The top jockey branching out into bloodstock at Goffs this week

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Gary Carroll has certainly lived up to his pedigree. With Classic-winning rider Raymond and former Irish National Stud stalwart Sally as his parents, it was only natural that he would become a dual champion apprentice jockey and later a mainstay of the weighing room in Ireland, while also taking a keen interest in the bloodstock industry.

Carroll has been combining life in the saddle with work on a stud on a behind-the-scenes basis for a few seasons now, but the two sides of his career will overlap in public for the first time this week.

Fresh from a busy book of rides at the weekend, which included steering Gordon Bennett to an impressive success in the valuable Joe McGrath Premier Handicap at the Curragh on Saturday, he is set to consign his debut draft of yearlings to the Goffs Sportsman's Sale.

The two colts he offers from Nenthorne Farm on Friday are by the right stallions, which isn’t the be-all and end-all but is a good starting point for attracting potential buyers to your boxes. Lot 879 is by leading first-season sire Sioux Nation and Lot 894 hails from the final crop of Zoffany, who recently reminded us what he is capable of with wide-margin Mill Reef Stakes winner Sakheer.

“I rent Nenthorne Farm in Rathmolyon, County Meath, with my soon-to-be wife Joanne, who has sports horses and show horses there,” says Carroll about the new venture. “Last winter I broke in a lot of yearlings that had come from the sales for some of the trainers I work for – 31 in total I think – which kept me busy, and I’ll probably do the same again this year.

“I’ve always had an interest in the bloodstock side of things, and I’ve had legs and shares in breezers along the way, so last year when I had the stables and facilities to take some horses I decided to do a few of my own pinhooks.

“I’ve done plenty at the sales with some of the big bloodstock fellas, including a season going around with Bobby O’Ryan, and I’ve helped out John Cullinan, Roger Marley and a few others here and there. I’d always wanted to give it a go myself, though, so I thought I’d roll the dice and bought two foals at Goffs last November.”

The Sioux Nation colt is the first foal out of Beyond Dance, a winner at two by Wootton Bassett from a family packed with black-type performers. He was sourced for €15,000.

Gary Carroll will offer a colt by Sioux Nation at GoffsCredit: Coolmore

“He was from the second crop of Sioux Nation, so it was a bit of a gamble, but I remember riding against the sire and he was a fine, big two-year-old who won a Group 1 that season, so I was happy enough to take the chance on him doing well this year,” says Carroll.

“This colt wasn’t overly big when I bought him but he’s done a lot of growing since, and I’d say he’ll be one of the biggest yearlings at the sale. He was a nice individual who had a great walk when I got him, though, and he still does thank god. That’s why I went for him.”

The son of Zoffany, who cost a snip more at €20,000, is out of the really tough racemare Busy Bimbo, who won four times from 94 starts. The dam is by Red Clubs – broodmare sire of Saturday’s Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Lezoo – and is a half-sister to Prix Morny victor Unfortunately and another hard-as-nails sprinting filly in Look Busy, who later produced the high-class Keep Busy.

Carroll had all the more reason to like the pedigree of this purchase, which he describes as “a fine big horse with plenty of size and scope”, due to his association with trainer Joe Murphy. Any punters reading might want to fetch their notebooks for this bit.

“Joe has the three-year-old full-sister, Ju Ju Gabor, and we loved her as a two-year-old but she’s taken a bit of time,” he reveals. “She’s handicapped well enough to win now, but unfortunately she had a bit of a setback by pulling a muscle or something.

“I’d been hoping she’d have won by the time the Sportsman’s Sale came round, but I see she’s in at Cork on Tuesday so fingers crossed she shows something before then. She’s a nice filly whatever she does, though. It’s only a matter of time before she wins.”

Carroll is keeping his feet firmly on the ground in his expectations of how much his investments will mature on Friday, if at all.

“They’re two lovely horses,” he says. “I’m happy enough with what I paid for them, so hopefully there’s room to make a bit of profit. If I break even I’ll be happy, as it’ll allow me to go in again.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and want to expand on for when the riding starts to slow down. It’s all a learning process at the moment, but hopefully these two colts will do well and I can kick on.”

Carroll will no doubt receive plenty of moral support from mum Sally during showings, just as he has done throughout his riding career, as she will be at Goffs helping out the Irish National Stud with their hospitality across the way in Barn S.

What do you think?

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Pedigree pick

Albany Stakes third Ivory Madonna really ought to get off the mark on her sixth start in an ordinary seven-furlong fillies’ maiden at Newcastle on Monday (6.00), but if the Dark Angel filly does happen to fluff her lines perhaps the well-bred newcomer Lady Marie can take advantage.

The David Simcock-trained filly, bred by Rabbah Bloodstock and owned by Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum, hails from the penultimate crop of 42 two-year-olds by much-missed supersire Shamardal and is out of Lady Rosamunde, a Maria’s Mon half-sister to Park Hill Stakes winner Meeznah who herself scored three times up to 14 furlongs.

Lady Rosamunde has been represented as a broodmare by three smart winners from as many runners, headed by Lady Marie’s full-brother and stablemate Cash, who was a short-head second to subsequent Irish Derby hero Westover in the Sandown Classic Trial in April but has been sidelined by injury since.

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