Persian Force

Where to begin? Perhaps to say that, though this sport faces myriad challenges, the mere thrill of actually going racing is the perfect antidote to such pernicious worries.  And it wasn't just the blazing sunshine and searing performance of Bow Echo on the Rowley Mile that has renewed the faith. A week earlier a trip to Ripon - justifiably dubbed 'The Garden Racecourse' - on a similarly sunny Saturday bit for a more ordinary race day provided no less enjoyable an experience.  It is easy to become despondent with what...

Kia Joorabchian has outlined shopping plans for this week's Goffs Breeze-Up Sale, where he says the focus will be on securing colts that Freemason Lodge-based trainer Kevin Philippart de Foy can point towards Royal Ascot.  The Amo Racing boss was a high-profile absentee from the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale last week. Instead, he elected to make the trip to Ocala for the OBS breeze-up sale.  His no-show at Tattersalls, where he spent over £3 million on seven horses last year, was keenly felt by a market that returned to 2024...

Al Pacino's Inch By Inch speech in the film Any Given Sunday resonates strongly with jockey Killian Leonard, who has been making waves on the breeze-up circuit in recent years.  With the Miami Sharks down and appearing almost certainly out in the Super Bowl final, Al Pacino, who plays coach Tony D'Amato, tells his team that they can claw themselves back into the game, 'inch by inch, play by play'.  He goes on, "The margin for error is so small. I mean, one half step too late or too early,...

Coolmore's dual Group 1-winning juvenile Blackbeard is the 6/5 favourite with Fitzdares to be crowned Britain and Ireland's leading first-season sire by number of winners in 2026, ahead of Shadwell's Minzaal at 7/4. Fitzdares launched its market on Tuesday, four days out from the Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster, the first two-year-old race of the year in Britain. Whilst both Blackbeard and Minzaal are without a representative among the 22 entries published on Monday, it's likely to be just a matter of time before their two-year-olds start to appear in large...

Minzaal has been chalked up at odds as short as 10-11 for first-season sires' championship honours by Paddy Power, whose trader James Ryan said it is the Derrinstown Stud-based stallion's 'title to lose'. Ryan, who priced up the market, also revealed that the firm is happy to lay second-favourite Blackbeard at odds of 6-4. Meanwhile, Baaeed has not gone unsupported at odds of 66-1.  According to Global Stallions, Minzaal has 115 two-year-olds to run for him this year while Blackbeard has the same number of juveniles. Tally-Ho Stud's representative Persian...

Roger and Tony O'Callaghan talk about Tally-Ho Stud's new addition Maranoa Charlie, buying into Group 1 winner Zavateri and more "We prefer not to say too much, we rather row in behind the horses and let them do the talking," says Tony O'Callaghan from his kitchen table at Tally-Ho Stud.  Both he and his son Roger don't bother to conceal the fact that this is their least favourite part of the job. There is, of course, a silver lining to the fact a journalist with an expectant face and a...

Tally-Ho Stud's new recruit Maranoa Charlie, a Group 1-winning son of Wootton Bassett, has been introduced at a fee of €20,000 for the 2026 breeding season. Trained in France by Christopher Head, the three-year-old is a four-time Group winner, those victories including the Prix de la Foret on Arc weekend.  This year's champion first-season sire-elect Starman has received a significant boost in fee, which rises from €10,000 to €40,000, while his stud-mate Mehmas, who was himself champion freshman sire in 2020, has been held at his 2025 fee of €70,000....

The newly-published catalogue for the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale features entries from many of Europe's leading sires, as well as first-season sensation Starman, who is responsible for 17 of the 409 "athletic, precocious Doncaster yearlings" set to go under the hammer on Wednesday, August 27 and Thursday, August 28. Last year Starman was responsible for two of the top five lots, including the subsequent G3 Fillies Sprint Stakes heroine Lady Iman, one of 16 individual winners for her leading first-season sire in 2025. The notable yearlings by Starman featuring in...

Tom Lacy, the renowned breeder of Persian Force who is famed for providing Pat Smullen with his start in racing during his time as a trainer, has died. He was 89.  Lacy rode 50 winners as a jockey and found only Arkle and Flyingbolt too good aboard Height Of Fashion in two Irish Grand Nationals.  As a trainer, he sent out hundreds of winners from his yard in Rhode, County Offaly, spearheaded by Ingabelle, who went on to become a hugely important foundation mare at Ballylinch Stud. But it was...

The first foal to be offered at public auction by Tally-Ho Stud's Persian Force (Ire) led the way at the Tattersalls Ireland Sapphire Sale when selling to Nigel O'Hare for €50,000 on Thursday. However, a 44% clearance rate spoke to the struggles facing smaller breeders and consignors at present.  Albeit the Sapphire Sale offering was down by 42% compared to 12 months ago, the majority of the key figures also fell, including the median, which was down by 31% to €2,750 and the average by 3% to €6,567. Understandably, the...

The GII Gulfstream Park Oaks brought a new contestant into the GI Kentucky Oaks picture in victress Affirmative Lady. The connections of the blossoming daughter of Arrogate are newcomers not only to the Oaks trail, but to racing in the U.S. After launching its American stable two years ago, AMO Racing celebrated its first graded stakes win in the States with Affirmative Lady's score on Saturday. Founded by football agent and businessman Kia Joorabchian, AMO Racing has proven to be a force on the other side of the Atlantic in...

Tom Lacy received a heartwarming reception at the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Awards last week. And rightly so. A legendary figure in Irish racing, Lacy rode 50 winners on the Flat and found only Arkle and Flyingbolt too good aboard Height Of Fashion in two Irish Grand Nationals.  As a trainer, Lacy sent out hundreds of winners from Rhode, County Offaly, including Ingabelle (GB), who later became a hugely important foundation mare at Ballylinch Stud. His sons Barry and Tony rode multiple winners for the stable down through the years....