'We will be cheering on Armor Supreme in the Queen Mary' - Breeze-Up consignor Donna Cowens

This week I caught up with Donna Cowens of DNA Equine to chat about Pre-Training, Breeze Ups and Royal Ascot.

Donna and her fiance Nicky Souza de Oliveira established DNA Equine in 2023 and have been Pre-Training and consigning at the Breeze Ups ever since.

Donna has developed a reputation for being a serious judge of youngstock and has sourced a number of yearlings that have generated significant returns in the ring. She is one of the most meticulous and organised people I know.

Nicky is one of most accomplished Breeze Up riders in the industry and a true horseman. His attention to detail is second to none.

What is the most important thing you are trying to achieve with a young horse before it goes into full training?

The ultimate goal is for them to leave us mentally and physically prepared for a full training regime. Physically they have to be mature enough. Young horses go through growth spurts and stages of weakness, which, if pushed too hard during this, problems can arise.

They have to enjoy their work, eating well and not becoming stressed. We are lucky to have all the facilities on the Curragh, our horses use a variety of gallops and are among other strings everyday. If you do the foundation work properly then the rest should come. Nicky loves driving the horses. We would also spend time on the ground, the small things like grooming, loading and traveling etc.

When you have a horse in for Pre-Training, at what point can you tell if he is above average?

Most horses will give you signs right from the beginning. Even on the lunge and when they start cantering away you can see how well balanced they are, and attitude is a big part. Normally at the end of January, we would ask the Breeze Up horses to quicken for 50yards, some just have that extra gear.

You've worked with some of the best breeze-up horses in Europe. How much does Royal Ascot influence your yearling buying strategy?

Every breeze up consignor wants a runner at Ascot. During the yearling sales we are buying the dream and come the following spring we are selling the dream. We all know you also need a lot of luck. The only runner in Ascot this year that we have been associated with, cost very little as a yearling, by a relatively unknown sire. But, we will certainly be cheering on Armor Supreme in the Queen Mary.

When you're inspecting yearlings, are you buying the pedigree or the physical?

Our budget normally limits the pedigrees we can afford so we would lean more towards physical. If we were buying to race I would pick a good physical. But you cannot ignore the fact you need sire power on your side when you're trying to sell them at the Breeze Ups.

Which current sire do you think is underrated by the market?

Kodi Bear seems to be having a great run of it. I am also a fan of Lope Y Fernandez, maybe that’s a bit biased as we have a fabulous filly by him in the yard. But he has a few runners this week in Ascot, they surely wouldn’t be there just for a day out.

What's the biggest mistake buyers make at the breeze-ups?

The men/women buying the Breeze Up horses are great judges and know what they are looking at. As a vendor we are declaring the horses back in February for their maiden and a lot can change in 3 months. So to judge that horse over 2 furlongs, it really is tough.

Have the Breeze Ups become too focused on times and data rather than horsemanship?

As I mentioned it’s hard to judge a horse solely over 2f, so I think the introduction of data isn’t a bad thing, we actually used monitors on some of our horses at home this year and I would always have videos of their work. Every little helps.

The times are there and if you have a fast one and it goes well we love times but they wouldn’t always be your friend when you're on the last page. Hence why we would have as much footage and data from home. You also have to move with the times, a lot of trainers are using the software now.

Which Royal Ascot race tells you the most from a bloodstock perspective?

A winner in any of the two-year-old races will surely have an impact on this year’s yearling prices, especially with all the first season sires. Persian Force has few exciting horses on the track now, we had a couple this year and I loved their work ethic. I also liked Naval Crown’s stock as yearlings and there are a couple of nice horses to run in Ascot. They seem to be tough, which is what you need to get your nose in front.

If you could own one Royal Ascot runner as a future stallion prospect, who would it be?

Bow Echo looks special.