WHEN the Longines World Rankings were revealed earlier this week, I was shocked that Romantic Warrior did not top the list. A seven-time Group 1 winner at his local Sha Tin, the Danny Shum-trained bay became the first Hong Kong-trained horse to land the Cox Plate and later captured the Yasuda Kinen in Japan.

An unprecedented third win in the Hong Kong Cup brought his earnings past the historic high set by Golden Sixty, after which his rider James McDonald quipped: “He’s the best, forget the rest.” The son of Acclamation brought his winning run to eight in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta yesterday, in what looked a hugely impressive performance that was overshadowed by the fatal injury suffered by Measured Time.

A few days earlier, I had the pleasure of speaking to father and son James and David Egan of Corduff Stud, who bred Romantic Warrior in partnership with “lifelong friend” Timothy Rooney. When preparing to interview the pair, I was struck by the lack of information online about Corduff Stud, so perhaps they too have often flown under the public’s radar to a degree, while being held in great respect by the industry itself.

When I put this to David and James, the former responds: “We wouldn’t be great at doing interviews – we would be quite shy, naturally.” His father adds: “We’re not big advertisers; we’ve kind of let the horses do the talking.”

Start as you mean to go on

“It will be true to say we have had our share of good horses off this farm over the years,” Egan Senior continues. “You forget about them. We bought the farm in July ‘76 and the place was mostly in tillage, and where it wasn’t in tillage, there was barbed wire fencing.

The farm James refers to is their current base, a 230-acre farm outside Prosperous, Co Kildare, purchased after their previous farm was sold to what is now Weston Airport. James’s parents began the breeding operation in the late 1940s in the Dublin suburb which gave the stud its name, before the land was sold for housing.

David explains: “This farm has really always been farmed by my dad and my mother and Eamon Connolly, who’s worked here his whole life, since before my parents bought the farm.”

“Joe Campbell, who is now dead, was another exceptional horseman here,” James adds, as David continues: “The farm between Lucan and Celbridge was farmed by Dad, his brother Paul and his sister Bridget, who are both now retired.”

On the current farm, James recalls: “The first two horses I bought were barren mares in Goffs. One cost 600 and the other one cost 1000, which was pushing out the boat a bit, but she was a good-looking yoke. She bred some sales horses and she did breed a stakes winner.

“The other one, we got a colt foal out of the following year, which was Horage (bred in partnership with the late John Hughes). He won the Coventry, the Gimcrack and the July Stakes. The following year he won the James’s Palace at Ascot, beating by a head another horse we bred called Tolomeo.”

It was one of three near-misses by Tolomeo as a three-year-old, having flown home for runner-up honours in the 2000 Guineas, taken third in a blanket finish in the Eclipse Stakes and finished second in the Sussex Stakes.

Golden Apples

The Corduff-bred bay got his moment in the spotlight that August when winning what was then the world’s richest race, the Arlington Million. He became the first European horse to win the race, much to the disappointment of 36,327 people who had shown up to see the eventual runner-up John Henry.

Horage hadn’t hit the headlines at the yearling sales, but his subsequent accomplishments made a major difference to Corduff Stud’s finances, James explains. “The most important bit was that the second mare’s foal made 104,000, and in 1978, or 1979, that was like getting a million quid.”

“I consider myself lucky on several accounts,” James reflects. “You know, we’ve got an awful lot of our share of good horses off this place.” When asked what the best horse was, James first points to a painting hanging nearby, of Golden Apples.

The first-crop daughter of Pivotal was bred by James in partnership with David Hanley, currently of Winstar Farm. Hanley trained the bay to win her maiden impressively and finish third in the Group 2 Pretty Polly Stakes. The race was won by subsequent Group 1 winner Rebelline, who Egan and Hanley had pinhooked.

Subsequently sold Stateside, Golden Apples landed the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks for the late Ben Cecil on her US debut. She was crowned champion turf filly the following year after notching another two top-flight victories in the Beverly D Stakes and Yellow Ribbon Stakes.

On her origins, James recalls: “I remember we bought her dam (at Tattersalls for 13,000gns) carrying to Pivotal. The mother was as plain as the moose, but we liked Pivotal.” The filly she was carrying at the time was brought to Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, where she was bought in for 19,000gns. “William Muir x-rayed her stifles,” David reveals. He was probably disgusted when she went on to do what she did!”

His father continues: “She was an Eclipse Award winner in America, which takes some doing, but actually, she’s not been a successful broodmare. That family didn’t carry on, which is rare. They start from nothing, but they can stop too, just stop dead.”

Sales horses

As Golden Apples and Horage’s sales results proved, the promise the Egans saw in their dams isn’t always immediately apparent to the end user, and it remains true today. “It’s an enormously fashion-driven business,” James comments.

“A really good broodmare produces good racehorses, but to work at this end, she also has to produce sales horses. David Nagle, who’s a guy I have huge respect for, says it’s harder to breed a sales horse than a racehorse.”

