Amo Racing have certainly made a splash since their now-familiar purple silks entered the game back in 2017.
Fronted by businessman Kia Joorabchian, the operation has enjoyed rather mixed fortunes since its inception, but they now have a central base at Sir Michael Stoute’s old yard at Freemason Lodge. Kevin Philippart de Foy has been entrusted with the role of Amo’s principal trainer at the newly-refurbished Newmarket establishment.
They have also supported highly-promising rookie trainer Charlie Clover, who supplied Amo with a runner-up in the Queen Mary last June with his first ever horse (Flowerhead) for the team. Robson Aguiar has taken over from Adrian Murray over in Ireland, while Joseph O’Brien, brother Donnacha and John O’Donoghue are other Irish-based handlers to receive support from Amo.
Kevin Philippart de Foy unsurprisingly trains the main bulk of the two-year-old team. Having paid 4.4m for the currently unraced filly Partying the previous autumn, it only makes sense that Amo went back to secure the Frankel brother last autumn, fetching a mere 3.6m in comparison. The dam, Aljazzi, won the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Freemason Lodge houses four other two-year-olds by Frankel, with a couple of them both commanding 850,000gns at auction. The first is a colt who is the second foal of Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Audarya, while there is also a filly first foal of Auria, a 1m Listed-winning half-sister to high-class miler Break The Bank and smart sprinters Chil Chil and Salt Island.
There is also a 2.5m guineas full sister to Dewhurst Stakes and 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean and half-sister to smart sprinters Alkumait and Get Ahead; and a 525,000gns colt out of British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Madame Chiang, who boasts a 100 per cent record with her progeny so far, the most notable of them being French 12f Listed winner Oriental Mystique.
Night of Thunder is another sire Amo were hot on during the last sales season, with the headline act from his handful of progeny based at Freemason Lodge being the €3m filly out of Prudenzia. Purchased before year-older half-sister Diamond Necklace had won the Prix Marcel Boussac, she is also a three-parts sister to Prix de Diane runner-up Philomene (by Dubawi) and a half-sister to Irish Oaks winner Chicquita and Australian 10f Group 1 winner Magic Wand.
Of the others by Night of Thunder, there is a 1.7m guineas colt out of Model Guest, making him a full brother to last year’s Fillies’ Mile third Evolutionist. A couple of fillies who fetched good amounts at auction were those out of Matron Stakes winner No Speak Alexander (€1m) and Stay Home (900,000gns), with the latter’s first foal being 2025 French 10f 3yo Listed winner Safia.
There is also a 2.2m guineas Wootton Bassett colt who is a half-brother to Amo’s Beresford Stakes winner Crypto Force, with the family tracing back to top-class middle-distance performer Pilsudski. Another big-money buy was an 850,000gns Lope de Vega colt out of the Group 3/Listed-placed Queen Trezy, herself the daughter of a sibling to Group 1 winners Call The Wind, Friendly Soul, We Are and With You.
340,000gns is what it took to secure a Starspangledbanner half-sister to Blandford Stakes winner Lumiere Rock, while there is also a Mehmas sister to Amo’s smart juvenile Persian Force and a €390,000 Sea The Stars colt who is the first foal of 2m Group 3 winner Lismore.
Of the sharper types on paper, there is a 550,000gns daughter of first-season sire Minzaal who is a half-sister to July Cup winner Mill Stream and Richmond Stakes winner Asymmetric. The filly by Invincible Spirit out of Field of Stars was purchased for €400,000 last autumn. She is a half-sister to three at least useful performers including 5f 3yo Listed winner Rogue Lightning.
Starman’s progeny unsurprisingly proved popular at the yearling sales last autumn, and Philippart has a handful by last year’s leading first-season sire. They include a 525,000gns filly out of Emirates Empress, herself a maiden half-sister to 2025 10/10.5f Group 2 winner Royal Champion from the family of Dubawi; and a 260,000gns half-sister to French 6f 2yo Listed winner Honey Sweet, with the dam a maiden daughter of Temple Stakes winner Look Busy.
There is a 340,000gns Pinatubo colt who is closely related to Group 3-placed Irish dual 6f winner Firebird (by Lope de Vega) and a half-brother to three winners including Amo Racing’s own Group 3-placed 6f 2yo winner Cathedral.
