OCEAN TREATY

  We paid particular attention to the 2yo fillies in the Tattersalls Mares Sale this week, we believe this is the best angle with many of the potential buyers disregarding 2yo’s based on their requirement for broodmares, they would typically look for fillies aged three and four, and the room was full of breeders at the time the Juddmonte consignment walked into the room.

These fillies come from one of, if not the best farm around and they all have significant pedigree’s and will always uphold a value as a broodmare. 

Ocean Treaty is a two-year-old filly by Kingman, out of a mare called Peace Charter who was a winner on debut before finishing 2ndin a group three at Naas and then 3rd in group two company at the Curragh. All three of Peace Charter’s siblings that hit the track where stakes winners with group two winner Raclette having her first yearlings hit the race track in 2025. Calming Affect, the unraced full sister to Peace Charter sold for 400,000gns!

Our filly is the first foal out of Peace Charter but she does have some significant foals to follow her, there will be a 2yo by Frankel in 2025 and a Big Mo 2yo in 2026, two substantial pedigrees that you’d expect will only strengthen our already glittering page.

Whilst the pedigree angle is exciting, she’s also shown plenty of form on the track and we believe we have a very well handicapped horse who is capable of picking up some French black type and it’s for that reason that she’ll be staying in France and will be our first horse with impressive trainer, Gavin Hernon.

Gavin is the son of Joe Hernon, the man behind Castletown Stud which has produced Nunthorpe and Derby winners!

Gavin trains in Chantilly at the former home of Alain de Royer Dupree, on the doorstep of the famous Les Aigles. He’s trained 28 winners at a 14% strike rate in France this year and even won the Tattersalls Ireland Sales Race at the Curragh with Spirit D’or which was worth €250k!

Ocean Treaty debuted in June at Compeigne, she ran green and showed several signs of inexperienced but she finished well to run into fourth, the only horse to make any ground from the rear. The winner that day was Lhakpa who now has a UK equivalent mark of 98 and the third has a mark of 87!

We were then tried in listed company but again she was held up and nothing got into the race from her track position. She was extremely keen and again showed signs of greenness which resulted in a small break from the track and the application of a hood during her home work (which has always been very good), something she would wear on her next start on the racetrack which has been a big help.

She won on her next start at Lyon, they went a good clip that day, which is unusual for race in France and that has left us with the impression that she will be running over seven furlongs plus at three. Again, the form was boosted when the 2nd came out and won her next start and has a UK equivalent mark of 82, and we were comfortably better than that on the day.

Despite all of the above, her fourth and final start is the most encouraging in a conditions event at Angers, where she was again given a patient ride, some would call it a bad ride!

Her final two furlongs that day where the quickest on the card over that distance, three races in total, with the other two being older horse handicaps. That includes the winner of the conditions race who has a UK mark of 95 after being a mainstay in French stakes races throughout the season!

Given our current mark stands at just 81.5, we believe we are incredibly well handicapped for a tilt at some big pots should we wish to go down that route.

However, our plan A has to be to pick up some black type, given the substantial pedigree we have behind us. Nick has an excellent understanding of the French calendar and stakes races such as the Rose De Mai, Prix De la Californie, Camargo and Penelope will all be considered before the middle of April.

Should we achieve our main aim, she will be represented at the 2025 Tattersalls Mares sale and she would sell for significantly more than we paid for her. It’s not beyond possible that we could even pinch a stakes race over there, with a change in tactics, some slightly better ground, we expect a lot of improvement to follow.