Tag: Book 1

Stauffenberg Q&A: ‘If You Didn’t Get Paid This Year You Did Something Wrong’

   As entertaining as he is brave, Philipp Stauffenberg has dominated the top bracket of the pinhooking table despite buying only a select number of foals each year.

   Stauffenberg was once again in the spotlight in October when five of his yearlings took Tattersalls by storm when selling for a combined figure of 2,345,000gns at a memorable Book 1 sale. 

   Back at Tattersalls, where he was searching for his next Book 1 star at the December Foal Sales, the never-boring and cigarillo-smoking Stauffenberg spoke with TDN Europe's Brian Sheerin about his approach to pinhooking, love for breeding, family history and much more. 

   Stauffenberg went on to add another foal to his portfolio at the December Breeding Stock Sale at Arqana, a €150,000 Hello Youmzain (Ire) filly. He also sold four foals at that sale and explains the reasons why they were offered at public auction below. 

Now that the foal sales are almost finished for 2022, how would you sum up buying in the current market?

Very tough. If you wanted to buy quality, the prices had risen and, overall, the selection of foals in that top bracket was very small. Quite often you can find the nice horse without the pedigree or else you have the page and the physical does not match up. I like to buy the physical and some of these physicals just didn't have a strong enough page for me. The problem for me is that we do all of the work back home in Germany. All the foals come back home to Germany and we prep them there. I have to focus on the Book 1, Book 2 or Orby horse, as that is where the market has the best chance of holding up. In is very difficult doing these high-level pinhooks. Obviously, you have a reduced number of people who are able to afford these high-end yearlings so, if I buy a foal for say €200,000, a lot of trainers and owners will automatically say that it will be out of their range when it comes to the yearling sales. For that reason, it is a little bit of a risk to buy in that bracket but, when it works out, it's very good. The other problem I face is, I just can't buy the numbers. Nowadays I buy seven to 10 foals. We are a small operation. I have a few principles on how I want to raise these horses so we keep only a very small number on the farm so we never overstock. I have just 39 boxes on the farm and these are all limiting factors. So, if I was to go to pretty much all of the sales and buy horses at every level, I would completely lose control. This is why I focus on the few sales and limit my selection process. 

I know you said you are concentrating on the top bracket but I noticed you bought a few speedier types on pedigree at least–two Dandy Mans (Ire) and an Advertise (GB)-at the foal sales at Goffs.

Buying that Advertise filly happened more or less by accident. I didn't target that filly. I was looking at other foals and I saw her out of the corner of my eye and really liked her. I bought her and, yes, there is hope that Advertise will produce some very good 2-year-olds and she is a lovely physical and I really adore her. I just thought they were racehorses. Whether they will be successful pinhooks, I don't know, but I think they are racehorses and that's why I bought them. 

Are you down on numbers for this year given you bought only two foals at Tattersalls?

I am happy with what I bought. I got six foals at Goffs and only two here at Tattersalls. I have some very nice colts but I am lacking the high-end filly. There was a better selection of high-end fillies here at Tattersalls on paper than at Goffs but the owner-breeders, Juddmonte especially, were so strong. The value was not there for me. I underbid the Lope De Vega (Ire) filly that Juddmonte bought for half a million-I went to 480,000gns-but, paying that price, your margin becomes very thin when you are buying for resale. I just wanted to have her. She was the one I liked the most of all the filly foals here. But I didn't succeed. I bid 600,000gns on the sister to Chaldean (GB) and she sold for one million. I formed a special syndicate to buy Chaldean when he was a foal but, again, Juddmonte were strong on him and already owned half of him. I just had to leave him behind as well. So I fended off all of my competitors on these high-end foals but when the owner-breeders, who are the people you want to be selling to the following year as yearlings, come in and bid strong, you cannot compete with that.

That was the major theme to develop at Tattersalls with Juddmonte, Shadwell and Moyglare being so strong. It must have been fairly demoralising going head-to-head with operations of that size?

Yea, it is in a way. You do your selection process and target these horses, then you try to think about what kind of money you will have to spend and, when it comes to the bidding, you can even go beyond your limit to try and get it and then you don't succeed. Obviously that is tough. But anyway, you have to cope with that. It's how the whole thing works. I only had a very short list of these fillies so, when you target them and cannot buy them, it is a little bit frustrating. 

It seemed like a lot of buyers were zoning in on the top of the market. Perhaps the thinking there is that, if there is a bit of a downturn in the economy, they will have the yearlings to sell to the recession-proof operations?

I think so. It is not only us but some of the pinhookers who have been operating at that high level, they have been really well-rewarded. The thinking is that it is a safer option. Okay, you have to spend a little bit more money but it might be better in the reselling process to focus on that bracket. Whether we have a year like this again, that is a question mark. We had a very special situation this year where Sheikh Mohammed and his son were incredibly strong on the high-end yearlings. Their spending impacted every other level of the market because the high-end buyers couldn't succeed at the top level against him and were forced to drop down. There was a knock-on effect and it lifted everything.

There was a cloud of doubt hanging over the yearling sales this year so, given what transpired, how surprising was that?

