Tag: Anthony Stroud

Le Havre’s Casapueblo A New ‘TDN Rising Star’ At Chantilly

Godolphin's €130,000 Arqana October acquisition Casapueblo (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}–Uruguay {Ire}, by Authorized {Ire}) justified 7-5 favouritism by overcoming traffic issues and was elevated to the 'TDN Rising Star' ranks with a taking display in Wednesday's Prix de la Maniguette at Chantilly.

The eventual winner lobbed along in third through steady early stages, but slipped to fourth when brake-checked and impeded approaching halfway in this debut. Full of run along the rail when encountering heavy traffic passing the quarter-mile marker, he found an open lane inside the final 300 metres and unleashed a powerful turn of foot to win, going away, by a length from Ouro Preto (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). Casapueblo becomes his sire's third Rising Star and he joins G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Commes (Fr) and G3 Prix de Guiche third Another Sky (Fr) on the list.

“He had been working well in the mornings and we hoped to see him confirm it on the racecourse,” said Godolphin's Louise Benard. “We really liked what we saw and no doubt he will stay further in due course. Anthony Stroud liked him at the Arqana October sale and bought him, even though this is not the type of horse Godolphin is looking at in a sale. It has paid off and we will now see what Mr Fabre wants to do with him.”

Casapueblo is the latest of five reported foals and fourth scorer from as many runners produced by a winning half-sister to MGSP sire Urban King (Ire) (Desert King {Ire}) and the dual stakes-placed Victoria College (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}). Victoria College, in turn, is the dam of G2 Prix Chaudenay and G3 Prix de Lutece placegetter Lucky Look (Fr) (Teofilo {Ire}), G3 Prix de Conde runner-up Millfield (Fr) (Whipper) and Listed Prix Volterra third La Poutanesca (Ire) (Falco). Casapueblo's G3 Premio Umbria-winning second dam Uruk (GB) (Efisio {GB}) is a half-sister to stakes-winning G3 Chester Vase and G3 September S. runner-up All The Aces (Ire) (Spartacus {Ire}). The April-foaled bay is a half-brother to G3 Prix Miesque victrix Dame Du Roi (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}).

5th-Chantilly, €30,000, Mdn, 9-13, 2yo, c/g, 9fT, 2:00.09, sf.
CASAPUEBLO (IRE), c, 2, by Le Havre (Ire)
1st Dam: Uruguay (Ire), by Authorized (Ire)
2nd Dam: Uruk (GB), by Efisio (GB)
3rd Dam: Lili Cup (Fr), by Fabulous Dancer
(€130,000 Ylg '22 ARQOCT) Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €15,000. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Godolphin; B-Eric Puerari & Ecurie Ades Hazan (IRE); T-Andre Fabre; J-Mickael Barzalona.

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Sensational August Sale Closes With €2.2m Siyouni Colt to Coolmore

By Brian Sheerin and Emma Berry

DEAUVILLE, France–It was the bloodstock sales equivalent of a mic drop: two lots, five minutes, €3 million. Boom.

Coomore has long nurtured its partnerships, and with Peter Brant, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Georg von Opel's Westerberg, the Magnier-led operation has enjoyed plentiful success. Most notably this season that has come with Paddington (GB), a multiple Group 1-winning son of Siyouni (Fr) bred by Dayton Investments at Ecurie des Monceaux, and it was to that nursery that the team turned again, signing for the day's top lot [244], also by Siyouni, for €2.2 million.

The names of MV Magnier and Brant's White Birch Farm were on the ticket, just as they were for the previous colt [243], a son of Wootton Bassett (GB) whose yearlings on offer this season are from the first crop conceived in Ireland since the stallion's purchase by Coolmore. 

Those two sires, Siyouni and Wootton Bassett, have formed the cornerstone of the French stallion ranks in recent years, backed up by the late Le Havre (Ire) and Kendargent (Fr), and even with Wootton Bassett no longer in the country, his stock is still high in Deauville. A batch of 24 of his yearlings went through the ring over the last three days for an average of €349,375, led by the €800,000 colt from Monceaux out of the American Pharoah mare Holy Roman Empress (Ire), herself a winning daughter of the G1 Phoenix S. winner Damson (Ire) (Entrepreneur).

The Siyouni colt, meanwhile, is out of Hourglass (Ire), a Galileo (Ire) half-sister to Shamardal. Both colts were bred by China Horse Club from mares bred by Coolmore and associates.

“They're two very nice horses and, interestingly enough, we actually sold the two dams a couple of years ago,” said Magnier. “We've come back and bought the progeny because China Horse Club are very good breeders and Monceaux are an incredible farm. They do a very good job raising horses and we're lucky to get the two of them. They'll both go to Ballydoyle.”

