Collateral form lines suggest Tappan Street must be one of the best three-year-old colts in the US. The son of Into Mischief was a decisive winner of the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in March, beating Sovereignty into second. The runner up has since gone on to notch his own impressive victories in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

Tappan Street hasn’t been able to confirm his greatness, though, as he has been sidelined due to a condylar fracture to his right front leg sustained in the build-up to the Kentucky Derby in April. He is reportedly recovering well at WinStar Farm, which jointly owns him with China Horse Club and Cold Press Racing, and could be back later this year.

The sleeping giant was bred by the Corndorf family’s boutique Blue Heaven Farm in Kentucky but has a strong connection with Europe, as he was sold by Irish native Archie St George and wife Michelle to his owners for $1 million at the exclusive Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale.

“It’s been kind of bittersweet seeing Sovereignty do what he’s done this season, as Tappan Street had the measure of him in the Florida Derby,” says Archie St George. “But look, Sovereignty has obviously improved and is a brilliant horse, so who knows whether our horse would beat him again?

I’m delighted for the owners as they put a lot of money into our game,

“Fingers crossed we see more of him, and that he returns in the same form. There could be more to come, Archie St George: vendor of Tappan Street as he’s lightly raced. Either way, he’s proved he’s top-class and that’s what you want when you sell a million-dollar horse. I’m delighted for the owners as they put a lot of money into our game, and they really deserve success, so it’s wonderful to see them get it.”

St George is also full of praise for Tappan Street’s breeders, who produced the colt out of Virginia Key, a dual-winning and Grade 2-placed Distorted Humor half-sister to Grade 1 Del Mar  Debutante Stakes heroine Grace Adler.

“I’m thrilled for Adam Corndorf and his family and team,” he says. “We wouldn’t have this claim to fame without them. We actually only prepped and sold Tappan Street as they had a fire in the yard and lost a barn that year.

“We were delighted to help out and glad that everything ended well. It’s been such a big thrill, as Adam is a good friend, his daughter is in the same class as our daughter, and we’ve been fortunate enough to work with him for five or six years now.”

Tappan Street is one of six seven figure yearlings sold by St George Sales since the operation was launched in 2011. Many of the other millionaires were high-rolling pinhooks made with partners, including St George’s childhood friend Roger O’Callaghan of Tally-Ho Stud in County Westmeath.

The Keeneland September Yearling Sale of 2023 was a particularly memorable one for the St Georges and their fellow investors, as it was the scene of two colts who made enormous profits: an Into Mischief half-brother to stakes performers Lady Kate, Prince Of Arabia and Princess Theorem bought for $550,000 and resold to Coolmore for $1.8 million, and a son of Not This Time and the  Exchange Rate mare Foreign Affair bought for $375,000 and resold to West Point Thoroughbreds and Talla Racing for $1.05m.

We’re lucky to have Roger and the O’Callaghan family as partners

The son of Into Mischief was named Bernard Shaw and placed with Aidan O’Brien, and won a Dundalk maiden by nine lengths and finished third in both the Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown and Star Appeal Stakes back at Dundalk.

St George Sales maintained momentum with its trades at Keeneland September last year, selling a Not This Time colt out of the stakes-winning Indian Charlie mare Believe In Charlie to SF  Bloodstock, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables for $1.15m, having sourced him as a foal for $240,000.

“We do put down quite a bit of money on foals, but it’s been built up gradually over the years,” says St George. “Roger and I went to Headfort School in County Meath together and we’ve been  friends since, he’s godfather to our daughter. We’re lucky to have him and the O’Callaghan family as partners, as their record of success speaks for itself and, just as importantly, they get it. They  know the industry inside-out.

“They know you have to take the rough with the smooth in this game. They understand what can go right and what can go wrong. So when things do go well we really value it, and when things go badly we regroup and move on.”

This year’s St George Sales pinhooks – often signed for under the name Brookstone Farm, the home of the St Georges’ operation located on a part of the historic Overbrook Farm near Lexington – include a son of blue-chip sire Quality Road and Ashland Stakes dead-heater Rosalind bought for $425,000. He is bound for Keeneland September.

