Grogans' Love Reigns in the Spotlight for Queen Mary

Anticipation is what keeps racing's tills ringing, and for father and son Pat and Eoghan Grogan, June 15th's action at Royal Ascot will provide the sort of moment that will not come around too often. Their Killourney Mor Farm in County Offaly is responsible for the filly who should be the main talking point in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2), the Wesley Ward-trained Love Reigns .

A daughter of U S Navy Flag , she was whisked across the Atlantic when bought from the family at last year's Goffs Orby for €160,000 ($187,123) by Ben McElroy, on behalf of Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables.

It took only a furlong or so of her debut at Keeneland in late April for Love Reigns to look as if she could be part of Ward's traveling army as she skirted up the rail into the lead before forging inexorably clear.

"She has only won her maiden, we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but it's super exciting for us," said Eoghan Grogan.

"To win on her debut by nearly ten lengths is just unbelievable, it doesn't really happen. It's something that we do all those late nights at home for, a runner at Royal Ascot is what it's all about."

Grogan said that Love Reigns had been the pick of the farm's foals and remained a strong, good-walking individual as she got older. However, the young stud manager recognizes that a major factor in any interest in her would stem from developments a few years earlier.

Their mare, suitably named for this modest pair as Humble And Proud, never raced but is by Pivotal from a very decent family going back to top sprinters Avonbridge and Patavellian. She would take them on quite a journey with her first foal, Glorious Empire . By Holy Roman Emperor , he would make a bright start through handicaps with trainer Ed Walker, scored in Hong Kong for Caspar Fownes and later marched to the Sword Dancer Stakes (G1) glory in America in the care of James "Chuck" Lawrence II.

"He won a few for Ed Walker, won over six furlongs first time as a 2-year-old, and I think they thought he was a definitely a black-type horse in England," Eoghan Grogan said. 

"He bled in Hong Kong, Ed Walker brought him back, he bled again and went to America. To see him reach the top level with an unheralded trainer out of the country, that's really a Roy of the Rovers story, that one.

"The owner in America (Matthew Schera) that bought him, he put in a lot of time and money to get him right. Without him we wouldn't have sold the others, maybe not even have got into the best sales. He's the real hero in the story."

Not that Humble And Proud is without further credit. There were a few fallow years as the Grogans ironed out a fertility issue, but she also has a black-type 3-year-old in Goldana , who finished eighth in the June 12 WEMPE German One Thousand Guineas (G2).

"Goldana has been a really good filly, she nearly fell coming round the home turn in a listed race and was unlucky in another one as a 2-year-old," Grogan said.

"The mare is 5-for-5, all 2-year-old winners, with the worst rated 83. She's got a Kodiac  yearling half sister to them that's really nice, she's accepted in the sales and we have to make a decision on where she goes, and a Mehmas  colt.

"I think a lot of people would have given up on her. It shows you need to give a family time to develop and see what happens. You can't write them off."

The Grogans do all of the stud work between them, Pat having become involved from his time in the building trade when he was given a national hunt mare to settle a debt.

They have eight or so breeding mares of their own and take on a few more boarders.

"My father set up in 2002 and got lucky in the first year with Tournedos, who won the 2004 Betfair Molecomb Stakes (G3) at Goodwood, and built all those families from there," Eoghan Grogan said.

"We've bred two group 1 winners and a grade 1 placed, Responsibleforlove  from three different families we're breeding from. There's Dara's Girl, who is a sister to Tournedos, and there's Close Regards, who is the dam of Magic Hurricane, the McGrath Estate Agents Metropolitan Handicap (G1) winner in Australia, and her daughter's breeding, too."

Eoghan will be tied up with farm matters on Wednesday but he expects his father to make the trip to Ascot and hopes he will soak up the memories.

"It's great for my dad to see these things happen, he's been trying to breed these good horses.

"We've been good breeders in America and Australia, so it would be nice to have a black-type performer a bit closer to home!"