Flying Start

Public Sector was the first yearling consigned at Tattersalls by Farran Anstock at the renamed Clearwater Stud. The son of Kingman is now a Grade 2 and Grade 3 winner, and has given his half-brother a very tasty pedigree update ahead of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale

A BIG FAT STAKES RACE pedigree update around six weeks ahead of selling is what every yearling consignor yearns for… the pedigree will show its improvement and there is still enough time for that success to seep into buyers’ minds.

When that is a winning Grade 2 performance, followed up two weeks later by Grade 3 success and a decent Grade 1 (albeit after the yearling sales conclude) is being talked about as the legitimate target; when those wins were produced by the first horse you sold under a new banner at Tattersalls, the horse whom you always thought was one of the nicest that had been bred on the farm, and when you have that colt’s yearling halfbrother catalogued in Newmarket as Lot 190, and he is just as nice, then the autumn looks quite promising.

Farran Anstock of Clearwater Stud (previously Kathyrn Stud) is in that very happy position with his yearling colt by Golden Horn, a half-brother to Public Sector, winner of the mile Grade 2 National Museum Hall Of Fame Stakes at Saratoga on August 6 and the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes on September 4.

The three-year-old colt by Kingman is trained by Chad Brown and was bought by Mike Ryan for Klaravich Stables in Book 1 2019 for 170,000gns.

“He was our first horse through the ring at Tattersalls as Clearwater Stud. He was ‘the horse’ for that year and we were we were a little bit disappointed with the money he made, but he is a Grade 2 winner now so, fingers crossed, he keeps progressing now,” recalls Anstock, who laughs: “We’ve were watching the odds for the 20 minutes leading up to the Grade 2 thinking, ‘Oh god, why is he going off favourite?’ A lot of ours seem to go off favourite, and so we never get our real good bet, but winning with them is a win itself. Breeding them is a big enough gamble anyway!”

Anstock’s father Fergus started breeding horses in 2006 under the banner of Kathryn Stud, the mares based at the 80-acre farm in Buckinghamshire the yearlings then sent on to Bumble Mitchell to prep and consign.

When Anstock jnr decided that he might like to become fully involved in the business, before taking on mission control, he was despatched on a working and learning tour that encompassed Lynn Lodge Stud, Coolmore (Australia and Ireland), the National Stud and its courses.

He came home in 2018, the stud was renamed Clearwater Stud due to its proximity to a water mill, and the family business closed its circle.

“We had Public Sector entered in the foal sales,” recalls Anstock. “The week I came home they would have been going off to Bumble for prep. We went out to the paddock and I said, ‘Geez, we can’t sell this horse, he’s gorgeous!’

“And Dad was very much the same, but there was only there was only a few horses around to sell that year and we needed to pay for the next year, so it was a bit of a gamble keeping him, but he just developed to be even nicer.

“He was just so easy, he was just really straightforward. Some horses you get a little bit worried that they then don’t have that ‘spark’ in them to perform, but he never lacked the spark. He just never gave it to you in a negative way. He’d come out of the box in the morning and rear up, that was that was like his party trick, but then he’d walk on fine and worked.”

HIS YOUNG DAM Parle Moi is certainly doing her thing – she has had four runners of racing age, three runners and two winners, with Public Sector promising to become one of the year’s leading US Turf three-yearolds

“It’s amazing what an update can do for people’s perception of a family, we’ve had interest right since Public Sector won his maiden in 2020,” reveals Anstock. “We’re hopeful the Golden Horn is a nice horse. He is well put together, moves very well, an easy mover, he is very clear winded, too.

“The mare is obviously doing it, and she has a Ribchester colt at foot and is in-foal to Persian King. We couldn’t really afford to go back to Kingman so we thought we’d try the next best thing, try and keep some sort of link back to Public Sector – he’s pretty special to us.

“We’ve got some lovely horses to sell this year so, hopefully, we might be able to send Parle Moi back to Kingman again in 2022!”

This year’s Clearwater Tattersalls October draft is the biggest so far with five in Book 1, three in Book 2 and five in Book 3.

Sometimes in this business you get so much bad luck, that you kind of don’t notice the good luck!

“We’ve got the only New Approach catalogued, we have one of just three by Mastercraftsman, one of four by Golden Horn and the only filly by American Pharoah. So, if anything, we’ve got a some rare commodities, people aren’t going to be spoiled for choice.

“And we have a fabulous colt by Tamayuz [Lot 1141], physically he’s probably one of the strongest ones we’ve ever bred,”says Anstock.