If you leave our little bubble, you have the war in Europe, which we haven't had since World War II, all the other problems the industry is facing with the situation in China and the supply chain, and the fact we had the coronavirus for two years as well. You had to be worried but the yearling sales turned out to be sensational. People say to me, oh you had a tremendous year, how do you do it? I think that is wrong. I might be a little bit more in the limelight through some big prices but, the truth is, anyone who had a half-decent horse made a profit this year. Whether it was a breeder or a pinhooker, it didn't matter, the whole market was so strong. If you didn't get paid this year, you did something wrong. You can't blame others. This year was the year for everybody and I think that was reflected in the foal sales and even more so now in the sales of mares. It's madness. It really is. I looked at every foal I felt would get into Book 1 and 2 at Tattersalls as well as high-end Orby types and, let me tell you, what some of my colleagues spent on foals that I would not like to touch was amazing. 

You mentioned the war in Ukraine. Unfortunately, war is something your family knows all too much about. Can you tell us a little more about that?

My grand-uncle tried to assassinate Hitler but failed. The whole family was sent to a concentration camp after that. It was obviously a very difficult situation but, because it happened towards the end of the war, nobody really wanted to take over the responsibility of killing the entire Stauffenberg family. The order came from the German government for all of them to be killed and quite a big number of them were. A lot of my family were shot after it happened. My father told me all about his own situation in the concentration camp. He told me about how they were on the walk to death, as the German government had found someone who was willing to kill them all, but thankfully they were freed by the Americans. It's a relief that I am here today and I feel lucky but it does not really influence what I do in my life. Sometimes, you have to factor in what is going on in that world and how many people are in that same situation in Ukraine right now.

The war in Ukraine could have had a much more detrimental effect on our industry. 

Definitely. Okay, it's happening in Europe and is very close to us so it's overall very worrying but the war and the coronavirus have had a big impact on the way people do things. I have never seen so many poorly raised foals because of the costs involved-the price of everything has gone up. Don't forget we didn't have the easiest of years with the drought, either. This was also a major factor as well. Maybe that is why there was a smaller selection of foals but a lot more breeders may have decided not to sell their stock as foals due to the strength of the yearling market. They had too much money left over on the table so maybe a higher number of the better foals from this year's crop will be offered as yearlings next year. The pinhooking game is about getting value when buying foals. You have to weigh up if the foal has been underdone just because the people who prepped it didn't do the best possible job or whether the basics have not been laid with that foal. If the foal has had a poor youth, then you lack a foundation to be able to build them up. For example, if the bone substance is not there because they have not been raised properly, they will never make it as racehorses. The aim is to buy a really good racehorse and make money on the way. That is necessary to keep the whole thing going. But at the end of the day, if you don't sell good racehorses and only sell nice show horses, it will not work. 

Can you give us an idea of what kind of work you do with the foals between now and the yearling sales?

In the first few weeks, you have to look after them especially well because they have gone through a pretty difficult process. They have been prepped, which is one thing, and then the sales with all of the shows can be quite demanding. You have to be careful that these foals don't fall into a hole when you buy them. They normally live out 24/7 but we bring them in every day to check temperatures and give them a chance to lay in the straw or whatever. But they more or less live outside all of the time. You have to keep a close eye on how they are. That's very important, especially at this time. Luckily, I have had fewer foals who need to be wrapped up all of the time. I just hate these foals who have been pampered going to the sales. They are just not tough enough to live out all of the time so you may have to adjust one or two things for these ones. You can't leave those ones out day and night because it gets quite cold with us in Germany. It's an individual process but the goal is that they will all live outside in time. It's a natural approach and it's the same for when we prep them as yearlings. We don't keep them in the boxes during that time. All of them go out, depending on the weather, but usually they all stay out at night until the beginning of September. After that, they get turned out for between four and six hours per day. It's much more labour intensive and I need more staff to do it this way. For me, the horse comes first and, in nature, they wouldn't stay the whole day in a box and not be moving. That's why I like to have them out as much as possible. 

It's a big family operation with your wife Marion and daughter Alexandra heavily involved at the sales which must be a big help?

It's fantastic that it is like that. Alexandra studies in London but when I ruptured my Achilles tendon, I could not do anything with the yearlings and it was difficult to find staff so we managed to persuade her university to allow her to come back and work with us. She had to do an internship in the bracket of luxury goods and we managed to convince the university that we are dealing with luxury goods. This allowed her to come back and work with us and continue her studies. She always loved the horses and I was really happy to have an assistant this year. Whether she will continue in horses when her studies are complete, we don't know. 

When you think of this game objectively and explain what you do to people outside of the industry, spending six figures on a foal in the hope of turning it into a million-Euro yearling, it's all a bit crazy, isn't it?

I think about that more than you would believe. I think I am a realist. You may not believe that but I have my feet down on the earth and I am realistic about what can happen. It has just developed this way but I know that I am mad to be doing what I am doing. It is madness. Even I can admit that. It is mad and I am mad to be doing it. 

Has there ever been times where you thought it was too mad?

