£1.2 Million Derby Second Set for Australia

LONDON, UK–There has been an awful lot of water under the bridge since Goffs UK last convened its London Sale in the royal parks, but somehow the bloodstock market has meanwhile stayed buoyantly afloat. In this country, demand for horses in training has remained a priceless lifeline, and the additional kudos of a Royal Ascot entry for the majority of lots elevated the bidding along with the thermometer as summer made a timely arrival in Kensington Palace Gardens.

That proved equally true among those defending reserves and those managing to overcome them, who were split 50-50 through two dozen lots. It was striking, however, that the biggest investments of the evening were both animated by agendas extending far beyond what may or may not be achieved down the road this week.

These were headed by the Australian partnership that responded to an extraordinary opportunity in G1 Derby runner-up Hoo Ya Mal (GB) (Territories {Ire}) [6] with a no less extraordinary opening bid of £1 million.

That was enough to cause a prolonged silence, if not among those present principally to sip cocktails or admire couture, then certainly among anyone else contemplating a bid. Eventually some resistance was mustered, actually by telephone from California, but the authors of this bold strategy–namely Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, and clients Go Bloodstock–soon won the day at £1.2 million, the docket signed by their longstanding local agent Johnny McKeever. The underbidder turned out to be Marie Yoshida of Asian Bloodstock Services, on the line to Nick Nugent from Los Angeles.

Of the various plaudits to be shared for this coup, top billing must go to that remarkable judge Federico Barberini, who has found so many bargains in the past and discovered this one in no less a catalogue than Tattersalls October Book 1 for just 40,000gns. His client Ahmad Al Shaikh sent the horse to Kingsclere, where he had made nice progress through three juvenile starts and then a couple of the spring trials at    Newmarket, while still seeming a tier down from the elite of the crop. Hence his starting price of 150-1 at Epsom, but he outran those odds in startling fashion–and connections opted to strike while the iron was hot.

“You rarely get the chance to purchase horses of this calibre,” Bott explained afterwards. “He has a profile we think we will really suit Australia, with the Melbourne Cup obviously high up the agenda. As you know, the industry in Australia seems vibrant and healthy, so we want to try to capitalise on that, there's some great prizemoney around and he's a horse that can race at the level we want to be.

“He was on the radar when he was entered for the sale, so did a bit of homework prior to the Derby. Obviously his run there confirmed what we were thinking, and that's what you want with a lightly raced horse: continued improvement every time he's stepped out.”

As for detonating the bidding with a seven-figure opening salvo, Bott said with a shrug: “Look, you know where a horse like this is going to fit in the market and we just thought you should show your intentions at what was a fair price. Prices are dictated by their recent form and obviously not many horses at that level come onto the market too often, so you're not paying these amounts too often, either. So it's all relative. A horse like this, coming down to Australia, is hard to get hold of, so we knew we had to be strong. We've had to pay was obviously what fair amount, but we're excited to get him down there and see what he can do for us.”

His purchasers will now consult Andrew Balding about his two entries later in the week, respectively in the G3 Hampton Court S. on Thursday and the G2 King Edward VII S. the next day.

“We'll have a discussion with Andrew and see how he feels about how the horse has done after that run in the Derby,” Bott said. “First and foremost, we want to do the right thing by the horse, though obviously it would be a huge attraction for the new connections to have an Ascot runner.”

 

The Force Is with O'Callaghan

In contrast to Balding, who must soon bid farewell to one of his rising stars, Michael O'Callaghan found himself in a “win-win” situation after Crypto Force (GB) (Time Test {GB}) [24] became the latest and perhaps most remarkable vindication for his business model of targeting the breeze-ups as a platform for resale.

It was less than two months ago that the Curragh trainer gave 160,000gns for this colt at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up, from the Tally-Ho consignment that had such a fine run in that sector this spring. O'Callaghan launched Crypto Force in a maiden at his home track 13 days before the sale and, while the odds-on favourite from Ballydoyle did not have the best of runs in second, that does alter the acceleration he showed to win unthreatened.

If he takes up his engagement in the Listed Chesham S. on Saturday, Crypto Force will do so in the cause of Kia Joorabchian, agent Hamish Macauley having signed a 900,000gns docket in the names of Omnihorse/Amo Racing.

“We don't have too many of that type,” explained Joorabchian, who confirmed the colt will stay in the yard. “He could potentially be a Derby horses next year. Potentially. He showed that he stays [seven furlongs] well, and now that I'm racing in Ireland I know how very, very tough the competition is there. I appreciate how hard it is to win a maiden like that. He finished very strong and he has a very strong pedigree. We came here to buy him–and we got him.”

