Knocktoran Stud

They walked around the paddock one behind the other, like a little brother following his big brother around. The swaggering Gstaad led the more demure Bow Echo, looking as though at least a year separated them in age.  But when the time came to tussle there was no brotherly love lost as the pair fought with each stride to the line, delivering the battle royal we had hoped to see but perhaps had not dared to dream would happen. Whichever way the photo went, a Guineas winner would be crowned...

Brendan and Anne Marie Hayes have been breeding Thoroughbreds with great success at their Knocktoran Stud in Limerick for more than 30 years. The couple reached the pinnacle of their breeding achievements to date when their homebred Precieuse (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), who they still owned at the time, won the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at Deauville in 2017. Precieuse was then sold to Peter Brant to continue her racing career in America, where she won the GIII Honey Fox S. at Gulfstream Park last year, but Hayes has no...