Coulsty’s most expensive yearling ever sold at auction is also at Freemason Lodge. Having commanded €200,000, she was purchased before year-older half-brother and current Derby favourite Pierre Bonnard had won the Royal Lodge and Criterium de Saint-Cloud. That’s not to say there wasn’t plenty going for her anyway - the dam a Nassau Stakes winner whose then-three-year-old daughter Crepe Suzette had finished third in the Park Hill a couple of weeks prior to the sale.
Robson Aguiar heads up the Irish arm of Amo Racing’s operation. The most expensive of his allocation is a 2.2m guineas Wootton Bassett colt who is a half-brother to two useful winners and out of Nell Gwyn Stakes/1000 Guineas third Qabala.
There are also four youngsters in the Aguiar yard by US sires who were purchased in the States. The most expensive of the quartet is a $775,000 Not This Time filly, whose dam was a US 6.5f 2yo stakes winner. Next is a $600,000 colt by Nyquist who is a full brother to stakes-placed US 6.5-7f winner Touchy and a half-brother to US 6f 2yo Grade 3 winner Royal Approval.
There is also a $300,000 yearling by Life Is Good who is a half-brother to Irish 6f 3yo Listed winner/Middle Park Stakes runner-up Fleet Review and out of a Galileo sister to triple 8/10.5f Group 1 winner Rip Van Winkle. The last of the quartet is a Quality Road colt who fetched $175,000 and is a half-brother to Group 3-placed Irish 7-12f winner Star Image.
Aguiar also has a few by Amo’s own Persian Force. The pick of them is arguably a 135,000gns colt owned in partnership with Valmont. He is a three-parts brother to 2025 UAE 5f Group 2/3 winner West Acre (by Mehmas) and a half-brother to 2025 5/6f 2yo Group 3 winner Lady Iman.
There is also a 400,000gns colt by Starman who is a half-brother to Listed-placed Irish 6f 2yo winner Letherfly and out of a winning half-sister to 5f 2yo Listed winner Orlaith. The extended family includes high-class miler Toormoor and Champagne Stakes winner Estidhkaar.
As previously mentioned, bright young trainer Charlie Clover has been sent a trio of youngsters in the initial draft. There is a 16,000gns Nando Parrado filly whose dam has produced six winners from six runners, albeit none have proven to be better than just useful.
The Oasis Dream colt out of Final Rhapsody went for 46,000gns and is a half-brother to two winners, while the dam is a winning sister to Horris Hill Stakes winner Peak To Creek and half-sister to useful sprinters Ripples Maid and See You Later. The third and final member of the Amo contingent at the Clover yard is a Persian Force colt who fetched €70,000. His second dam, Sooraah, was a 1m Listed winner and hailed from the talented family of Love Divine, Sixties Icon and Dunboyne Express.
Charlie Johnston’s only two-year-old at present from Amo is the 450,000gns Frankel colt out of Irish 1m 1f Group 2 winner Bocca Baciata, making him a three-parts brother to Irish 1m 3yo Listed winner Fonsika (by Galileo). George Scott has received a 140,000gns Showcasing filly who is a full sister to Group 2-placed 6f 2yo winner Shadow Army, while George Boughey takes charge of a 200,000gns Blue Point daughter of Queen Mary Stakes winner Shang Shang Shang.
Underrated Irish handler John O’Donoghue has been sent a 45,000gns colt by Zarak out of Matron Stakes winner Chachamaidee, making him a three-parts brother to UAE dual 1m 1f Group 2 winner Valiant Prince (by Dubawi) and a half-brother to 12f Group 3 winner Klassique. Donnacha O’Brien’s only juvenile for the team thus far is a 200,000gns Havana Grey half-sister to 2025 Princess Margaret Stakes winner Fitzella, while brother Joseph has taken into his care a 360,000gns Starman colt.
