The Irish operation’s nominations man Mark Byrne talks to TRC’s George Dudley about how the industry has been coping internationally with the challenges brought about by Covid, and discusses the exciting array of young Coolmore stallions, the loss of Zoffany - and the never-ending popularity of Galileo.
GD: How have the unique challenges of 2020 affected the way Coolmore and the wider industry has had to do business? Do you think that any of the new initiatives will be here to stay?
MB: It has affected the world in many ways with the lack of travel. You really see how international this industry is. We would have a lot of visitors at this time of the year from the UK, mainland Europe and further afield, but unfortunately not this year.
That said, this industry has galvanised and come together. Look at the sales, which were down a percentage, but the appetite for good, quality horses is amazing. That is a testament to this industry.
Video and social media have become even more important and are here to stay, especially with such a global market nowadays. The Asian market is getting so much bigger, America and Australia are as strong as ever, and they cannot travel freely over to Europe, for example, but they are all still managing to buy horses through agents or online bidding platforms.
From sales consignors and sales companies, to trainers and stud farms, the industry has upped its game with social media and video content which has really helped.
So, perversely, by a lack of travel it has further opened up the international market?
It is amazing - the leading buyer at the Newmarket foal sale and one of the main buyers at the Irish foal sales was Harry Sweeney, of Paca Paca Farm [in Hokkaido] and Darley Japan, and that highlights how global the market is.
The amount of online bidding at the sales was incredible. You could see that all corners of the globe still have a massive appetite for our bloodlines, which is a credit to the breeders and the stallion masters in Europe.
Travel is still needed to build relationships, and people generally want to inspect horses themselves, but in the short term I don’t think international trade has broken stride. Sir Dragonet is testament to that - sold from Ballydoyle in Ireland to Australia, where he managed to win one of Australia’s showpiece races [the Cox Plate]. Again it shows all of the above points: Demand from abroad for the premium product, technology playing its part and European blood delivering at the highest level.
How do you assess the global and domestic markets? What did you make of recent sales and how do you see it extrapolating further down the line?
We had to adapt, and of course it takes a little bit of time to find ways of working out of the best processes. A lot of our stallions and a lot of our businesses are international, and that still continues regardless.
Coolmore itself is located in three continents and stands world-class stallions throughout. Recent times have shown the support it gives to the market. Tom Magnier and his team bought three of the top-four-priced yearlings in the Magic Millions last week, MV Magnier bought the most expensive yearling and mare in Europe last year and the American team spent $5.5 million on Rushing Fall. Again, quality and an international market in a nutshell.
At the foal sales, the leading first-crop sire was Saxon Warrior. His dam, Maybe - a daughter of Galileo, was champion 2-year-old in Europe before being sent to visit Deep Impact in Japan, so he again typifies the international nature of the industry.
What can you tell me about the new stallions at Coolmore?
I keep hinting at the international market and, again, there’s a horse like Sottsass, a French-bred horse, co-owned by an American, Peter Brant, now standing in Ireland. A world champion 3-year-old and an Arc winner at four, which I think tells you all you need to know about his race record. He was the most expensive yearling at the 2017 Arqana sales, a very good-looking horse, very exciting and bred on the same cross as [2020 Dewhurst winner] St Mark’s Basilica.
Then we have Circus Maximus, a very fast son of Galileo, a dual Royal Ascot Group 1-winning miler, just like Frankel, and out of a Danehill-line mare too and champion miler in France. His form is top class when you look at it. We own him with the Niarchos family, who bred him. His dam, Duntle, was trained by David Wachman and was first past the post in the Group 1 Coolmore Matron Stakes. She herself was also a dual Royal Ascot-winning miler.
Arizona is a big, imposing son of No Nay Never who cost €260,000 as a yearling. Arizona was a top-class 2-year-old and, like his father, was a Royal Ascot-winning 2-year-old. His first six sires are all Group 1-winning 2-year-olds and he is from the family of a European champion 2-year-old, so it is all precocity. When you see him, he will blow you away and, at €7,000, he offers a lot of value.
