Frankel (GB) may rule at Tattersalls, but in Deauville we are in the court of France's champion sire Siyouni (Fr), whose 10 yearlings sold on Tuesday returned an average price of €189,500 and included one of the day's co-top lots at €420,000.

With a touch of déjà vu, that colt bore several similarities to one of the leading lights of the sale a few years ago. Both were bought on behalf of Coolmore by Laurent Benoit, who, after outbidding Anthony Stroud, said,  “He's by Siyouni out of a Galileo mare. It's the same price, same stallion and also the same underbidder as Paddington, and I think he will have the same trainer as Paddington. Let's hope he's as good as him.”

One of the differences in this case was the vendor of lot 132, which was Haras d'Etreham, who sold the son of the Grade III-placed Galileo (Ire) mare Decorating on behalf of his breeder Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farm.

Sharing his podium at the top of the leader board was Fairway Consignment's colt by Zarak (Fr) (lot 101), who will head to Norway after being signed for by Ross Doyle on behalf of his longstanding clients Magne and Bente Jordanger.

“We were given the mandate to find a horse to win Classics in Scandinavia, the Norwegian Derby, hopefully that's the plan. He was on a very short list and the one we wanted to get,” Doyle said.

“He's for Magne and Bente of Stall Perlen and will go to trainer Wido Neuroth. He was a magnificent colt and every time we saw him he was very relaxed.”

He added, “They've won the Norwegian Oaks recently with a filly we bought them by Night Of Thunder [Thunder Sea]. Scandinavian owners are very competitive. Mr Jordanger said to me that he's at the stage of his life where he wants to drink the best wine and buy the best horses.”

We can all drink a toast to such a sentiment, and the largesse of the Jordangers, along with plenty of other buyers on the day, led to an upturn in trade from last year. The 170 yearlings sold on the day pushed the clearance rate up slightly to 82%, while turnover rose by 21.5% to  €15,581,000, and the average was also up, by 18%, to €91,653. The median increased from €55,000 to €70,000.

Another busy day for Stroud

Despite being denied one son of Siyouni, Anthony Stroud had already secured lot 47, a half-brother to last year's October Sale topper, at €350,000. Offered by Haras du Mont dit Mont, the colt is out of Shamtee (Ire) (Shamardal), a Listed winner from the further family of stallions Territories (Ire), Street Cry (Ire), Shamardal and Victor Ludorum (Ire).

The Siyouni colt will join Andre Fabre's string for Godolphin, and was one of 14 purchases by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock during a busy Tuesday. Also on the list, for an unnamed client, was the Sea The Moon (Ger) half-sister to Group 1 winner Simca Mille (Fr) (Tamayuz {GB}), who was sold by her breeder Haras de la Perelle for €260,000.

In a further fitting tribute to the late Lady Chryss O'Reilly, her Haras de la Louivière draft was responsible for the joint-top-priced filly of the day (lot 29), a daughter of Wootton Bassett (GB) who was bought by Jerome Glandais of Ecurie de Launay for €260,000.

Out of the unraced Sablonniere (Fr) (Verglas {Ire}), she is a full-sister to the Listed Prix Ridgway winner Dream Works (Fr) and a half to the Group 3 winner King Malpic (Fr) (King's Best).

Pair of fillies for Sumbe

Sumbe had a busy day announcing two new stallions for next year [see accompanying story] and Nurlan Bizakov's team also recruited two new yearlings on Tuesday, lots 77 and 131. The first, a daughter of Bated Breath (GB) from La Motteraye Consignment, is a half-sister to the dual Listed winner Shalromy (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}) and was bred by Frederic and Jennifer Bianco. She was bought for €240,000 and Sumbe later went to €260,000 for a Sea The Stars (Ire) filly out of a half-sister to the Arc winner Danedream (Ger) (Lomita's {GB}) from Ecurie des Monceaux.

After signing for the Bated Breath filly, Nurlan Bizakov said, “It's a lovely family which we know well as Shalromy was born and raised at the stud for her breeders. The mare also boarded at Hesmonds Stud when she went to England to be covered. I am a fan of Bated Breath who is a consistent sire.”

One and done for Holland

Brendan Holland of Grove Stud completed his set for next year's breeze-up sales with the purchase early in the session of a colt by Siyouni (Fr) out of the Group 3-placed Over Reacted (Fr) (Planter {Ire}) from a family that includes the recent G1 Preis von Europa winner India (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}). Catalogued as lot 4, he was sold by Haras de Grandcamp for €175,000.

Reflecting on the yearling trade in general this year, Holland said, “I've found it difficult to buy the colts that I wanted. The market was more selective and maybe I'm getting more selective. I was also selling and the market was a bit patchier, for sure, and more selective, so that made it more difficult on both sides. 

“That was the same starting in Doncaster and all the way through Keeneland, it was difficult to buy nice colts. We had to stretch to buy the colt this morning. He's a nice colt with a good pedigree, out of a good mare by a good sire, but that type of colt is getting harder to buy.”

