The relocated Tattersalls Ascot Yearling Sale witnessed increases across the board, producing a solid final set of key indicators. A total of 203 horses sold for 2,341,350 guineas (US$3,236,736) (+81%) at an average of 11,533 guineas (US$15,943) (+13%) with a median of 8,000 guineas (US$11,059) (+5%).
Lot 135, a filly by Profitable, consigned by Derek Veitch's Ringfort Stud topped the day's trade when selling to Kevin Ross for 58,000 guineas (US$80,184). The filly's page received a notable boost as her second dam Dancing Prize is the grandam of Minzaal, this year's Gimcrack Stakes winner for Owen Burrows.
Lot 225, a colt consigned by Norris Bloodstock, the first crop from Arlington Million winner Mondialiste attracted interest from a number of parties but it was Aidan O'Ryan and Richard Fahey who came out on top securing the colt for 47,000 guineas (US$64,976).
Ringfort Stud also offered Lot 143 an El Kabeir half-sister to this year's Lowther Stakes winner and Ascot Yearling Sale graduate Miss Amulet. The filly caught the imagination of a number of bidders but it was Nick Bell who struck the winning bid of 45,000 guineas (US$62,211) on behalf of his father Michael.
Joe Foley was responsible for purchasing the fourth highest priced lot of the day when signing for Lot 93, a filly offered by Houghton Bloodstock by sire sensation Night of Thunder. Houghton Bloodstock ended the day as leading consignors selling a total of nine lots for 161,000 guineas (US$222,569) at an average of 17,889 guineas (US$24,730).
Peter and Ross Doyle were the leading purchasers on the day securing a total of six lots for an aggregate of 150,000 guineas (US$207,364). Among these purchases was Lot 105, an Ardad filly consigned by Britton House Stud from the family of Sakhee's Secret.
At the conclusion of the sale, Matthew Prior, head of Tattersalls Ascot commented;
“We have witnessed robust trade throughout the day, and it is hugely pleasing to see gains made across the board. Vendors have noticeably increased the quality on offer and have been rewarded with both strong domestic and international participation. Our thanks go to Tattersalls for accommodating the relocated sale to its headquarters in Park Paddocks, along with Great British Racing International who have assisted in the promotion and airport transfers for those traveling from further afield. We look forward to charting the progress of this year's graduates from a sale that goes from strength to strength.”
The post Profitable Filly Tops Relocated Tattersalls Ascot Yearling Sale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
NEWMARKET, UK-Every cloud has a silver lining, even one as black and pervasive as this accursed pandemic. And the transfer of the Tattersalls Ascot Yearling Sale from its eponymous base to the headquarters of its parent brand, as part of an emergency revamping of the yearling sales calendar, worked so well on Monday that conceivably it might prove tempting to make the relocation permanent.
On the other hand, prospectors will go anywhere for the right animal. Mouse O’Ryan put it well. “You can sell a good horse at a crossroads,” the agent said. “You tell us where it is, we’ll make it our business to get there.”
Certainly there were other valid factors in play, besides the congenial setting.
Though only in its fourth year, this auction had momentum of its own through the racetrack endeavours of its graduates, notably group winners at Glorious Goodwood and the Ebor Meeting this summer acquired for a combined £22,500.
Nor was it too demanding to build on that success from such a low base, with both the character and cost of the stock holding appeal even to trainers who may find themselves shorter of orders than usual.
All that said, it felt like no mean feat–especially after those bruising opening skirmishes at Doncaster last week–even to tread water in terms of the average, never mind actually to advance it.
Conversion was required to compare this sale with 2019, one having traded in guineas and the other in sterling. But the indices were very positive: the average up 13%, from £10,684 to the equivalent of £12,110; and the median up five% to an effective £8,400 from £8,000. A much-expanded catalogue, however, was the principal driver to turnover soaring all the way up to £2,458,418 from £1,356,850.
Last year, three lots made £40,000 or more; this time round, selling with “the extra shilling”, there were eight that realized 40,000gns and above. Even allowing for the extra 90 lots into the ring, that ratio suggests the quality has more than kept step.
In a week when so many professionals are prospecting bigger sales at Deauville and Lexington, just the sheer bustle about the place was heartening. Remember that yearling vendors had embarked on the sales season in a spirit of grim pragmatism, an 84% clearance rate at Doncaster indicating a willingness to cut losses and start over. A similar outlook here appeared to be reflected in just seven scratchings from 257 catalogued, quite apart from another healthy ratio of 81% finding new homes.
