WHILE resources without talent and endeavour will not produce consistent success in the thoroughbred industry, it is very difficult to make an impact without the numbers. Crucially though, aptitude allied with a sound work ethic gives you a chance, particularly if Dame Fortune lends her patronage.

Still, a private stud with 12 broodmares should not have two Group 1-winning sprinters born in the same week. And though the facts tell you Paul and Marie McCartan of Ballyphilip Stud in Banogue, Co Limerick have done so, it remains hard to believe.

This is too volatile a pursuit. You plan, you scheme, you make very calculated decisions when it comes to choosing a stallion. The vast majority of foals born aren’t good enough even to race. Of those that do, many are hampered by a lack of ability, temperament or physical soundness.

Battaash and Harry Angel did not just make it to the track, they are the leading sprinters of their generation. It is fortunate that they are at their best over five and six furlongs respectively and thus don’t have to take each other on. They have registered 11 wins between them and accumulated almost £1.4m in prizemoney, with a significant chunk of their four-year-old campaigns ahead.

Ten of those successes have come in stakes races, nine of those in group contests. Harry Angel was the first to enter the Group 1 club when claiming the July Cup at Newmarket 12 months ago. He doubled his tally subsequently when trouncing a quality field in the Sprint Cup at Haydock.

Battaash as a yearling

Battaash joined his old paddock buddy in exalted company by adding his name to the Prix de l’Abbaye roll of honour last October. Hamdan Al Maktoum’s gelding returned this term with victory in the Group 2 Temple Stakes although had to make do with the runners-up slot in the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot. He now has Goodwood, York and a return to his native sod at the Curragh on Irish Champions Weekend in his sights over the coming months.

Harry Angel made his seasonal bow in eye-catching fashion when garnering the Group 2 Duke Of York Stakes in May but got very agitated in the stalls prior to the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, broke very slowly and ran no race. It emerged that he had injured himself and was on the easy list for a while but Clive Cox has reported the Godolphin colt to be back in work. Bagging victory in the Sprint Cup once more is the long-term aim.

“Battaash and Harry Angel were the first Dark Angels we bred ourselves on the farm,” says Paul. “They were born within a couple of days of each other and so were reared together and weaned together. You couldn’t ask for two nicer colts, both bay with great limbs.

“Harry had a gorgeous head and outlook and Battaash, when he moved, you couldn’t take your eyes off him. We always believed they both had the potential to be good but you never really know until you see them on the racecourse.”

Harry Angel as a yearling

BREEDER OF THE YEAR

Given those feats, not too many eyelids batted when CBS Bloodstock (the banner under which Ballyphilip Stud trades) was named Connolly’s Red Mills/The Irish Field Flat Breeder of the Year. CBS was named after sons Charlie, Ben and Sonny, though it remains to be seen if subsequent arrival Archie will demand a rebrand. It is heartwarming to see how much the McCartans cherish the recognition.

“When we won Flat Breeder of the Year we felt it was a huge honour and we felt a huge gratitude to the sponsors, Leo Powell and everyone at The Irish Field, as well as the Connolly Family of Red Mills. It was when we saw the list of previous winners that it really struck us what a great achievement it was for the farm.”

The couple have both travelled quite a winding road to the juncture where they are breeding champions. Paul and his brothers, who include successful breeze-up operator Jim of Gaybrook Lodge, grew up around Ballymahon, Co Longford. They quickly gravitated towards the local Finn family.

“They were and still are great horsemen. They kept stallions and mares, broke horses, trained point-to-pointers, showed horses and ponies and bought and sold. It was a great environment for us to learn and we all lapped it up.

“My father also kept a couple of National Hunt mares and bred a Royal Buck gelding named Senator Buck who held the National Hunt store record in the late ‘70s.”

Marie was also immersed in horses from an early age. She grew up on a dairy farm and there were always point-to-pointers around. Her brothers Eugene (trainer) and William (jockey) famously teamed up to win a thrilling Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham with Lovely Citizen in 1991.

“We gained a lot of experience working for others in the industry, always trying to learn from the best people, me with Juddmonte farm in England and Kentucky, Ardsley Stud in New Zealand, Corduff, Mount Coote, Rathbarry and Croom House in Ireland, while Marie worked for Hagyard Davidson McGee Equine Hospital in Kentucky as well as at Gerry Dilger’s Dromoland Farm, Brian Meehan’s in England and Rathbarry and Roundhill Studs in Ireland. It all stood to us when we set up on our own.”

Marie was a steady hand on the tiller as the McCartans bought what is now Ballyphilip Stud in 2000, the year they got married, while Paul continued at nearby Croom House until the farm was ready for its new purpose.

EARLY SUCCESS

Xtension proved their first major success, the son of Xaar and the Grand Lodge dam Great Joy (Harry Angel’s grandam, who is now being spoiled in retirement at Ballyphilip) becoming a dual Group 1 winner in Hong Kong for John Moore in 2011 and 2012, having previously bagged a Group 2 in Goodwood under the tutelage of the aforementioned Cox. Appropriately, given that it was where Paul and Marie met. Xtension stood his first season at Rathbarry Stud in 2015.

Tiggy Wiggy followed as a top-flight proponent of the Ballyphilip school, dashing to victory over the Edward Lynam-trained Anthem Alexander in the Cheveley Park in 2014. When accepting the Flat Breeder of the Year award last week, McCartan recalled telling his children to soak in the glow of that occasion, because they were unlikely to feel it again.