He added, “The spend has gone up the last five years to produce these two-year-old horses. My numbers are always around 20 to 25 horses and everyone is trying to up their quality, it's not just me, but the rest of the lads as well. The results of that have been showing on the track, too. And we're looking at a broad range of horses as well, it's not just a narrow band of two-year-old types.”

Camelot is King for Brummitt

Ecurie des Monceaux sold 20 of its 25 yearlings through the ring on Tuesday. The full-brother to Sottsass (Fr) was withdrawn on the day but among those to be sold was a Pinatubo (Ire) colt out of the Group 3 winner Pacifique (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Offered as lot 6, the half-brother to black-type performers Paix (Fr) (Muhaarar {GB}) and Sir Bob Parker (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) was knocked down to Jean-Claude Rouget at €210,000. 

From the same family and eight lots later was a Camelot (GB) half-brother to the G2 Debutanate S. winner and G1 Moyglare Stud S. runner-up Vespertilio (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). The son of Pacifique's half-sister Prudente (GB) (Dansili {GB}) was selected by an avowed fan of Camelot in Jeremy Brummitt. 

He said of lot 14, “What sets apart Camelot and Montjeu is the way they move, and this is the only yearling I've seen all year who moves in the way that I'm looking for. Nothing wins a race standing still. So I bought the horse that moves in the way that I want, because I think that's why that particular line, or those two stallions, father and son, are so good.”

Brummitt added, “He's been bought for an existing, undisclosed client called Bjorn Nielsen.”

Nielsen previously raced a close relation to this colt, English King (Fr), who is also by Camelot and is a half-brother to the yearling's dam Prudente. He won the Listed Derby Trial at Lingfield before running fifth in the Derby itself.

Talking Points

• Monceaux once again leads the vendors' list with 20 sold for €2,368,000, and Charles Briere's Fairway Consignment had a good day selling five yearlings for an average of €167,000.

• Anthony Stroud and Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock were the most active of the buyers and signed for 14 lots to the tune of €2,180,000.

• Haras d'Etreham's freshman sire Hello Youmzain (Fr) continued his run of popularity at Arqana with 15 sold through the first day for an average of €78,000, which is more than three times his opening fee.

• Chachnak (Fr)? Yep, I had to look him up too. The dual Group 3-winning son of Kingman (GB) stands at Haras de la Gastine for his owner Jean-Pierre Dubois and has three members of his 33-strong first crop catalogued at Arqana this week. The first sold for €15,000 to trainer Christophe Escuder.

• In keeping with so many sales, the figures at Arqana's October edition have been increasing in recent years. The first day's aggregate this year, which weighed in at €15,581,000 for 170 sold, is not that far off the turnover for the whole sale in 2019, which stood at €16,957,000 for 414 yearlings. 

Buy of the Day 

Lot 37: Colt by Waldgeist (GB) – Sassella (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire})
Vendor/breeder: Gestut Ammerland
Buyer: Richard Venn, €35,000

Those associated with Waldgeist would probably have liked to see him have a few more winners by now but it's never wise to make judgments on stallions until at least the end of their second year with runners. As a progressive middle-distance horse bred jointly by three of the best operations in Europe it is fair to expect to see his offspring make more of an impact at three. It is also worth remembering that two of the buzz names of the year, Arc winner Ace Impact (Fr) and young sire Justify, did not appear on the racecourse until their three-year-old seasons.

In the case of lot 37, the colt was bred by one of the Waldgeist trio, Gestut Ammerland, whose impact on European racing has been pronounced over several decades, and whose presence we will miss after the stud's remaining breeding stock is sold at Arqana in December. 

Ammerland's Dietrich von Boetticher was not only the co-breeder of the colt's sire but also bred his dam and broodmare sire. Sassella won the Listed Prix Belle de Nuit, while her dam Sevenna (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has produced another four stakes winners, including Sevenna's Knight (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who runs in the Listed Prix Vulcain at Deauville on Thursday.

There's a lot of pedigree for that price and, if given the time he may well need, his owner and trainer could well be rewarded. The colt is heading to England to new Lambourn trainer Charlie Pike for owner Gary Gillies. Best of luck to them.

Thought for the Day

Boy, did the Arqana auctioneers speed things up on Tuesday. Bravo, merci, et encore!

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Morgana (Fr), f, 3, Camelot (GB)–Magic Mist (Ire), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). Craon, 6-16, 8 1/4fT, 1:45.73. B-Ecurie Skymarc Farm (FR). *€85,000 RNA Ylg '21 ARQAUG.

Merlin The Wizard (GB), g, 3, Camelot (GB)–Sweet Gentle Kiss (Ire) (GSW-Ity, $212,150), by Henrythenavigator. Kempton, 6-7, 7f (AWT), 1:26.60. Lifetime Record: 3-1-1-0, $9,813. B-Blue Diamond Stud Farm (UK) Ltd (GB). *120,000gns RNA Ylg '21 TATOCT.

Robin Hood is the very model of the well-meaning Great Outlaw, secretly loved by the masses–for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, and maybe other reasons as well. There is much Sherwood Forest lore in the name of young Longchamp winner Will Scarlet: his namesake was one of Robin's Merry Men (along with Little John and Friar Tuck) and the dam is Lady Marian, the on-off girlfriend of the great man in green tights.