Again, I am thinking every moment like this. It is a high-risk thing. The way I do this, I select and buy the foals first and when I have finished my shopping, we start to split the horses up between different partners. That is a long process because it is difficult to please everyone. I'm not doing this, for example, in a way where everyone has to take 10 per cent of every horse, it's all different. Some may want 20 per cent in one and nothing in the other. It is up to me to try and balance the whole thing out. Whoever is willing to support every horse is at an advantage.

Can you explain a little more about who the partners are and what the breakdown of the investment is like?

There are some foals where I am left with them myself. A good example would be two years ago when I bought a Free Eagle (Ire) colt. He was well-bred on the dam side but obviously nobody wanted Free Eagle. I paid €80,000 for him but I couldn't persuade my partners to come in on him so I was left with 80 per cent. They just thought I was completely mad. I then sold him for 150,000gns here as a yearling so I was happy that I was left with 80 per cent on that occasion. I cannot do that every time because I am not a wealthy man. This is the risky part of this. I have to pay for all of these foals and then I go and collect between all of the different partners depending on what shares we sell after the sales. Luckily, some of my partners who have been with me for many years rely on my judgment and have done very well financially out of this. That makes it a little bit easier.

Is there one particular result that you look back on as being the one that catapulted you to becoming one of the leading pinhookers in Europe?

I have to admit that, in my heart, I am a breeder and never thought about pinhooking. It just developed through Andreas Putsch, who is also a German, and he knew how I was working with horses and asked me if I would like to pinhook for him. At the beginning, it was only his money I was spending and I was not even involved in the ownership of the foals. I only bought them, prepped and sold them. That was going quite well so some people were asking to come in. Andreas is no longer involved but other partners who started on that journey are still involved now and new ones have come in.

And prior to the pinhooking, how did you develop your love for thoroughbreds?

I was a professional showjumper before I started working in racing but I was not good enough to fulfill my dream by becoming an Olympic champion. I always loved thoroughbred breeding so, back in 1985, I was approached and became an assistant manager at a stud farm. I then managed two stud farms, building them up from scratch, before setting up my own bloodstock agency in 1994. Of the first foals and yearlings I bought, there were two Classic winners and several stakes horses, so I was very lucky at the time. There were two fillies by Seattle Dancer who were very good. Que Belle (Can) won the German 1,000 Guineas and the German Oaks and was Group 1-placed. She also ran in the Arc. She was a very good filly and we sold her to Wayne Hughes. This is how Marion and I could start our own operation because he obviously paid quite a lot of money for her. The other one was Rose Of Zollern (Ire), who I bought off Kirsten Rausing, so this is how it started. Marion and I have been developing the farm ever since and we have been developing the breeding side of the operation. Then I met Andreas and, as I said, he set me up. I never would have taken the risk to go at that level without him. 

You've mentioned a few times that it's the breeding that is closest to your heart so it must give you huge pleasure to have bred Fantastic Moon (Ger) who is one of the best 2-year-olds in Germany this year. 

Yes and it's very emotional for us because this colt is by Sea The Moon (Ger) and I bought the second dam of Sea The Moon as a foundation mare for Gestut Karlshof for €4,000 and she has produced three Classic winners. Marion and I met through the second dam of Frangipani (Ger), who is the dam of Fantastic Moon. From both sides, horse and human, it is very emotional. This family is very close to our heart. If Marion had not looked for a boarding place for that mare, Fraulein Tobin, many years ago, we'd have never met. For this to happen now after a sensational Book 1 sale is incredible. 

And what type of horse do you view Fantastic Moon as next year?

Obviously he's one of the best 2-year-olds in Germany but now he has to progress through the winter. I don't think he is a Derby horse because the family lacks stamina but obviously Sea The Moon is a stamina influence. I see him more as a 10-furlong horse. There is talk of the French Derby for him so we will see. It's a nice situation to be in. We can dream a little bit over the winter with that horse as well. 

You are best known for being a buyer but you also sell four foals at the December Breeding Stock Sale at Arqana. 

The Kingman (GB) was a foal share for a client and she was born and raised on the farm. Juddmonte want to sell most of these foals at the sales which is why she goes there. The other three were homebreds. It sounds odd but our homebreds sold very badly as yearlings this year so, to balance the books, we needed to sell the foals this year. 

I understand that you have been contemplating consigning mares as well?

The aim is to diversify. The demand of people who want to invest is getting bigger and I can't increase my foal portfolio. The idea is to buy young mares, breed from these mares and then sell the offspring. This is the aim as we'd like to develop a new branch in the portfolio. But I am not sure if now is the right time to invest in these younger mares because the market is so hot. If you want to turn the mare around quickly, you could buy a race filly and cover her and sell her on, but in my heart I am a breeder and would like to take on something that is more of a long-term process.

You clearly care deeply about breeding and your philosophy is an interesting one.

It sounds odd but money does not really interest me. Okay, I need to survive but that's all. I only need money to live. I can't take it with me anyway. I need to give my kids a chance as well but they are going to have to make it on their own. I said to all of my kids, 'you won't inherit anything because I need all of the money for the way we live our life', so the only thing they get is a good education and then they have to build it up on their own. 

