PICCARELLO - QUARTER SHARE AVAILABLE
AT £4,250
| UNNAMED Bay colt January 13 2008 |
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'He is a strong, attractive colt. A January foal that looks like being a two-year-old. Piccolo is one of those sires that can produce a really fast horse - and he looks the right type!'
UNNAMED BEAT HOLLOW COLT - £29,000
| UNNAMED Bay colt April 13 2008 |
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'This colt is strong and attractive. A very good mover and temperament. He is a half-brother to Zenarinda, a filly who I have high hopes of this year and by a sire I like.'
UNNAMED MEDICEAN FILLY - £10,000
| UNNAMED Bay filly March 19 2008 |
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'This filly is well-grown and, like her two half-sisters I have in training, Astrodiva and Astromoon, will develop in to a most attractive filly. She is cantering nicely at the moment and I couldn't be happier with her.'
UNNAMED STORMING HOME FILLY - £10,000
| UNNAMED Bay filly March 31 2008 |
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'This Storming Home filly looks an early type. She is compact, strong and moving nicely with the string. I will be pressing on early with her and she should be ready to run in the early part of the season.'
THEOLA - 25% available for lease
| THEOLA Bay filly March 17 2006 |
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'Theola is a high-class filly, who is still lightly raced and there is plenty of improvement to come. She will be aimed at all the big staying races this year including Royal Ascot, Goodwood, Chester etc. having won twice last year at Pontefract and York.
'There is a half-share available to lease and if anybody takes it up, she could run in their name and colours.
'This is a great opportunity to get involved in a nice horse with no outlay, just the training fees to pay!'
"My new ownership scheme has been a great success!" said Mark. "Owners were able to purchase a percentage in a group of six young horses. A one-off payment included all training fees and expenses up until the Horses in Training Sale. My aim was to offer owners an increased chance of having winners and days out at the races for the season. The owners' interest is greater and therefore the rewards may be too. Two of the horses in the group have now won for the new owners and there have been a further three placings to date and over fifteen opportunities to go racing! So, if anybody wants to get involved for 2010, please e-mail clare@marktompkins.co.uk.”
Please note that purchase prices of horses for sale are plus VAT and (apart from those in the above ownership scheme or for lease) will increase by £2,000 per month to reflect the costs incurred for each horse to be prepared for racing.
A report on Mark's selection process:
Yearlings are purchased in the autumn to be prepared and trained for following season. Mark attends the sales at the world-class bloodstock auctioneers, Tattersalls, to find the winners of the future.
Pacemaker magazine reported Mark to be one of the top buyers of yearlings. The following shows the selection process that he undertakes for each yearling sale.
"We have bought some fantastic horses at unbelievably good prices over the years. This is where our hard work pays off - we look at almost every horse at each sale and therefore manage to find some exciting prospects.
"As I have said here before, the pedigree can sometimes set the price. But the horses we choose have merit all of their own. We buy yearlings that in our opinion must have potential as racehorses; this means we do not buy just the pedigree. Athleticism, good-looks, great outlook and correct conformation are what we are looking for - genuine racehorses and potential winners.
"Whether we are spending £2,000 or £200,000 the same selection process is followed. We finally reach our 'to-buy' list - some of which we buy, but some of those on the list sell for far more than I think they are worth so I leave them for someone else to try to sell on.
"All I want is to give my owners plenty of enjoyment, so I try to buy them what I consider to be good, sound racehorses with scope for improvement at a fair price."
Spending a fortune on horses does not necessarily mean having winners as Mark has shown with his shrewd purchases:
The following are just some of the previous purchases made by Mark:
Winner of the St Leger (Gp 1) - Bob's Return (bought for under £15,000 and won in excess of £530,000)
Winner of the Duke of York Stakes (Gp 2) - Steenberg (bought for approx. £15,000 and won over £220,000)
Winner of the Gladness Stakes (Gp 3) - Cool Edge (bought for approx. £750 and won over £100,000)
Winner of the Brigadier Gerard (Gp 3) - Smokey Oakey (bought for approx. £12,000 and won over £140,000)
Winner of the Lily Langtry Stakes (Gp 3) - Astrocharm (bought for under £10,000 and won over £110,000)
Group & Listed placed - Babodana (bought for £15,000 and won over £220,000)
"I am delighted to have had great success for my owners," added Mark. "Owning a racehorse is all about fun, excitement and new experiences, but there are no guarantees - you still need that little bit of luck!"
Once budgets and orders have been agreed, your request can be included in Mark's search for the 'cream of the crop' of young stock.
If you are interested in purchasing a racehorse and becoming an owner at Flint Cottage Stables, please contact Mark direct on 01638 661434 or 07799 663339.
For shares in syndicate horses, click here to visit the Syndicate page.