“He was an expensive horse but we really liked him,” says St George. “He’s by a good sire and out of a good mare, and he has the power and size you would expect from Quality Road and Broken Vow.”

Flightline had it all

St George Sales has a draft of around 65 yearlings this season, also including an “exciting” Vekoma half sister to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Valiant Force and a first crop Flightline colt out of German-bred Beverly D Stakes scorer Dalika, both being offered on behalf of the farm’s loyal clients Bryant and Joan Prentice. The debut lots by unbeaten world champion Flightline should light a fire under the yearling sales in Kentucky this year, and St George has a fascinating insight into them.

“Flightline had it all – race record, pedigree, physique – and really captured everybody’s imagination, so there will be a big buzz about those yearlings,” he says. “He hasn’t necessarily stamped his stock, though. The ones I’ve seen are a variety of sizes and colours, but the one thing I’ve noticed about all of them is that each and every one has an excellent mind, just like their father.

“They’re also strong like Flightline, but there’s a lot of the dams about them. Then again, considering he has covered the best mares in America, Brookstone Farm sits on a parcel of land on the historic Overbrook Farm it might not be the worst thing in the world if the progeny throw to their dams. The same was said about Frankel in the early days and look what happened: he turned out to be the best sire in the world.”

St George Sales got the North American yearling sales season off to a solid start, selling a Practical Joke filly to Justin Casse for $250,000 and a Corniche colt bound for Wesley Ward for $200,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale.

“There was plenty of activity and a lot of buyers around, so it’s encouraging for the rest of the year,” says St George. “Saratoga will test the market, though.”

He adds that the increasing internationalisation of racing is cause for optimism in the North American market.

“The world has become a much smaller place,” he says. “Europeans have had a lot of success with yearlings bought in Kentucky, especially the breeze-up trainers. There was a bit of a lull ten or so years ago. Maybe medication issues scared some people away, but that’s been tackled now, or maybe it was a period in which our sires didn’t fit European racing. That’s just the way it is sometimes.

sales in Kentucky become more global than ever, and that can only be a good thing.

“But then we had War Front and Scat Daddy come along. It took a little while for Scat Daddy to get recognition, but when he did it was a massive lift for the industry. Now we have Scat Daddy’s son Justify, who looks like having a big influence on the breeding world. There’s also been the mainstays like Hard Spun and Speightstown.

“The Breeders’ Cup meeting is truly international, with a race for every category of horse, and Aidan O’Brien clearly badly wants to win the Classic. Similarly, the Japanese are bringing some serious horses over for the Kentucky Derby now.

“On the other side, Americans are desperate to win at Royal Ascot, with Wesley Ward having blazed a trail and encouraged others to follow his lead. It’s all helped sales in Kentucky become more global than ever, and that can only be a good thing.”

The man who preaches the virtue of international competition in Flat racing from his base in Kentucky was actually born into a National Hunt background in County Kilkenny.

“My parents bred jumps horses and I was riding almost before I could walk,” recalls St George. “I had aspirations of being a jump jockey when I was a kid. I’d like to say the reason it didn’t happen was because I grew too much, but the truth is that I just didn’t have the talent.”

I was extremely fortunate to be able to go around with one of the best judges of foals in the world

He climbed the career ladder thanks to some helping hands.

“I was lucky enough to work for Edward O’Grady and Flash Conroy in my teens and early 20s, and that gave me a great foundation,” he continues. “I still look to them as mentors. Edward gave me a valuable insight into a racing yard and Flash taught me what to look for at the foal and yearling sales.

“I spent ten years with Flash, and count myself extremely fortunate to be able to go around with one of the best judges of foals in the world. He was even kind enough to lend me money to invest in a few pinhooks with him, and we managed to sell the Railway Stakes winner Formosina and make a nice bit of money on him.

“Flash did all the work, of course! He picked him out, but he let me be involved and have some of the glory. That’s how kind he is, and I’m proud to say we’re still good friends.”