Karl Burke has a couple of two-year-olds for Amo this year, including a Night of Thunder filly who is a half-sister to promising once-raced 2025 7f 2yo winner Fashion People and from the family of the talented-but-mercurial Pakistan Star. David Simcock has been sent a 160,000gns Havana Grey colt owned in partnership with Valmont. He is a half-brother to Group 3/Listed-placed dual 6f 3yo winner Adaay To Remember and out of a winning half-sister to 5f Group 2/3 winner Stepper Point. Hugo Palmer has a couple of fillies heading his way, including a 70,000gns daughter of Too Darn Hot whose dam counted Del Mar Oaks winner Singhalese and 6f Listed winner Docofthebay among her siblings.
Amo Racing have notoriously bought some rather expensive disappointments in recent times, but having two centralised bases in both England and Ireland along with a seemingly more sensible approach to buying stock these past 12 months or so is likely to reap dividends this time around.
FULL LIST
Kevin Philippart de Foy
Unnamed (21/2 b c Frankel - Aljazzi (Shamardal))
Unnamed (1/3 ch c Frankel - Audarya (Wootton Bassett))
Unnamed (16/2 b f Frankel - Auria (Muhaarar))
Unnamed (23/4 b c Sea The Stars - Baino Hope (Jeremy))
Unnamed (22/2 b f Persian Force - Brush Creek (Twilight Son))
Unnamed (2/4 b c Mehmas - Cartoon (Danehill Dancer))
Unnamed (2/5 b f Night of Thunder - Catalina Bay (Pastoral Pursuits))
Unnamed (17/3 ch c Starman - Chilly Morning (Slade Power))
Unnamed (24/2 b f Perfect Power - Collegiate (Declaration of War))
Unnamed (3/4 ch f Night of Thunder - Divisimo (Dansili))
Unnamed (18/2 b f Starman - Emirates Empress (Dark Angel))
Unnamed (29/2 b f Lope de Vega - Fennela (Sea The Stars))
Unnamed (25/3 b f Invincible Spirit - Field of Stars (Acclamation))
Unnamed (15/4 b c Minzaal - Florence Camille (Galileo))
Unnamed (8/4 ch c Persian Force - Graunuaile (Invincible Spirit))
Unnamed (20/3 ch c Showcasing - Hastalavistababy (Dandy Man))
Unnamed (4/3 gr f Gregorian - Jungle Jane (Bungle Inthejungle))
Unnamed (22/5 ch f Starspangledbanner - Last Gold (Gold Away))
Unnamed (25/2 b c St Mark’s Basilica - Lifting Me Higher (Sea The Stars))
Unnamed (23/2 b f Sea The Stars - Lismore (Zoffany))
Unnamed (21/4 b c Wootton Bassett - Luna Mare (Galileo))
Unnamed (19/4 b c Frankel - Madame Chiang (Archipenko))
Unnamed (1/4 b f Mehmas - Mesadah (Raven’s Pass))
Unnamed (2/4 ch c Starman - Miss Blue Sky (Shamardal))
Unnamed (7/3 ch c Night of Thunder - Model Guest (Showcasing))
Unnamed (11/3 b c Naval Crown - My Wish (Galileo))
Unnamed (10/1 b f Night of Thunder - No Speak Alexander (Shalaa))
Unnamed (14/4 b f Night of Thunder - Prudenzia (Dansili))
Unnamed (11/4 b c Lope de Vega - Queen Trezy (Almanzor))
Unnamed (9/2 b f Havana Grey - Roxie Lot (Exceed And Excel))
Unnamed (15/4 gr c Wootton Bassett - Sablonniere (Verglas))
Unnamed (6/4 gr f Persian Force - Sardinia Sunset (Gutaifan))
Unnamed (28/3 b f Persian Force - Sparkling Olly (Gleneagles))
Unnamed (9/3 b f Night of Thunder - Stay Home (Le Havre))
Unnamed (8/4 ch f Frankel - Suelita (Dutch Art))
Unnamed (8/5 b f Coulsty - Sultanina (New Approach))
