Sean Davis

FAIRYHOUSE, IRELAND - Believe it or not, there are some people out there who think the yearling sales are just one big fugazi and that, had you adopted a method of throwing darts at the catalogue, you may well enjoy the same amount of luck - or despair - on the racetrack.  Sheila Lavery, Tom Mullins, Paul Flynn, Danny Murphy and Sean Davis operate at the coalface of the industry in Ireland and can pour cold water on the idea of the yearling sales being one big game of chance...

We're off. Well, sort of. In a manner reminiscent of the sputtering start to the Flat turf season, Seven Days returns this week but is immediately taking a short break before promising to be back in time for the Lincoln and the Brocklesby. So, for those of you still in a post-Cheltenham/St Patrick's Day slump, here's a little look back on the week that was. We'll mention Cheltenham only briefly here to reiterate the point that we may well see the 100/1 Triumph Hurdle winner Poniros (GB) back in action...

The spotlight was cast on the burgeoning breeze-up operation of jockeys Gary Halpin and Sean Davis, best known for riding winners rather than producing them, when their graduate Song For Whoever (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) ran out an impressive winner of the opening six-furlong maiden at Dundalk on Friday evening.  Song For Whoever, who Halpin and Davis bought for €28,000 at the Goffs Sportsman's Sale last year before selling to Howson & Holdsworth Bloodstock for £42,000 at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale, was getting off the mark at the third...