The thrust of business can be judged from the fact that a son of Ribchester (Ire), winner of four Group 1 prizes over a mile, was announced from the rostrum as being by “a Mill Reef winner.” It remains to be seen whether demand can keep up with so much supply across that commercial, sharp ‘n’ early sector. For now, however, there will be plenty of people out there willing to welcome any sign of resilience at any level of the market.
“We have witnessed robust trade throughout the day, and it is hugely pleasing to see gains made across the board,” said Matt Prior, Head of Tattersalls Ascot. “Vendors have noticeably increased the quality on offer and have been rewarded with both strong domestic and international participation.
“Our thanks go to Tattersalls for accommodating the sale at its headquarters in Park Paddocks, along with Great British Racing International, who have assisted in the promotion and airport transfers for those travelling from farther afield. We look forward to charting the progress of this year’s graduates, from a sale that goes from strength to strength.”
Congratulations to Prior not only on a sale that gave fresh confidence to a nervous market, but also on the birth of his first child, James, safely delivered by wife Amanda only at the weekend. A time of new hope all round.
Ringfort Continues Profitable Run
The poster girl for last year’s sale was Miss Amulet, winner of the G2 Sky Bet Lowther S. at York after being picked up for just £7,500, and her half-sister by El Kabeir duly featured in the top echelon here when sold as lot 143 for 45,000gns. But she was only the second leg of a productive quarter-hour for her breeder Derek Veitch of Ringfort Stud, who had just realized the top price of the day of 58,000gns for a Profitable (Ire) filly presented as lot 135.
Veitch was self-deprecating enough to remind the press that he had written off both Miss Amulet herself (a €1,000 Goffs November pinhook as a foal) and her dam Sheena’s Dream (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) for virtually nothing last year. But to make six figures from two lots here is consistent with the rare skills that produced a second Group 2 winner within 24 hours at the Ebor meeting, through Minzaal (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) in the Al Basti Equiworld Gimcrack S.; never mind that Veitch had bred the winner of that race last year as well, in Threat (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}).
The Profitable filly actually shares a second dam with Minzaal, and it is a productive family overall. Her mother is sibling to four black-type operators, while the third dam produced two elite-placed foals in Polar Bear (GB) (Polar Falcon) and Dance To The Top (GB) (Sadler’s Wells).
“The pick of what we’ve seen,” said Kevin Ross, who signed the docket on behalf of Paul and Clare Rooney. “I thought she was a lovely filly. The sire’s stamping his stock, we bought one at Doncaster as well, and this was a lovely walker. We like a nice athlete, and she has a lovely temperament too.”
Though a May foal, Veitch expects her to be the more forward of the pair. “I felt the Profitable was going down best, she was getting the better interviews and comments,” he said. “And she did look a queen up here: it wouldn’t have mattered what sale she was at, she’d have stood out. She looks a May, June sort, whereas the other one will need a bit more time. But she’ll have residual value for sure, and if Miss Amulet wins the Cheveley Park she’ll be worth a lot more than that.”
Potentially, indeed, the El Kabeir filly could prove well bought even if she were never to race, and Michael Bell was duly gratified to secure her–through son Nick–on behalf of Chris Wright. After all, despite her cheap export to Italy here last December, Sheena’s Dream is out of a half-sister to GI Arlington Million winner Mill Native (Exclusive Native) and French Classic runner-up French Stress (Sham).
“Chris is a longstanding owner, and he’s got a stud farm, so we’re delighted,” Bell said. “Annoyingly, we did look at Miss Amulet last year but didn’t buy her. I must admit I have precious little recollection of doing so, but I know we looked at all the grey fillies. And I do know this is a bigger individual. I bought an El Kabeir at Doncaster as well, so I’m putting a few eggs in his basket.”
Wright’s “grey filly” formula has worked at this sale in the past, notably through listed winner Flippa The Strippa (Ire) (Outstrip {GB}), a £10,000 graduate of the 2018 edition.
“It’s great for Tattersalls, the way this sale has expanded,” Veitch remarked. “I thought it might go backwards, with those numbers, by diluting it. But actually I think the horses have stepped up. Big vendors who are at all the other sales are supporting it, and I think that’s a sign the sale’s going the right way.”
As for Ringfort’s own remarkable month, he said with a grin: “Somebody might think I know what I’m doing soon! This here was a great few minutes–a magic few minutes, in the current climate.”
