02/02/2022. Mondo Ippico Internazionale, breaking News by RacingPost and TDN: Cheltenham, Goffs Online Sale of Stallion Breeding Rights, OBS March catalogue Online

 
 

 

View from Cheltenham: the hunt for a festival winner

 

As far as Cheltenham Festival clues from the course itself go, you have had your lot.

Trials day at Cheltenham was the track’s final meeting before the four-day bonanza in March and, unsurprisingly, local trainers Nigel Twiston-Davies and Fergal O’Brien were celebrating, this time with a winner apiece.

It has been a running theme this season, with the pair collecting 15 races between them – Twiston-Davies with eight and seven for O’Brien.

Saturday’s success was a particularly special one for O’Brien as Imperial Alcazar’s impressive novice handicap chase win brought up the yard’s century for the season and those in the Cheltenham crowd were keen to create a fitting atmosphere for the raucous scenes in the winner’s enclosure.

Yet a trainer’s diary is way too busy for long reflections and while O’Brien continues to beat his own records, there is not a moment’s doubt about the achievement he yearns for most – a festival winner.

The door has been firmly knocked with two second-placed finishes (Barney Dwan, 2017 Pertemps and Cap Soleil, 2018 Mares’ Novice Hurdle) and a classy enough team will be looking for that breakthrough in six weeks’ time.

So Fergal, what is the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival really like, do you enjoy it?

“Oh yeah,” he responds assertively. “It’s just fantastic – it’s a great week for everyone. We love the Paddy Power meeting in November and all of them, but the festival brings about a great buzz just around the whole place. The pubs, restaurants are full and the villages get busy too.

“It was surreal last year not having any people there. It was an experience that we don’t want to have to go through again. I thought New Year’s Day and Trials day were great – there was a massive crowd.

“As a trainer after Christmas you’re always thinking about it, like where can they run in January in particular, I think the stats show that five or six weeks between races is the ideal time. That’s what we’re always looking at.”

January has now been and gone and O’Brien will be happy with the team he plans to send on the near ten-mile trip to the racecourse.

Saturday’s hero Imperial Alcazar looks primed to play a leading role in the Paddy Power Plate and at this stage appears to be O’Brien’s best chance.

“It’s a long time between now and then so we won’t be counting our chickens but Imperial Alcazar won well and we’re looking forward to him. We’ll have a few in the bumper, possibly Bonttay and Poetic Music, and then some nice ones in the Pertemps.”

 

By James Stevens

 
 

Latest Cheltenham news
 
 
 

Goffs Announce Online Sale of Stallion Breeding Rights
Goffs are pleased to announce a new addition to the 2022 sale calendar with an online sale of stallion breeding rights to be held immediately following the Goffs February Sale with bidding opening as the last mare is sold on Thursday 10 February and closing at 12 noon on Friday 11 February.

The sale will be a timed online auction held on Goffs Online, a trusted platform that has sold horses up to £300,000 and over £10 million in sales since its launch in 2020.

Online registrations to bid will open next week at www.goffsonline.com.

Current entries for the online sale feature three stallion breeding rights and additional entries can be made by contacting Goffs.
Time Test – the leading first season sire by black type winners. Photo: The National Stud
  • Time Test (by Dubawi): Standing at the National Stud, Time Test was a multiple Group 2 winner and has made a brilliant start to his stud career, finishing 2021 as the leading first season sire by black type winners. His stakes performers to date include the Gr.1 placed Sunset Shiraz, Gr.3 winners Romantic Time and Rocchigiani, and Listed winners Tardis & The King’s Horses. Time Test’s 2022 stud fee is £15,000.
Territories – sire of the Gr.1 Prix de l’Opera Longines winner Rougir. Photo: Darley
  • Territories (by Invincible Spirit), standing at Darley in Newmarket and the winner of the Gr.1 Prix Jean Prat, Territories made a brilliant start to his stud career with the Gr.1 Prix de l’Opera Longines winner Rougir coming from his first crop. He has also sired the likes of the Group placed Masseto, Rhoscolyn, Teresa Mendoza and last year’s Balmoral Handicap winner Aldaary. Territories’ 2022 stud fee is £10,000.
Cotai Glory - Europe’s leading first season sire for winners with 35. Photo: Tally-Ho Stud
  • Cotai Glory (by Exceed And Excel): standing at Tally-Ho, Cotai Glory has made a strong start at stud finishing 2021 as the leading first season sire for winners with 35 including the Gr.2 Prix Robert Papin winner Atomic Force, Group placed Pearl Glory and Eldrickjones, who was second in Royal Ascot’s Coventry Stakes, Listed winner Purciaretta and stakes placed 2YOs including Dig Two who finished second in Royal Ascot’s L. Windsor Castle Stakes. Cotai Glory’s 2022 stud fee is €8,500.

The sale will offer Agents Commission of 5% of the hammer price of any lots successfully sold to the buying agent. The amount in question will be deducted from the vendor sales proceeds and is covered in the Conditions of Sale that have been specially modified for this sale. 

Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby commented:

“Goffs Online was first introduced to the market in 2020 and since its inception it has proven a market leading platform. We have used it to aid our live auctions on both sides of the Irish Sea as well as hosting timed online sales which has seen it sell horses up to £300,000.

“We have secured the sale of breeding rights to three very promising young sires which have strong commercial appeal and this online auction enhances the extensive offering at our three-day Goffs February Sale next week. This online sale will open at the conclusion of the final day of breeding stock and if breeders wish to discuss adding any additional breeding rights to the sale, we invite them to contact a member of the Goffs team. This new departure for Goffs only widens our offering and the introduction of the Agents Commission, which was successfully introduced for the online London Sale last summer, should also broaden the sales appeal”.

Entries will be available to view at www.goffsonline.com later this week. For more information on the sale, please contact Goffs on +353 (45) 88 66 00.
 
 

OBS March Catalogue Online

The catalogue for the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training is now online at www.obssales.com. A total of 635 juveniles have been cataloged for the two-day sale, set for Mar…. [To read this entire TDN News Story, click here.]

by TDN