St George was given an early introduction to the American bloodstock scene when he spent a couple of summers working for powerhouse consignors Eaton Sales on the recommendation of the late Lady Vivienne Lillingston, his godmother, and her son Luke, the renowned bloodstock agent.

“I ended up working for Eaton Sales for ten years,” he says. “They were one of the largest consignors in town back then, so I saw everything from $5 million yearlings to $1,000 yearlings, which was useful for my education.

“Tom VanMeter was helping to run Eaton Sales at the time and he was very good to me. I look upon him like my American father. I also got to meet some of the most skilled and powerful players in the world. The experience I gained and the connections I made there were amazing. They set me up for life. St George Sales will present a draft of around 65 yearlings at this year’s auctions

“It was meant to be two years in America but I’m still here 25 years later.”

However, the most important person St George was introduced to in Kentucky was undoubtedly his wife Michelle, who grew up in Pennsylvania and spent six years with Gainesway before joining Eaton Sales as a farm manager.

“We met in 2008, went out on our own with St George Sales three years later and bought Brookstone Farm five years after that,” says St George. “We do everything together, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything without her.

“She’s absolutely the key to the operation. They say behind every great man there’s a great woman, and while I wouldn’t necessarily call myself great I would definitely say that I have a great woman behind me.”

The winning relationship has built strong relationships with leading breeders and buyers and become renowned for presenting beautifully turned out yearlings in that relatively short space of time.  Tappan Street won’t be the last Grade 1 winner to emerge from their St George Sales consignments

 

CROSSING THE DIVIDE
Five Kentucky stallions making an international name for themselves.
JUSTIFY

2015 Scat Daddy – Stage Magic (Ghostzapper)
Stands at Ashford Stud.
2025 fee: $250,000
Justify needs little introduction as the 2018 North American Triple Crown winner who provided Coolmore with City Of Troy, writes Nancy Sexton.

City Of Troy, the 2023 champion two-year-old who added the Derby, Eclipse Stakes and Juddmonte International at three, was the standout performer of Justify’s second crop, a group that also  included Coolmore’s top-flight filly Opera Singer. They represent the fruition of unrelenting support by Coolmore, who has sent Justify numerous high-performing Galileo mares. Yet it isn’t all about Coolmore since his third crop is headed by this year’s 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling Court, bred by Nursery Place Farm and campaigned by Godolphin.

Justify’s first three crops are so far responsible for eight Group or Grade 1 winners, six on turf and two on dirt.

 

NOT THIS TIME

2014 Giant’s Causeway – Miss Macy Sue (Trippi)
Stands at Taylor Made Farm.
2025 fee: $175,000
One of the most impressive aspects to Not This Time is his ability to upgrade mares, borne out by the fact that 39 of his stakes winners were bred off fees no higher than $15,000. There has since been a glimpse of what he is capable of via his first $40,000 fee, the source of 11 stakes winners – and counting – including last year’s Norfolk Stakes winner Shareholder.

Along the way, there has been seven Grade 1 winners ranging from top three-year-old Epicenter to the exceptional turf sprinter Cogburn, who holds the world record of 59.08 seconds for 5.5f, and champion turf male Up To The Mark, whose Grade 1 wins were achieved from a mile to 1m2f. Turf or dirt, short or long – it doesn’t matter when it comes to Not This Time and it will be fascinating to see what he can achieve once his first six figures kick in.

 

KARAKONTIE

2011 Bernstein – Sun Is Up (Sunday Silence)
Stands at Gainesway Farm.
2025 fee: $15,000
Karakontie possesses one of the standouts of 2025 in top turf filly She Feels Pretty, who recently supplemented her resume by winning the New York Stakes at Saratoga, her fourth win at Grade 1 level.

That filly’s achievements alone would make his current fee of $15,000 a value play but she is one of 22 stakes winners overall for the stallion.

Niarchos homebred Karakontie, a relation to Miesque, plied his trade in France, where he won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains. In keeping with that profile, he has gone on to enjoy his share of success as a stallion in Europe, notably as the sire of stakes winners Kenzai Warrior and Cigamia.