Who has been your biggest influence on your journey in bloodstock?

I really adore a few of my colleagues. They do a fantastic job in the way that they prep their horses. Take Paul McCartan, he's a genius. He is somebody I have always adored. He's a very good stock person. If you look at some of the younger ones coming through, the Gleeson brothers from Aughamore do an incredible job as well. I was stabled beside them during Book 2 and we had a long chat about how they do everything. They are good guys. There are some fantastic people in this industry. If you were to ask me who influenced me, though, there isn't someone who has influenced me in pinhooking. It has just grown into its own thing and I have followed my own ideas. My main aim is to take care of these animals. It's a fine balancing act between producing your horses to achieve the best possible price but also allowing them to be animals and not being too hard on them. I have to admit that some of my competitors, when you look around and observe who they are, it's brutal. They are only thinking about money and what's best for them out of the whole industry. I can't do that. We have produced a lot of good horses but what we are lacking is a Chaldean. That's the aim. This is what I would like to achieve with what I am doing. I need to survive but the aim is to produce top-class racehorses. That's what gives me the most pleasure. 

 

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Three Horses Supplemented to KEENOV Book 1

Three horses, including a Grade III-winning juvenile filly, have been supplemented to Book 1 of the Keeneland November Sale.

  • American Apple (American Pharoah), a 2-year-old filly who won the Oct. 8 GIII Matron S. at Belmont at the Big A and is a contender for the Nov. 4 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland. KatieRich Farms consigns American Apple, who is cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect.
  • Princess Julia (Distorted Humor), a daughter of champion Folklore, who is in foal to Medaglia d'Oro. She is consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for STH LLC.
  • Wakanaka (Ire) (Power {GB}), a 4-year-old filly who won this year's GII Dance Smartly and was second in the GI Just a Game S. and the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile. Cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect, she is consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent.

Keeneland will accept supplements to Book 1 until the November Sale begins.

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Record-Breaking October Yearling Sale Draws To A Close At Tattersalls

After a frenetic two weeks of selling, the curtain lowered on the final day of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, with the single-session Book 4 adding another 319,000gns to the previous three books' 199,006,100gns aggregate. A total of 53 yearlings found new homes of 73 offered, for a clearance rate of 73%. The average of 6,019gns and the media of 5,000gns were both well up on 2021's figures, leading to gains of 50.3% for the former and 66.7% for the latter.

Topping Saturday's sale was a daughter of G2 Richmond S. hero Land Force (Ire) (lot 2086) from Natton House Thoroughbreds, Ltd. From the same family as G1 Irish Derby and G1 Sheema Classic hero and sire Jack Hobbs (GB) (Halling), she went to Alfa Site for 23,000gns.

Overall, the October Yearling Sale featured the world's most expensive yearling to sell this year at 2.8 million gns, a son of Frankel (GB) (lot 221) out of the Group 3 winner and G1 Prix de l'Opera third So Mi Dar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The dam is a full-sister to three-time Group 1 winner and sire Too Darn Hot (GB), as well as G2 Middleton S. heroine Lah Ti Dar (GB), who was second in the G1 St Leger S. and third in both the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and G1 Yorkshire Oaks.

Book 1 closed with 73 horses, or 17.2% of those sold, changing hands for 500,000gns or more. There were also 16 seven-figure lots. Book 2 also set records for turnover (60,780,500gns, +11%), average (96,020gns, +14%) and median (70,000gns, +13%). The demand for quality bloodstock did not slacken in Book 3 either, with gains of 9% in total turnover to 11,554,600gns. The average advanced 8.6% to 24,428gns and the median also increased to 20,000gns (+11.1%)

Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said on Saturday, “This has been the most extraordinary Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Book 1 set the ball rolling and it has rolled all the way through to the very end with more yearlings sold than ever before for the astounding sum of 199 million guineas.

“It has been a phenomenal show of strength from start to finish with buyers from throughout the world drawn to Tattersalls and the unique environment of Newmarket by the promise of outstanding yearlings presented by so many of the top breeders and consignors not only from Britain and Ireland, but from throughout Europe. The consistent support of the consignors for the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale is the key to its abiding reputation as Europe's premier yearling sale and to see so many people so richly rewarded over the past two weeks has been wonderful.

“There is a huge amount of hard work and dedication involved in the journey from foaling to the October Yearling Sales at Tattersalls Park Paddocks and the results of the past two weeks are a tribute to all those involved at every level. The buyers come to Tattersalls in October confident that they will find quality yearlings to suit every budget which will go on to achieve great things on racecourses around the world and never before has this been so evident. The demand we have witnessed throughout the past two weeks has been truly global and above all it reflects the enduring appeal of the sport of horse racing which captivates so many people throughout the world and brings so many buyers to Newmarket and the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale year after year.”

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Record Books Rewritten as Book 1 Bonanza Concludes

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin

NEWMARKET, UK–And breathe. Book 1 is over, galloping out the door after a three-day bonanza of record returns, the highest-grossing single day of horse trade in Europe, and the world's most expensive yearling of 2022.

