Alan kept busy adding to the Flat team at Newmarket’s Breeze-Up Sale

April 17

Alan. aided by Anthony Bromley’s Highflyer Bloodstock team, was busy at the Breeze-Up Sale at Newmarket’s Craven meeting this week, acquiring three two-year-old colts to boost Barbury’s growing Flat race squad.

Top price was the 280,000gns he paid for a Too Darn Hot colt, who can boast some smart performers on the distaff side of his pedigree, including Seal of Approval, who won the G1 Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day 2013.

The dam, Fly, also produced that classy stayer Sweet William, who proved a real money-spinner for John Gosden and Philippa Cooper, winning the Doncaster Cup as well as chasing home Kyprios in the Goodwood Cup.

Sadly, Too Darn Hot had a truncated racing career, which lasted less than a year, yet he ran nine times during that period and won six races, including three carrying G1 status.

Arguably, his finest performance was when beating older horse in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, but less than a week after that victory Too Darn Hot sustained a hairline fracture to his right hind cannon bone, which was to end his career.

Besides being responsible for the multiple G1 winning Australian colt Broadsiding, Too Darn Hot produced a crackerjack in Britain in Karl Burke’s Fallen Angel, who won the Moyglare Stakes at two and proved even better in her second season, winning the Irish 1000 Guineas. Fingers crossed we will hear a lot more about Alan’s Too Darn Hot capture in the coming months.

Sandwiched either side of this purchase, Alan bought a Sioux Nation colt for 80,000gns and a son of New Bay for 65,000gns. The dam of the first one has produced seven winners from nine runners, including Thomas Edison, who was a smart horse over jumps in Ireland, winning the Galway Hurdle in 2014, while Miss Frankel, the dam of the final buy, won three races in South Africa.