'Hopefully she’ll be our foundation broodmare' - burgeoning jumps operation makes 270,000gns signing at Tattersalls July Sale

Coolmara Stables is no stranger to the sales ring limelight. Just last month the Mariga family’s operation hit the headlines when they topped day one of the Derby Sale with the Doctor Dino half-brother to Douvan and Jonbon who sold to Aiden and Olly Murphy at a cool €250,000.

On Tuesday the County Cork-based farm switched roles and codes when they went to 270,000gns for Over The Rainbow midway through the opening session of the Tattersalls July Sale. 

The six-figure purchase represents a new phase in Coolmara’s growth, as farm manager Paul McGrath explained, saying: “We’re mainly a National Hunt farm but we’re starting out on the Flat and hopefully she’ll be our foundation broodmare.” 

The four-year-old certainly has the pedigree to become a blue-chip producer as she is by Dubawi and out of Irish and Yorkshire Oaks heroine Seventh Heaven. In turn, Seventh Heaven is out of La Traviata, making the daughter of Galileo a sibling to three other black type performers, most notably Middle Park Stakes winner Crusade. Over The Rainbow’s page has improved further this season as her three-year-old sister, Boogie Woogie, broke her maiden before finishing runner-up in the Group 3 Prix de Royaumont. 

Paul McGrath: "We said we’d make a dart at it with her"Credit: Alisha Meeder

The Coolmore homebred was sold in foal to five-time Group 1 winner St Mark’s Basilica and was presented by The Castlebridge Consignment having finished second on both starts for Aidan O’Brien last season. 

Coolmara has invested heavily in its National Hunt broodmare band, making notable public auction purchases such as the €190,000 Tintangle, Grand National runner-up Magic Of Light, a €185,000 buy, and the Grade 2-winning bumper performer Grangee at €120,000. 

McGrath said they would keep the focus on quality but said no firm plans have been put in place as regards the scale of the Flat broodmare band. He added: “She has an attractive pedigree and her sister Boogie Woogie has done no wrong and she’s got a good cover on top of it. We have 28 National Hunt broodmares but this is a new venture. 

“We’ve been discussing it for the last few years but we said we’d make a dart at it with her. She wasn’t easily got and she went for more than we were hoping for but we’re delighted to get her. We’ll take it one step at a time but hopefully she’ll be lucky. We’ll run it commercially and sell yearlings and foals, depending on what we breed down the line.” 

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