What this all means for next week and Books 2, 3 and 4 of the October Yearling Sale is anyone's guess, but a safe bet would be that all those potential buyers so frustrated at playing bridesmaid during Book 1 still have rolls of grubby fifty-pound notes burning holes in their pockets.

But before the bell rings for the first session of Book 2 on Monday morning, let's have a closer look at the facts and figures of three days of rip-roaring trade that  had even seasoned sales-goers walking around Park Paddocks shaking their heads in disbelief. It's no wonder really, as the sale's aggregate reached an all-time high of 126,671,000gns, soaring 45% on decent levels of trade at last year's Book 1. At 200,000gns, the median was also a new record, and was up by 25%, while the record average rose by 30% to 298,752gns. With 424 sold of the 489 yearlings offered, the clearance rate climbed by 4% to 87%.

Let's Hear It For…

This time 10 years ago, Frankel (GB) was preparing for his swansong on British Champions Day, and in that time he has gone from ruling the racecourse to ruling the ring: his 25 offspring at Book 1 accounted for 15% of the turnover over the three days, amassing a tally of 18,745,000gns and selling at an average price of 749,800gns. His greatest rival Dubawi (Ire) beat that figure, with an average of 849,524gns for 21 sold. Together, Frankel and Dubawi accounted for 14 of the 16 yearlings to have sold for a million gns or more, with the four most expensive yearlings of the sale all being by Frankel.

Newsells Park Stud completed a five-timer of successive leading vendor titles, a mantle it has achieved on seven occasions in total. From 29 consigned, the stud sold 23 yearlings for a total of 10,985,000gns.

Fellow British farms Watership Down Stud and Fittocks Stud also fared very well during Book 1, the former selling 10 yearlings for 8,780,000gns, and the latter 11 for 6,010,000gns.

Leading Investors

Brightly attired each day, Sheikh Mohammed was easy to spot at Tattersalls but nowhere was his presence more greatly felt than on the buyers' list, which he dominated almost from flagfall.

Bidding through Anthony Stroud at the group's favoured spot next to the walking ring, Sheikh Mohammed lent enormous support to the elite yearling market, adding 35 yearlings by a range of top sires to his Godolphin string for a total outlay of 25,355,000gns, which was roughly 20% of the sale's record turnover.

The Coolmore and White Birch Farm partnership spent 10.2 million gns on 13 yearlings, and agent Richard Knight signed for 15 for just over 10 million gns.

“This has been an extraordinary yearling sale,” said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony. “When the first two lots through the ring on Tuesday morning made 500,000gns and 1,300,000gns, the stage was set and the pace has been unrelenting from that moment on. Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale annually showcases the very best yearlings to be found in Europe, and even by the lofty standards of this special sale we felt that this year's catalogue was out of the ordinary. Nevertheless we could not have predicted the extraordinary level of trade we have experienced over the past three days.”

He continued, “Record turnover in excess of 125 million gns, a rise of almost 40 million gns on last year's October Book 1, as well as a record median and a record average price just under 300,000gns are impressive statistics by any standards, but the progression of this sale in recent years has been truly remarkable. Only 12 years ago Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale produced turnover of 48 million gns and an average of 107,000gns, which puts this week's remarkable figures into context.

“As well as the huge rises in all of the key indicators, an unprecedented 73 yearlings have sold for 500,000gns or more and there have been 16 which have broken the million-guineas mark with the 2.8 million-guineas Frankel colt from Watership Down Stud being the highest-priced yearling sold anywhere in the world this year.”

Watership Up

Different day, same story. Within an hour of the start of the final session of Book 1, a colt by Frankel (GB) offered by Watership Down Stud shot to the top of the leaderboard at 2 million gns. The previous day's high of 2.8 million gns was not reached again, meaning that the team at Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber's Watership Down Stud can exit Book 1 with major brownie points for having consigned two of the top three lots of the most extraordinary sale witnessed at Tattersalls, or indeed anywhere in Europe.

Lot 381 was added to the extensive shopping list of agent Richard Knight and, bred by Bjorn Nielsen on the same cross as this year's G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Onesto (Ire), he has plenty to recommend him.

“The dam has produced a 100-plus-rated horse already, he comes from a nice family. He is just a lovely colt. It was the top of our budget and where we saw we'd have to go to get him,” Knight said.

“We underbid a filly yesterday by Frankel and they are as hot as anything and hard to buy. We were well aware we'd have to pay a good price to get him.”

“There is a beautiful bunch of horses here, it is the best catalogue of individuals we have seen at any yearling sale this year. You often get into some sales and individuals don't match up to the pedigrees. Here, the individuals have matched up as well–there are some lovely horses.”

 

Cumani Identifies Reason Behind Record Figures

Trust Luca Cumani to come up with a playful reason behind the sky-rocketing spend at Tattersalls this week.

“Maybe people want to enjoy themselves before Putin strikes the nuclear button?”

The legendary trainer-turned-breeder had reason to crack a joke after selling his Frankel colt (lot 379) to MV Magnier and White Birch Farm for 1.9 million gns.