Gainesway is also home to another top turf miler in Raging Bull, a three time Grade 1-winning son of Dark Angel who is already off the mark with his first two-year-olds.

 

OSCAR PERFORMANCE

2014 Kitten’s Joy – Devine Actress (Theatrical)
Stands at Mill Ridge Farm.
2025 fee: $45,000
The heir apparent to Kitten’s Joy, Oscar Performance has swiftly become a consistent source of turf class in the US, his first two crops highlighted by the Grade 1 Belmont Derby winner Trikari alongside Grade 2 scorers Andthewinneris and Red Carpet Ready.

He’s a fair source of juvenile talent – second-crop representative Endlessly was a dual Grade 3 winner at two – but it’s also notable how well a number of his better horses take their racing. They include Trikari, Red Carpet Ready and Grade 3 winner Tumbarumba (a veteran of 22 starts), whose consistency have seen them put together records of five wins apiece.

The Kitten’s Joy sire line has long been associated with turf but before anyone pigeon holes Oscar Performance as such, it should be pointed out that he is also capable of throwing a high-class dirt horse, Red Carpet Ready being a case in point.

From an European perspective, it’s also worth bearing in mind that this four-time Grade 1 winner raced Lasix free throughout his own championship racing career.

 

VEKOMA

2016 Candy Ride – Mona De Momma (Speightstown)
Stands at Spendthrift Farm.
2025 fee: $35,000
Barely does a day go by when Vekoma, the 2020 Grade 1 Carter Handicap hero, isn’t represented by a winner. He is the dominant leader when it comes to the second-crop stallions, his prize-money total of approximately $6.5 million for the year enough to push him within the top 12 US stallions overall. That’s quite an achievement considering that Vekoma is still working with only  two crops bred off no higher than $20,000.

All told, that first crop of runners has so far yielded 12 stakes winners led by the Saudi Derby hero Golden Vekoma and Grade 2-winning filly Five G. The bulk of them have come on dirt but in keeping with the record compiled by Candy Ride, he is also capable of producing a talented turf runner, the Grade 1-placed Vixen being a case in point.

Vekoma stood for a career-high of $35,000 this season but by all accounts was in such demand that several breeders were happy to pay more just to gain access.

Young guns….

Champion Flightline leads the way among a particularly deep group of American first-crop sires. Never challenged in six victories, four at Grade 1 level, Flightline duly covered an exceptional first book of mares at a first-year fee of $200,000 at Lane’s End Farm. Three of the resulting first crop were offered at last month’s JRHA Select Sale in Japan; led by a colt out Grade 2 winner  Selflessly, who sold for 190,000,000yen (£960,000), they realised an average of £794,000.

Four-time Grade 1 winner Life Is Good was also well supported in his first season at $100,000 at WinStar Farm while Coolmore’s Grade 1-winning quartet of Corniche, Epicenter, Golden Pal and Jack Christopher are others to boast deep representation at the upcoming yearling sales. Golden Pal as a brilliantly quick turf sprinter possesses some of the attributes to appeal to Europe,  particularly the pinhooking community.

Early Voting, the 2022 Preakness Stakes winner, was another to start his stud career at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud. As one of the first sons of Gun Runner to stud, he was a popular recruit before fertility problems prompted his removal from service. However, following a course of revolutionary treatment, he was returned to stud and now stands under the management of Taylor Made Stallions.

Darley offers a pair of Grade 1 winners in Mystic Guide and Speaker’s Corner while Juddmonte is home to Mandaloun, a homebred son of Into Mischief who was awarded the 2021 Kentucky Derby.

Of the other Grade 1 winners with first yearlings on offer, it wouldn’t be a surprise to European buyers return home with yearlings by either Olympiad or Aloha West. Gainesway Farm’s Olympiad, the Jockey Club Gold Cup winner, is a son of Speightstown, a stallion who has enjoyed plenty of success in Europe, while Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Aloha West, who stands at Mill Ridge Farm, is by another internationally versatile sire in Hard Spun.