The success story of Spartan Arrow is gathering pace with the bargain purchase on target at Group 3 level in Ireland on his latest start.
The son of Sioux Nation, sourced for just 17,000gns late last October from the horses in training sales, has given his owners a great first year to remember, with three trips abroad netting a Listed win in France and now a Group 3 prize in Ireland.
Before hitting those heights, Spartan Arrow gave everyone the thrill of finishing runner-up on Derby Day in the Epsom Dash and his latest heroics have capped a memorable first 12 months for the speedy son of Sioux Nation.
His latest big win came under the lights at Dundalk in the Group 3 Mercury Stakes, a race that had long been in trainer Archie Watson’s sights, as he later reflected in a post onTwitter/X.
How Spartan Arrow won the Group 3 Mercury Stakes
Showing his customary early pace through the first half of the contest, Spartan Arrow tracked the speedy front-running Eclairage before Hollie Doyle made her move to lead the race over a furlong out.
Hitting the front and galloping on well, Spartan Arrow toughed it out well in the closing stages from the heavily backed favourite, this year’s Group 2 winner West Acre.
There were some great scenes in the winner’s enclosure after the race as Spartan’s horse racing syndicate gave Hollie and Spartan the rapturous reception they so richly deserved.
Once unsaddled, Hollie took owners through exactly how she and Spartan had secured their latest win together in the Group 3 prize.
The success, Spartan’s fourth of the year, capped a memorable year of racing for his horse racing syndicate.
Archie’s training triumph with a bargain buy
The skill of trainer Archie Watson to saddle Spartan Arrow 11 times as a five-year-old after he’d managed only 7 starts in his career prior to that, once again highlights the value we can source from the horses in training sales.
The likes of Group 1 winners Glen Shiel (£45,000), Outbox (16,000gns) and two-time Group 3 winner Tempus (25,000gns) all highlight Archie’s remarkable prowess at achieving incredible results with relatively cheaply bought horses from the in-training sales.
Needless to say, with just 48 hours till the start of this year’s horses in training sale, the team have been working hard trying to find our latest superstar bargain in this year’s catalogue, which features no less than 1627 horses.
For Spartan Arrow it’s now time for a brief holiday to refresh and reset ahead of what promises to be another exciting campaign for him and his owners in 2026.
We look forward to seeing what targets Archie has in mind for him in 2026!
