Broodmares

ANYTHINGFORLOVE (GB)

bay, 2015, by Black Sam Bellamy – La Perrotine, Northern Crystal

A big, strong half-sister to SIZING JOHN and Scholastica by Galileo’s full-brother, Black Sam Bellamy. Winner of her only two NH Flat races and of four hurdles, including the Grade 2 Jane Seymour Novices Hurdle at Sandown, also placed in six of her other seven races, including second in the Listed Unibet Mares Hurdle, also at Sandown. A 140-rated Elite Mare on account of her Grade 2 win, she has a highest RPR of 139. Her best runs all came on heavy ground, perhaps unsurprisingly for a daughter of Black Sam Bellamy and La Perrotine.

Progeny

Anythingforlove’s interestingly marked second foal, a non-grey colt by Logician

BATOUTAHELL (GB)

bay, 2012, by King’s Theatre – La Perrotine, Northern Crystal

Another good-looking half-sister to SIZING JOHN, ANYTHINGFORLOVE and Scholastica by the great NH sire King’s Theatre, who showed real promise in training before suffering an injury before she could race.

Progeny

Year	Foal	Sire	Sale	Details
2018	Bay colt	Telescope	€35,000	Twooutathree: Placed in a 4YO Maiden Point
2019	Bay colt	Telescope	€17,000	Heliascope: Unplaced
2020	Bay filly	Telescope	€24,000	Thunderinthesky: Placed in two 4YO Maiden Points
2021	Barren
2022	Bay filly	Postponed	£2,000	Phil Kirby
2023	Grey filly	Logician	€6,500	Richard Nolan
2024	Grey colt	Logician	Private	Ballincurrig House Stud
2025	Grey filly	Logician	Private	Pat O’Riordan
2026	Not In foal

CODED MESSAGE (GB)

2013, bay, Oscar – Ring Back, Bob Back

Another daughter of Ring Back purchased privately via her trainer Ben Case. A medium-sized, light-framed mare by a very good NH sire and broodmare sire, and half-sister to Midnight Jazz, Winner of two hurdle races, including the Class 2 Ladbroke Mares Hcp Hurdle by 10 lengths, beating four TBA Elite mares, and placed in 15 other races, including a third place in a Listed race and fourth in two Grade 2s. OR and RPR both reached 135.

Progeny

DEADRINGERFORLOVE (GB)

bay, 2014, by Black Sam Bellamy – La Perrotine, Northern Crystal

A big, scopey half-sister to SIZING JOHN and Scholastica, and full-sister to ANYTHINGFORLOVE, by a very good sire of NH runners who is full-brother to Galileo. Winner of a Novice Hurdle and with a career-best OR of 110.

Progeny

Year	Foal	Sire	Sale	Details
2021	Bay filly	Dartmouth	Retained	Livingonaprayer
2022	Bay colt	Postponed	€17,000	Ian Ferguson
2023	Not In Foal
2024	Bay colt	Crystal Ocean	€33,000	Niall Bleahen
2025	Grey colt	Logician	Died as a foal
2026	Not in foal

DOWN ACE (Ire)

2007, chestnut, by Generous – Full of Birds, Epervier Bleu

Has a TBA Elite Mares rating of 135 arising from her win in a Listed Mares Hurdle. Won under all NH disciplines, winning a Point-to-Point, 2 NH Flat races, 3 hurdles and a chase, and was placed 5 times. Purchased at Fairyhouse in foal to Beat Hollow, this being encouraged by her membership of the Full of Pep family from which spring Cheltenham Gold Cup winner LONG RUN, another of our mares J’Y VOLE, and a former mare Full Of Fruit.

Her dam won 2 hurdle races and over £50,000 and also produced Grade 2-winning chaser DO YOUR JOB (also a Grade 1-placed hurdler and twice Grade 2-placed chaser), Grade 3-winning hurdler HIGHLAND CHARGE, and Listed hurdles winner HUNTER’S YARN; along with 4-time winner Ballytober and dual hurdles winner Draytonian, all rated 130+.  

Down Ace’s early foals include the 4-time winning hurdler and winning novice chaser Brandy McQueen (by Yeats), with a highesr RPR of 121, and Minella Diamond (by Beat Hollow), who was an impressive winner of a NH Flat race at Killarney after placing in his first NH Flat run.

Eskdale Progeny

GRACEFUL LEGEND (GB)

bay, 2011, by Midnight Legend – Clover Green, Presenting

A 137 rated hurdler and 135 rated chaser who was winner of 5 hurdle races and two chases and placed 13 times, including a Grade 2 Mares Hurdle, for earnings of almost £75,000. Her sire is the great Midnight Legend and she is a half-sister to 140-rated hurdler and chaser Solstice Star, who won 8 races and placed second in a Grade 3 hurdle.