Ecurie des Monceaux has held the title of leading consignor at the August Sale since 2012 and it was once again on top, with 35 yearlings sold for a total of €15,180,000.

Monceaux's Henri Bozo said, “It's been a very good sale. As it has got going it has gone from strength to strength and to have sold those two big horses to Coolmore is a great proof of trust from them to us. The Siyouni colt is a lovely horse with the magic cross, he's magnificent, a good mover, and there is plenty to come physically.”

He continued, “I think that we saw from the beginning of the showing days that there were more and more people. A lot of principals were looking at the horses and enjoying the sale and everybody was confident.”

Bozo and some of his partners were also involved in one of the Group 1 contests on the racecourse at Deauville earlier in the day when their Ramatuelle (Justify) was collared close home to finish second by a head in the G1 Sumbe Prix Morny.

“I got too excited too early and I thought she was going to win,” he said. “She's so tough, she's amazing.”

Ramatuelle will be a valued addition to the Monceaux broodmare band in due course, but first we may see her travel to Newmarket for the G1 Cheveley Park S.

Talking Points

  • All credit to Arqana, this year's August Sale didn't miss a beat. The aggregate was up 15.41% to €56,949,000 while the average climbed 10.7% to 232,445. Along with that, the clearance rate was a healthy 86%, up 4% on last year. In short, it was an excellent, record-breaking sale. 
  • Plenty of attendees at the sale remarked upon the importance of the presence of some of the heads of major global racing and breeding operations in Deauville, and it may well have been a contributing factor to an incredibly buoyant market at Arqana. Godolphin, Coolmore, and a rejuvenated Al Shaqab filled the top three buyers' slots.
  • For the twelfth year in a row, Ecurie des Monceaux was the leading August vendor, selling 45 yearlings at and average of €451, 714, but it was also a terrific sale for Nicolas de Chambure and his team, who sold the top lot, the Dubawi half-sister to Bucanero Fuerte (Fr), for €2.4 million along with 14 other yearlings for a total average price of €340,895.
  • Siyouni has long been the stallion king of France and, with Mqse De Sevigne (Fr) winning her second Group 1 in three weeks across the road just before the start of the final session, and the scintillating prospect of Paddington (GB) running in Tuesday's G1 Juddmonte International, the stock of the Aga Khan Studs' star resident really couldn't be higher. At Arqana over the last three days, 15 of his yearlings sold for a total of €6,950,000, putting him behind only Dubawi (Ire) and Frankel (GB) on the sale's sires' table.
  • Freshman sires featured prominently, with Ghaiyyath's €455,000 average for three sold giving him bragging rights, but it was also a notable debut for Haras d'Etreham's Hello Youmzain, whose stock drew many favourable comments and who ended the sale with 19 sold at and average of €128,789. His initial stud fee was €25,000.

Coulonces Back in Spotlight With Another Japanese Buyer

On Saturday Anna Sundstrom sold a homebred Sottsass (Fr) colt to Mitsu Nakauchida for 525,000gns, and a day later another Japanese trainer, Yoshito Yahagi, also found favour with Sundstrom's Coulonces Sales draft. He selected a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt out of the G3 Prix Miesque winner Magic America (High Yield) for €1,000,000.

“I was interested in buying a yearling by Wootton Bassett, as I think he has the ability to succeed in Japan as a sire,” said the trainer who has launched successful international raids on the Breeders' Cup and Saudi Cup. “I have been here all three days, and my impression is that this is a very strong market. I was on my final bid for this colt.”

Last year, Yahagi was responsible for buying the sale's top lot, a €2.1 million brother to the Arc winner Sottsass (Fr). This time he signed for two yearlings, including a first-crop son of the 2,000 Guineas winner Kameko for €140,000.

The Tweenhills stallion has made a rock-solid start, but far more interesting than the fact the Kameko posted an impressive €177,500 average for four yearlings sold were the buyers of his sons and daughters. The Hong Kong Jockey Club snapped up a colt by Kameko on Friday for €310,000 and, along with  Yahagi, French trainer Yann Barberot also featured on the list of buyers. 

Speaking about the strong start from the £15,000 sire, David Redvers of Tweenhills said, “Delighted. It's been a great start. There is a mixture of happiness and sadness because, when a horse is sold abroad, it lessens the exposure for the stallion at home. But, wherever he does well, it will be a good thing. I think we have some really exciting yearlings to come. The ones I have seen tend to be really sharp-looking. If they are out of a fast mare, he seems to be putting that strength into them. With the Roaring Lions, I rarely saw one that didn't look as though it would need at least 10 furlongs at three.”

