Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan

Prominent racing enthusiast Sir Owen Glenn continues to reap the rewards as a result of significant investment in his Go Bloodstock breeding empire.

Over the past five or so years, the niche operation managed by Steve O’Connor has accumulated a select group of high-quality mares that are producing top-class racehorses at a rapid rate.

Breeding seven individual stakes winners this season including one at the top level has the operation enjoying one of its best seasons to date. Not only does it dabble in yearling fillies and broodmares, Go Bloodstock also partakes in the ever-successful Newgate/China Horse Club colts yearling syndicate and subsequently has raced and owned some of the leading stallion prospects in the country in Extreme Choice, Stay Inside, Russian Revolution and this season’s dual Group 1-winning colt Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}).

Breeding 2-year-old excellence

Only Godolphin has bred more stakes-winning juveniles than Go Bloodstock this season with four GBA branded 2-year-olds landing feature events. Over six per cent of this season's juvenile stakes races have been won by Go Bloodstock-bred stock and aside from Godolphin it is the only breeder represented by more than two stakes-winning 2-year-olds this season.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Platinum Jubilee (Zoustar) got the new season off to a flyer when landing the G3 Gimcrack S. for 2-year-old fillies. In doing so, she extended her dam Miss Debutante’s (Fastnet Rock) unblemished record as a broodmare. Go Bloodstock’s decision to offer Platinum Jubilee to the public marketplace was well-received with her trainer’s and Bruce Slade’s Kestrel Thoroughbreds going to $600,000 to secure the well-related filly at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Seeming relatively expensive at the time, the $430,000 that Paul Moroney forked out on behalf of Sir Owen at the 2015 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale has proved cheap in hindsight as she quickly gains a reputation as one of the country’s most valuable broodmares.

The second 2-year-old black-type winner for the operation came from the second foal of the brilliant G2 Rubiton S. winner Heatherly (Lonhro). A winner on debut when defeating subsequent Go Bloodstock-bred Steel City (Merchant Navy), Red Resistance (Russian Revolution) was retained by his breeder and can be witnessed sporting his breeder’s recognisable yellow silks.

Keeping his record unblemished at his second start with a dominant victory in the G3 Canonbury S. at Rosehill, Red Resistance was then a close second to subsequent Golden Slipper favourite Cylinder (Exceed And Excel) in the G2 Todman S. Unfortunately, a spike in temperature on race morning prevented the blue-blooded colt from handing Go Bloodstock their third homebred Golden Slipper runner and was subsequently spelled in preparation for a tilt at some feature 3-year-old events.

Carrying a positive cover to Written Tycoon, Heatherly was secured by Go Bloodstock at the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for a healthy $1.6 million. The resultant foal was the winning Richard and Michael Freedman-trained Miss Glenn (Written Tycoon) who was retained to race by Sir Owen Glenn and has since joined the operation's broodmare band with a cover to Stay Inside. Her yearling colt by reigning Champion Sire I Am Invincible has been retained to race while her Snitzel foal is due this season.

The $500,000 Go Bloodstock parted with for multiple stakes-winning Street Cry (Ire) mare Pittsburgh Flyer at the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale proved a worthy investment for Sir Owen’s broodmare band. Purchased from Alpara Lodge’s Breeding Stock Dispersal, the well-related mare had an Exceed And Excel weanling filly on the ground and was offered in foal with a cover to Triple Crown-winning Coolmore sire American Pharoah (USA).

Two years on, her value skyrocketed when her first foal turned out to be the multiple Group 1-winning mare September Run (Exceed And Excel). Having missed to Merchant Navy in 2019, she was put back to the stallion in 2020 which would turn out to be the stakes-winning juvenile Steel City. Offered at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Steel City was knocked down to the bid of Ciaron Maher Bloodstock and Best Bloodstock for a healthy $700,000. The well-related filly endured a series of luckless second placings before breaking her maiden in the G3 Magic Night S. to earn her a place in the Golden Slipper where she finished midfield.

Homebred Hip Hip Hurrah (Snitzel) handed Sir Owen Glenn an impressive fourth stakes win from his 2020 foal crop and a special one at that. The Michael Freedman-trained juvenile was an impressive winner on debut before stepping up to stakes class in style to take out the prestigious Listed Woodlands S. during the Scone Cup Carnival. The Snitzel filly ran a slick time for the 1100-metre dash breaking multiple Group 1 winner In Secret’s (I Am Invincible) class record that she set last year.

