'There's a great buzz about the place' - Bleahen's €75,000 Hello Youmzain colt sets the pace at Tattersalls Ireland

The sight of Lakefield Farm at the head of the sellers' charts is a regular one at Tattersalls Ireland, but it's usually at the Derby Sale, not the September Yearling Sale. 

However, the next generation of Bleahens have expanded their reach to encompass Flat racing, and Luke Bleahen showed he has inherited the family genes for spotting sales ring stars, with his first two pinhooks providing the early highlight on the opening day of the September Yearling Sale on Tuesday, although as he later revealed, he has strong previous form.

The horizons are also familiar with Bleahen sourcing both foals in France, where his father and uncles have found stars including Grade 1 winner Brighterdaysahead.

First through the ring for Bleahen was a colt from the second crop of Hello Youmzain, a half-brother to three winners including the Group 3 Prix Djebel winner Rock Boy and Alaster, who was third in the Group 2 Derby Italiano. 

He made €75,000 to Cormac Farrell but Bleahen, who is just 24 and recently graduated from the Irish National Stud's breeding course, has already sold a top-class performer to Farrell.

"It's the stuff that dreams are made of," he smiled. "We sold Dancing City to Cormac, who won a four-year-old maiden with him and sold him to Willie Mullins; this year he's won three Grade 1s for Willie so it's been a lucky connection."

Bleahen bought the bay, who is a grandson of Fillies' Mile runner-up Khassah, for €10,000 at Arqana last December and the recent spate of black-type performers from the first crop of Hello Youmzain was timed to perfection for pinhookers with second-crop yearlings to sell. Something that was noted by Bleahen.

"We got very lucky with Hello Youmzain having two Group 3 winners in the last week and he's now a leading first-season sire in Europe with a 39 per cent strike-rate, so there's a bit of luck in it too," he said.

In each of the two weeks preceding the September Yearling Sale, Haras d'Etreham's son of Kodiac recorded a Group 3 winner, with Misunderstood getting the ball rolling in the Prix des Chenes and Electrolyte, who had been runner-up in the Coventry, claiming the Prix Eclipse.

On his shopping trip to Deauville last December, Bleahen also bought a first-crop son of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Victor Ludorum, and that €10,000 buy turned into a €31,000 sale to leading Spanish owner Cuadra Mediterraneo.

"The Victor Ludorum is gone to Spain and that shows the strength of what Tattersalls Ireland have done, getting buyers from all over Europe here," said Bleahen. 

"We have been flat out since we've been here with 79 shows on Sunday and 80 yesterday; there's a great buzz about the place and the guys have done a great job.".

Bleahen, who has a degree in Business from the University of Limerick, also cited the French premiums attached to both of his yearlings as instrumental in their sale.

He said: "I found having the French premiums a huge draw for a lot of people, including the breeze-up consignors, and it's very attractive to European buyers."

The chestnut colt is the second foal out of Gloryana, an unraced Invincible Spirit half-sister to the Group 2 Prix Hocquart winner L'Astronome and to Eltezam, who was third in the Coventry Stakes.

His third dam is Shiva, and on his page there are champions and Group 1 winners including Ulysses, Main Sequence, Light Shift and Cloth Of Stars.

Having completed his formal education, Bleahen had stints with Peter O'Callaghan in Kentucky and David Redvers at Tweenhills, and will concentrate on building upon such solid foundations.

He said: "The Flat is my own venture but I'll do both. I'll go back to France just before Christmas and hopefully get a nice present!"

If his start is a portent of what's to come, then Lakefield Farm will be appearing with much regularity in the top consignors' lists at Flat sales.

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