He added, “With the Kamekos, we certainly have one going to Book 1 and he is out of a very fast mare and looks very sharp. He could be his first two-year-old runner. Sheikh Fahad wants to expose Kameko to the market so he is selling some of his nice ones.”

A Siyouni for Restrepo and JR Ranch

“We've waited three days for this filly,” said Ramiro Restrepo after signing for lot 279, a Monceaux-bred Siyouni daughter of the unraced Lucerne (GB), a Frankel (GB) half-sister to the treble Group 1-winning miler Charm Spirit (Ire).

At €700,000, she was another significant purchase in Europe by the American-based JR Ranch, who gave £250,000 for Ocean Vision (Ire) (US Navy Flag) at the Goffs London Sale in June. 

Restrepo, who acts as Marquee Bloodstock, continued, “She is going to be a cornerstone, hopefully a foundation mare down the line for us. We bought Ocean Vision for the same partner, JR Ranch. He has a lot of passion for Thoroughbred racing and this filly has it all: temperament, class, physique, beautiful pedigree. She's out of a Frankel mare who is a half to Charm Spirit, a major Group 1 winner, and Dream And Do is in the family, who is one of Siyouni's Group 1 winners.”

Restrepo added that the filly will be the first to race in France for JR Ranch and that she will be trained in Chantilly by Tim Donworth, who previously trained Ocean Vision.

He said, “I have known Tim since he was on the Flying Start course. We bought Ocean Vision, who was one of the nicest horses in his yard. He brought the horse over to America for the Grade II and our partner was super-impressed with how he handled himself and the love that he showed for the horse, so it was only right to replace one in his barn.”

Stroud: 'It Has Been Great To Get The Principals Here'

Just a few hours after his Craven Breeze-Up purchase Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) confirmed himself one of the best two-year-olds in Europe when storming to G1 Prix Morny glory for KHK Racing Ltd, Anthony Stroud rounded off a weekend to remember by signing for a Camelot (GB) colt with “a stallion's pedigree” on behalf of Godolphin for €850,000.

Purchased from Gestüt Ammerland, the Camelot colt brought Godolphin's total spend at Arqana over the past few days to €5,350,000 across 10 yearlings, which made the operation the leading buyers at this year's sale.

“Very nice horse from Gestüt Ammerland,” Stroud said of lot 267. “We bought the half-brother [a Shamardal colt for €1.6m] here last year and we like him. This colt obviously has a stallion's pedigree and the team thought he was one of the picks of the sale. He's a nice staying horse.”

Stroud added, “I think it has been a good sale. The main thing is that it has been great to get the principals here like John Magner, Sheikh Mohammed, Al Shaqab, Amo Racing and now Wathnan Racing. There are many more and you couldn't come to a nicer place than Deauville for a sale, could you?”

Not only was this year's August Sale a hugely successful one for Godolphin with a view towards the number of high-class yearlings added to the system, but the performance of the Darley stallion roster was something that gave the team a lot of satisfaction. 

Dubawi was out on his own as the leading stallion at the sale with seven yearlings selling for €5,690,000 but his sons Night Of Thunder (Ire) and freshman Ghaiyyath (Ire) enjoyed some time in the limelight, with Godolphin snapping up all three offerings by the latter to the tune of €1,365,000.

Stroud commented, “We all have great faith in Ghaiyyath, including the boss, and the three that were here were a really good representation of the stallion. We've great faith in him so we will see what happens. We're very happy going forward.”

'We're Back': Al Shaqab Make A Statement With €3.5m Spend 

The smile on Benoit Jeffroy's face said it all after Al Shaqab signed for the ninth yearling purchased at this year's August Sale, a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt from Haras du Mont dit Mont for €575,000, which helped bring the total spend for the operation made famous by Treve (Fr) to €4,135,000.

“It's great to be back,” Jeffroy beamed, as Al Shaqab set the foundations of a rebuilding process at Arqana over the past three days that saw the operation sign for yearlings by some of the most sought after stallions in the world, including Siyouni, Kingman and No Nay Never.

Jeffroy said, “Listen, it has been good to be investing in these yearlings and nice to get some yearlings that we liked and into fillies and new families. We have really enjoyed going around selecting them with Sheikh Joaan, who has been really involved throughout the past week and was here. He said, 'Let's go and find some nice horses for next year,'. Hopefully we have found some good ones.”

