Breeze Ups 2018

Are the Breeze Ups all that generally? Should we even have this type of format of sales in the UK?

Souped up baby animals running for their lives over, what 3 furlongs perhaps? Does the whole experience and occasion leave a physical and mental scar on a high proportion of them?

By all means show them at a trot or in slower paces but what's the point of showing them at a pace they'll never be using in competition or in training?

What a lovely day at the races Posh. Those sort of days can lift the spirits for sure when everything else has a habit of going wrong.
I have got an interest in one in training at the moment and as I assumed it had all gone horribly wrong I rang the trainer the other day, which is something I have done only about 3 times in all the time I have known him. To be told that the creature is well and not far off a run kept me going for days!
Simple pleasures.

The stud season is as trying as ever. 2 foals, late, gender challenged and nothing yet in foal either.

The weather is pants for sure and I can imagine there are yearlings everywhere looking like welfare cases. Hopefully the sales company's, who must be doing their rounds by now can spread some soothing words.

I think that the press for the breeze up guys is probably as good as it has ever been nowadays. After all you find out very quickly indeed if they have spoilt their charges and it cannot be a format that will survive if it doesn't deliver I would imagine SS.

best so far @ Donny off a 12,000 euro covering


Toronado (IRE) x Miss Mediator (USA)
Ch.F    Consignor: Oaks Farm Stables | E274
Purchaser: Blandford Bloodstock    £210,000

Lot 31: ch f Toronado - Miss Mediator (Consolidator)

This filly did by far the fastest breeze according to some reports, so it's no surprise to see her assume top billing as Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock fends off David Redvers at £210,000.

Her sale continues a fine association between her immediate family and the breeze-ups; her dam, the winning Miss Mediator, cost 160,000gns as a 2yo and is a half-sister to Tattersalls Craven Sale-toppers Great White Eagle as well as the exciting Kings Shield. The latter, which Redvers knows well as a Qatar Racing colour-bearer, retained his unbeaten record in fine style for John Gosden at Kempton on Saturday.

"She was the one we wanted most," said Brown. "I think she's a filly that really wouldn't have enjoyed that ground yesterday, she's got a low, long stride but she went through it very well. It's not all about the clock but she blew that apart - she was outstanding. It is, afterall, a breeze-up sale so you have to put a lot of emphasis on the breeze.

"I've bought another Toronado filly as a yearling so I like the sire too. It was top whack - we were stretching - but you have to do that on the ones you really like and she was top of the class as far as we're concerned. She'll be trained by William Haggas."


Her sale represents a great result for vendor Mark Dwyer of Oaks Farm Stables and his partner Willie Browne given they paid just £27,000 for the filly at last year's GoffsUK Premier Sale. She is also an excellent advert for her first-crop sire, for whom she is the sole representative today.

Good reporting Delta, very interesting.

Well done PotM. I'm sure they will look great and do you proud come December. It'll be all colts  next year!!

Tattersalls opening words from last night's report on Craven Sale are "Solid Trade"....looks like a bloodbath to me!

Some pretty big numbers at the top end.  Scat Daddy always going to be very popular though given he's not around any more and has produced some very smart and fast horses.

The show heads back to Tatts this week where no doubt we will see more of the same softening in the middle market.

Interesting to read Luke Lillingston in the TDN today - “"I have met several people in the last year who won't invest in racing, who won't participate, because they feel that if they walk in there they'll be eaten for breakfast," he says. "And, in some cases, they would be. And that's awful.”

Anyway on a more jovial note, congrats PM, a rather taking performance from your one in training the other day.  Hopefully you made the journey to watch her and enjoyed the hospitality accorded to winning connections.  I’m sure she’ll continue to improve and win more races.  Delighted for you.

Fingers crossed in your hunt for some black type, hopefully lightening can strike twice for you and her family.

My yearling is being inspected by the green team today which should be enlightening given the recent tasty update and current market conditions.

A downturn on the way lads...?.

Posh, it couldn't possibly have lasted much longer surely, crazy money for poor horses these last few years, overproduction the result, a few vendors will get badly burnt this year I'd say, hopefully not your good self...

Have you thought about these purchases from the vendor viewpoint, BBC? Charm Spirit covering fee £25,000 plus foal rearing, yearling rearing and breeze up prep plus sale entry fees. Your syndicate buys for £30k. This thread is about the financial pain of yearling vendors if the breeze purchasers have lost heavily, and the prospects for forthcoming sales are not encouraging in that regard. Foal sales likewise.

Finally a forumite who actually had eyes on the ground to give us the inside story.

I appreciate your opinion TH - despite being a Vendor guilty of overspending in the past. 

“The worst offering in 4 years” seems a fairly damning indictment. With yearling prices so high, maybe this is the area Vendors wrongly felt they could compromise on when sourcing their raw materials.  This again probably points to increased selectivity come the yearling sales if not a major softening of the market.

On a personal note my Yearling has been accepted into my preferred sale which I’m thrilled with and represents another hurdle cleared.  As to whether I’ll come out unscathed WR......as long as we get there in one piece, I “should” be ok.

'With yearling prices so high, maybe this is the area Vendors wrongly felt they could compromise on when sourcing their raw materials'. Bang on PP. That's exactly what happened and they got caught out. I predict the lesson will be learned and next years Craven sale (in theory the best in Europe??) will perform better.

No problem TH-thanks for your considered comments.  I'm glad I'm sitting on the fence and watching rather than trying to sell or buy in a difficult market.

Well PP, I lost a colt foal to joint ill this year and as we only had 2 it was a massive blow to us. During the course of trying to save it(nearly £2k vets bills) one thing became apparent. No matter how quick you catch it, the horse will nearly always (if not always) be vulnerable to unsoundness. That's why I think x rays are important, as there is very little chance of picking it up otherwise. The point to this story is that I have been treated superbly well by the stud which is giving me another cover. All breeders should insist off stallion keepers that joint ill foals should be par of a compensation scheme (i.e free cover) from the studs and the TBA should be on this. It costs the suds next to nothing and prevents affected foals from being sold on for racing. Schemes like this help breeders and the industry and there is no excuse for them not happening. As far as looks are concerned, PotM is the man to champion that cause on here. Many of those entered at the Craven would have been better in a lesser sale where they wouldn't have been compared against much better types. Just look at Come On Leicester and the next Kodiak to her at the Craven. You would have been gutted following her!