'It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster' - Big Mojo's dam brings €480,000 in latest chapter of remarkable breeding tale

Paul and Rachael Teasdale made a fitting addition to their broodmare band at the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale on Friday when agent Conor Quirke secured JM Jackson, the dam of the owners’ Molecomb Stakes winner Big Mojo, at €480,000.

The couple, who race under the banner of RP Racing, are building up a group of mares to support their former colour bearer Big Evs as the son of Blue Point begins his stallion career at Tally-Ho Stud. 

The seven-year-old daughter of No Nay Never was offered by Ringfort Stud in foal to Showcasing, meaning she is carrying a close sibling to the Mick Appleby-trained Big Mojo. The son of Mohaather was last seen beaten just a length into fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. 

“The likelihood is she’ll go to Big Evs, although there’s an outside chance she might go to Blue Point,” said Quirke after outbidding Alex Elliott. “The sentimentality is there but she’s a great physical too, she matches both those stallions. I’m delighted for Ringfort because they’re passing the baton at the minute. She’s a young mare and she’s bred a very, very good horse. I hope Paddy Power aren’t listening because I’m hoping to get a good price about him to win the Commonwealth Cup! That’s the kind of faith we have in him.

Conor Quirke: "This is RP Racing’s second mare but they’re intent on getting to the top table"Credit: SARAH FARNSWORTH

“This is RP Racing’s second mare but they’re intent on getting to the top table and competing in Group races. This mare is 100 per cent competing at that level and she was a very quick two-year-old herself, so she should suit their breeding programme.” 

Asked whether the Teasdales would be on the hunt for more potential mates for Big Evs, Quirke said: “Time will tell. But when Paul answers that phone, anything is possible, so I’ll keep ringing! We pursued her privately but ultimately Ringfort probably made the right decision bringing her here. They’re very good breeders and I’m delighted for them. I think we were at full stretch at €400,000, but when you get to that level and the blood is pumping, you don’t want to leave them behind. With a bit of luck she’ll pay us back.” 

This was JM Jackson’s third visit to the sales. She first fetched €58,000 from John Kilbride, son-in-law of Ringfort’s Derek and Gay Veitch, as a Tattersalls Ireland September Sale yearling before gaining black type at two for trainer Mark Johnston. She was then offered at the Arqana December Sales in 2021, where Hamish Macauley struck a private deal at €65,000. 

Derek Veitch reflected on events by saying: “One word: ecstatic.” 

The Group 1-winning breeder picked up the tale behind JM Jackson, saying: “The story behind the mare is interesting, it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. My son-in-law John Kilbride bought her as a yearling for his client and they raced her to be stakes-placed, and then sold her to Stephen Hillen, who tried to put her in foal to Night Of Thunder on a southern-hemisphere cover to sell her to Australia, but she didn’t go in foal: that’s why her first year [of her breeding record] is blank.

Jm Jackson heads to Conor Quirke and RP Racing for €480,000Credit: SARAH FARNSWORTH

“Stephen then put her in foal to Mohaather and sent her to Arqana where I bought her. Her first foal was Big Mojo and we put her in foal to Bungle Inthejungle after that. She produced a nice filly foal, and when she was two months old I saw her in the field one morning and she looked perfectly normal, but in the afternoon she was stone dead. We never found out what happened. We sent her off to the Equine Centre for post mortem but there was nothing conclusive. She then went to Invincible Spirit but she was covered on May 29th and didn’t go in foal. He’s an old stallion and his fertility wasn’t great at the end of season, so we didn’t worry about it. 

“She went in foal to Showcasing on her first cover the following year. I sent her to him because we liked the Mohaather yearling who turned out to be Big Mojo so much I wanted to put something like the yearling in her, thinking the cross might work. So Showcasing was the obvious one. The foal in the mare is either a three-parts brother or sister to Big Mojo, that’s why I did it.” 

Quirke also signed the docket for Big Mojo when he was offered 12 months ago. Veitch explained the trip to Tattersalls had been something of a plan B. He continued: “Big Mojo should’ve been in the Orby Sale but pulled a muscle three days before and had to miss it. He ended up going to the Tattersalls December Sale instead, where he sold to Conor for 175,000gns with Anthony Stroud the underbidder. He’s a lovely horse. I can’t believe he’s done so well as he has at two, as he’s a big, strong, strapping lump of a colt. He’ll only get better as he gets older. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a stallion some day and we’re all sending mares to him.” 

He added: “The story has ended in an ecstatic evening. The whole family is here as the mare was owned by Ringfort Stud and the Ladies, which is my wife Gay, our daughters Stephanie and Victoria, and daughter-in-law Julia. Stephanie is the only one who couldn’t be here as she’s working hard looking after the foals in Newmarket. My little grandson Victor Veitch, the son of Julia and our son John, was here, which was lovely. Stephanie is pregnant and due in early January, and Judith is pregnant and due in late December. It’s going to be a good Christmas, I think.”

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