Elaborating on the reasoning behind the strongest spend at a yearling auction for many years by the operation, he said, “We spoke in May about trying to regroup and select more with a view towards the broodmare band. It's very tough to breed the [good] horses. We have 60 mares now compared to the big operations that have a lot more mares and access to all of the big stallions. “We just thought that we would stay a little more selective on the breeding side of things and to try and buy some more nice horses at the sales. That's the plan.”

That's not to say that it was all plain sailing. The strength of the market in Deauville meant that even the reinvigorated Al Shaqab operation struggled to land every punch but emerged from the 12 rounds at Arqana in better shape than it began. 

“First day was good but the second day we got beaten quite a few times. Today, we got beaten twice, but got one we really liked–the Wootton Bassett. It's been a really good market and, to be honest, the guys at Arqana have done a great job. There have been a lot of horses with good physicals and good pedigrees and we are lucky to have bought nine now.”

He added, “Last year we bought six or seven horses at Book 2, including Baheer (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), who is quite exciting for Richard Hannon. We also bought some horses here in Deauville but not to this level. That's why I said to Sheikh Joaan, it's good to keep going with higher quality and the horses by the big stallions because, if you want to keep a mare, it's good to have one by a big stallion. Also, if you become a good racehorse and stallion, you want to be by a good sire. We are just trying to upgrade.”

Al Shaqab went on to sign for another Wootton Bassett for €675,000, elevating the spend beyond €4m. Interestingly, Amo Racing bought in to lot 235, the Wootton Bassett who colt €575,000, later on in the day. That represents a new partnership.

As well as recruiting runners for next year and beyond, Al Shaqab offered prospective buyers the first glimpse of progeny by the Haras de Bouquetot-based stallions Wooded (Ire) and Romanised (Ire), and Jeffroy described himself as pleased by the start the freshman sires have made.

He said, “Wooded has been very well received. His first yearling made €140,000. Personally, I find him quite exciting. They have great depth and are nice horses. I think we will see more from him in October and we are also pleased with Romanised. 

“We stand him on behalf of Mr Ho and the filly was very well sold here on Saturday. Romanised has some nice yearlings selling at V.2 so we are happy. Yes, they are on the cheaper side, but who knows? They might be the ones.”

Buy of the Day

Lot 255, B, C, Zarak (Fr) – (Just Sherry (Ire) (Intense Focus)
Vendor: Haras du Cadran
Buyer: Godolphin
Price: €175,000

It is almost cheating when selecting a horse who cost €175,000 as the buy of the day but, given that figure was over €50,000 below the average of this year's sale, it is probably fair to include the Zarak (Fr) colt [lot 255] who was snapped up by Godolphin. 

Zarak needs no introduction for a start, and this good-walking son of his, consigned by top breeder Haras du Cadran, boasted a lot of likeable attributes. Such a statement is backed up by the fact an operation the size of Godolphin felt they couldn't leave him behind at the money. 

He is out of Just Sherry (Ire) (Intense Focus), a dual listed winner in France, who hails from the family of the 2,000 Guineas winner Cockney Rebel (Ire).

A nice athletic colt, he looks one who will benefit with a bit of time under his belt and he'll certainly get every opportunity to fulfill his potential. 

Away from the Zarak, lot 294, a filly by The Grey Gatsby (Ire), caught the eye in selling to Dan Astbury for €82,000. She is a big girl, but has a walk to match and carries herself. 

The Grey Gatsby is an intriguing sire and this filly of Anna Sundstrom's [Coulonces] draft was a nice model and is one to look out for in time.

 

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Market Reflections: Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale

Is bigger always better? Throughout the first evening of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale one could have been forgiven for thinking that a rise in the number catalogued for the first of the European sales in this sector was not necessarily a good thing. At 202 in the book and 166 ultimately offered across the two days, this was the largest Craven Sale since 2007 and up significantly from the 164 catalogued and 134 offered last year. 

For reasons that are hard to fathom, ungraded sales, with horses sold merely in alphabetical order of their dam's name, can often be wildly disparate in regard to results from the different sessions. While Tuesday evening's trade looked on the tough side, with the clearance rate dropping to 69% from last year's 78%, and a 9% and 10% slide in the average and median figures, Wednesday came rallying with a late charge to level things up considerably. A final-day clearance rate of 84% meant that overall the sale settled at 76%, largely the same as 2022, with the average up by 5% and median down by 11%.

The buying bench had its usual international feel, though Amo Racing, which spent just over 1.5 million gns under various guises at last year's Craven Sale, was a notable absentee. Ironically, Kia Joorabchian's operation then won the following day's G3 Craven S. with Arqana breeze-up graduate Indestructible (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}).

