Coakley News

• Explosive purchase for the yard as new yearling arrives

  

  

  23 October 2019

  With the splendid pedigree by Hit It A Bomb out of a mare called Thewholeshebang, Denis purchased another yearling colt with great promise. The sire was a triple winner at two for Aidan O'Brien, including the Breeders Cup juvenile turf at Keeneland in 2015. The dam was herself unraced, but she is from a line of many US Group and Listed winners from the Shot Gun dynasty of successful race mares.

• Yearling by Free Eagle

  

  23 October 2019

  Last week at the Newmarket Tattersalls Sales, Denis purchased a yearling colt by Free Eagle out of a Fastnet Rock dam called Fasten Up. The dam is from a family of multiple winners across England and Europe, and the sire was a lightly raced campaigner for Dermot Weld, winning at the first time of asking at two, three and four years old : including the Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes in the Champions Series at Ascot and then only 2 lengths behind Treve when finishing a staying on sixth in Golden Horn's 2015 Arc de Triomphe victory.

• Roundup of recent race action

  23 October 2019

  Over the last week horses from the yard have competed at a variety of tracks on very different going conditions. Keeper's Choice hurdled really well at Huntingdon but failed to stay the 2 miles and will revert to a mile on the flat next week. Tiar Na Nog ran on very holding ground at Bath, which she did not relish and she finished a little over seven lengths off the winner in a competitive handicap over an extended eleven furlongs. In his first race experience, Sheila's Spirit really pleased jockey Aidan Coleman, finishing less than ten lengths back in a good Market Rasen bumper race over thirteen furlongs. On the same day Givepeacechance was sent up to Wolverhampton for a race a little over two miles. Unfortunately when she went to the front midway through the race she allowed the pace to slacken and so she did not draw the sting from some of the closers in the field. Although she kept on well, she became a little swamped up the home straight and was beaten to the line by just over four lengths. On ground at Windsor which remained heavy - after last week's abandonment - Jerome Power sent off the mare Power Home much too quickly with the favourite, and they cut each others' throats to ultimately fade away quickly when the lightly weighted winner kicked clear from the half mile post. Sweet Charity raced on the all weather at Kempton, and she was a little keen early, but still well in touch after a mile, finally weakening when beaten inside the last furlong or so of the 1m 3f contest.

• Exciting new acquisition for Chris van Hoorn

  16 October 2019

  Denis and Chris were up at the Newmarket Tattersalls Sales yesterday and made a successful bid for a bay filly sired by The Gurkha from Book Two of the auction. She is the fourth foal of her dam Burke's Rock, who was a winner of four races including the listed Conqueror Stakes at Goodwood. Her sire was a great success as a three year old for Aidan O'Brien, The Gurkha regarded as a speedy and courageous son of Galileo, winning the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas) and going on to win the Sussex Stakes after near misses in the St.James' Palace and Eclipse Stakes. A first season stallion, his progeny are proving very much sought after in this year's sales and Chris van Hoorn is delighted to have acquired the filly to come to West Ilsley.

• Sheila's Showcase makes the frame

  13 October 2019

  Sheila's Showcase ran a very good race indeed at Wolverhampton last evening, seemingly liking the flat track and the tapeta surface, which he was encountering for the first time. From a fairly wide draw, jockey Charlie Bishop knew he had to be very smartly away at the break and even then he would have to take a wide course around the early bend. Sheila's Showcase moved very well to race prominently throughout, and found a little extra off the last turn despite having had to make a lot of the pace. Just going into the lead briefly inside the final furlong, he was then in a blanket finish of horses at the line, holding on for third place in a photograph with two short heads and a head separating the four contenders. With soft and heavy ground all around, he will certainly be aimed at another race on the all weather now.

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