O'Shea broadens horizons with Tatts Breeze Up buy

By Bren O'Brien

Leading trainer John O'Shea won't be restricted by geography when it comes to sourcing quality horses at a good price and with that in mind, he has secured a colt by Enable's (GB) sire Nathaniel (Ire) through the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up Sale at Newmarket.

While the tried horse market is flush with Australian buyers, the Northern Hemisphere foal, yearling and breeze-up market has become an increasingly attractive prospect for those buying from the Southern Hemisphere.

Two recent Group 1 winners in Australia, Fifty Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Russian Camelot (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) were purchased through Tattersalls yearling sales, strengthening the case for Australian buyers getting in early when it comes to securing their imported horses.

O'Shea combined with agent Billy Jackson Stops of JS Bloodstock to pay 55,000 gns (AU$104,500) for Lot 64, the colt by Nathaniel (Ire) out of Green Tern (Ity) (Miswaki Tern {USA}).

"They are the sort of horses I'd like to train, so consequentially, we are trying to source them at a reasonable figure," O'Shea told TDN AusNZ.

"I think the tried horses market is very saturated. The biggest thing is accessing horses for a reasonable price where owners can get a return.

"I'll go wherever I can to buy a horse with a decent pedigree at a reasonable price and if that means we go to England, or we go to New Zealand, we do, and we are always buying in Australia. Pigeon-holing yourself into one market restricts you quite a bit. We are searching high and wide trying to find value."

O'Shea said stock from Europe, Great Britain and Ireland appeals because of the depth of pedigree that is available throughout catalogues in that part of the world.

"I've always been a strong advocate that their pedigrees are a little bit stronger than ours. They have been doing it a bit longer than us and accessing those bloodlines is to our advantage," he said.

Nathaniel, who has achieved global prominence through his dual G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winning daughter Enable, has had four winners in Australia from seven runners, highlighted by Listed Andrew Ramsden S. winner Steel Prince (Ire).

O'Shea said the colt he purchased, who is half-brother to a trio of Italian stakes-winners, looks the ideal prospect to thrive in Australia.

"When you have a look at him, he's got plenty of substance to him, so he will be well-suited to Australia," he said.

"Nathaniel has had horses come down here that have raced really well. I am trying to buy those ones with substance because they have to cope with our training and racing. He looks to be a horse with plenty of substance and plenty of improvement.

"He's from a good strong family and from a good producing mare."

O'Shea won't waste time getting the 2-year-old to Australia, with a view to getting him into work and racing him as a 3-year-old.

"He just missed quarantine last night, so we will get him down in a month's time. We will go into quarantine in a couple of weeks, get down, do some quarantine here, and into the stable," he said.

"Hopefully, we will have him racing before the end of the year and you might see him punching around Queensland by the end of next season."

Watch: Lot 64 breeze-up

O'Shea said the overseas buying strategy was just all part of the plan to find the stable's next star.

"We've got bits and pieces. We still need a real headliner and you don’t know where that might come from," he said.

King secures top lot

Courtesy of TDN Europe

Trainer Alan King, through agent Anthony Bromley, secured the top lot of the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale paying 140,000 gns (AU$266,070) for a colt by Excelebration (GB).

“He was our favourite horse of the sale,” said Bromley after being pushed to 140,000 gns for Lot 108 by underbidder David Redvers. “We don’t go on times, we go on the individual, their stride and general way of going, but inevitably the vendors end up telling you the times. We knew he had breezed well and that he would be expensive but we didn’t think we’d have to go that high.”

Watch: Lot 108 parade

The Guineas Breeze Up, like all sales before it in the sector this season, had a high number of withdrawals and only 116 of the 157 catalogued lots made it to the ring on Wednesday. Of those, 94 were sold at a clearance rate of 81 per cent.

Trade had a reasonably buoyant if an unflashy feel to it throughout the day and, while the median was down by 28 per cent at 17,250 gns (AU$32,783), the average was just about static at 28,511 gns (AU$54,185). Turnover, from 27 fewer horses sold compared to last year, stood at 2,680,000 gns (AU$5.09 million) (down 23 per cent).

“In the current climate we are all looking to accentuate the positives and I think we can reflect on solid if unspectacular trade at this year’s renewal of the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up,” said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony.

“This is, however, a year where ‘solid if unspectacular’ is a positive outcome and we would like to thank all those who have participated at today’s sale for their contribution. The buyers have worked incredibly hard and the breeze-up consignors have had to endure uniquely difficult conditions in the run up to the 2020 breeze-up sales season, but ultimately everyone can look back on sales which have largely exceeded expectations.”

A feature of this season’s sales conducted amid travel and quarantine restrictions has been the introduction of online bidding platforms by the sales houses. At the Guineas Sale, eight lots were bought by internet bidders.