As ever, we hear about the big touches, such as Roderick Kavanagh and Cormac O'Flynn turning a 42,000gns December yearling into a 625,000gns breezer, but for every hit, there are plenty of misses. Those operating in the breeze-up sector are well used to spreading the risk and praying that one horse will cover potential losses on others, especially as the cost of the yearlings now turning up at breeze-up sales has risen considerably. 

The number catalogued across the sector is also rising. Last year saw the introduction of the Goffs Dubai Sale during the Dubai World Cup week. Though this takes place in the Middle East, we can pretty much count it as a European sale, featuring as it does the same group of consignors. Across the six breeze-up sales, from Goffs Dubai in March, to Goresbridge in late May, a total of 1,115 juveniles have been catalogued this year, which is an increase of 92 (9%) from 2022.

The question on the minds of most consignors will be whether or not the specialised sector can sustain such an increase. In this sense, the breeze-ups may even have become a victim of their own success to a degree, following a banner year in which the headline horses were the Classic winners Native Trail (GB), Cachet (Ire) and Eldar Eldarov (GB).

At the top end of the Craven market, 10 horses sold for 250,000gns or more in both this year and last. This time around, 59 reached six figures, compared to 46 in 2022.

Vendor Views

Matt Eves is the managing partner of Star Bloodstock, which, like many consignors, had mixed results at the Craven Sale. From an original draft of four, one horse was withdrawn, one failed to reach her reserve, another sold for two and a half times his yearling price, while another had a setback after breezing well.

“From a personal perspective, it was a rollercoaster,” said Eves candidly. “We had a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt on the first day, and he breezed really well and we had everybody looking at him and everybody on him. And then he comes out and he's got a slight lame step and suddenly it's a nightmare. So I went from having a horse that I was thinking was going to make 300 to 400,000 to having a horse that got 165,000 and nobody bidding in the ring.”

I'll be fascinated by the end of the year to see if the increased volume of horses has meant the spend has gone up or if we've had the same spend spread thinner – Matt Eves

He continued, “It felt, for most of the sale, that the catalogue was too big.  If Tattersalls want to carry on doing a catalogue of this size, they need to look back to the success they had in 2020 [during a season interrupted by Covid] when they had an Ascot section and a Craven section. And if they go back to doing that, then from a consignor perspective it will feel a lot better, to go back to that split so you've got the speedy types in one bit of the book and you've got the more expensive horses in the other. And what you had then was people coming in, they were looking for that Ascot horse, and you had the guys on the ground who would buy one for 40 grand. So if I got one that hadn't quite breezed like I'd hoped in the Craven section, I had a man on the ground who would give me 40 grand for it, whereas I didn't have that this year.”

Eves also believes that a change in format would help proceedings. “The sale is always too long, the way it is spread out,” he said. “The after-racing factor doesn't really have a massive impact in terms of getting people in so you need to think of a better way to do that. What they did in 2020 actually worked really well.”

He added, “I'll be fascinated by the end of the year to see if the increased volume of horses has meant the spend has gone up or if we've had the same spend spread thinner.”

Brendan Holland of Grove Stud sold all three horses offered at the Craven, with two making a tidy profit, including the most expensive filly of the sale, a daughter of Night Of Thunder (Ire) bought for €90,000 and sold to Kerri Radcliffe on a behalf of an unnamed, new London-based client for 600,000gns.

“One of the main things from the first two sales has been the poor clearance rates,” Holland said. In addition to the listed clearance rate of 76% at Tattersalls, the Dubai Sale weighed in at roughly the same on 74%.

“And there did seem to lack a middle market. On a positive note, there's new buyers for the top lots and there are more international buyers. They had an increased catalogue, the average did hold up, and the aggregate jumped accordingly. But on the back of such fantastic results last year in particular, and for a few years now, we would like to have seen a stronger clearance rate really, there's no doubt about that. I mean, it's a tough sector of the industry. You have to perform. It's not forgiving. It is about separating them and trying to find the good ones. I accept that.

“We've done okay so far, but the worry this year starting the season was that there's an increase in the numbers overall being sold. I think the sales companies have struggled to contain the numbers, understandably. They've been inundated with applications. But it's been proven over the last 10 years that there is only a certain market for a certain number of breeze-up horses, and it's not a thousand; it's not anywhere near that.  So I would think the theme will remain the same for the rest of season. There'll be plenty of money there, but there will be poor clearance rates.”

Holland also believes that there is a misconception that 'better' horses are being held back for the Arqana sale in mid-May.

“As vendors, we keep hearing it, but we're selecting in January, and we have to remind them by the first week in February,” he noted. “No-one knows in the first week of February who the best ones are. We pick them based on suitability for an early sale and a later sale, and it's a different type of horse. It's nothing to do with ability.

