Walsh Showcases Breeze-Up Lots Via Website

Katie Walsh has used her time in lockdown wisely by launching a slick new website advertising the 2-year-olds she has for sale through her Greenhills Farm breeze-up operation—though she insists the platform is no substitute for taking the lots to auction when the season resumes.

"The website is something that's long been needed; I've been talking about it for a while so it's good to finally get it done," said Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Walsh, who has prepared the likes of last year's French classic third East and multiple group 2 scorer Caspar Netscher for sale from her County Kildare base.

"It's an opportunity to see the horses and how they've been prepared before they get to the sales. The plan is just to get a step ahead so people have an idea of what I've got for the sales before I get there.

"It'll hopefully give potential buyers a feel for the horse and when the coronavirus pandemic is under control they'll know what I've got and will be welcome to call up and come and see the horses in the flesh before they head to the sales."

Walsh has a Pearl Secret colt in the Tattersalls Ascot Breeze-Up Sale, which has now been amalgamated with the Craven Breeze-Up Sale in Newmarket and is due to take place from May 27-29 with a contingency date of June 8-10. She has three in the Craven—colts by Farhh and Footstepsinthesand and an Acclamation filly out of Vodafone Nassau Stakes (G1) heroine Favourable Terms.

Greenhills Farm is due to send three colts—by Cable Bay, No Nay Never, and The Last Lion—to the Goffs UK Breeze-Up, which has been relocated from Doncaster to a London location and pushed back to the eve of Royal Ascot, either June 13-14 or 14-15, assuming the meeting goes ahead on the traditional dates.

A colt and a filly both by Territories, plus a daughter of Iffraaj, are heading to the Arqana Breeze-Up which has not yet been moved from its original date of May 8-9 but has an alternative of June 2-3 or 3-4 penciled in.

Finally, the Greenhills Farm draft at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Sale, which has a provisional date of May 21-22, comprises colts by Cable Bay, Lope de Vega, Night of Thunder, Power, Siyouni, and Starspangledbanner and a filly by Siyouni.

Walsh remains optimistic about the breeze-ups eventually taking place in their usual form in their dual locations of racecourses and sales complexes.

"I think they'll happen," she said. "These are difficult times, the likes of which we've never experienced before, but it's the same for every industry—unless you're a supermarket seemingly. We just need to get the racing going again first—that's the important thing."

Walsh noted the robust results from this week's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, staged online with no horses on site due to government restrictions to restrict the spread of COVID-19, but struck a note of caution about auctions taking place in a similar manner in Britain and Ireland.

"We'll cross that bridge if we have to come to it up here," she said. "The Inglis sale in Australia was seemingly a rip-roaring success and I applaud them for that, but it's important to remember that racing is still on in Australia.

"Nothing can happen here without the racing being on—that's the key."

Walsh is remaining upbeat during the coronavirus crisis, buoyed like many in the industry by the routine of looking after horses and the fact that social distancing is a doddle on farms.

"We're still very busy with the horses, they have to be ridden out—the racehorses too," she said. "This moment will pass eventually and the good times will be back.

"I'm very lucky, I still have the routine of coming to the yard each morning to ride out, and as a team we've put a lot of effort into the website, so we've not had much time to sit around doing nothing. We're getting around to jobs that we've not had time for in other years."

Walsh reported "great feedback" for the new Greenhills Farm website, which was launched on April 10 and includes videos of each lot containing conformation shots, full pedigree details, and footage of them walking through stalls and out on the gallops.

"My sister Jennifer—she's an important cog in the operation as she runs the office—and her husband Cillian McCarthy worked really hard on the website, along with all the team, getting the videos of the 2-year-olds done," she said.

"It's exactly what I wanted it to be: a shop window so prospective buyers can get a feel of the horses, and it's easy to use. I'm just looking forward to the sales now."