Ocovango off the mark with a weekend double

Image © Healy Racing

The Ocovango-sired duo of Brooklyn Callin and Aspurofthemoment scored at Quakerstown and Dromahane respectively to provide the stallion with his first points winners of the new season.

Tom Keating’s four-year-old debutant mare Brooklyn Callin overcame her lack of prior experience to get the better of her three rivals when showing game battling qualities to account for runner-up Tricksofthetrade to come home half a length to the good under a fine ride by Adam Feeney.

A fourth foal of the unraced Dam Earthshan,  Brooklyn Callin is a half-sister to No Small Plans, winner of a NH race and 4 point-to-points. The Dam also bred Another Day Out, who won 1 NH race and 1 point-to-point, Bob the Builder, placed in a NH race and winner of a point-to-point.  

Keating picked her up at last year’s Tattersalls Ireland July Sale for €7,200 and she will now be offered for sale at the Tattersalls Cheltenham November sale.

Brooklyn Callin was providing Keating with his initial winner for the campaign and he commented

“This is a lovely mare that we’ve always liked. I bought her at the July Sale off her breeder Linda Twomey and it’s great that Linda is here today to see her win”.

“She jumped and travelled everywhere for Adam today. She should have a nice future on the track now and will hopefully be sold.”


The Alne Park Stud resident Ocovango was also represented by the five-year-old Aspurofthemoment who landed the concluding 5 year-old and upwards adjacent maiden race on the card at Dromahane on Sunday.

The ex-track performer showed some ability in the past,  and finished a promising third behind Trasna Na Pairce on his points return at Castletown Geoghegan on the opening weekend of the season, therefore it was no surprised that the Eugene O’Sullivan owned/trained victor progressed to score easily here with O’Sullivan’s nephew Alan in the plate.  

The bay Aspurofthemoment may now target the hunter chase at Limerick over the Christmas period.

Standing at Alne Park Stud, Ocovango is another highly sought after son of the great German stallion Monsun.  
Ocovango was trained in France by Andre Fabre and he recorded an odds-on success in the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe as a three-year-old. He finished a close fifth behind Ruler Of The World in the Epsom Group 1 Investec Derby and took third place behind Flintshire in the Group 1 Prix De Paris, he was placed a further two times in Group company before retiring to stud in 2015.

Ocovango is responsible for the Willie Mullins trained Grade 1 Lawlor's Of Naas Novice Hurdle victor Champ Kiely who emerged from the point-to-point sphere.  He also sired Dan Skelton’s Langer Dan who took the  Grade 3 Alder Hey & Aintree Handicap Hurdle as well as Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham. The 2024 Tote Galway Plate Noel Meade-trained winner Pinkerton is another of his prodigy to impress.

With a total of 19 winners, Ocovango sired the most winners of any active stallion in the UK in 2023.  He finished second in the Irish point-to-point 2023/24 stallion standings with a season best total of 25 winners.