“I would traditionally have more late-maturing horses than early-maturing horses. I would struggle often to find what I would consider suitable Craven horses. I mean, I had three this week, I wish I had more, but when I sit down and go through the bunch, the drafts that I've bought, that's all I felt were suitable for a high-class early sale, which is what the Craven is. 

“But as regards the better ones going to France, that's a ridiculous statement to make really, if you think about how the horses are selected in the first instance. We can't be selecting abilities in January because we don't know then.”

Buyer Views

A skilled selector of young horses, Richard Ryan was in action at the Craven sale and signed for a Starspangledbanner (Aus) colt who will run in partnership for Teme Valley and Coolmore. A recent breeze-up purchase of his, the Group 1-placed French Claim (Fr) (French Fifteen {Fr}), runs in Saturday's Listed Vintage Crop S. at Navan.

From a buyer's perspective, Ryan opined that the middle market at the Craven was stronger than he had anticipated. He said, “I have been around a little while and I couldn't value accurately even closely on occasion. I was wide of the mark on many occasions to the tune of them far exceeding what I expected them to make.

“If you take the sums of some of those higher-echelon lots around the 600,000 mark, what would that get you in Book 1? Would you expect to find something by a proven, Group 1 or Classic-producing stallion? Highly likely. From a very high-class page with a very effective broodmare sire that may even have stakes pretensions under the first dam? Highly likely. 

“Spending that sort of number on a breezing two-year-old in April by a sire that has had a couple of maiden winners on occasion, that's all, and nowhere near Group 1-producing level yet, from some indifferent pages as well, and the fact that it has been asked to achieve a sub-12 second furlong for one or two furlongs, if at all, is actually head-scratching. In the global market for proven horses in training, £600,000 will get you a stakes winner. So I scratch my head a little bit at the rationale of some of those upper-echelons figures, but if two people are bidding against each other, then so be it.”

I was wide of the mark on many occasions to the tune of them far
exceeding what I expected them to make – Richard Ryan

He continued, “If you take a Sea The Stars or Dubawi, or for example Wootton Bassett, or a nice No Nay Never, something that has a rake of evidence supporting it, then there will be numbers of people willing to bat against each other. But even those by middle-market stallions, that weren't the dearest individuals as yearlings, probably aren't quite there yet and whose breezes were just adequate, were far exceeding my valuations in the mid-ranges, so I genuinely felt wide of the mark in terms of rationale behind the hammer fall this week.”

Ryan, whose previous breeze-up purchases also include the stakes winners Mitcham (Ire), Peace Offering (Ire) and Buxted (Ire), added, “The breeze-up sector is an incredible indictment of the skills of the vendors. It shows the enormous depth of horsemanship they have as a wider team. It is quite impressive to say the least that they are able to produce a horse at this time of year, keep it intact without overdoing it, and giving the trainers that follow on cause for confidence.”

Anthony Stroud is also no stranger to the full range of bloodstock sales and has enjoyed success through breeze-up purchases Native Trail, Sir Gerry and A'Ali (Ire) among others. At this year's sale he signed for the co-top lots, one for Godolphin and the other for an undisclosed client, among four purchases.

Regarding the increase in numbers this season, he said, “There's no doubt that the breeze-up sector is a very good medium for buying horses but it is difficult to know where all the clients will come from.”

Of the Craven Sale in particular, for which the horses breeze on the turf of Newmarket's Rowley Mile on the Monday, followed by two post-racing sale sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, Stroud added, “I think what's very difficult is that as the weather improved the ground got a bit better for the horses breezing later. Consistency of ground is very important for everyone, whether you start early in the morning or whether you're the last one up. People have to take account of that when they are doing the timings and the stride patterns. Going up the Rowley Mile for Tattersalls is a very good test but the consistency is something that needs to be discussed between the consignors and the sales company.”

Stroud continued, “I think there needs to be a break of, say, 20 minutes during the breeze because it's quite a lot for people to take on board, the concentration levels required, though they are very efficient at getting through them quickly. 

“They've added an extra 30 horses and the last horse I bought was at 9.40 on the Wednesday night. I think that's too late for everyone involved, especially the staff. Mind you, I don't think it necessarily makes any difference to how the sale goes. However late a horse sells, people will be there to buy the right horse.”

The European breeze-up action moves on to Doncaster next week with the gallops session for the Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale taking place on Monday from 9am, followed the next day by the sale at 10am.

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Colts By Havana Grey and Blue Point Light Up Craven Sale

The best dishes were worth waiting for late on Wednesday night at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale with Anthony Stroud going to 625,000gns apiece for back-to-back lots (198 and 199) by young sires Havana Grey (GB) and Blue Point (Ire).