Kildangan Pair in Demand
It was Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland who found Miss Amulet last year, and he returned to the well for lot 166, a 40,000gns Profitable colt consigned by WH Bloodstock. In the process he added to the laurels of the sale-topper’s young sire, whose first yearlings must work off a fee of €12,000.
“There are a couple of nice Profitables in the sale, and I think he has a chance,” said Donohoe, who was operating for a Middle-Eastern client. “This one was certainly a nice physical, a lovely individual. He has the premiums so he may well end up in France, he looks like he could be an early sort for there.”
Profitable will certainly live up to his name if he can match his Kildangan buddy Night Of Thunder (Ire). The way he is going, Night Of Thunder is threatening to become a rarity at this level, and Joe Foley was duly delighted to pick up his daughter out of a winning Singspiel (Ire) mare for 44,000gns as lot 93.
Foley, acting for Clipper Logistics, reiterated his admiration for Singspiel as a broodmare sire, citing the prolific Suedois (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) as well as Lady Kaya (Ire), the Classic runner-up by Ballyhane’s own Dandy Man (Ire).
This was Foley’s first visit to the sale, but he was one who felt he would have been equally likely to attend at the usual venue. “Nice horses have been coming out of it every year,” he said. “So we thought we had better come and take a look.”
Night Of Thunder also stoked up the embers of the session when Mark Grant gave 42,000gns for a colt (lot 254) out of an unraced Pivotal (GB) mare to prep for the breeze-ups. “That’s a great cross: I love a Pivotal mare and the sire’s on fire,” Grant said. “I’ve been waiting all day for this one, he’s a lovely horse. We did well with a Night Of Thunder last year, but I didn’t think I’d be able to get another one.”
Rookie Sires All the Way
Predictably enough, other new sires contributed to the higher yields of the day. One was Ardad (Ire), whose daughter out of a young, unraced Poet’s Voice (GB) mare made 43,000gns from Peter and Ross Doyle as lot 105.
Consigned by Britton House Stud, she brought a strong page: most conspicuous, among other brisk performers, being her granddam’s half-brother, champion sprinter Sakhee’s Secret (GB) (Sakhee).
“Nice, racy filly who fits the bill physically for us,” declared Ross Doyle. “She has a good bit of size to her and a good, tough attitude, and that nice back pedigree too. We like the Ardads. He was a well-bred horse, and fast, and it’s a good sign when you see a first-season sire stamping his stock.”
Pick of the early trade, meanwhile, had been the Cotai Glory (GB) colt sold to Robson Aguiar for 40,000gns as lot 36 through Owenstown Stud. “He’s a very strong colt,” said the breeze-up pinhooker. “We’re here looking for Ascot horses and he looks the right kind.”
This is the first foal of the stakes-placed Island Vision (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}) and John Tuthill was delighted for the client who owns her. Tuthill reports that the farm’s star mare Choose Me (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}), dam of Persuasive (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), has a full-brother to that Group 1 winner heading to Book I here next month. “He’s a strong, good-looking colt,” he said. “My big dream.”
A World of Encouragement
The last word goes to Mouse O’Ryan, who caught the upbeat mood of proceedings after giving 47,000gns late in the day for a January colt by another young sire in Mondialiste (Ire), consigned as lot 225 by Norris Bloodstock. The dam is also just getting started, but her mother is G2 German 1000 Guineas winner Penny’s Gift (GB) (Tobougg {Ire}).
“Lovely horse,” said the agent, who was acting for Richard Fahey. “Really sold himself, and you have to give the sire a chance: he was a very good racehorse, and a very good-looking one too. Trade is good. I think trade at every sale since lockdown has been good. The clearance rate is high, and the breeze-up men are reinvesting, which is great. People are realistic. They want to get business done. This is a great game to defy anything that’s going on in the world. People are very resilient. Long may it continue.”
The post That’s More Like It, as Tattersalls Ascot Posts Gains appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Randy Thompson wasn't sure he would be able to get the words out when he dialed the number. But when he heard the voice on the other end of the phone, he calmly said, “I finally found the one.”
He remembers the call as if it were yesterday.
Sitting in his car on the backstretch at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario, the trainer with the unmistakable Barbadian accent recalled the moment he realized the horse he always dreamed of having was in Barn 4 at the Toronto oval, home to the five Thoroughbreds under his care.