This was pragmatic advice but Paul and Marie have defied the odds and doubled down on previous triumphs with the production of the latest dashing duo. To what do they attribute their sustained run of success?

“Well we look after our horses very well and mate them as carefully as we can. But I believe the biggest factor in our success is the people who work for us. Denis Lawlor has a huge input and is just top-class in a wide variety of areas. James Dore, Keith Ryan and John Lyons are hugely dependable and Marie and I place great trust in them. To be honest, we also realise that we have had a huge slice of good luck. We know many people in similar operations as ourselves who do the job just as good or better and who haven’t had the luck we have had yet.”

Ballyphilip is a commercial operation and so the band of broodmares remains fluid. Results determine everything but if a good offer comes in, you don’t turn it down. So it is that homebred Beatrix Potter, Harry Angel’s dam was sold but if sentiment cannot get in the way of making a good business deal, it does play a role in terms of maintaining a desired influence.

“Beatrix Potter was bred here at Ballyphilip and is exceptionally good looking, as is her mother, Great Joy, who is enjoying her retirement here. We sold Beatrix last year to China Horse Club and I believe she produced a lovely Dark Angel filly this year, which is great. We have two of her half-sisters here, Goodnight And Joy, and Our Joy.

“We would love to continue this line as it has been so good to us. Beatrix Potter is a half-sister to Xtension, who was our first Group 1 winner, and another half-sister, A Huge Dream, produced Mrs Gallagher, who has won two listed races over five furlongs.

“I believe when you breed good horses over the years the buyers definitely are inclined to buy from you with greater confidence.”

Battaash’s dam, Anna Law, was purchased for 14,000 guineas as a two-year-old at Tattersalls in 2012. She is an example of the McCartan’s astute planning and forward thinking.

“She was from a great family which has been invigorated by the exploits of both Battaash and Tasleet. She was good looking and correct, deep and strong but still feminine. She has a gorgeous Gutaifan filly going to Book 1 in Tattersalls and an exceptional Dark Angel filly foal at foot, and is back in foal to Dark Angel.

“We keep a small band of mares as the farm is small and we don’t want to overpopulate it. We usually buy fillies and generally start them off with proven stallions as much as possible. Usually they are half-sisters to blacktype performers with an emphasis on speed and precocity. We like a lot of depth in the pedigree and if she won at two that would be the icing on the cake.

Harry Angel and Adam Kirby winning The 32Red Sprint Cup Stakes. Photo Healy Racing

“We tend to the more proven then unproven stallions but that’s hard to do all the time. Again, the emphasis is on speed and precocity. They have to be good looking and athletic. We used Kodiac and Dark Angel in the past with good success but their fees have gone up so you need a serious mare to justify that spend.

“Showcasing is another we have used a good bit and he looks like he is getting better and better. I think Camacho, Dandy Man and Starspangledbanner represent good value for money in terms of proven sires. No Nay Never looks like he is going in the right direction. We keep a good eye on the numbers. Unless a stallion is covering a good book of mares it is virtually impossible to make the breakthrough.”

SURVIVING IN THE MARKET

Pinhooking has proven a rewarding element of the operation too. Kodi Bear, Lady’s First and Coulsty are just some of the more successful charges they have traded to good effect. However, it is becoming more difficult. “The foal market is now the classic example of inflation we were given in school – too many customers chasing too few goods.”

At the core of their philosophy is the production of horses that get results on the track. Short term pays the bills but it is what happens on the track that will determine whether the buyers return. The McCartans have proven themselves in that regard but there are many challenges in what Paul considers an unstable market right now.

“We try to concentrate on breeding racehorses rather than topping the sales. If you can consistently produce good racehorses the prices will come. Of course you cannot ignore the market totally as you have to survive financially first and foremost.

“I don’t think you could describe the current market as healthy; there is definitely overproduction. The breeze up market this year was the toughest for a number of years and those guys are great to get stuck in and put a base to the yearling market when they have had a good year. Brexit will have its effect too as the money may still be there but the uncertainty will mean it won’t be flashed about. There will be some very good prices but only if you have the real deal.”

CBS Bloodstock will offer around 20 yearlings this year.

“The Goffs UK bunch are well into their prep now and are a nice even bunch. There is a Showcasing filly going there that looks a bit special at the moment.

“The sales preparation is a very busy time. We give them a 10-week prep with a combination of lunging, horse walker and hand-walking. They go out in paddocks every day, the colts individually and the fillies in groups of two or three. They get four feeds a day and plenty of hay. We never groom them at home; when they go to the sales it’s a good shampoo and hot towelling. It is a simple regime and they seem to thrive on the routine.”

The proof of the pudding is in the eating of course. Winning races is what attracts buyers and keeps them returning. Clive Cox is just one example, having enjoyed success with Xtension, Kodi Bear and Harry Angel among others. And there may be more to come.

“We really look forward to seeing the two-year olds run. Not many have been out yet because of the hard ground, we are particularly looking forward to seeing a nice Showcasing colt out of Starfly we sold at Fairyhouse last year (for a record €230,000) run for Clive Cox. He should be out soon hopefully.”

And then there are the two standard-bearers.

“We are very hopeful they will both get back to winning ways in the near future. They both have so much raw ability, neither got the rub of the green at Ascot, so hopefully next time they will.”

As Paul and Marie McCartan have already illustrated, class always shines through.