Howley, formerly the head trainer at Lloyd Williams' Macedon Lodge, is still in the infancy of breaking out in his own right, with only a handful of starters and 15 horses in work from his stables based at Kyneton in Victoria.
He has been building up his client base and stable numbers gently over the past 12 months and having picked up a filly by Russian Revolution and a colt by Toronado (Ire) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale last month, was keen to step up his buying game at the Riverside Stables.
He had heard very positive things about a colt by Almanzor offered by Wentwood Grange and after discussing with Williams and Smith, decided to hop on a plane to Sydney to check the colt for himself.
"The boys thought he was the standout of the crop, to be honest. We talked about him a couple of weeks ago and came to see him and as soon as he walked out of the box I was just blown away by how good an athlete he is. He certainly stacked up with the best of them and we are very happy to get him," Howley said.
Lot 309 - Almanzor (Fr) x She Is Stryking (colt)
Howley had tried to secure one of Almanzor's first crop on the Gold Coast but couldn't get near a winning bid on any of the three which were sold, which averaged an amazing $506,667.
The buzz on the stallion continued to grow through the recent New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, where he was the leading first-season stallion again, and led all sires on aggregate with 42 sales for a total north of NZ$8.1 million and an average of NZ$193,571.
The young shuttle stallion has six yearlings catalogued at the Inglis Classic Sale, and Lot 224, a colt offered by Lime Country Thoroughbreds on behalf of Jamieson Park, sold to Cambridge Stud/Haras d'Etreham for $400,000 on Sunday.
Lot 224 - Almanzor (Fr) x Perfect Offering (colt)
But Howley was confident that the he got the pick of the Almanzors of the Sale in Lot 309, and is anticipating getting the colt, out of the stakes-placed mare She Is Stryking (Stryker), for what he saw as a good price of $360,000, into his stables.
"We thought getting him for that was probably value. We came to get him, and it was a matter of having a good look at him. As soon as he came out of the box, we were going after him," he said.
"As soon as he came out of the box, we were going after him (Lot 309)." - Liam Howley
The phenomenon that has been Almanzor so far at this year's yearling sales is of no surprise to the trainer.
"Wootton Bassett in England is firing and he was a star racehorse himself. When you see them, I'm not surprised at all that they are so popular," Howley said.
"They look like they are going to run. Some look like they will run early and some look like they might be 3-year olds, but I think what people are starstruck by is the fact that they are such athletes."
Howley backed up on Monday with another purchase, combining with Williams again to buy Lot 466, a colt by Ilovethiscity from the draft of Newhaven Park for $140,000.
Out on his own
Howley experienced elite-level success when in charge at Macedon Lodge, preparing Almandin (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) to win a G1 Tancred S., and Homesman (USA) (War Front {USA}) to win a G1 Underwood S.
Starting out on his own has meant a slow build-up, with just two horses making it to the track so far, but Howley is expected to have a flow of runners in the next few months. Later on Monday, he got his first winner in the new stable when Almighty Will (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) won at Wodonga.
"I've got a good young team. I had a few come across from Macedon with me, and a couple of great riders, and we are slowly building. We start small and dream big," he said.
Among the more promising prospects is a 2-year-old filly by Frankel (GB), which 3 Point Bloodstock paid $300,000 for at the 2020 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
She is a half-sister to Group 2 winner All Legal (Al Maher), and while she is yet to be named, will jump-out at Kyneton on Wednesday.
"She is coming along beautifully and I couldn't be happier with her," he said.
Frankel (GB) x Azardi (filly) as a yearling
