Shergar Cup double for Norris Bloodstock
Saturday’s Shergar Cup meeting proved to be an exceptionally memorable day, not just for Norris Bloodstock sales clients but also for one of our boarding clients. Andrew Balding has his string in great form at present and his treble on the day included an extraordinarily easy 12-length win for Genetics, bought by Norris-Huntingdon as a yearling for the DJT Racing Partnership back in 2015. Now four, the son of Manduro has won four races, including his last two starts, and looks set for a decent rise from his current mark of 84. The third of Andrew’s winners was Berkshire Blue, owned by Paul Spickett, a very enthusiastic owner-breeder who boards two mares with us and really enjoys his racing, so we were delighted to see him have a good winner on a big day.
It was also really pleasing to see Via Serendipity (pictured left) strike again for Happy Valley Racing & Breeding. The four-year-old has won three races since we bought him last year with Geoff Price and he has been a stalwart for Stuart Williams this season, running consistently well in valuable handicaps. He was given a super ride by Hayley Turner who went on to win the Silver Saddle for her efforts on Shergar Cup day. Another of our former yearling sales purchases, Sharjah, is continuing to do his new connections proud and won the prestigious Galway Hurdle at the Festival for Willie Mullins and Rich and Susannah Ricci. Sharjah was originally bought for longstanding client John Paterson and was sold on privately after winning on the Flat for John and Henri-Francois Devin in France. On the farm we’re in full-on yearling prep mode now and have a lovely bunch of horses to take to the sales this year, starting with the Goffs UK Premier Sale at Doncaster on 28 August. We’ll also be at Goffs in Ireland and of course back at Tattersalls. While Jenny oversees the work on the farm, Liam will also be combining some yearling prep legwork with his bloodstock agent role. He’s particularly enjoyed buying in France over the years – both Genetics and Sharjah were found there among our recent winners – and is looking forward to heading back to the Osarus Sale on 4 September as well as Arqana’s October Sale. Do get in touch if he can be of any help to you in finding a racehorse with valuable French premiums, or indeed if you require assistance at any of the yearling sales in Britain and Ireland.