Cumani, who, along with his wife Sara, operates under the banner of Fittocks Stud, may have been all smiles after the hammer fell, but revealed that his heart won't be thanking him after a pulsating few days.

“Boom, boom, boom,” he said, beating his chest with his fist. “I'm still an apprentice at this job and this is only our third year consigning.”

Fittocks Stud sold 11 yearlings this week for a total of 6.01 million gns.

Cumani added, “We sold a Dubawi yesterday for 1.6 million gns (lot 301) and now this Frankel for 1.9 million gns–it's been an amazing week.

“The market is very strong and long may it continue. It's very exciting to be a part of this environment. I love it.”

The sale to MV Magnier and White Birch Farm represents a continuation of a long-lasting relationship between Cumani and the owners.

He said, “Peter Brant has been a friend for many years. I used to train for him in the eighties and early nineties. I trained the dam of Thunder Gulch [Line Of Thunder] for him. I've known him for donkey's years.

“I am very grateful to MV and Paul Shanahan. I'm especially very grateful to my staff. They have done a great job today and excelled themselves.

“It's especially good that this horse stays in Europe. We need those good horses. Everybody reckons that, if you want class horses, you have to come to this sale to get them.”

Cumani also trained the dam of the Frankel colt, Blue Waltz (GB), to win three times. A daughter of Pivotal (GB), her mating with the champion sire represents a cross that has already worked notably well and includes the Group 1 winners Cracksman (GB) and Hungry Heart (Aus).

 

 

God Given Keeps Giving

Another two seven-figure lots were to follow the early Frankel flurry, and those waiting to see the Whatton Manor Stud-consigned Dubawi colt out the Group 1 winner God Given (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) (lot 504) were not disappointed. Following his half-brother, the G3 Solario S. winner Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega Ire}), into the Godolphin string, he made more than double the price his elder sibling had fetched in the same ring last year, and was eventually knocked down at 1.5 million gns, with David Redvers as underbidder to Anthony Stroud.

The colt, who is also a three-parts-brother to multiple Group 1 winner Postponed (Ire), was bred by Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock, who also bred and raced his dam. He said, “When you breed a lovely horse, it is always sad to see them go. I have 16 mares and one has to keep the operation going. We are so blessed to have wonderful buyers in the market who are prepared to pay such a wonderful price. Having bred Postponed, I was so excited to see him go on so well, and now Silver Knott. I hope this horse is really good for them.”

Stone, who boards God Given at Whatton Manor Stud, continued, “A lot of credit must go to the Players and the team at Whatton, they do such a fantastic job. I am very blessed to have the majority of my mares with them and with Julian [Dollar] at Newsells Park.”

Ed Player, who was celebrating a first seven-figure sale for his Nottinghamshire farm, added, “Last year was our highest with his half-brother when he made 725,000gns, so to hit the million was unbelievably exciting. We are so delighted for Andrew. He is such a great guy, and a massive supporter of the industry.

“All year we have known he is a beautiful horse. He has the pedigree, the looks, everything, but to hit that sort of level, you dream about it, but in reality you have so many hoops to jump.”

Silver Knott is entered for Saturday's G3 Autumn S. at Newmarket and is pencilled in for a trip to the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland.

 

Stroud also won the bidding war for lot 530, a son of Dubawi (Ire) out of How (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the final seven-figure lot of the sale. Consigned by Longview Stud, the bay was secured for 1.6 million gns and his dam is a full-sister to the multiple Group 1 winner Minding (Ire), as well as the fellow top-drawer winners Tuesday (Ire), and Empress Josephine (Ire). All three of those fillies each won at least one Classic, while their dam is the G1 Coronation S. and G1 Matron S. heroine Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

 

 

Sackville Barks Loud for Dubawi Colt

Jenny Norris is no stranger to selling seven-figure Book 1 yearlings, having topped the sale on two previous occasions, and her Norris Bloodstock draft hit the bullseye again when selling Lord Margadale's Dubawi colt out of Frangipanni (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) (lot 491) for a million gns to Ed Sackville.

“I'm so grateful to Alastair [Lord Margadale] for entrusting him to me because we've had him since the foal sales, and it's great having horses like him but it was a huge pressure having him back at the farm.

“He's such a star. We'll miss him at home because he has the most amazing attitude, he just eats and sleeps. But the girls at home, Hannah, Verity and Jazz, have done a great job, we're only a small team and I'm just so pleased for all of them.”

Through Anthony Stroud, Lord Margadale bought the Lady Rothschild-bred Frangipanni, a daughter of the G1 July Cup winner Frizzante (GB) (Efisio {GB}) as a 3-year-old at the July Sale for 78,000gns. Her first foal Tropbeau (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) was a multiple group winner in France for Andre Fabre and Lady Bamford.

Lord Margadale, enjoying the moment with his brother, trainer Hughie Morrison, added, “I'll probably burst into tears. From the word go he has been a really lovely, sweet horse. Nothing fazes him.

