EAMONA Bloodstock is registered to the Coakley family near my old stomping ground of Mallow in Co Cork, and they bred the hugely progressive Sarahs Lawn (Yeats), winner of the Listed Mucklemeg Mares Bumper at Gowran Park. The four-year-old, who was unsold as a foal for €6,500, later found her way into the ownership of Jenny Walsh, to be trained by her husband Benny.

After a promising debut between the flags at Borris House in March, Sarahs Lawn was back out eight weeks later and won a mares maiden comfortably at Lisronagh. She was entered for sale at the Goffs UK Spring Sale in May but was withdrawn. When she next appeared in public Sarahs Lawn was sporting the silks of the For The Love Of It Syndicate, trained and ridden by Declan Queally.

This was at Galway, and in what was a highly-competitive 18-runner mares bumper, Sarahs Lawn floored the Willie Mullins-trained favourite, and stamped herself as a mare to keep an eye on. With a break of just over eight weeks, she was back on track for the listed bumper, sent off favourite, and won as she wished, again with a Mullins runner in arrears.

Afterwards, Queally commented: “Benny Walsh recommended her so highly. He’s a very good producer. I’d say she’ll go for another bumper; she’s only four and she’s small. We’ll be aiming towards the spring festivals.”

Being a daughter of Yeats (Sadler’s Wells) might suggest that Sarahs Lawn has a National Hunt dam line, but she is actually out of the unraced Sea The Six, a daughter of no less a great than Sea The Stars (Cape Cross). Her dam’s family is more likely to be found among the bluebloods in major flat sales. Indeed, Sea The Six’s listed-winning half-sister Moon De Vega (Lope De Vega) was unsold at €678,000 in 2023, while a yearling out of their dam Lunesque (Azamour) was in Book 1 of the Tattersalls Yearling Sale this week.

Sarahs Lawn may be small, but she is a first foal. Her performances to date will have given heart to a couple of people who purchased her younger siblings in recent times. Sea The Six’s three-year-old Maxios (Monsun) gelding was bought as a foal by Weir View Stud (Edmond Ryan senior and junior) for €13,000, and resold in June at the Derby Sale for €70,000 to Ross Doyle and Jonathan Fogarty. Following him are two offspring by Diamond Boy (Mansonnien).

Real value

The two-year-old Diamond Boy filly was unsold when she went for sale, but the yearling was bought last year by Kevin Ross for €16,000 at Goffs. He is looking value now, while the Coakleys welcomed on this ground this spring a filly foal by Luxembourg (Camelot), a member of the sire’s first crop. Her pedigree will read very well if she is offered for sale later this year.

There is no lack of blacktype flat winners, up to and including Group 1, in this female line, but there are more than a few who have achieved their best results over jumps, principally in France but also outside their native country. Closest to Sarahs Lawn is the Italian winner Wrestler (Azamour), bred on similar lines to Lunesque, and he won the Grade 1 Gran Criterium d’Autunno Forst Hurdle at Merano.

Under Sarahs Lawn’s fourth dam you will find the two-time Grade 1 Gran Premio Merano Chase winner Speed Emile (Estejo), the Grade A Fairyhouse hurdle winner Merlin Giant (Camelot), and French Grade 3 hurdle winner Gallipoli (Gleneagles). Eamona Bloodstock made a sound investment when they gave €11,000 for Sea The Six at Goffs, and especially when you consider that she was once catalogued for sale in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Ascot Gold Cup

It is hard to believe that Yeats has just completed his 17th season at stud, following a 26-race career that saw him win on 15 occasions, making the Group 1 Gold Cup his own with four wins in one of the highlights at Royal Ascot. He won in each of the seven seasons he raced, from two to eight.

Yeats has enjoyed success as a National Hunt sire, his flat runners are headed by Group 2 Lonsdale Cup winner Montaly, while his US stakes winner Frenzified was placed in a Grade 1 there, His winners include 95 progeny who earned some form of blacktype, primarily under National Hunt rules.

When it comes to the best runners by Yeats, there are a number who lay claim to being considered. It is a close-run race, with the Grade 1 Irish Gold Cup winner Conflated rated just a pound better than the Grade 3 Randox Aintree Grand National hero Noble Yeats. His most prolific Grade 1 winner is Flooring Porter, the best hurdler sired by Yeats. He won the Grade 1 Stayers’ at Cheltenham twice and was runner-up too in the same race.

Other dual Grade 1 winners by Yeats are Figuero in France, winning one each over hurdles and fences, and a pair of exceptional novice chasers in Chantry House and what is his best daughter, Shattered Love. We cannot forget also his two-time Galway Hurdle winner Tudor City. Is Sarahs Lawn up to rising to these heights? Time will tell.