Portman’s Eye for Bargains Anything But 'Illusion'

There will be many more potential buyers casting an envious glance Mild Illusion's way when she makes her second appearance at Tattersalls in the forthcoming December Mares Sale.

Trainer Jonny Portman was about the only person who noticed the unassuming daughter of Requinto in the same Newmarket ring a year ago, when she cost a mere 1,000 guineas (US$1,377).

Leased to Henry Kimbell's Old Stoic Racing Club—a small but enthusiastic syndicate that includes Sky Sports Racing presenter Robert Cooper—she earned over 66 times that initial outlay, finishing second to group 3 winner Under The Stars in the Tattersalls October Auction Stakes and winning the Irish Stallion Farms E.B.F. Bosra Sham Fillies' Stakes back at the Rowley Mile in her most recent start.

"She will go to the sale and we'll test the market, so if she doesn't attract enough interest, we'll race her next year," Portman said. "We'll see what appetite there is for her, but we'll be happy to keep her for next year anyway."

Portman bought Mild Illusion from out of his own pocket, using some prior knowledge to offset what was still a leap of faith.

"I actually had the half sister (the Dark Angel filly Mrs Worthington), who cost a lot of money," he said. "She cost 270,000 guineas ($376,403) as a yearling and was kindly sent to me by Tony Wechsler and Ann Plummer.

"She hadn't done much, but she had some veterinary issues, which led us to think had she not have had them, she could have been better. I went to see the yearling. She was very small and insignificant and nothing like the Dark Angel, but I thought I'd just follow her around and see what happened—I certainly wouldn't have been prepared to spend a lot.

"When she was stuck on 800 quid, I thought, 'This isn't right. There's nothing wrong with this filly. I'd like to think she could be all right.' So I put my hand up, and, to my horror, nobody else put theirs up, so I got her for a grand. But I was obviously very happy to have her for that."

The irony is not lost on Portman, with Mrs Worthington remaining a maiden from 11 starts from his Lambourn yard.

"It's extraordinary and disappointing. We ended up selling her for 6,500 guineas ($8,782) rated 50-something," he said.

Mild Illusion is now in the highest echelon of progeny by Requinto, who has failed to take conspicuous flight as a stallion, but the combination with the Shamardal mare Mirror Effect proved rewarding.

"I bought two Requintos that year. One's currently rated 47, and that says it all, really," Portman said. "He wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but certainly that mating has worked out very well. She's very honest, very genuine, and has been an utter joy to train in every way.

"She has always been totally in proportion and very compact, but she's never grown very much. She's not tiny, but you certainly wouldn't call her a big filly. She's got muscle in all the right places.

"If you showed her to someone in a box, they wouldn't say, 'God, what's this?' They'd walk past her and look at something more impressive.

"It's amazing, really. You could try to be clever all the time and end up with a lot of slow horses. You do need a bit of judgment and a lot of lady luck.

"The good thing about her is she's got the most marvelous attitude and has been 100% sound. Those sort of horses help you out a lot. We'd be very sorry to see her go, but she's got a value, she's a listed winner, and it makes sense to offer her at the sales and see what happens."

Portman has a notion of what might suit Mild Illusion best. "I think she'd be better suited for America, personally. I think she'd do very well there. It's very hard for 96-rated 2-year-old sprinting fillies.

"The opportunities in England and Europe as 3-year-olds are a little bit limited, but I'd have every confidence in her continuing to be a worthwhile filly."

Mild Illusion is the latest in the line of economical finds during the understated Portman's 20-year training career, although he does not take credit for his highest-profile success, Mrs Danvers, the Weatherbys Super Sprint and Cornwallis Stakes winner who was a buyback for the same sum.

"This is the cheapest one that I've bought off my own back and out of the ring," he said. "I don't like spending too much money on them, so I go to the sale and look for affordability and raceability. You have to work quite hard at it, but we've done well with cheap horses.

"I've had another 2-year-old (Lethal Talent) who I bought for five grand. She's won two races, and Annecdote cost £2,500. She was a Royal Ascot and group 3 winner, so we've done it before and we'll hopefully do it again."

Necessity, in Portman's case, is the mother of invention.

"I don't have 50 grand to spend on horses at the sales, so I'm having to scratch around, pick up what I can, and use my nous a bit," he said.

"I don't just buy a blank page, but you've got to look and see if you can work with the horse. Temperament is the key—you try to buy a good mind.

"It has to come together—legs that are reasonably straight, you're looking for a bit of precocity, a bit of temperament, and something on the page to suggest they could win something at some point.

"Mind you, I might not have looked at this filly had I not had the half sister, so you do need luck. If you bought 10 £1,000 yearlings, you'd find 9 1/2 of them are useless.

"The adage of 'you get what you pay for' tends to come right, but I have found from my own experience, the more expensive a yearling costs, the slower it is!"