‘Gracie’ was purchased privately via her trainer Ben Case and was one of several of our mares whose attractions were enhanced by the identity of her sire. Her dam a daughter of the outstanding NH broodmare sire Presenting, is full-sister to Grade 2 Chase winner TURPIN GREEN, who also placed third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Progeny

INDIAN STREAM (GB)

2009, chestnut, by Generous – Zaffarimbi, Zaffaran

Rated 149 over fences after winning two Listed chases and 145 over hurdles following fourth places in successive David Nicholson Mares Hurdles (G1) at Cheltenham. Won 7 races in all, in a bumper, a hurdle and five chases, and placed another 9 times. Her earnings totalled over £80,000. Purchased privately from her owner, Gillian Davies.

By an outstanding racehorse, winner of the Derby, Irish Derby and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth S, from a half-sister to the Grade 1 placed hurdler Santabless, who herself was by Zaffaran, a good sire of staying chasers.  

Progeny

J’Y VOLE (FR)

2003, chestnut, by Mansonnien – J’y Reste by Freedom Cry

Kindly gifted to us by Paul Murphy. An outstanding racemare who was rated 161 after winning a Grade 1 Chase (beating subsequent 2 mile Champion Chase winner, Big Zeb) and placing in three others, also winning two Grade 2 chases and a Grade 3 hurdle for earnings of over £300,000. Her first three foals had been disappointing but a stallion would not be condemned on account of that number of foals – and neither should a mare! The Yeats foal she was carrying when she came to us, later named Banter At The Bar, began to make that particular case when he was an impressive winner of a 4YO Maiden Point-to-Point in Ireland, before being sold for what was rumoured to be over €300,000.

By a very successful French NH sire out of the dam of another Listed hurdle winner, JEANQUIRI (who subsequently produced Grade 3 winner and dual Grade 1-placed chaser LIFETIME AMBITION and Grade 3-placed chaser Life In The Park) and from a family that has produced Cheltenham Gold Cup winner LONG RUN and numerous other successful Jumps horses, including our own DOWN ACE. Another half-sister, Belle de Londres, produced the Grade 2 hurdles winner ILOVETHENIGHTLIFE.

Recent Progeny

Year	Foal	Sire	Sale	Details
2021	Bay colt	Dartmouth	Private	John Bleahen, resold as 3YO for €85,000
2022	Bay filly	Dartmouth	Retained	‘Madeforlovingyou’
2023	Bay filly	Dartmouth	€24,000	David Futter
2024	Not In foal
2025	Chestnut colt	Logician	TBA
2026	In foal	Logician		‘

Her big, rangy 2019 filly, Comeflywithme, was bred by Paul Murphy but purchased by us. As a daughter of the high-class stallion Westerner from a Grade 1 winner, she is now a broodmare with us.

COMEFLYWITHME (IRE)

bay, 2019 by Westerner, J’y Vole by Mansonnien

LA DOELENAISE (GB)

 bay, 2009, by King’s Theatre – La Perrotine, Northern Crystal

Owned in partnership with Shade Oak Stud. ‘Dolly’ is a strong, good-looking half-sister to SIZING JOHN, ANYTHINGFORLOVE and Scholastica, by the best NH sire of the past 30 years. Suffered an injury as a foal but recovered well enough to place twice over hurdles in France, earning over €20,000.

Recent Progeny

LIFEBOAT MONA (GB)

2010, bay, by Kayf Tara – Astar Love, Astarabad

A 144 rated hurdler who won 7 of her 11 races including a Listed Hurdle over 2½ miles in which she beat another of our mares, Midnight Jazz, and a Listed Mares NH Flat race. In all, she won a Point-to-Point, 2 NH Flat races and 4 hurdle races. She also placed third in a Listed Bumper after being knocked sideways by a loose horse, giving 10lb to the winner. Originally bred by Eskdale Thoroughbreds and sold as foal for only €600, she cost around 100 times more than this to buy back privately from Axom after her successful racing career.

By the multiple Champion British NH Sire Kayf Tara, she was the third and last foal from an unraced half-sister to the French Grade 1 Hurdles winner, GREAT LOVE, who also won two Grade 2 hurdles and placed in three further Grade 1s to win over €500,000.

Mona’s second foal, the 2019 gelding by Telescope, THIRTYFOUR THIRTY, became her first winner when running out a determined winner of his second NH Flat race at Worcester, after being narrowly beaten in his first. He was ridden by the man who purchased him from us as a 3YO, Sam Twiston-Davies.