“I've been here in Canada and at Woodbine for 20 years, since October of 2000. I had always hoped to find a very special horse one day, a horse that would change my life. I knew Marjorie's Dream was the one. So, I called [champion jockey] Patrick Husbands, a fellow countryman, and I told him the day had come. And then I told him all about her.”
How he came to train and co-own the powerful, yet agile Ontario-bred chestnut is a story in itself, horse racing's version of a classic fairytale.
Chapter one began at the 2019 Canadian Premier Yearling Sale, the annual horse sale that takes place on the Woodbine grounds. The main characters are Thompson, his ex-wife Susan Thompson, and her boyfriend John McMullan.
The trio was looking for a Thoroughbred to buy at the sales pavilion, one that came with a modest price tag and untapped potential.
“We bid all day, but we didn't get anything,” recalled Randy. “We were frustrated. A filly came in the ring and she had a cut on her shoulder. The auctioneer said the horse would be sent back to the farm for 14 days, so that they could treat the cut, and we could get her. She is by Old Forester, who has the champion horse [Pink Lloyd] in Canada. I knew the cut would heal, so we bought the filly for $2,000. We were excited. When she was at the farm, she developed swelling on her hind. It was a hematoma. We took her to a clinic, and they cleaned it out and flushed it. We sent her to another clinic and they also did a fantastic job.”
Days later, Susan received a phone call from the breeder Estelle Clunies, reaching out to thank them for buying the filly, now named Fourteen Days.
“Fourteen Days, she's a fighter,” said Susan. “We named her after the pandemic, a mark in history none of us will ever forget.”
Clunies also had a question.
Randy Thompson in a “selfie” with Marjorie's Dream
“She wanted to let us know they also have the sister available for sale, a two-year-old horse called Marjorie's Dream,” said Randy. “She sent a picture to us. She was this big, tall horse. I thought, 'Wow… she's beautiful.' I asked how much they wanted and she told me it was $6,000.”
The three mulled the offer over and figured it might be worth the risk.
They liked what they saw in the picture and quickly realized this horse would be further along than her sibling.
“We ended up making enough money to buy Marjorie's Dream,” recalled Randy. “We were hoping and praying that Woodbine would open on time in the spring so that we could keep her in a stall there. I have to say a big thank you to Woodbine Racetrack for taking care of us through the pandemic. And then when Ontario Racing funded us with $1,500 [Ontario purse funds from races cancelled in April and May due to COVID-19 restrictions were redistributed to owners of Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds and Quarter Horses in the form of a monthly stipend] for the horses, it was really great. That helped us pick up our feet and carry us through.”
“We truly feel blessed,” added Susan. “Randy, John and I worked very hard throughout the winter to get Marjorie ready for her racing career.”
Little did they know the thrill ride they was about to embark on with the daughter of Old Forester, sire of multiple stakes champion and 2017 Canadian horse of the year, Pink Lloyd.
Not that the journey would be bereft of drama.
Initial elation at the prospect of owning a young horse with upside was tempered by a series of misfortunes.
Jeffrey Alderson, who worked Marjorie's Dream early on, was injured in a morning training accident, which sent the jockey to the sidelines for an extended period time.
Randy, desperate to pair Canada's eight-time top rider Husbands with the horse, was left wondering if it would ever happen.
“I had to stay on with the program for the horse. But I still couldn't get Patrick, so I turned to another rider, Daisuke Fukumoto. He came and breezed the horse. She ran her first race with Daisuke. We needed to get her going. She ran the farthest of any horse in the race and was fifth, but she was closing. After that, Fukumoto's agent told me he couldn't make a long-term commitment because he was riding for a trainer with a bigger outfit. One day, Patrick was supposed to come and work her, and it didn't work out again.”
Disappointed, he devised another game plan to get Husbands in the irons.
“I decided to name Patrick on the horse. I was going into the race, but Patrick didn't get to breeze her. He kept her close to the rail in their first race together and at the top of the lane, she took off with him again. She finished second, but Patrick and I knew there were other races to come for her.”
That list included the $135,000 Algoma Stakes on August 30 at Woodbine.
Randy had the race, a seven-furlong main track race for three-year-old fillies foaled in Canada, circled in his calendar for some time.
Husbands worked Marjorie's Dream in preparation for a spot in the Algoma starting gate.