Unnamed (16/3 b f Starman - Sweet Sienna (Harbour Watch))
Unnamed (14/4 b f Minzaal - Swirral Edge (Hellvelyn))
Unnamed (6/5 ch c New Bay - Toride (Fuisse))
Unnamed (11/3 b f Mehmas - Vida Amorosa (Lope de Vega))
Unnamed (21/4 ch c Pinatubo - War And Peace (Frankel))
Unnamed (14/4 ch f Cotai Glory - Wild Mix (Mastercraftsman)
Robson Aguiar
Edward Thatch (13/3 b c Blackbeard - Bright And Sunny (Galileo))
Unnamed (23/4 b/br c Life Is Good - A Star Is Born (Galileo))
Unnamed (26/2 b c Persian Force - Baroness Blixen (Showcasing))
Unnamed (26/2 b f Perfect Power - Cairncross (Cape Cross))
Unnamed (30/4 gr f Night of Thunder - Elshaadin (Dalakhani))
Unnamed (19/3 b c Minzaal - Erysimum (Arcano))
Unnamed (1/2 b f Persian Force - Hoodna (Invincible Spirit))
Unnamed (16/2 b c Not This Time - Koala Princess (More Than Ready))
Unnamed (8/2 b c Persian Force - Lady Aria (Kodiac))
Unnamed (22/3 b c Persian Force - Love Message (Siyouni))
Unnamed (9/4 b c Quality Road - Mirror City (Street Cry))
Unnamed (24/1 b f Sea The Stars - Newton’s Angel (Dark Angel))
Unnamed (19/3 b c Persian Force - Princess Rose (Royal Applause))
Unnamed (5/2 b c Wootton Bassett - Qabala (Scat Daddy))
Unnamed (10/1 b c Mehmas - Raas (Iffraaj))
Unnamed (8/3 b c Perfect Power - Rogue Missile (Dandy Man))
Unnamed (26/4 b f Mehmas - Saliteh (Ardad))
Unnamed (26/1 b c Starman - Tammy Wynette (Tamayuz))
Unnamed (22/4 b c Persian Force - Ti Amo Sempre (Galileo Gold))
Unnamed (31/1 b/br f Nyquist - Touch The Moon (Malibu Moon))
George Boughey
Unnamed (24/2 gr f Havana Grey - Delevigne (Redoute’s Choice))
Unnamed (2/4 b f Blue Point - Shang Shang Shang (Shanghai Bobby))
Karl Burke
Unnamed (6/4 ch f Night of Thunder - Fashion’s Star (Sea The Stars))
Unnamed (28/1 ch f Persian Force - Hawafez (Shamardal))
Charlie Clover
Unnamed (19/3 b f Nando Parrado - Burnt Fingers (Kheleyf))
Unnamed (15/2 b c Oasis Dream - Final Rhapsody (Royal Applause))
Unnamed (30/4 ch c Persian Force - Single Thought (Teofilo))
Richard Fahey
Unnamed (21/3 ch f Persian Force - Lila Girl (Pride of Dubai))
Charlie Fellowes
Unnamed (7/3 b c Persian Force - Laureldean Lady (Statue of Liberty))
Unnamed (3/4 b f Ardad - Sandy Times (Footstepsinthesand))
Richard Hannon
Unnamed (15/2 b f Kodiac - Fikrah (Medicean))
Unnamed (22/2 ch c Persian Force - Highland Class (Highland Reel))
Unnamed (26/2 b f Dandy Man - Vichy France (Sea The Stars))
Charlie Johnston
Unnamed (22/3 b c Frankel - Bocca Baciata (Big Bad Bob))
David Loughane
Unnamed (29/2 b c Persian Force - Choc U Zel Nell (Noverre))
Donnacha O’Brien
Unnamed (7/5 gr f Havana Grey - Shamandar (Exceed And Excel))
Joseph O’Brien
Unnamed (10/2 ch c Starman - Deep Impression (Footstepsinthesand))
John O’Donoghue
Unnamed (27/4 b c Zarak - Chachamaidee (Footstepsinthesand))
Hugo Palmer
Unnamed (14/2 b f Too Darn Hot - Ducissa (Exceed And Excel))
Unnamed (24/3 b f Supremacy - Tencaratrubieslace (Siyouni))
George Scott
Unnamed (9/4 b f Showcasing - Marie of Lyon (Royal Applause))
David Simcock
Unnamed (29/4 gr c Havana Grey - Follow My Heart (Sakhee’s Secret))
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