Sam Haggas' Eye Showcased by Tattersalls-Bound Lots

By his own admission, Sam Haggas spends all day behind a computer intensively studying form.

But the young agent hit pause on a race replay and momentarily logged out of the Racing Post website to talk about his new Hurworth Bloodstock venture and several lots at this week's Tattersalls December Mares Sale that demonstrate all the time spent on thorough research is not wasted.

Haggas, 27, went solo in February after spending 18 months working for John Ferguson and then Avenue Bloodstock, and earlier cutting his teeth with Gai Waterhouse in Australia and at Paddy Power in Ireland.

"I had a great time with John, Mark McStay, and Amy Lanigan," he said of his spell at Avenue Bloodstock. "They have so much experience between them, and they taught me a lot. I just had a few side projects I wanted to pursue and was looking for the freedom to move around a bit, so I set up on my own."

Haggas has already had his keen eye for an improving horse showcased by assisting with the selection of Urban Fox, bought by Barnane Stud out of the stables of James Tate for 425,000 guineas (US$601,456) at the end of her 3-year-old season. She was subsequently a top-level winner in the Juddmonte Pretty Polly Stakes (G1) for Sam's father, William. He also oversaw the private purchase of unbeaten group 3 winner Miss O Connor after she won a Gowran Park maiden on her debut at 4 in May.

Miss O Connor is a withdrawal from the December Sale, but trainer William Haggas is still sending a filly and a mare whose latent abilities were correctly identified by Sam Haggas when they were purchased cheaply at auction. Remarkably, both have benefited from significant pedigree updates as well as gaining black type.

Nkosikazi (Lot 1880), a 4-year-old daughter of Cape Cross, was signed for by the Avenue Bloodstock banner at 30,000 guineas ($40,169) in Newmarket last year after being highly tried by Brian Meehan but winning only once in a Redcar handicap.

She was subsequently sent out by Haggas to notch four placings, including a third in the listed Ladbrokes Football Acca Boosty EBF River Eden Fillies' Stakes in October, but more importantly, perhaps, her 2-year-old half brother is the Frankel colt Juan Elcano, a novice stakes winner who placed in the Bet365 Superlative Stakes (G2) and Pommery Champagne Stakes (G2) in his three starts for Kevin Ryan.

"The updates have been pure luck, although Nkosikazi had a pretty good page anyway—her granddam (Wosaita) has three black-type-producing daughters, one of them being the dam of Uni, who looked awesome when she won the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) recently, which helps as well.

"And then there's Juan Elcano. He showed a lot for a Frankel so early in his 2-year-old season. In fact, I believe he has the second-highest RPR for one by the sire at that stage of their career—only Fair Eva was higher. He's a very exciting 3-year-old prospect."

Explaining why he took the punt on Nkosikazi enhancing her profile, he said: "She'd shown enough at home for Brian Meehan to warrant a place in the Coronation Stakes on her third start, and then she won quite nicely at Redcar, but she just lost her way a little.

"She was a bit of a risk, but I liked her sire—Cape Cross has had three European classic winners as a broodmare sire in Australia, Masar, and Laurens—and the pedigree was a sizable backstop if it didn't work out, although, as it happened, she maintained her form nicely and got her black type," the younger Haggas said.

The acquisition of Island of Life (Lot 1783) for €25,000 ($29,560) from the 2017 Goffs November Sale was inspired in part by rags-to-riches success enjoyed by William Haggas with another Dubawi filly, Crystal River, who was bought as a twice-raced maiden from Godolphin at a bread-and-butter Ascot sale in March 2017 for £28,000 ($34,956) and went on to win both her next starts, including a listed contest in France.

Island of Life joined Somerville Lodge and won four races, collecting precious black type with a second placing in a listed stakes and a third in the Betfair Exchange Chipchase Stakes (G3). Miraculously, just over two months after Sam Haggas signed the docket for her, the half brother Gold Town, a maiden and nursery winner at the time of the sale, won the UAE Two Thousand Guineas Sponsored by Al Tayer Motors (G3).

"I was just starting with John Ferguson, and he was willing to support me by giving me an order," Haggas said. "I went for the tried-and-tested formula with a Dubawi filly, having noted she'd been sent off even-money on debut in a race that one of Dad's had won, so I had a good handle on the form and there was the hope she could go on.

"But, like Nkosikazi, she was a bit of a risk, and I've got to give all the credit to my mother (Maureen Haggas). She took it upon herself to ride Island of Life every day, and the filly turned into a bit of a project for her. Again, Gold Town winning in Dubai wasn't something we were expecting, but it was very welcome."

The absent Miss O Connor is a daughter of Roderic O'Connor, who is now unbeaten in four starts after winning a Nottingham novice stakes, the listed British Stallion Studs E.B.F. Dick Hern Stakes, and Prix Perth (G3) since her purchase for Roy and Gretchen Jackson's Lael Stables and move to William Haggas. She will pursue more glory at 5 in 2020.

"I'm very very grateful to Lael Stables," said Haggas, who, when with Avenue Bloodstock, also bought the group 3 winner and group 2-placed I'm So Fancy out of Jessica Harrington's yard on behalf of the Jacksons for 500,000 guineas ($667,958).

"I can't think of many people who would have been jumping out of their seats to buy a filly like Miss O Connor, who was unraced at 2 and 3 and had been a €4,000 vendor buyback as a yearling. If she'd injured herself the week after we purchased her and her racing career had been over, she'd be virtually worthless.

"I'm so thankful they took that risk, but then they're very sporting owners; they're keeping One Master in training at 6. They just love their racing."

As for Haggas' ambitions for Hurworth Bloodstock, he said: "I love what I'm doing at the moment—I don't even really see it as a job—but I want to be buying group 1 winners all over the world—in America, Australia, Hong Kong, Britain, Ireland, and France, specializing in the form horse."

The success of I'm So Fancy, Miss O Connor, and Urban Fox suggest Haggas is well on the way to achieving that.