A Laois farmer is celebrating this week after selling a horse at the sales in Newmarket in England for €700,000.
John ‘Baba’ Keegan, who hails from Ballyroan, is also a small time horse breeder that owns Milestream Stud.
And last Tuesday, at Tattersalls which is the main auctioneer of race horses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, he struck big.
His mare, Zehrah, sold for 500,000 Guineas to Shadai Farm – a Japanese operation.
It is a serious return on an investment for Keegan who initially purchased the horse in 2018.
Back then, he bought it at the December Mare Sales from Godolphin for €32,000.
Speaking to LaoisToday, John said: “We’re farmers from Ballyroan and I would have worked in a few studs before I broke out on my own.
“I bought that mare at Newmarket six years ago for €32,000 and the foal that she was carrying made €43,000.
“Then I covered her to a sire for €10,000 and I got €80,000. The first two of her foals were winners who made over €250,000 in prize money.”
Mystery Night was Champion 2-year-old filly and Champion 3-year-old filly in Scandinavia in 2022.
She won races at 2 to 5 years in Norway and in Sweden and accumulated £191,022 in prize money.
While Dandy Man Shines won two races at three-years-old in the USA, winning £186,447.
John said: “I sent the mare to England then and she went to a sire for €15,000 and I got €120,000 for that.”
Zehrah is now off to Japan and John describes the sum of money that he has received as ‘life-changing’.
He said: “The horse is off to Shadai which is essentially the Coolmore of Japan.
“It is a phenomenal story and the money is life-changing.”
How do you pick out a horse like that? Is it just luck?
John laughed: “You have to pick a nice looking mare for a start.
“You have to hope then that they are able to run and thankfully this one worked out for us.”
With Zehrah now gone, what does the future hold for John?
He said: “I bought her daughter back in July so I’m still in the family.
“The more the horses win, the more her daughter is worth. I bought her back for €22,000 and I’d say I could have sold her for €140,000 or €150,000 if I wanted to.
“If you can come across a good horse, you will get the money for them. And thankfully, I managed to do just that.”
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