“Patrick told me that was the work that he wanted,” said Randy. “She waited until he told her to go, and she did. At the top of the lane, when he asked her, she kicked home. He put me on eggshells after that. I got so weak. I had trouble going to bed. I was shaky. I wasn't dreaming of winning… I was dreaming about disappointing the public. I knew people would bet her, and I didn't want them to be let down. It was pressure. I've had horses scratched at the gate, lost when I thought we would win. When the Queen came to Woodbine in 2010, I went to Fort Erie with a horse. The horse was scratched and I didn't get to see the Queen.
“And now, I have a horse who is the favourite for a six-figure race. I was feeling light. I came down to the barn Saturday night around nine to look at her before the race on Sunday. I wanted to see her, just to make sure she was okay. I was feeling very nervous. I knew a lot of people, whether they were betting or not, wanted to see her win.”
A conversation on the morning of the race with Allyson Walker, assistant to dual Hall of Fame trainer Roger Attfield, helped ease Randy's nerves.
At least it did temporarily.
“Ally asked me if I was nervous, and I told her I was. She told me that everything was going to be fine. I can't remember exactly what she said, but I came down a bit after we talked. I felt a little less nervous.”
Walker was happy to be a calming influence.
“Randy is awesome,” said Walker. “We might be a big barn, but like to have a small barn, 'family' atmosphere. Randy has been stabled in our barn since spring and has been a great addition. We all cheer for one another. And everyone celebrates each other's wins in Barn 4. We are all there seven days a week trying to make the best lives for our horses and ourselves.
“We all know she is a spirited filly, so coming up to a race can be a lively endeavour. I asked him if he was excited and he said, 'No… I'm really nervous.' I think all I said was, 'Don't be! I promise to worry enough for you and you be excited and focus on the race.' We spoke a little about the pressures of it all and her tricks. He laughed and thanked me.”
In the minutes before the eight-horse field was sent on its way in the Algoma, the jitters returned.
And they certainly didn't abate when Marjorie's Dream, the slight 9-5 race favorite, was engaged by a hard-charging rival in deep stretch, a duel that culminated in a photo finish.
A nose was all that separated the pair, with Marjorie's Dream holding on for the win.
Jockey Patrick Husbands guides Marjorie's Dream (inside) to a nose victory in the Algoma Stakes at Woodbine
Husbands, donning the maroon and silver silks (an homage to the colours of Coleridge & Parry, Randy's secondary school) with an emblem of a fork and knife that acknowledge Thompson's mother – who has her own food business, Vern's Cuisine – delivered the trainer his first stakes crown, and an $82,935 payday.
“It's amazing, it feels really good,” said Randy, who watched Marjorie's Dream win her second race from four starts. “First of all, I want to thank my good friend Peter Brown for finding me in Barbados and getting me a job in Canada 20 years ago. He let me work for [trainers] Mr. Tino Attard and Kevin Attard – I really appreciate those guys. And most of all, my mom, she allowed me to come. As you see, my colors are well representative of my mom's food business.”
He wasn't only thinking of his mother.
“The breeder named the horse after her Aunt Marjorie,” noted Randy. “On her tombstone is a picture of a racehorse wearing a shadow roll [the same equipment Marjorie's Dream wears]. She sent a picture to me the week before the race. She told me her aunt loved horses and loved being around her. So, it was a blessing to be able to win for her too.”
His neighbors in Barn 4 were ecstatic.
“After she won, Randy thanked me again for easing his mind and taking the worry on,” said Walker. “I had spoken to Roger on the phone before saddling his horse, Grazely, in the following race, and he had been watching Randy's horse and was thrilled he won. Support system is everything.”
For the horseman from Browne's Gap, in Christ Church, Barbados, it was a moment he had always envisioned, long before he came to Canada.
“Growing up, I wanted to be a rider, but I was in a few accidents in Barbados. So, I decided to come to Canada to find work as a groom or a galloper. When I got to Woodbine, I often thought about winning a big race. Each year I was there, I thought more and more about winning that big race.”
Now in his eighth year training Thoroughbreds, he never wavered in his belief that he would one day make a life-changing call.
Thinking of the day it finally happened brings out a big smile.
“I said that when I find that perfect horse, I have to call my countryman. I'm going to call Patrick. He's a top rider, and I wasn't going to call him to ride just any horse. It had to be the horse. And Marjorie's Dream, she was that one.”
He has another top-of-mind hope: seeing more Bajan and Black trainers in the sport.
“If you are willing to work hard, believe in yourself, and have a dream to chase, anything is possible.”
The post The Trio, The Filly And A $6,000 Horse Racing Dream appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