The colt is out of a young Galileo (Ire) mare while his third dam is a stakes-winning half-sister to Pilsudski (Ire), a painful Royal Ascot memory for some of us. He somehow finished 17th off a mark of 82 in the King George V H. at Royal Ascot in 1995, before proceeding to win six Group 1s and twice finishing runner-up in the Arc!

O'Callaghan had earlier set up a superb evening's work when selling on Harry Time (Ire) (Harry Angel {Ire}), an 82,000gns breezer at the Craven Sale, to Meah Lloyd for £300,000 as Lot 5.

Harry Time won on debut at Navan and holds an entry in the G2 Coventry S. on Tuesday. David Meah explained that this was a return to the same well that produced G1 Commonwealth Cup fancy Twilight Jet (Ire) (Twlight Son {GB}) as an investment for Michael and Julia Iavarone.

“We bought into Twilight Jet before his run at the Breeders' Cup Our relationship with Michael has grown and grown,” the agent said. “And win or lose, they've all flown over from America and we're going to have a great week: we're all here to have fun.”

 

Cadillac Leads Bargains with Horsepower

There were a series of cracking “racetrack pinhooks” among those that did meet their reserves. The 4-year-old Cadillac (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), for instance, cost BBA Ireland €40,000 as an Orby yearling but then won his debut for Jessica Harrington by nine lengths and won a Group 2 as a juvenile. He confirmed his continued potency when winning a Listed race earlier in the month and duly figures among the leading fancies for the Listed Wolferton S. on Tuesday's opening card–after which he will transfer to Kevin Philippart de Foy, whose client Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah stretched to £500,000 for Lot 20.

“Yes, he'll be coming to me at the end of the week,” his new trainer confirmed happily. “Sheikh Abdullah has been a great supporter of the yard over the last year and has Juan De Montalban (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) running in the last race tomorrow. We've followed this horse all the way through: he has shown excellent form on good ground, probably doesn't want it too soft, and could possibly be one to go to the Middle East next winter.”

Cresta (Fr) (New Bay {GB}) was another bargain sold by this auction house, found at their Premier Sale at Doncaster in 2020 by Dermot Farrington for only £21,000. Martyn and Freddy Meade have advanced his rating to 104 in just five starts, via placings in the G3 Horris Hill S. and Listed Dee S., and that forced Will Douglass of Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock to £490,000 for Lot 23.

“He was purchased for Mohamed bin Hamad Al Attiyah,” said Douglass. “He will be exported to Qatar but will run at Royal Ascot [G3 Hampton Court S., Thursday] and perhaps once more before leaving. He's a progressive horse with a nice profile and by a sire that's on an upward curve.”

“He wasn't the biggest, but we just loved the way he moved,” recalled Meade Sr. of the young Cresta. “You've seen he has a lot of ability but I think he still has a lot of potential.”

There was no disguising the bittersweetness for Heather Main, either, after Ileach Mathan (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) catapulted his £25,000 value as an Orby yearling to £340,000 for Hong Kong clients of Richard Ryan as Lot 7. The gelding has even fewer miles on the clock, having won at Kempton on debut last autumn and then finished second on his Newbury reappearance.

“I just had to have him,” Main recalled. “He just had the deepest girth. They started calling me immediately after he ran at Newbury and I didn't want to sell, the owners didn't want to sell, but here we are. We had no choice, but it's sad to see him go. He's got a lovely temperament, he's a complete gentleman, lazy at home. He'll do very well out there, I'm sure.”

 

Happy Days Here Again

There is limited point in comparisons, with a boutique horses-in-training catalogue like this, though Goffs UK chairman and Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby naturally noted that business stacked up very well–turnover up 42 percent, average up 18 percent, and median down nine percent–compared with the last auction staged in the royal parks before derailment of the most sociable week of the British Turf.

“We're delighted to be back, after everything everyone has had to endure during the two-year hiatus, and we're absolutely delighted with the results,” Beeby said. “The team has put in a huge effort to bring this sale back to Kensington Palace Gardens, and to bring some wonderful horses to the catalogue. To get a Derby second was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he made a fitting price.

“The sale has come back in style, and we're extremely grateful to the vendors–not least of the top lot, who could probably have sold many times over before the sale. Fair play to the underbidders as well, it was obviously quite an operation, with one line from L.A. to Nick here and another line apparently open to a client in New York.”

Though half the offerings did not sell, the timing of this sale has always allowed vendors to make a bet to nothing.

