With international travel finally an option, we hatched a plan to try and target the European breeze up sales with a view to obtaining sharp, early 2YOs, which could potentially run on the biggest European stage of all - Royal Ascot.
Combining forces with Stu Boman from Blandford Bloodstock in the UK and Martin Buick of de Burgh Equine in Ireland, we gathered painstaking analysis to identify two 2YOs at the Goffs UK breeze up sale, who demonstrated the necessary speed and precocity in their breezes, with their details below.
Many thanks to our owners who have got on board with this project, and here’s hoping that we are all dressing in our finery in just a few weeks time at the Royal meeting.
Lot 26 - Kessaar x Lady Lizabeth - £160,000
This colt was a stand out in every way. An incredibly powerful physical, combined with a breeze that was on all of our measures the best on offer. He showed great speed, with a lovely fluent action and sustained the effort right through and past the end of his work in the manner of a ready-made juvenile.
He is from the first crop of Kessaar, who was himself a top-class 2YO and is a son of renowned 2YO influence Kodiac. His dam (hopefully very aptly named) Lady Lizabeth also comes from a very solid family of 2YO winners.
Lot 130 - Zoustar x Ainippe - £150,000
Like the Kessaar colt, this filly simply flew in her breeze up, running the fourth best time of the entire sale and sustaining her effort incredibly well through the line.
She’s a quality physical to boot, and Zoustar is of course well known to us in Australia as a top- class stallion, including being sire of the incredible Sunlight, herself a very precocious 2YO performer.
She is out of a very well performed mare in Ainippe, who was a 2YO stakes winner over 5 furlongs, before training on to take out a pair of Group 3 races as a 3YO over 6 and 7 furlongs.