The Havana Grey colt was consigned by Roderick Kavanagh's Glending Stables while the Blue Point hailed from Norman Williamson's Oak Tree Farm and the latter will chart the same path as Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in joining Charlie Appleby for Godolphin

Williamson said, “There were a lot of people telling me all spring that these Blue Points could fly and I kept my powder dry because I knew I had one that really can fly. I bought him as a yearling off Tradewinds Stud privately and absolutely loved him. He obviously breezed really well but he's also a very good-looking horse. Blue Point is flying and this lad has size and scope and a good pedigree. Fingers crossed.”

Asked if he could envisage the colt rocking into the money that he did, Williamson responded, “Of course you hope that they will make something that you don't expect but, no, we're absolutely thrilled. This is what we do it for. We've had bad days in the past but we've had a great week here. It's been outstanding. We're delighted. The team at home does a great job.”

That sale ensured Williamson cleared 1,185,000gns in total sales across the two days after selling a Mehmas (Ire) colt (lot 2) for 220,000gns and a No Nay Never colt (lot 118) for 340,000gns.

Roderick Kavanagh of Glending Stables enjoyed a similarly productive sale and was visibly delighted after his Havana Grey, who was sourced for 42,000gns as a yearling, capped a memorable two days.

He said, “We hoped he'd do something like that because his homework had been great. The stars aligned with Havana Grey having the winner [Mammas Girl (GB)] of the Nell Gwyn today–and an impressive one at that. It's unbelievable. A great thrill. There were some great judges on him and I think Richard Brown was the underbidder.”

There were 23 lots sold for 150,000gns or more across the two days and the strong trade on Wednesday, along with the 24% increase in lots offered, contributed in the average rising by 5% and the aggregate by 29% to 15,357,500gns.

Lot 198 by Havana Grey | Laura Green/Tattersalls

Edmond Mahony said, “Two Craven Breeze-up Classic winners last year as well as more 2022 two-year-old group and listed performers than any other European 2-year-olds in training sale have been the perfect advertisements for the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale and this year's renewal has attracted leading international buyers in abundance, all of whom have contributed to notably strong demand, particularly at the higher end of the market and a record sale turnover in excess of 15 million guineas.”

He added, “There has been a significant rise in the number of lots of selling for 200,000gns or more and a number of participants new to the Craven Breeze-up Sale, all of which demonstrates the sale's international reputation as a consistent source of horses who go on to prove themselves at the highest level on the global stage. The largest Craven Breeze-up catalogue for more than 15 years, 25% larger than last year, may not quite have matched the impressive clearance rate of last year's sale, but the key indicators of average and median have both held up well and there has been no shortage of outstanding pinhooking triumphs with the obvious highlights being the 625,000 gns sale-topping colts by Havana Grey and Blue Point, consigned by Glending Stables and Oak Tree Farm respectively, and Grove Stud's 600,000 guineas filly who is the second-highest priced filly ever sold at the Craven Breeze Up.

“Year after year, the consignors support the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up with so many of the best breeze-up two-year-olds to be found in Europe and it is wonderful to see their professionalism and confidence in the sale rewarded as it has been over the past two days. Buyers, both domestic and international, have shown similar confidence in the sale and we look forward not only to seeing many of them rewarded with the lucrative Tattersalls bonuses which have proved so popular since their inception, but also to welcoming many of them back to the forthcoming Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale.”

Top Talking Points From Day Two

  • It was a remarkable sale for Blue Point with eight lots selling for just shy of 2,000,000gns and four making the top 10.
  • Mark Grant, who consigned Coventry S. winner Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) at this sale 12 months ago, built on a solid opening day's trade when selling his Blue Point colt (lot 110) to Jason Kelly Bloodstock for 250,000gns. Grant had initially broken his own record for his highest-priced sale on Tuesday when lot 1, a well-bred Invincible Spirit (Ire) colt who clocked well, sold to Satish Seemar for 180,000gns.
  • Cormac Farrell's strike-rate was pretty hot on Wednesday. After enduring a frustrating start when failing to sell his Mitole filly (lot 79) on Tuesday, he sent out three juveniles to break the 100,000gns mark, headed by a Dark Angel (Ire) filly (lot 168) to Najd Stud for 230,000gns. Farrell also sold a Starspangledbanner (Aus) colt (lot 120) to SackvilleDonald for 160,000gns and a Kodiac (GB) filly (lot 121) to Gaelic Bloodstock for 120,000gns, bringing his total haul to 510,000gns.
  • Najd Stud continued its support of the Craven Breeze Up Sale when snapping up a Blame colt (lot 109) from Gaybrook Lodge Stud for 220,000gns to go with the Dark Angel filly they secured from Farrell. The Blame colt is out of an unraced sister to the classy American performer Bombard (War Front) and was sourced by Joseph Burke for $80,000 at the Keeneland September Sale.
  • Danny O'Donovan recorded his biggest pay day since branching out on his own last year when his Acclamation (GB) filly (lot 102), the first lot into the ring on day two, was knocked down to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock for 170,000gns. The filly was bought by O'Donovan and Adam Potts for 40,000gns at Tattersalls Book 2 in October.
  • Calyx (GB) earned his first TDN Rising Star on Wednesday when Persian Dreamer scored at Newmarket for the Amo Racing team and, just a few hours later, the Coolmore-based sire achieved a good result in the ring when a colt (lot 107) of his sold for 140,000gns. Consigned by Thomond O'Mara's Knockanglass Stables, the Calyx colt was snapped up by Middleham Park Racing.

