No Nay Never

NEWMARKET, UK--With almost 100 lots still to sell, the turnover for Book 2 had already surpassed the tally set in 2021 and, just as witnessed last week at Tattersalls, this second catalogue of four for the October Yearling Sale, bettered all markers of a year ago. There was a broader spread of buyers, but Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, whose principal Anthony Stroud had been so busy on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation during Book 1, was again active throughout, with the agency ending Book 2 as the leading buyer with...

Roisin Henry's once-raced Midnight Mile (Ire) (No Nay Never--Ruby Tuesday {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}), who opened her account with a July 16 debut score tackling six furlongs at Doncaster, returned in style with a last-gasp victory in Friday's G3 Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp S. upped to seven for her black-type debut at Newmarket. The 22-1 chance was steadied and shuffled back through the pack to race in rear after a slick exit. Nudged along to reduce arrears approaching the dip, she negotiated traffic to go seventh entering the...

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin KILDARE, Ireland--The victory of Blackbeard (Ire) in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. was really just gilding the lily of his sensational juvenile season which has also given a tremendous boost to his yearling sister, who topped the opening day of the Goffs Orby Sale at €2.6 million. From a start to proceedings at Kildare Paddocks that could be described as relentlessly solid, the auditorium suddenly filled with people around lunchtime on Tuesday as the dark brown daughter of No Nay Never entered the...

By Brian Sheerin and Emma Berry KILDARE, Ireland--Blackbeard (Ire) has blazed a trail on the track this season and, less than a week after doubling his Group 1 tally when running out an impressive winner of the Middle Park S. at Newmarket, his little sister will go under the hammer at the Orby Sale on Tuesday, which gets underway at 9.30am. The No Nay Never filly will be sold by Flash Conroy of Glenvale Stud and is one of the most important lots of the entire sale given the exploits...

Confirming the form of the G1 Prix Morny on Saturday, Ballydoyle's Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never) dominated Newmarket's G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. as The Antarctic (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) delivered a one-two for the stable. Not content with a haul that already included the G3 Marble Hill and G2 Prix Robert Papin as well as the Deauville juvenile feature, the 10-3 joint-second favourite tracked the fast pace set by the Morny runner-up Persian Force (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and was coaxed to that rival approaching the furlong pole with Ryan...

Group 1 winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) will be sidelined until the new year to give the colt "more time" to recover from a rear foot injury, according to trainer Aidan O'Brien. Just prior to his G1 Phoenix S. victory, the Coolmore partners' runner had kicked a wall, driving the clip of his shoe into his hind foot. "Everything is fine and we just wanted to leave him for this year," O'Brien told Racing Post on Tuesday. "He's perfect, there's not a bother...

No Nay Never's Trillium (GB), second choice at 9-5, just touched off the 7-4 heavy favourite and G1 Nunthorpe S. runner-up The Platinum Queen (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) in the final jump of the G2 Flying Childers S. at Doncaster on Sunday. The Rockcliffe Stud homebred was second at first asking at Goodwood in June, but got off the mark in a Newbury maiden on July 15. Wheeled back just 12 days later, the Apr. 6 foal took the G3 Markel Molecomb S. returned to Goodwood by 1 1/4 lengths...

Outstanding four-time Group 1 winner Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never--Plying, by Hard Spun) will be offered at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale which takes place from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1. Selected for the new Sceptre Session on Tuesday, Nov. 29, the Churchtown House Stud-bred promises to be amongst the highlights of the 2022 global bloodstock sales calendar. Owned by Jeff Smith, the €40,000 Goffs November Foal Sale graduate won the G1 Cheveley Park S. as a juvenile, the G1 Sussex S. and G1 Coronation S. at three before showing...

We've all seen that video; it was in the month of March when Aidan O'Brien opened the gates at Ballydoyle to the Irish press and, tasked with naming his best 2-year-old by Brendan O'Rourke, the champion trainer did not hold back in his praise for Little Big Bear (Ire). After nominating Little Big Bear as being top of the class, O'Brien also advised O'Rourke, a renowned Irish racing commentator, to double his stake from a fiver to a tenner on the colt winning his maiden on debut at the Curragh...

The first major yearling sale of the autumn in Britain or Ireland, the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale provided entertainment from the beginning to the end, but most importantly, boasted impressive figures. Brian Sheerin was in attendance and discusses the major talking points from the sale. Figures on the up The team at Goffs UK could hardly have wished for a better start to the Premier Yearling Sale. The day one figures were off the charts. Of the 218 lots offered on Tuesday, 199 were sold, representing a clearance rate...

Sir Mark Prescott will happily recount the story of the time he bashed his former pupil assistant William Haggas over the head with a frying pan for oversleeping. He will also reflect with pleasure on the great pride he felt when Haggas won the Derby in 1996 with Shaamit (Ire). When it comes to being a benevolent dictator, the Prescott pendulum has, by his own admission, swung more from dictatorship towards benevolence in recent years and, more than anyone involved in British racing, the master of Heath House cares deeply...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never--Muirin {Ire}, by Born To Sea {Ire}), who was collared in the dying strides of June's G2 Railway S. at the Curragh, outpointed reopposing stablemate The Antarctic (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in last month's G2 Darley Prix Robert Papin at Chantilly and enhanced a banner weekend for his all-conquering sire (by Scat Daddy) with a career high in Sunday's G1 Darley Prix Morny - Finale des Darley Series at Deauville. In so doing, he provided O'Brien with a fourth winner of the six-furlong...