success in the seven-furlong contest at Doncaster, becoming the first to achieve the feat since Bog Trotter in 1990. "You'd have to be very happy with him and he'll stay further, too," commented Coolmore representative Kevin Buckley. "He'd had a couple of nice runs recently and he did it nicely today. It looked like a very decent race and Sean [Levey] gave...

The Gun Runner show continued to roll on at the Keeneland September sale when Coolmore's M.V. Magnier went to $1.55 million to acquire a son of the Three Chimneys stallion (hip 969) Thursday. The yearling, bred by Three Chimneys and consigned by Four Star Sales, is out of graded winner Twenty Carat (Into Mischief). His third dam, Silk n' Sapphire (Smart Strike), produced Grade I winner Shared Account, dam of another Grade I winner in Sharing. Yearlings by Gun Runner have attracted the top price at the first three days...

Not seen since snagging July's Listed Prix Roland de Chambure, Alain and Gerard Wertheimer homebred Nighttime (Wootton Bassett) continued on the upgrade with a first pattern-race triumph in Thursday's G3 Prix La Rochette at ParisLongchamp. "Nighttime confirmed today everything he had shown in his previous starts--quality and class," said Christopher Head. "He has the speed to do well over that distance and Wootton Bassett is an amazing sire. Beforehand, it was the intention to go for the [G1] Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and now, more than ever, we want to go....

 On Saturday at Leopardstown, they will run the Matron Stakes as part of Irish Champion Day, one of the roughly one dozen Group races that Coolmore sponsors all over the world annually. We sat down at the Keeneland September Sale and spoke with Coolmore's Director of Sales David O'Loughlin about why giving back through race sponsorships and breeding incentive funds is important to the farm. TDN: Explain the scope of Coolmore's involvement in sponsoring races around the world. DO: At the moment, we're sponsoring races all over the world and...