‘I’ve embarrassed myself hugely two times now!’ – how an accidental move in to breeding paid off for Eve Johnson Houghton

Most mistakes in thoroughbred breeding prove to be costly. However, Eve Johnson Houghton has come out on the right side of a happy accident not once but twice thanks to her broodmare Reprieval. 

The daughter of Kendargent, a €20,000 purchase from Osarus in 2015, went into training with Johnson Houghton but suffered a series of niggling injuries that prevented her from reaching the track. With a racing career proving beyond Reprieval, her trainer retired her to the paddocks and began breeding from the mare herself. 

The mare opened her account at stud when her second foal, the Charming Thought filly Another Thought, won on her second start. But better was to come when her third foal began her racing career.

Two-year-old Time Test filly Betty Clover has won two races in Johnson Houghton’s own colours this season, most notably the Listed Marygate Stakes at York. She will bid to bring up her third victory in the Group 3 Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes at Salisbury on Thursday. 

And the family received another update of sorts on Tuesday when Oliver St Lawrence bid 70,000gns for Reprieval’s Mohaather colt at the Somerville Yearling Sale. The colt, who was offered through Hillwood Stud, was making his second trip to Park Paddocks having been retained by his breeder at last year’s December Foal Sale. 

Eve Johnson Houghton: "It’s a tricky market but he’s a solid horse. He’s very strong"Credit: Alisha Meeder

Picking up the story behind the Mohaather colt turning up at Tattersalls on Tuesday, Johnson Houghton said: “I took him to the foal sales but couldn’t get a bid for him, and mum needed a colt foal to run with one of hers, so she bought him off me. 

“Obviously she bred Mohaather, so as he’s gone better and better and Betty’s progressed, we started to think things were going all right. This is brilliant though, I thought he’d make 50 [thousand] so I’m thrilled with 70. It’s a tricky market but he’s a solid horse. He’s very strong.” 

After a slow start to the season, Shadwell’s Beech House Stud resident Mohaather has gone on a remarkable run of form. The Sussex Stakes-winning son of Showcasing has sired 12 first-crop winners, putting him joint-second in the European standings. They include the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes winner Big Mojo and the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes winner Yah Mo Be There. 

Reflecting on her exploits as a breeder, Johnson Houghton said: “I never realised how much it would mean until I bred one myself. I burst into tears and embarrassed myself when Betty won her first race and then when she won at York, the whole of Newbury knew about it because I was screaming while watching the race there. So I’ve embarrassed myself hugely two times now!”  

The Group 1-winning trainer added: “I trained the mare but she never got to the racetrack. She kept going lame and I ended up with her, so I literally bred Betty by mistake!”

Read our reports from day one of the Somerville Sale...

‘Karl felt this was a step above as an individual’ - 100,000gns Starman filly tops trade as new link-up emerges at Somerville Sale 

‘It’s the stuff of dreams’ - 15-year-old in clover as first-time pinhooker turns €7,000 foal into 70,000gns sales star