“At a normal sale, a 50 percent clearance rate would obviously be very disappointing,” Beeby remarked. “But what we always say to vendors is that you might get premium, with Ascot—and if you don't, well, don't sell! Just have a shot. Some people are just as happy not to sell. We're very grateful to them all, to all our partners as well, and thankfully the weather also played its part. It was a joyful occasion.”

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MGSW Cadillac Leads Late Additions To Goffs London Sale

The Goffs London Sale catalogue grew to 26 lots, with three-time group winner Cadillac (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) leading the late entries. A group winner at two and three, the 4-year-old son of Seas Of Wells (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) has already added the Listed Glencairn S. at Leopardstown to his haul for trainer Jessica Harrington.

Another new lot is the placed Pivotal (GB) mare Cartesienne (Ire), a half-sister to Classic and Breeders' Cup winner Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the listed winner Modern News (GB) (Shamardal), second in Saturday's G3 Cazoo Diomed S., who is carrying to Cadillac's sire Lope de Vega. A trio of Camelot (GB) weanlings bred on Southern Hemisphere time out of stakes winner Keystone Gulch (Gulch); Tawaareekh (Monsun {Ger}), out of a half-sister to Group 1 winner Tamayuz (GB) (Nayef); and Whazzup (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}), a daughter of Group 3 winner Whazzis (GB) (Desert Prince {Ire}), respectively, have also joined the sale. Finally, a breeding right to smart, young sire Havana Grey (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}), who already has 15 first-crop winners to his credit, will also be auctioned. The sale will be held at the Kensington Palace Gardens in association with Privat 3 Money on the eve of Royal Ascot, June 13.

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For Irish Shipper Cadillac, Saratoga is a Perfect Fit

With their horse coming off a win in a Group 3 stakes race, the connections of Cadillac (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) could have easily pointed their horse to some of the major stakes remaining on the European calendar. Instead, the 3-year-old colt will be in Saratoga Saturday for the GI Saratoga Derby Invitational. With so many lucrative opportunities available, it is growing increasingly difficult for European stables to ignore a stakes schedule laden with rich, winnable races.

“This is a very valuable race, it's a Grade I and it fit into Cadillac's program,” said Richie Galway, the racing manager for trainer Jessica Harrington. “He was obviously there at the Breeders' Cup in November, so we know that he travels. The American turf program is becoming more popular with European trainers and it is improving all the time. This sport that we are all involved in is really a global sport and is becoming more global every day. You have to look outside of what we race in here in Ireland and in Europe.”

In 2018, Harrington set up a syndicate, Alpha Racing, and set out to build up the stable with yearling purchases. Galway said that Cadillac was one of eight yearlings bought in 2019 by Alpha. Though by the star sire Lope de Vega, Alpha was bought for the equivalent of $43,597 at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale. It didn't take him long to establish himself. He broke his maiden in his first career race by nine lengths and, two starts later, won the G3 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. at Leopardstown. After a defeat at Newmarket, he shipped to Keenleand, where he was fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

“Cadillac is Alpha's flagship horse,” Galway said. “From a €40,000 yearling at Goffs Orby we have a horse to compete in a Grade I, $1-million race in Saratoga. It's dream stuff.”

Before she got into racing, Harrington, 74, was one of Ireland's top three-day event riders and competed in the Olympics. She turned to training in 1989 and enjoyed much success as a steeplechase trainer, winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2017. She still trains jumpers, but has added flat horses to her stable. One of her first top horses on the flat was Pathfork (Distorted Humor), the winner of the 2010 G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. Pathfork shipped to Santa Anita for the 2012 GII Arcadia S., where he was sixth. Harrington is winless in the U.S. from six tries. Harrington also campaigned Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), the winner of four Group 1 races, including the 2018 G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas.

Galway said that Irish racing has been slow to adopt racing partnerships, and Harrington took advantage of what she saw as an opportunity. Alpha Racing was born.

“Partnerships and syndications are becoming the most popular form of horse ownership,” Galway said. “In Ireland, we were slower to catch on to. We developed Alpha from that concept. It allows people the opportunity to get involved in horse ownership at a relatively modest investment level with the potential of landing on a superstar. We spread the risk and give the partners lots of action. It is really about spreading the risk, trying to be commercial about how we run the partnership and having a lot of fun along the way. When you buy a yearling at a modest level like that, it's hard to imagine you could end up running at Saratoga in a $1 million race at an iconic track, going there with a chance. We are hugely excited. Cadillac has proven those horses are out there, if you're willing to spread your risk and buy some horses.”

After the Breeders' Cup, Cadillac was given a break and made his 3-year-old debut in the G3 ARM Holding International S. at The Curragh, which he won by a nose. Galway said that after that win, the option that made the most sense was to come to Saratoga.

