Katie McGivern Is Thoughtfully Mastering The Art Of Designing A Perfect Breeze Up Sale Consignment

“I have been immersed in the equine industry my entire life as my mother Joanna Morgan was a jockey and later a trainer, and my father Tommy McGivern was also a successful jockey and trainer. Says McGivern chatting about her childhood surrounded by horses.

“I’ve travelled to America and Australia to work with horses and then in Ireland with Willie Browne, where I developed a keen interest in the Breeze Ups,” she says. “I decided to set up my own consignment business named Derryconnor Stud in 2012, with my first offering at Arqana in 2016.”

Here, highlights from an insightful and wide-reaching tennis match of a conversation between McGivern and Ten Furlongs Magazine on Derryconnor Stud’s latest consignment and successful past graduates for the Arqana Breeze Up Sale.

Please share some insights about some of your recent and most successful dirt graduates from this sale as well as your top graduates across all the sales you have participated at.

A: I have predominantly focussed on buying and selling horses to the European market. Only last year I diversified and purchased my first dirt-bred horse. I brought him over to sell at Arqana, a Blame Colt out of Toy Moon, so I’m hoping he will fly the flag on the dirt. My most successful graduates are:

• Daban. He is a Gr.3 Nell Gwyn Stakes winner and placed third in the Gr.1 QIPCO 1,000 Guineas.

• Le Brivido: He won his debut and ran a short head second in the Gr.1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains before going on to win the Gr.3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was sold in a partnership with Longways Stables at the Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale (2016)

• Helvic Dream: He is a multiple Group winning horse. His wins include the Novi IT services Gr.3 International Stakes & the Gr.1 Tattersalls Gold Cup

And my most successful recent graduates from the 2023 Arqana Breeze Up Sale would be Born To Rock and Stromberg. Both hold Classic entries and very much looking forward to the upcoming months.

Provide insights into the selection process for the five 2YOs you'll be presenting at Arqana's upcoming Breeze-up sale.

A: First and foremost, it’s the physical. I look for a balanced good walking horse with strong hindquarters. The pedigree has to match up with the horse and the stallion also plays a big part, I like to have stallion power as it is key in the market today.

Please highlight any standout performances or characteristics of each of the 2YOs you'll be offering, whether it's their pedigree, conformation, or early training results including precocity.

• Lot 166 |Dubawi X Palmarola: Dubawi needs no introduction and has already started 2024 very strongly including Rebels Romance who won the Dubai Sheema Classic. Only just this weekend we seen him make history with his 4th 2000 Guineas winner with the impressive Notable Speech. We are very excited about bringing a Dubawi to Arqana. He comes from a strong sire line and has improved daily since he was bought. He also has stand-out conformation. Interestingly he is bred on the same cross as previous Group 1 winning Arqana breeze up graduate Eldar Eldarov. Other notable horses bred on this particular cross include Group 1 Nassau Stakes winning Al Husn, Group 2 winning My Oberon and UAE 1000 Guineas winner Soft Whisper.

• Lot 30 | New Bay X Almira Wells: This filly has impressed me in her work so far and I expect her to breeze very well. This stallion is also on the up and I can’t wait to see her through the ring. She is a very forward type in my consignment and is ready to hit the track shortly.

• Lot 03 | Goken X Terra Nova: This filly was a very obvious choice to bring here. She has French Premiums and Goken does so well over here. She has a great pedigree with the mare having three runners and three winners. Furthermore, she is a half-sister to a black-type horse.

• Lot 43 | Churchill X Boastful: I was delighted when I bought the Churchill filly. She comes from a very exciting family. Churchill has had a great start to the year with the likes of Fast Tracker, so I’m looking forward to bringing her to France. This filly’s full brother Sir Winston campaigned in Bahrain over the 2024 season finishing a good 4th in the Grade 2 HH SH Bint Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup (Local) in Bahrain. Churchill is a very proven stallion with the likes of the outstanding Vadeni and Blue Rose Cen.

• Lot 198 | Saxon Warrior X Snake Dancer: I really like this colt’s stallion. I sold another horse by Saxon Warrior here last year to Jean Claude Rouget who is a winner and looks quite smart. This colt is having a very good physical and he’s a half-brother to a horse who placed in the French Guineas

Given the competitive nature of breeze-up sales, what strategies do you employ to attract potential buyers and showcase the strengths of your consignment?

A: I believe that selling horses that are sound and that perform on the track are key to attracting present and future buyers. This is why I take an approach that helps to produce a racehorse at the end of the breeze up training process. Stallion power plays a big part in what has become a market dictated by fashion. I am very keen on pedigrees and especially the physical of a horse. It is very clear that a horse needs to breeze well now to be desired by the high end of the market.