Corduff Stud’s current flagbearer, Romantic Warrior, ticked both boxes, selling to Michael Kinane on behalf of the Hong Kong Jockey Club for 300,000gns sale at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. “He was a nice quality horse,” James recalls. “I was disgusted that Michael Kinane, who I would have heightened respect for, got the horse, only because we thought he was a nailed-down two-year-old.”

“The horse is incredibly sound and has some will to win, and I’ve never seen him run.” That could change though, as James and co-breeder Tim Rooney are hoping to visit Meydan if Romantic Warrior runs at the Dubai World Cup meeting, following his first start on dirt in the $20 million Saudi Cup.

The mention of Rooney brings James on an interesting segue. “His father Art Rooney was definitely a mathematical genius. But what he turned his attention to was he kept about 50 odd horses and training, and he said there were probably only three of them that were totally honest to have a substantial bet. This was back in the days of bookmakers in America and he made an absolute fortune out of betting on horses, out of which he bought the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

Back to Romantic Warrior, and what James makes of his connections’ ambitious plans. “It’s asking a lot for him. Now, it’s not as severe as American dirt, and this horse has shown an adaptability on all kinds of ground; he’s run on rock hard ground and he’s run on soft ground, which is very rare stuff to encounter in Hong Kong.

“He’s also a Group 1 winner in Australia and in Tokyo (and now Dubai). He is without doubt the best horse we’ve ever bred, I’m sure of that. He’s won $20 million (before his Jebel Hatta win), so he is now the highest earner in the history of the thoroughbred, though he’s far from the highest rated.”

On that note, David adds: “He’s a bit unlucky in that he possibly doesn’t get some of the kudos he deserves. I mean, we think he’s very good, but, he’s kind of done most of his racing in that restricted bubble, in Hong Kong.”

Behind every great man

Unfortunately, James’s wife Mercedes is unable to travel to see their superstar race, and on the subject, James says: “If it was a question of sharing credit, this farm mightn’t be here without my wife.” Another woman is integral to Corduff Stud’s success, as David now runs the farm with his wife Henrietta. As James puts it: “It’s in good hands.”

Henrietta celebrated some notable wins last year when Post Impressionist, who she bred, landed the Old Borough Cup at York, before travelling down under, where he won a Group 3 at Rosehill. Henrietta also raced his half-sister Cabrera with Hot To Trot Racing last season, the Phoenix Of Spain filly rising to a rating of 90 for Ed Bethell.

Post Impressionist himself sold for 260,000gns as a yearling – surprising given the market’s usual disdain for National Hunt form, as his dam won a maiden hurdle, as well as placing in multiple stakes races on the flat. Some of that blacktype came in the colours of Henrietta, who bought her in training for 43,000gns and sent her to Henry de Bromhead.

“Henry was an old schoolmate of mine and we were kind of doing it for fun,” David explains, while his father adds: “Henrietta follows her instincts and for fun, and she doesn’t do a bad job.”

While discussing the farm’s success, I mention Arcano, who completed an unbeaten juvenile campaign when winning the Prix Morny. He disappointed after that, both as a three-year-old and sire, as James notes: “He was just a very good two year old, and he didn’t grow and he didn’t train on but he actually will leave a little bit of a mark as a broodmare sire.”

David adds: “We have quite a few his sisters, and it kind of remains to be seen if they’re successful, as they’re all kind of at the point of gathering runners.” That said, Arcano’s half-sister Toquette has already produced two stakes winners.

The Egans are also looking forward to Romantic Warrior’s two-year-old half-brother by New Bay, who is in training with Ralph Beckett. The colt sold for 450,000gns to Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown, who had bought their dam on behalf of Corduff Stud at the Goffs November Sale for €82,000.

“She was very Street Cry,” David muses, with James adding: “Street Cry for me, was a super racehorse and is an overlooked sire of broodmares.” Folk Melody is due to foal a Havana Grey filly this spring, before visiting Too Darn Hot.

Romantic Warrior’s own sire, Acclamation, retired last year and passed away a few months later. It marked the end of an era for Corduff Stud, as James explains: “He did an awful lot for me. Now, this (Romantic Warrior) is by far the best by him, but we’ve bred some pretty nice horses by him.”

The family were shareholders in the Rathbarry Stud sire, but he always represented excellent value for breeders, his fee never exceeding €40,000. Is there another stallion the Egans rate as good value?

“It’s hard to see the value anymore,” David comments. “It’s all so sire-driven and the prices are reflecting that. The ones that you want to use are all priced accordingly.” His father adds: “If you’re paying, 250, or 300 grand for a sire, you’re pushing a rock up a hill, because you have to get a superb individual.” Of the more expensive sires they’re using in 2025, David says “We’re using Blue Point, because he looks the real deal, and we’re using New Bay – we’re fans of him.”

He remains positive despite increasing costs and fees though, saying: “What’s nice is that this is a simple farm, we’re just simple people, so it’s nice to have bred a horse like Romantic Warrior.” James is similarly upbeat, saying: “That’s what Ireland is so good at.” Gesturing around him, he adds: “I mean, the horses are what’s made all this possible.”