Obviously, the highest profile acquisition was Wootton Bassett. Again, he ticks that international model: bred by Colin and Melba Bryce in England, he ended up being champion 2-year-old in France and stood in France before we acquired him. From his first crop of 23 foals he sired champion Almanzor. Thereafter he sired a Breeders’ Cup winner and his second son to go to stud, Wooded, won the Prix de l’Abbaye. All off €6,000 and €4,000 - so his pipeline is only getting better and better.
Sadly, you recently lost Zoffany to a liver disease. What did he mean to Coolmore and how might his legacy continue?
He was a big loss. He was proven quality and good value, which is what a lot of people like in the current market, making him a lighthouse as such.
With regards to his legacy, it might start if Thunder Moon wins this year’s Guineas! Already, through his broodmares, you can see that he is going to leave a lasting impact. Last year, for example, Tiger Tanaka, out of his daughter Miss Phillyjinks, was brilliant when winning the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day. His legacy will last, and he was only really starting to get going. Unfortunately, he had fought his way up to have a really good book of mares before he was taken away from us at such a young age as he was only getting going.
The lads were devastated because they always said that he was one of those quiet, gentle horses, which you expect coming from that Danehill line. He is going to be a massive loss, and he was going to be extremely busy coming off strong yearling sales with a top price of 580,000gns for a James Cloney-bred filly now in Ballydoyle. There was going to be plenty of demand for him, but it’s just one of those things.
Coolmore has a plethora of renowned superstar stallions, but who do you think offers value?
We have a brilliant roster that is very balanced and we have something for everyone. I think that there is value across the board.
Australia sired a Breeders’ Cup and a Classic winner last year; he comes with a superb pedigree and race record for €25,000. Elsewhere, we have young horses like Calyx, Ten Sovereigns and Magna Grecia, who are all very exciting young stallions. Churchill and Highland Reel are having their first runners and they could be anything, and I already mentioned the first-season sires earlier.
US Navy Flag offers exceptionally good value as well – the only horse to win a Middle Park, a Dewhurst and July Cup. He is by War Front, out of Misty For Me, and has an incredible pedigree full of class. There is proven value when you look at horses such as Mastercraftsman, who is available at €15,000 and can produce a champion like Alpha Centauri.
Value is offered throughout the roster and I really mean there’s something for everyone.
Coolmore, of course, is a business, but the stallions you stand remain ever popular with fans across the world through their exploits on the track, as well as their offspring’s. How important is it to give back to the fans through things such as the ITM Stallion trail and this year’s online variant?
You wouldn’t believe how much it means to the Magnier family.
For example, in the summer, the Fethard Horse Country Experience has an interactive exhibition centre [15 minutes from the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary], and part of that tour is to come out and visit the farm, which was the Magnier family’s idea.
The Magnier family are very sporting people and that comes out through the racing. Horses like Yeats, Magical and Highland Reel were all fan favourites due to this.
Coolmore place big emphasis on corresponding with the fans – the amount of fan mail the horses get is incredible! We always end up interacting with the Fethard Horse Country Experience visitors, who ask us so many questions about the horses. The knowledge that these people have for the individual horses is amazing. They remember all the races, sometimes putting me on the back foot!
It’s incredible how passionate people are about this industry, the sport and – most importantly – the horses. It is all about the horse at the end of the day, and everyone just loves the animal.
You talked about swathes of fan mail for all the stallions, but is Galileo still the main attraction for fans?
Exactly – he is the main man. I know it is very well documented about his relaxed demeanour, but it is actually very funny when people go to visit him for the first time. They look at him in the paddock and he is almost half-asleep or chilled out in his stable.
He is the showstopper, but the only thing is that he is so relaxed that it is like nobody told him.
He has the most magnificent temperament of any horse – and I was actually looking at his record today and he is just incredibly special. You can even see it through his sons, which is already creating a massive, massive legacy. Already he is the grandsire of Enable, Iridessa, Masar, Cracksman and Exultant to name but a few, and each one of those horses is by a different son of Galileo.
It is going to really drive on through the sons, but then you look at the daughters and what they are doing too.
His massive lasting legacy is only going to grow.