The farm’s breeding decisions are a three-way plot developed by Anstock jnr and snr alongside long-term bloodstock advisor Jeremy Brummit – each man producing a list for each mare and debating the options.

“We get the yearling sales out of the way first so we know what sort of budget we have for the next year,” continues Anstock jnr.

“Jeremy’s and Dad’s lists are often very similar, and then I come up with a few random ones that maybe are a little bit more current – I get laughed out of the room with some of them!

“Persian King, though, was kind of my decision, and Mastercraftsman, well you just can’t ignore a stat so we sent him a very good mare, and we’ve got a really strong colt. “Maybe that was a touch of luck, considering that he is no longer with us. Sometimes in this business you get so much bad luck, that you kind of don’t notice the good luck!”

Breeding a Derby winner has always been the Anstocks aim, but the team recognises the difficulty of trying to achieve that landmark goal, whilst matching the commercial, perhaps speedier, needs of a stud farm.

Team Clearwater at York races (from left to right): Fergus Anstock, bloodstock advisor Jeremy Brummitt, Farran Anstock, and brother Harry, who is a pro golfer

“Balancing it all is tricky, getting the money and getting the horses to the sales and then making the right decisions when the mares go back to stud – for a homebred operation, its vital you get it right,” outlines the 31-year-old.

“We want to breed a Derby winner, it’s kind of what we set out to do, but it is hard to cater for that market and at the same time bred Derby types and make them commercial. So we have been looking at faster options for some of the mares who have possibly thrown an odd slower one here or there.

“We’ve got an Expert Eye filly [Lot 1359] this year, she’s out of Interchange one of our favourite mares. Physically the filly’s all there, and there always be someone looking around for a fast source. So we’re hopeful she’s going to catch someone’s eye because she’s strong and early looking.”

When those mating plans also are made they are operated around a set strategy.

“When we sit down to choose the matings, we always breed for a filly – if we get a filly, which stallions would we be happy to have a filly by?” outlines Anstock. “And Ulysses is one of those stallions – we have two yearlings by him to sell this year, a colt and a filly [Lot 589, Lot 1321].

“We are big fans of Ulysses, and both are strong physicals – that’s why we went back to him again this year.” sell as a yearling in Book 2 so we kept her, raced her and she won a Listed race at two.”

Anstock would like to prep for outside owners, but wants to ensure that the quality is not diluted, he wants to maintain the Book 1 focus and for Clearwater to be known as stud that sells.

“When we set out with Clearwater, we thought the best thing was to get them sold to good people,” he explains.

“Hopefully, people will pick up on the fact that when we take them to the sales they are there to be sold.

“We want them to go to good trainers, we want them to end up like Public Sector with a trainer such as Chad Brown. If we can get Mike Ryan back down to look at a few more again this year, then, amazing!

“Book 1 is where we want to be, we want to breed good Group-winning horses. We kind of feel like we’ve failed when we don’t, but it’s a hard game and every year teaches you how hard it really is.”

Holiday time: the Ribchester filly out of Allumage (Lot 1852) and the American Pharoah filly out Tiburtina (Lot 315) enjoying their time on the farm in May

THE FARM is due to offer two fillies in Book 1 – Lot 315 by American Pharoah out of Tiburtina, and a Kingman out of Polly’s Mark (Lot 215). The daughter of Mark Of Esteem has been the most successful mare for the farm in the sale ring – her 2013 Montjeu colt fetched 650,000gns and her 2014 Dubawi filly was bought by John Ferguson for 700,000gns. She has had three runners, one stakes performer and all have been highly rated.

“They have all done enough, they’ve all won they’re all decent ratings, we’re still confident in Polly’s family. Her Kingman is very much the same as what she’s been giving us – a strong athletic good mover,” reports Anstock.

“The American Pharoah filly is very strong. She’s grown since she came back from the America in the spring, she’s very strong with big shoulder and muscular.

“She is out of Tiburtina, whom we couldn’t sell as a yearling in Book 2 so we kept her, raced her and she won a Listed race at two.” Anstock would like to prep for outside owners, but wants to ensure that the quality is not diluted, he wants to maintain the Book 1 focus and for Clearwater to be known as stud that sells.

“When we set out with Clearwater, we thought the best thing was to get them sold to good people,” he explains.

“Hopefully, people will pick up on the fact that when we take them to the sales they are there to be sold.

“We want them to go to good trainers, we want them to end up like Public Sector with a trainer such as Chad Brown. If we can get Mike Ryan back down to look at a few more again this year, then, amazing!

“Book 1 is where we want to be, we want to breed good Group-winning horses. We kind of feel like we’ve failed when we don’t, but it’s a hard game and every year teaches you how hard it really is.”