August 25
Sizzling summer on the flat
Highflyer has had a great summer “on the level” with a number of inexpensive purchases winning at Blue Riband Meetings. Top of the list was Alan King’s first Royal Ascot winner Primotivo, a 10,000 Guineas yearling who is rated 105 and will race next in Hong Kong. At York’s Ebor Meeting two more of Anthony Bromley’s purchases were in the winners enclosure, namely Scarlet Dragon (30,000 Guineas a yearling for Henry Ponsonby and rated 99) and Oceane, who now goes for the Cesarewitch. Other prolific 3yo scorers this year have been Grapevine and Gunmetal for owners Chris and Jenny Powell, as well as Hong Kong-bound Istanbul Bey, plus a number of sharp two-year-olds who were purchased for owner Dai Walters, including Deningy and Smokey Lane. The evergreen Kingsgate Native (a £20,000 purchase) rolled back the years yet again when winning well at Nottingham this month and this former Group 1 Nunthorpe winner is still rated 105 at the age of 11. Anthony has been active at the recent Goffs UK Sales and will be attending further yearling sales in the months ahead.
June 24
Success at Royal Ascot
Anthony Bromley’s 10,000 gns yearling purchase Primitivo was the toast of Royal Ascot when easily winning the King George V Stakes on 16th June for Alan King. This represented his 4th consecutive victory and this 105-rated 3yo is now going to be aimed at the Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
June 15
Highflyer purchases take both Auteuil Grade 1s
Both Grade 1 events at Auteuil on 12 June were taken by Highflyer purchases with Ptit Zig leading a 1-2 for Anthony Bromley’s buys in the French Champion Hurdle (Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil) with the Simon Munir-owned Alex De Larredya (already a Group 3 winner this Spring) a close-up second. The other Grade 1 event on what is one of France’s most prestigious days was won by Footpad, who is owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede and supplements his previous Grade 1 win in Ireland (February) and Grade 3 victory at Auteuil (21 May).
April 14
Happy hunting ground for Highflyer
The two top Jumps Festivals in the World, at Cheltenham and Aintree, have once again been a happy hunting ground for horses sourced by the Highflyer Buying Team. Top of the Shop this Spring has undoubtedly been the fabulous victory of Sprinter Sacre who rolled back the years when winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase some 3 years after taking it in 2013.
There were also high-class Grade 1 victories from both Altior (Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham) and Buveur D’Air (Top Novices Hurdle at Aintree) and they have both been earmarked for the Champion Hurdle route next season. David Minton purchased the first two home in the Gr 1 Cheltenham Champion Bumper in Ballyandy and Ballyfort, whilst Anthony Bromley purchased Solar Impulse (Gr 3 Grand Annual Chase) and Cause For Causes (Fulke Walwyn/ Kim Muir Chase)
March 22
Sprinter Sacre shines
Sprinter Sacre was the highlight of another great Cheltenham Festival and was one of 5 winning purchases during the week for the Highflyer buying team. Sprinter Sacre surged clear to record his 3rd Cheltenham Festival victory (following wins in the 2012 Arkle and the 2013 Queen Mother Champion Chase) and his 2016 Champion Chase win brought the house down with a record audience in attendance that day. David Minton was also responsible for purchasing Gr 1 Supreme winner Altior, as well as the 1st and 2nd in the Gr 1 Champion Bumper, Ballyandy and Battlefort. Anthony Bromley purchased Cause For Causes (winner of the Kim Muir Chase) and Solar Impulse (winner of the Grand Annual Chase) who were both sourced as three-year-olds in France. Interestingly Solar Impuluse was the 55th Cheltenham Festival winner in the last 8 years to have been purchased for their owners by the Highflyer Team.
March 14
Cheltenham Eve winners
Kelso’s rescheduled meeting on 13 March yielded 3 impressive winners for the Highflyer buying team with Many Clouds and Le Prezien taking the two top races on the card. Both head to Aintree next with Many Clouds now a clear 9/1 favourite to win his second Grand National and Le Prezien looking to take the Grade 1 Mersey Novices Hurdle over 2m4f on the same day. The latter race is one that the same owners (Million In Mind Partnership) also won with Garde Champetre in 2004 prior to breaking all sales records subsequently. Le Prezien will be heading to the same auction at Doncaster in May as per the Rules of the Partnership. The Cheltenham Festival begins tomorrow and It looks like over 80 Highflyer-sourced horses will be running for our clients. We wish them all luck.
March 11
Cheltenham Festival
It is now looking likely that over 80 horses bought by the Highflyer buying team of Anthony Bromley, David Minton and Tessie Greatrex will line up at the “Jumping Olympics” at Cheltenham next week. For all their runners during the Festival click here
March 10
Pre Cheltenham sizzlers
Highflyer purchases continue to win the big weekend races in the run-up to the Cheltenham Festival with the highlight being Sametegal easily winning the Grade 3 Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury and the Million in Mind-owned mare, The Organist, readily winning the Listed mares’ hurdle at Doncaster. Two other impressive winners at Doncaster in valuable handicaps who were bought by the team were Upsilon Bleu and Sugar Baron and they also have some big targets lined up for them this spring.
February 22
More Grade 1 success for Conti
Highflyer-buy Silviniaco Conti bounced back to form with a stunning victory in the £150,000 Grade 1 Ascot Chase on Saturday and in the process was notching up his 7th Grade 1 success, having previously won two King George VI Chases, two Betfred Bowls at Aintree and two Betfair Chases. It sounds like the Crabbies Grand National is next on his agenda. Other winners on Saturday’s card at Ascot were the Gr.2 Reynoldstown Chase with Vyta Du Roc, who may now head for the RSA Chase at Cheltenham and the very easy hurdles winner Different Gravey who is now being aimed at the Gr.1 Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree. At Haydock on Saturday, Frodon led home a 1-2-3 for Highflyer buys in the Victor Ludorum Hurdle and looks a serious Triumph Hurdle contender and earlier in the week Top Notch booked his place in the Champion Hurdle line-up by easily taking the Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso.
February 8
Another winning weekend
The big wins continue to come for Highflyer purchases as both Footpad and Bristol De Mai gained Grade 1 honours on Saturday 7 February. Both horses are now being aimed at Grade 1 events at the Cheltenham Festival for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede. On Sunday 8 February three other purchases booked their places at Cheltenham with Tommy Silver and Gitane Du Berlais winning Listed races and O O Seven taking a valuable staying novices’ hurdle at Musselburgh.