Hegarty Bloodstock Scores Pinhooking Success in Book 3

Another day, another monster pinhooking result at Tattersalls. That was the story when the October Yearling Sale moved into Book 3 Oct. 14 as Hegarty Bloodstock, the operation run as a 'hobby' by David and Geraldine Hegarty, pulled off a trading masterstroke. Galley Flash Bloodstock signed for the Ulysses (IRE) colt out of Regal Heiress at a mere 4,000 guineas (US$5,621) at last year's December Foal Sale, but the Hegartys reaped an almighty windfall when Matt Coleman landed the youngster on a bid of 150,000 guineas ($214,247)—a shade over 37 times the initial outlay. A stunned David Hegarty, who named the syndicate after the Galley Flash lighthouse he could see from his childhood bedroom window, chose to keep his own counsel in the immediate aftermath, but Trickledown Stud's Paul Thorman, a partner in the 4,000 guineas foal, explained the backstory to the jaw-dropping pinhooking result. He said: "This particular colt was in our draft as a foal and had gone through a rough patch and didn't look at his best. I wanted to sell him but both David and Sara (Thorman) could see there was scope there, although we never imagined for a millisecond that he'd make that much." The colt is a brother to smart 2-year-old Gwan So (GB), who was last seen finishing third in the Flying Scotsman Stakes, while Ulysses' 11 first-crop winners did the youngster's claims no harm. But Thorman was adamant the key component of the colt's development was the Hegartys' horsemanship. "Everything worked out and he turned into the most stunning yearling," he said. "I don't know about David's eye for a horse but he's certainly got a talent for prepping them. "His horses aren't 100%, they're 110%. When you have the ability and the effort to do it with a moderate horse, you just hope he can do it again and I hope this gives David the scope to start buying foals that are worth buying instead of messing about with rubbish!" The Hegartys, who have two young children, operate out of a small farm in the Wickhambrook area, while David, a nominee for this year's Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards, is a key member of the team at Michael Swinburn's Genesis Green Stud. Expanding on how the association with the Hegartys began, Thorman said: "David once bought a foal off me that would have made a corkscrew look straight. When it came back as a yearling it was still a corkscrew, but it looked unbelievable. "I thought here's a lad paying buttons for foals and turning them out brilliantly and getting nowhere, so I said we'll buy a few foals together. We've been relatively lucky but mainly because David is seriously gifted and he and Geraldine work unbelievably hard." Coleman, who signed in conjunction with Sean Clancy, said the six-figure colt would head into training in Newmarket with Charlie Fellowes for Mathis Stables, the owner behind the trainer's Sept. 4 Unibet 3 Uniboosts A Day Sirenia Stakes scorer Eve Lodge (GB). "I bought him for an owner called Bill Mathis, an American client of mine and Sean Clancy's," said Coleman. "Eve Lodge was the first horse I bought for him and she won the Sirenia Stakes. Bill was keen to try to get some yearlings and he bought a couple of shares in fillies at the Orby and Book 1. "We said we'd try to find a couple of colts too. We found Book 2 very strong so we thought we'd keep going into Book 3. I thought this was the best colt here, and obviously he's a full brother to Gwan So, who ran well in the Champagne Stakes and has been sold to Annabel Neasham in Australia. "This colt is one I could see running here before going to the States." Barberini Goes for Gold As evening set in at Park Paddocks a son of Havana Gold (IRE) was in the silver medal spot after Federico Barberini landed Lodge Park Stud's half brother to three black-type performers at 92,000 guineas ($131,404). "He's a smashing horse by a sire who has done incredibly well this season," said Barberini, whose purchase was made on behalf of an undisclosed client. "He's a real 2-year-old type, a great mover with great athleticism. A trainer will be decided at a later date, but it's likely that he'll be trained in Newmarket." The colt is out of Storybook, a UAE-bred daughter of Halling whose five winners include the graded stakes performers Get On the Bus, Camp Courage, and Romeo Lima. Her 2-year-old son Chicago Soldier has been placed twice for Johnny Murtagh. "There are no certainties in this game but the mare has already done it a few times, the 2-year-old is useful too, so to me it made a lot of sense," added Barberini. "The market has been tough all week, and the previous week too. I think, overall, this horse is not expensive at this price. He sticks out a bit in Book 3 but he wouldn't have been out of place in Book 2. He comes from a very good nursery who have bred a lot of good horses." The Hegartys were not the only pinhookers in clover during Thursday's session, as Harry Dutfield saw the Havana Grey (GB) filly he bought for 25,000 guineas ($35,131) sell to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock at 82,000 guineas ($117,121). The filly is set to go into training with David Simcock. "It's a relief more than anything," said Dutfield, whose day job is with Hazel Bloodstock. "I work as a stud hand and it's easy to forget that 25,000 guineas is a year's salary. It's very easy to bid away when you're buying, but when it's a year's worth of sweat and toil on the line, it just makes it so nice when you get a result like this." "I have to have already thought about what sale they could go to next year, what the horse could make as a yearling and what ends up leaving a profitable margin. I valued her at more than what I paid and that's the whole idea of pinhooking, you have to buy value." The concept of value also figures prominently in the grand plans Dutfield has in place for his latest pinhooking windfall. He said: "I bought a house in Newmarket after a couple of good pinhooks and after a bit more success I've been able to buy my own farm that's just past Shadwell. "I'm looking forward to having all my stock together with me in one place. I want to offer a service of value, some prices are astronomical but I want to give people like myself a chance to have a go and not have it cost the earth." On the filly, a half sister to the smart Rathbone and out of a sibling to Showcasing (GB), Dutfield said: "She just floated when she was showing, she was so straightforward. She's always been a bit of a beefy filly, not very tall but with loads of strength and scope. I loved her and she's been a great filly to do. All the right people came and looked at her, we had a couple of vets, it all went to plan." Dutfield, who has worked for the likes of John Troy and Kildaragh Stud, also paid tribute to his bosses at Hazelwood Bloodstock, who allowed him to prep his three yearlings at their farm. "I was meant to help out at Hazelwood only during the breeding season but I went from part-time to full-time and Adrian and Philippa O'Brien are great to work for. "They very kindly left me at the farm to do my own horses rather than showing at Book 1, which is much appreciated. They're such nice people to work for and do a very thorough job. I think their results speak for themselves." The successful purchaser said: "We've been very impressed with the Havana Greys that we've seen so far. She looked very forward, very sharp and mature. It's a speedy Juddmonte family and I would say she's the sort of filly who'll be out early next year. "She's going to David Simcock for an owner who's got a few mares. The brief was to buy a filly with a page and we've been blown out for two weeks, but I absolutely loved this filly." Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale concludes Oct. 15 with a session starting at 10 a.m.