Night To Remember For Holland

Night Of Thunder (Ire) came up with the goods once again when a filly by the Kildangan Stud resident sold to Kerri Radcliffe for 600,000gns.

That made lot 162, who was consigned by Brendan Holland's Grove Stud, the second most expensive filly to ever go through the ring at the Craven Breeze-up Sale.

The half-sister to G3 Molecomb S. winner Rumble Inthejungle (Ire) had been sourced at the Goffs Orby Sale by Holland for 90,000gns the previous autumn.

Holland said, “It is a great result for the farm. I Ioved her when I bought her as a yearling and Night Of Thunder is a top-class sire–she is from a really fast family. It is very hard to buy something with speed all the way through the page–which she has–and one by such a good sire.”

He added, “I did not dream that we could get a result like that today but we did think at the farm that she was the best filly that we have had since Rosdhu Queen (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

“Her ability all spring was very evident. Even though she is a May filly, and she has to win her maiden, there is a chance she could end up at Ascot–it is big shout for an unraced two-year-old filly but she looks an Ascot horse.

“She has always been able to run–the running bit has been easy for her. On reflection, she was a very good yearling buy, but giving €90,000 to pinhook any yearling is no small price.”

 

 

Patience Pays Off For Richard Brown

Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock backed his opinion that the better horses were placed in day two of this year's sale and snapped up an Acclamation (GB) filly (lot 102) and a No Nay Never colt (lot 118) for a combined 510,000gns early doors.

The Acclamation filly represented Donovon Bloodstock's best result in the ring to date at 140,000gns while the No Nay Never colt consigned by Norman Williamson's Oak Tree Farm made 340,000gns after being sourced by Mags O'Toole for €87,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale.

After signing for the No Nay Never colt, Brown said, “I'm delighted because I didn't buy a horse last night. We felt that the better horses were tonight and it's always brave doing that.

“He's a big horse and he'll need some time–he's not even two yet so, to breeze the way he did, I thought it was pretty sensational. He's a big-striding horse and seemed to have a great attitude and came from a very good hotel. Keen to get him.”

The Acclamation filly represented an important result to O'Donovan, who operates just outside Monasterevin in County Kildare, and sourced the majority of his stock alongside Adam Potts last year.

He said, “It's nice to get a result like that in just my second year trading on my own under Donovan Bloodstock. I'm delighted that Richard Brown bought her and I hope she's lucky.”

Brown finished the sale as strong as he started and picked up a Blue Point (Ire) filly (lot172) for 350,000gns from Kilminfoyle House Stud.

He commented, “Blue Point has made a tremendous start, hasn't he? She is gorgeous and obviously did a good breeze. None of the horses we bought are absolute blitzers–she just did it in a really good style. She had a low action and is from a good Juddmonte family.”

Hoban Adds Breeze-up Arm To Operation

Conor Hoban may be best known for running a top-notch breaking and pre-training operation, with Classic winners Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Sonnyboyliston (Ire) (Power {GB}) having passed through his hands, but he enjoyed a major result in the ring when his Night Of Thunder colt (lot 133) was knocked down to Alex Elliott for 180,000gns.

Hoban said, “We have been pre-training since 2018 and we are slowly developing a breeze-up and consigning arm to run alongside it. We are relatively new to this and were sent this well-bred colt to sell by a client.

“He is a May foal so we think he is just going to get better and better. He has developed a lot in the last few months and we are looking forward to following his progress.”

The Night Of Thunder colt is a half-brother to Barnane Stud's Royal Ascot winner Candleford (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) out of Dorcas Lane (GB) (Norse Dancer {Ire}).

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