“It's not that we are passing any races in Europe,” he said. “It's more that this race is an ideal opportunity for him to run against his own age group. It's a good opportunity to put Cadillac in the shop window in Saratoga.”

Though it sometimes seems that European grass horses are better than American grass runners, Galway understands that the Saratoga Derby will be anything but an easy spot.

“As we saw in his last race, he's a tough and tenacious horse,” Galway said. “This will be his toughest task to date. It looks like a very deep race. No matter where you run when you run for $1 million in a Group 1, whether it's Ireland, the UK or the U.S. or anywhere else, you're going to be taking on some serious opponents. At this level, there's no such thing as a soft spot.”

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Lope de Vega’s Cadillac Best In the Champions Juvenile

Irish Champions Weekend is as much about the juveniles as the proven older horses and Alpha Racing 2020’s Cadillac (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) presented himself as one of the premier members of the 2-year-old brigade when surging to an impressive success in Saturday’s G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile S., a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Race. Having caused a stir at Leopardstown with a nine-length debut win over seven furlongs July 1, the bay had been second in The Curragh’s G2 Futurity S. last time Aug. 22 but showed this step up to a mile held no fears. Forced wide with no cover throughout, the 11-8 favourite moved to Ballydoyle’s Van Gogh (American Pharoah) at the furlong pole en route to a commanding 3 1/2-length success, with Reve de Vol (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) 2 3/4 lengths away in third. “I was a bit disappointed that he was beaten the last day, but he was raw and inexperienced as he didn’t learn much on his debut,” jockey Shane Foley said. “He had a dogfight there and it stood to him. He was more of a man today–he was stuck on the wing, but is a good laid-back horse who only goes through the motions and you know there is something under the tank. He works just okay in the mornings, he wouldn’t knock the house down but he obviously keeps his best for the track.”

Cadillac, an inspired €40,000 Goffs Orby purchase who came up a half-length short behind Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) in the Futurity, is Keeneland-bound now according to Kate Harrington, who said, “You’d have to be delighted with him. You saw the real Cadillac there today and he’s a lovely horse. He’s a horse that just goes through the motions at home, you don’t really know how big an engine is in there but it’s fairly big. He didn’t really learn much the first day, but learned a lot the last day and he did it right there today. It’s great for the syndicate, which we started two years ago and this is the second running of it. We’re going to go forward with it next year and it’s great to have a high-profile horse like this. I’d say, all being well, his next start will probably be in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.”

The dam Seas of Wells (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) is a daughter of Kyra Wells (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells), who is a half-sister to the G3 Prestige S. winner Geminiani (Ire) by Sadler’s Wells’ son King of Kings (Ire) and to the G1 Phoenix S. heroine Damson (Ire) by another of the great Coolmore monarch’s progeny in Entrepreneur (GB). Damson in turn produced the G2 Flying Childers S.-winning sire Requinto (Ire) from a mating with Seas of Wells’ sire Dansili, and is the second dam of Last Kingdom (Frankel {GB}) who took the G3 Prix Daphnis. Also from the family of the G1 Sun Met-winning South African champion Whisky Baron (Aus) (Manhattan Rain {Aus}), Seas of Wells has a yearling filly by Sea the Stars (Ire).

Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
KPMG CHAMPIONS JUVENILE S. (GOLDEN FLEECE S.)-G2, €147,500, Leopardstown, 9-12, 2yo, 8fT, 1:40.93, gd.
1–CADILLAC (IRE), 131, c, 2, by Lope de Vega (Ire)
1st Dam: Seas of Wells (Ire), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Kiyra Wells (Ire), by Sadler’s Wells
3rd Dam: Tadkiyra (Ire), by Darshaan (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€40,000 Ylg ’19 GOFOR). O-Alpha Racing 2020; B-Sunderland Holdings Inc (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington; J-Shane Foley. €75,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $126,702. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Van Gogh, 131, c, 2, American Pharoah–Imagine (Ire), by Sadler’s Wells. O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Mrs David Nagle; B-Barronstown Stud (KY); T-Aidan O’Brien. €25,000.
3–Reve de Vol (Ire), 131, c, 2, Siyouni (Fr)–Joailliere (Ire), by Dubawi (Ire). O/B-Moyglare Stud Farm (IRE); T-Ger Lyons. €12,500.
Margins: 3HF, 2 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.38, 3.50, 40.00.
Also Ran: Fernando Vichi (Ire), Ides of August, Snapraeterea (Ire), Liffey River (Fr), Fourhometwo (GB), Jack Duggan. Scratched: Blue For You (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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