'The best of Telescope's runners seem to have been developed in Ireland' - logic behind Shade Oak's draft at Tattersalls Ireland

Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Slade Steel is the cover star for the catalogue of the Tattersalls Ireland May Store Sale, which takes place on Thursday. Henry de Bromhead and the Achesons' Grade 1 winner is also the poster boy for his sire, Shade Oak Stud's Telescope, as his Cheltenham success was the first at the highest level for the progeny of the Hardwicke Stakes winner.

That appearance has encouraged Peter Hockenhull to send his own draft of five three-year-olds to Tattersalls Ireland, including four by the sire of Slade Steel, who was sold by Martin Cooney's Jossestown Farm to Galgystown Stables for €30,000 at the 2021 iteration of the sale.

"It's the reason I'm taking these horses to Tattersalls Ireland for this sale; the best of Telescope's runners so far seem to have been developed in Ireland and they've come through the system which has greatly benefited them," reasons Hockenhull.

"It's not just Slade Steel. Harvard Guy and Ferns Lock have been brought through an Irish development system too, which seems to suit Telescope's offspring."

During the point-to-point season which has just concluded, Telescope sired seven individual winners and each of the three horses Hockenhull mentions are all graduates of the Irish store university. They also happen to be the three highest-rated of Telescope's offspring to date on Racing Post Ratings (RPR).

Slade Steel won a four-year-old maiden on his debut at Dawstown in May 2022 for Pierce Power before he was acquired privately by Achesons' Robcour. Third in a Punchestown festival bumper that surely rates as one of the best run in recent years – the first three home are all now Grade 1 winners over hurdles – Slade Steel won the Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle before getting a smidgen closer to Ballyburn when second in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale Novice at the Dublin Racing Festival, prior to his Cheltenham triumph.

He added a Grade 1 third in the Punchestown Champion Novice Hurdle to close out a season for a horse who holds immense promise as a novice chaser.

Telescope, who conceded a stone to Taghrooda when second to her in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, was also third in the Juddmonte International and his other top performers are Irish store sale graduates.

Both JP McManus's dual Listed-winning hurdler Harvard Guy and Ferns Lock, who has achieved a higher RPR than Slade Steel, were sourced as youngsters and sold as stores by John Bleahen's Lakefield Farm. Ferns Lock was purchased at Tattersalls Ireland's flagship Derby Sale in 2021 by Peter Flood, for whom he won his four-year-old maiden.

Blackjack Magic (left) wins the Badger Ales Trophy at WincantonCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Hockenhull has carefully watched as the progeny of Telescope and other Shade Oak sires have found a welcome marketplace in Ireland and, given his detailed study of the results, is alive to the benefits this offers his horses.

"Black Sam [Bellamy] did extremely well in Irish point-to-points, getting a lot of winners through there and I'm very aware of the advantages of being developed in the Irish system, which seems to be able to introduce horses into racing in a way that doesn't overface them," he says.

"Obviously they're developing them early but they seem to be able to bring them through and balance that; it's a mental education that just seems to work. That's where they seemingly have a huge advantage over horses in Britain."

The Shropshire farm has always been enthusiastic vendors of foals in Ireland and will continue to be so as it affords their stallions the best opportunity to succeed.

Hockenhull says: "Part of our policy here at Shade Oak is to take as many of our quality foals over to Ireland to sell so that they can benefit from a system which clearly works.

"We've now started the same route with our latest stallion Logician [St Leger winner by Frankel] and will endeavour to take as many high-quality foals as we can over to Ireland so they can enjoy the same path."

That policy has been expanded and Shade Oak has sent a quintet of stores to the first sale of the season in Ireland, with a single Dartmouth gelding alongside the quartet by Telescope.

The son of Dartmouth (lot 52) is a half-brother to two winners out of Deploy Or Die, an unraced Deploy full-sister to Paul Nolan and Barry Connell's Grade 1 Navan Novice Hurdle winner and Drinmore Chase runner-up Shinrock Paddy.

Shade Oak offers the only filly in the sale by Telescope (132) and she is a half-sister to Killala Quay, who won the Grade 2 Pendil Novices' Chase and Grade 3 Winter Novices' Hurdle for Charlie Longsdon.

Last season's Badger Beer Chase winner Blackjack Magic, by the late Black Sam Bellamy, was sold as a store by Shade Oak Stud, and the team consigns a Telescope half-brother (176) to Anthony Honeyball's chaser.

The very first lot into the ring on Thursday morning is a Telescope gelding who is a full-brother to Global Submission, third on his debut in a hot four-year-old maiden at Dromahane last month for Tom Keating. Global Submission was sold as a store last year by Shade Oak Stud.

"We take them to where the market is strongest and with Telescope's best performers having been bought and sold in Ireland as young horses, the buyers at the Irish sales seem to be keener on Telescope than elsewhere," says Hockenhull.

With both of Telescope's black-type winners so far having been sourced at Irish store sales, including this Tattersalls Ireland May Sale, the logic for sending Telescope's offspring to Ireland to sell is impeccable. It won't be the first time this summer that the Shade Oak lorry will be taking horses across the Irish Sea for auction either, Hockenhull confirms.

"It's our first time to sell at the May Sale so hopefully they sell well," he says. "I do plan on going over again in July [Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale] with another draft of four horses."

The sale takes place over a single session and begins at 10am on Thursday.

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