James Hanly

A daughter's wedding day ought to be one of the proudest moments of a father's life, and for James Hanly, the Greek wedding of his daughter Rosanna last year was indeed such an occasion, even if it meant that he missed what may then have felt like the pinnacle of his achievements as a breeder. But sometimes the racing gods are a friendly bunch and, twelve months on, they convened to grant Hanly a second chance, much to the relief of Rosanna. Watching on as Ombudsman was led back in...

Cheveley Park Stud's five-year-old distaffer Estrange (Night Of Thunder) suffered a pair of Group 1 reversals after annexing last term's G3 Lester Piggott Fillies' Stakes and G2 Lancashire Oaks, and she regained the winning habit with a decisive victory in this year's rescheduled renewal of the former contest at Carlisle. "She is hardly blowing and doesn't even look like she has had a run really," Chris Richardson said of last year's G1 Yorkshire Oaks and G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares runner-up. "She has done it very nicely and she...

The annus mirabilis for James Hanly and his Ballyhimikin Stud continued at Tattersalls on Tuesday with the sale of a Blue Point colt to Godolphin for 1,000,000gns, making him the second seven-figure lot during the opening session of Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale. Lot 67 is out of the G3 Ballyogan Stakes second Boston Rocker (Acclamation), who is the dam of six winners from as many runners to date. They include the G2 Zabeel Mile scorer and G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains third San Donato (Lope De Vega),...

There's no jumping off the merry-go-round now that the yearling sales are in full swing, and this week's action will take the travelling show to Newmarket and Baden-Baden for Tattersalls Somerville and Germany's premier yearling sale at BBAG. The latter should expect a stampede, as the word around the grounds is that Wednesday's Ryanair flight from Stansted to Karlsruhe will be chock-a-block with new visitors to BBAG's sale alongside the racecourse at Iffezheim.  This year I've been jocked off the Baden-Baden trip by Brian Sheerin, and the current sulk at...

YORK, UK -- What a day, or perhaps that should be, oh, what a Night. Fresh from providing the €3m top lot at Arqana on Monday, Night Of Thunder was by Wednesday ruling the Knavesmire, courtesy of his sons Ombudsman and Gewan. In Ombudsman, Godolphin and the Gosdens have the classic late improver, who set about his racing in the middle of last season and burst onto the Group 1 scene in impressive fashion at Royal Ascot. The narrowest of defeats in the Eclipse next time out did little to...

ASCOT, UK -- From a maiden on May 9 to a Group 2 winner at Royal Ascot less than 40 days later is some going but, as ever with bloodstock, the story reaches back much further than these few glorious weeks.  In the case of the Queen's Vase winner Carmers (Wootton Bassett), his owner-breeder Fiona Carmichael bought his dam Signe (Sea The Stars) as a yearling more than a decade ago and, as a half-sister to Group 1 winner Lord Shanakill, she carried the pretty hefty price tag of €1.1...

What you want to hear from a major owner-breeder like Trevor Stewart, the man who has set up a mini-empire off the back of buying wondermare Cassandra Go back in 1997, is that there is a nuanced approach to breeding and, with the right blend of skill and hard work, you too can make this game pay. The trouble is, Stewart does not believe that is the case. Not only does he put buying top-class racemare-turned-blue hen Cassandra Go down to good luck, but he also points to fortune favouring...