Progeny

Year	Foal	Sire	Sale	Details
2018	Bay filly	Telescope	Private	Starship Mona: Unplaced on only start. Broodmare
2019	Bay colt	Telescope	Private	Thirtyfour Thirty: Winner of 1 NH Flat race, 1 Hurdle
2020	Bay colt	Telescope	€24,000	Poetic Glory: Placed 2nd in 1 NH Flat Race
2021	Bay colt	Telescope	€25,000	Hans Lippershey: Placed 2nd & 3rd in NHF races
2022	Bay colt	Nathaniel	€30,000	Jerry McGrath Bloodstock
2023	Grey filly	Logician	Retained
2024	Chestnut colt	Logician	€13,000	John O’Connor
2025	Rested
2026	In foal	Hurricane Lane

MIDNIGHT JAZZ (GB)

2010, bay, Midnight Legend – Ring Back, Bob Back

A very tough daughter of the great Midnight Legend, with a rating of 142 over hurdles, in which which she was placed six times in Black-Type races, including a head defeat by Vroum Vroum Mag in a Grade 2 contest. Won six races in all (one NH Flat race and five hurdles) and placed a further 10 times, earning over £70,000. Like her mother, Ring Back, she was purchased privately via her trainer Ben Case.

After a slightly unfortunate start to her stud career, with her second foal having to be rehomed after being injured and a spell of three failed pregnancies in four years, things are hopefully turning a corner for Jazz. Her Telescope colt foal sold to Coole Park Stables for €6,500 in 2019 was sold on for €37,000 as a 3YO, and in training with Henry de Bromhead has shown promise after a couple of ‘sighter’ runs; whilst her big, handsome 2022 colt by Jack Hobbs brought a price of €47,000 at the Fairyhouse Sales, the highest foal price we have yet obtained. He was purchased by Ben Case himself after he did an excellent job of pretending not to be interested in him! Ben confirmed his confidence in Jazz when he and son George purchased her 2025 Vadamos filly, though for a slightly lesser sum.

Progeny

Year	Foal	Sire	Sale	Details
2019	Bay colt	Telescope	€6,500	Moonlight Jazz: placed in two hurdle races
2020	Bay colt	Telescope		Rehomed, injured
2021	Barren
2022	Bay colt	Jack Hobbs	€47,000	Ben Case / Kevin Ross
2023	Barren
2024	Slipped foal
2025	Bay filly	Vadamos	€5,000	Ben Case
2026	Slipped foal

MIDNIGHT TARGET (GB)

bay, 2010, by Midnight Legend – Right On Target, Presenting

The third of the astonishing Eskdale foal crop of 2010, in which three out of five foals became Black-Type Winners, the others being SIZING JOHN and LIFEBOAT MONA – a record we don’t ever expect to match. Originally sold as a 2YO to trainer John Groucott and bought back from him and co-owner Elwyn Parkes for rather more money than they paid, once she had proved her racing ability. Whilst sentiment undoubtedly played a part in the purchase, her racing record, looks and pedigree were also major attractions.

Midnight Target has a TBA Elite Mares rating of 130 based on her win in the TBA Mares Novices Hcp Chase at Cheltenham, a race that provided a wonderful memory for her connections when she made all the running to beat The Bay Birch (later rated 152) by a length, receiving only 2lb. She also won another chase and a hurdle race and placed 8 times, to earn almost £50,000.

Midnight Target’s sire would be almost worshipped by us for one horse alone, but the toughness, stamina and jumping ability he puts into his stock are surely invaluable qualities for an NH broodmare. Her dam, by another outstanding NH broodmare sire, Presenting, died shortly after foaling her but left two other winners from four foals. She was a half-sister to Black-Type-Placed Rathowen from the family of CAB ON TARGET, GLENELLY GALE, EVERETT and LIVELOVELAUGH.

Progeny

UNIKA LA RECONCE (FR)

2008, bay, by Robin Des Champs – First Wool, Matahawk

Although ‘only’ rated 131 on the strength of a single hurdles win (by 14 lengths from a mare subsequently rated 130) and four places, she was regarded by trainer Willie Mullins as seriously talented but was hampered by suspensory niggles resulting from being pushed too hard in her early days in France. Unika was purchased at Fairyhouse on the basis that she is by a good NH sire and is a good-sized, rangy mare who rather reminded us of La Perrotine. Her pedigree later improved when one of her half-sisters proved to be dam of the very good chaser BLACK CORTON, the French Listed hurdles winner JASMINE DE CORTON and the Grade 3-placed multiple winning hurdler Hugo’s New Horse.

Recent Progeny