It was a special win for her breeder being the only foal from Sir Owen Glenn’s late brilliant race mare Pure Elation (I Am Invincible). Purchased for $320,000 at the 2017 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, she was a brilliant winner of two stakes events including the valuable G2 Percy Sykes S. Having missed to Fastnet Rock following the birth of Hip Hip Hurrah, Pure Elation was sent to Frankel (GB) where she sadly passed away due to foaling complications. While a terribly unfortunate situation for connections, there are no doubts her legacy will live on through her sole survivor in Hip Hip Hurrah.

Seasoned performers

The success for Go Bloodstock-bred stock doesn’t stop at its 2020 foal crop with the boutique operation enjoying a memorable season with older stock too. Three-year-old filly Ruthless Dame (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) got the better of her more seasoned rivals when she produced a dominant display to win the G1 Robert Sangster S. at Morphettville recently. Her mother Ruthless Lady (NZ) (Keeper) was a private purchase for Sir Owen and resides at Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore located in New Zealand’s Waikato region.

A winner of three of her five career starts, the daughter of Tavistock (NZ) was a NZ$90,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale purchase for her trainer’s Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. With a Super Seth filly and an Ocean Park (NZ) colt yet to grace the track, the well-related young mare is now in foal to fellow Go Bloodstock graduate in Sword Of State.

Gallery: Go Bloodstock's stakes-winning 3-year-olds this season, images courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Multiple stakes-winning juvenile filly Queen Of The Ball (I Am Invincible) proved she had trained on into her Classic year with a super win in the G3 Scarborough S. at The Valley back in October. The first foal from stakes-winning Fastnet Rock mare Miss Debutante, Queen Of The Ball is now a three-time stakes winner for Sir Owen who retained her to race himself. A half-sister to the aforementioned Platinum Jubilee, the Michael Freedman-trained Queen Of The Ball appears set to add further accolades to her name as she races into her 4-year-old season.

Fellow Go Bloodstock graduate Thalassophile (Not A Single Doubt) justified her breeder’s decision to retain her after failing to make her $350,000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale reserve with an ever-important black-type victory. Already a stakes-placed 3-year-old, the Chris Waller-trained mare landed the G3 Aspiration Quality S. at Randwick during the autumn carnival. With earnings exceeding $520,000 and a Group 3 to her name, the rising 5-year-old appears destined to create further waves on the Go Bloodstock broodmare band in the not-too-distant future.

Table: Go Bloodstock's current season stakes winners

A quality broodmare band

In addition to the previously mentioned broodmares, Go Bloodstock continues to bolster its elite group of breeding stock with regular additions. Last year with the assistance of Paul Moroney and Catheryne Bruggeman, Go Bloodstock went to $850,000 to secure the multiple stakes-placed Street Boss (USA) mare Highly Discreet from the Inglis Chairman's Sale. The expensive purchase is well-related with her first two dams being stakes-winning mares Very Discreet (Exceed And Excel) and She’s Discreet (Euclase). She was bred to Go Bloodstock’s part-owned Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside and is due to foal in August this year.

Gallery: Some of Go Bloodstock's notable broodmare purchases

At last year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, Go Bloodstock teamed up with Coolmore Stud to secure the well-related Telaawa (Lonhro) for a hefty $1.7 million. The Shadwell Australia-bred and -raced mare is from a highly commercial family and the dam of talented dual stakes-winning filly Minhaaj (Exceed And Excel) who fetched $1.8 million at last year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale to the bid of Rosemont Stud.

At the time Telaawa was carrying a full brother to Minhaaj which subsequently attracted $750,000 from Guy Mulcaster and Chris Waller Racing at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. The team have plenty to look forward to as she has a weanling colt by Fastnet Rock on the ground and is currently in foal to the four-time Australian Champion Sire Snitzel.

The $500,000 Paul Moroney paid on behalf of Sir Owen Glenn for R. Listed Karaka Million and Auckland Diamond S. winner Ruud Awakening (Bernardini {USA}) has proven to be yet another worthy investment. Her second foal Rise Of The Masses (Russian Revolution) is the G3 Pago Pago S.-winning 2-year-old while her $1.7 million I Am Invincible filly appears to have serious talent. Purchased by James Harron at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale Kundalini (I Am Invincible) has been placed in both starts to date including beaten 1l for third in this year’s $2 million R. Listed Inglis Millennium.

Table: Go Bloodstock's notable broodmare purchases

From small numbers, the high-end operation of Go Bloodstock is quickly creating a reputation second to none for elite talent. With a host of promising juveniles only months away from entering their 3-year-old season there is little doubt the GBA brand of Sir Owen Glenn will continue to feature on the winners of some of the country’s most sought-after races.