“We've got an extremely nice full-brother to Tropbeau and the mare is now in foal to Zoustar. We bought Frangipanni from Serena Rothschild and we brought her here last December and she didn't sell, so I am extremely happy. I think sometimes these things are meant to be.”

Sackville, who bought the colt on behalf of John and Jess Dance's Manor House Farm, said, “The whole team loved him– John and Jess Dance, Maria Ryan and James Horton. We have tried on plenty, but he was one we were prepared to go to the max for.”

After jumping 100,000gns in one bid to buy the colt at a million, he said, “If you want to hang with the dogs you've got to bark loud.”

 

 

St Lawrence the Judge

After Frankel and Dubawi, Sea The Stars (Ire) enjoyed a rock-solid week as the third-most popular sire among buyers with 28 lots selling for a total of 8,425,000gns. His half-sister (lot 476) to G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Just The Judge (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}), consigned by Corduff Stud for breeder Joan Keaney Dempsey, sold to Oliver St Lawrence on behalf of Fawzi Nass for 800,000 gns.

“She is a lovely filly out of a slightly older mare, but she is a half-sister to a Group 1 winner and there are lots of fillies in the pedigree so there are, hopefully, lots of updates to come,” said the agent. “We tried to have a go at the Battaash half-sister last night (lot 344) but we didn't even get a bid in.”

St Mark's Basilica's Brother to Juddmonte

Though primarily racing homebreds, the Juddmonte team makes the odd foray into the foal and yearling sales, and has a Group 1 runner to show for it on Saturday with the 550,000gns foal purchase Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who has already won the G2 Champagne S and G3 Acomb S.

On Thursday, two yearlings were recruited when Simon Mockridge went to 725,000gns for lot 415, a Siyouni (Fr) filly out of a half-sister to G1 Coronation S. winner Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and 600,000gns for the Kingman (GB) half-brother (lot 390) to Classic winners St Mark's Basilica (Fr) and Magna Grecia (Ire).

Eddie O'Leary's Lynn Lodge Stud consigned the daughter of Siyouni on behalf of his brother Michael's Gigginstown House Stud, who bought her dam Contemptuous (Ire) (New Approach {GB}) through Mags O'Toole when she was carrying this filly at the December Sale of 2020.

At 360,000gns, her purchase was a significant outlay at the time, but carrying a foal by one of Europe's most-sought after sires, as well as updates in the immediate family from G1 Oaks winner Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Sunday's G1 Prix de l'Opera winner Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), are factors which have contributed to a terrific sales return for the first foal.

Flay Plays Both Sides of the Deal

A vendor on Wednesday and a buyer on Thursday, Bobby Flay selected a smartly-bred daughter of No Nay Never to be trained in America by Christophe Clement. The daughter of Cushion (GB) (lot 422), who was twice a Grade III winner in the US and is herself out of the champion racemare Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}), was another decent result for the Watership Down Stud draft, sold on behalf of her breeders Floors Stud and Coolmore Stud, for 600,000gns.

“The sire is very quick, and I like training grass horses in the US, my trainer Christopher Clement is a specialist,” Flay explained. “I love the No Nay Never cross over Galileo and my bloodstock agent picked her out, Tom McGreevy.”

Flay also paid tribute to James Delahooke, who had a long association with the owner-breeder and died suddenly last month. He said, “He is a huge loss. I keep thinking I am going to see him here. He was a great educator, a great friend, and, most importantly, besides his amazing ability to pick out beautiful horses and great broodmares, he was a pleasure to be around, I always learnt something about life and about horses with James.”

 McElroy Returns To Happy Hunting Ground

It was at this sale in 2019 that Ben McElroy bought dual Royal Ascot winner Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and the leading American agent returned to one of his happiest hunting grounds to purchase seven yearlings.

McElroy kept the biggest deal until last, signing for a Night Of Thunder (Ire) filly (lot 388) out of the Watership Down Stud draft for 800,000 gns.

Like Campanelle, the Night Of Thunder half-sister to Group 3 scorer Snazzy Jazzy (Ire) (Red Jazz) will race in Barbara Banke's Stonestreet silks. However, Coolmore will also retain an interest, with MV Magnier also signing for the filly.

McElroy said, “We're always coming out here to look at fillies who we think can be precocious–be Royal Ascot types. They go to Wesley Ward, who trained Campanelle, and the minute this filly walked out of the stall and stood in front of me, I knew she was the one we had to have.

“The stallion has made a phenomenal start at stud–starting from a low stud fee. That really gave us a lot of confidence. The mare keeps producing horses that run good ratings. Between the physical and the pedigree, she had the complete package.”

He added, “I'm really relieved that we got her and am hoping that we got some nice horses in the bunch that suit our programme.

“Barbara loves the sale and she's really excited about coming back in the summer to watch them run over here. Hopefully we'll get a few more in the bunch for next year.

“The biggest emphasis is on the physical because we're going to try and start them off early. They go to Florida, get the sun on their back and then go into training with Wesley. You want to see a bit of precocity in the pedigree and, when those two things align, they're the ones we go for.”

Crystal Ocean Colt Makes Waves

He was the highest-rated Flat horse in the world at one point but Crystal Ocean (GB) retired to the Beeches Stud in Ireland as predominantly a National Hunt stallion with multiple Grade 1-winning hurdler Apple's Jade (Fr) among the high-class jumping mares to have visited the stallion in his debut season.

But that did not stop lot 512, an easy-moving pinhook by the stallion, selling from Michael and Laurence Gleeson's Aughamore Stud for 135,000gns to Andrew Balding.

The sale justified the huge confidence that the Gleeson brothers had in the colt, bought by Howson and Houldsworth Bloodstock for 46,000gns at Tattersalls last December.

It was the second big pinhook that the leading bloodstock agent and the Gleesons pulled off on Thursday as, earlier in the afternoon, a Night Of Thunder filly (lot 461) bought for 150,000 gns as a foal, sold to Alex Solis and Jason Litt for 450,000 gns.

“This guy was a dude,” said Gleeson. “We loved him from day one at the foal sales. We thought he'd be a bit different. There are not many Crystal Oceans at these Flat sales but people seemed to get it and this stallion needs to cover more Flat mares based on the two yearlings [lot 86 also sold for 115,000 gns] he had here. It was an amazing day and this horse reminds me of Stradivarius. A chestnut with a good-looking head and he's not overly big either.”

Gleeson added on the Night Of Thunder filly, “She was out of a very tough Kodiac mare [Group 3 winner Ellthea (Ire)] and it's the same cross as the Abbaye winner Highfield Princess (Fr). Night Of Thunder is on fire and we were just lucky to have one.”

Night Of Thunder enjoyed an exceptional sale, especially when considering his 2020 covering fee of €25,000. There were 28 lots by the sire sold for an average of 276,964gns, for a total of 7,555,000gns, which contributed to him ending the session as the fourth-most popular stallion on the figures.

The Gleesons were not the only people to enjoy a major twist out of the stallion as, just a few lots later, Ballyhimikin Stud's 175,000 gns colt foal (lot 463) purchase by Kildangan Stud resident rocked into 475,000 gns, with Peter and Ross Doyle buying.

Stauffenberg Sugarcoats Super Sale

Few consignors boasted a better return at Book 1 than Philipp Stauffenberg. The German native brought five horses to Tattersalls and they went down a bomb, selling for an average of 469,000gns and 2,345,000gns all told.

After quite the bounty on Wednesday, when Stauffenburg sold a Night Of Thunder (Ire) filly for 550,000gns, a Lope De Vega (Ire) colt for 525,000 gns and a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt for 650,000gns, his two pinhooks on Thursday rocked into money.

His Teofilo colt (lot 465), bought for 80,000gns at Tattersalls last December, was knocked down to Godolphin for 260,000gns. An excellent week was crowned when his 200,000gns Sea The Stars foal purchase (lot 484) netted 360,000gns to Rabbah Bloodstock.

“We brought five and sold five for very good prices,” Stauffenburg said shortly after the Sea The Stars filly went through the ring.

“When you see what is going on outside our little world, it's amazing that the market is so resilient. There is plenty of money for the good ones. We had a record turnover yesterday and that speaks its own language.

“It will be really interesting to see how Book 2 goes now because I am pretty sure that a lot of people will have left here today disappointed that they couldn't strike as well as they thought they would.”

Stauffenburg added, “The Teofilo colt was probably the best Teofilo I have seen at the foal sales for many years. He was an absolutely outstanding horse and he went the right way. We paid 80,000 and he made 260,000. That's not bad business.

“We have been quite lucky. Yesterday was quite an amazing day.”

Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony would doubtless expand on that sentiment to include all three amazing days. He concluded, “Impressive as all the statistics are, the real feature of Book 1 of the 2022 October Yearling Sale has been the sustained demand at all levels of the market which has contributed to a clearance rate well in excess of 85%. Buyers from throughout the world, most notably the Gulf region, America, China, Japan and throughout Europe have all made a significant impact on a record-breaking sale and particularly notable has been the presence of so many of the world's most successful racehorse owners here at Park Paddocks for the duration of the sale. Their confidence in Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale is hugely appreciated and reflects not only the outstanding quality of the yearlings which the vendors commit to the sale year after year, but also the sale's unrivalled reputation for producing Classic and Group 1 winners and Newmarket's status as the European hub of the Thoroughbred business.

“In addition to so many of the world's leading owners, the number of British and Irish trainers active throughout the week has been notable and their presence has without doubt been influenced by the £7,200,000 in October Book 1 Bonus prize-money which we have distributed since 2016. The £20,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonuses are hugely popular and to see so many beneficiaries reinvesting this week is a strong endorsement of a scheme which continues to reward owners at all levels of the Book 1 market.”

He added, “To have rewritten the Book 1 record books and to have seen so many breeders and consignors so richly rewarded this week has been wonderful. Europe's premier yearling sale has lived up to its reputation in spectacular fashion and we look forward to sustaining the momentum into Books 2, 3 and 4 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale starting on Monday next week.”

The post Record Books Rewritten as Book 1 Bonanza Concludes appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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