1st-ParisLongchamp, €34,000, Cond, 6-15, 2yo, 7fT, 1:26.60, gd. WILL SCARLET (GB) (c, 2, Masar {Ire}–Lady Marian {Ger} {G1SW-Fr, GSW & G1SP-Ger, $546,566}, by Nayef. O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Andre Fabre.

There may be an intriguing connection between the names of multiple 2-year-old winner Bobsleigh and his dam Lady Rosebud, via Orson Welles's masterpiece film “Citizen Kane”, but to disclose it could be a spoiler for the people who have not seen the movie, so here I stop.

1st-Epsom, €75,000, Cond (Woodcote), 6-2, 2yo, 6f 3yT, 1:08.99, g/f. BOBSLEIGH (IRE) (g, 2, Elzaam {Aus}–Lady Rosebud {Ire}, by Sir Prancealot {Ire}), O-The Woodway 20; B-Ms P Walsh (IRE); T-Eve Johnson Houghton.

In the case of Clairefontaine 2-year-old winning filly, Shiffrin and Olympic Glory sont les mots qui vont tres bien ensemble: Olympian US skier Mikaela Shiffrin has two gold medals to her name and has dominated her sport for some time.

Shiffrin (Ire), f, 2, Olympic Glory (Ire)–Scruples, by Pioneerof the Nile. Clairefontaine, 7-7, 8fT, 1:38.40. B-Haras d'Etreham (IRE).

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From that December day at Fairyhouse until Sunday at the Curragh, A P O'Brien has been the name printed alongside 400 Group or Grade 1 winners. From his roots in National Hunt, he quickly set about conquering the Flat world. In O'Brien's first year at Ballydoyle, Desert King (Ire) became his first Group 1 winner in the 1996 National Stakes in the colours of Michael Tabor, with Walter Swinburn up. The son of Danehill later became his second Classic winner, but only by 24 hours, when the trainer signalled the manner in which he intended to continue his Flat training career by saddling the winners of the Irish 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas in the same weekend. Classic Park (Ire) struck in the fillies' contest and, like so many top-class fillies trained from Ballydoyle, became influential in her stud career as the dam of Derby runner-up and sought-after National Hunt sire Walk In The Park (Ire).

Desert King went on to win the Irish Derby and later that year we would see just how well recommended by John Durkan was the brilliant Istabraq (Ire), when he posted the first of 23 wins for O'Brien and JP McManus.

O'Brien's first triumph in an Epsom Classic came in 1998, when Shahtoush (Ire) won the Oaks. Giant's Causeway was perhaps his first real superstar, with his imperious run through the high summer of 2000 foreshadowing the appearance of the horse with whom O'Brien's name will be forever entwined: Galileo (Ire).

He was of course the first of his trainer's eight Derby winners in 2001. By the end of this week it's not impossible that O'Brien will have brought his tally of Classic wins at Epsom to 20. He has six of the remaining 15 entries in the Oaks, led by Savethelastdance (Ire), a daughter of his old friend Galileo, and four of the 16 for the Derby, including the winter favourite Auguste Rodin (Ire), looking to bounce back from the disappointment of the 2,000 Guineas.

Over last weekend, it was Paddington (GB) and Luxembourg (Ire) who brought his tally of Group 1 wins to the 400 mark, with the former sparking an Irish Guineas double for Siyouni (Fr) which was completed by Tahiyra (Fr) for the Aga Khan and Dermot Weld on Sunday.

The Older Guard

Luxembourg's triumph over Bay Bridge (GB) (New Bay {GB}) and Piz Badile (Ire) (Ulysses {Ire}) in the Tattersalls Gold Cup brought to a close a treat of a week when it came to action from the older-horse brigade.

There was the rare, if not unique, spectacle of last year's Coronation Cup and Derby winner, Hukum (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), returning in the G3 Brigadier Gerard S. after neither had been seen in public since their respective Epsom wins. Hukum's turn of foot in the closing stages was a sight to behold as he reeled in Desert Crown as the post loomed to win by a half-length. His trainer Owen Burrows kept the ball rolling with another of his older inmates, and another grandson of Cape Cross (Ire), when the five-year-old Anmaat (Ire) became the first Group 1 winner for this sire Awtaad (Ire) in Monday's Prix d'Ispahan.

The aforementioned Luxembourg perhaps doesn't get the recognition he deserves. Like the previous weekend's Lockinge winner Modern Games (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) , he is a Group 1 winner at two, three, and four, which is no easy feat and is the mark of a proper horse.

Luxembourg's sire Camelot (GB) surely holds a place in Aidan O'Brien's heart for providing his son Joseph with a first Derby triumph as a jockey. As we head into the Derby weekend it is worth reflecting on the influence of Camelot's sire Montjeu (Ire), whose sons Motivator (GB), Authorized (Ire), and Pour Moi (Ire) also won the Derby in a seven-year-period, to be followed by Pour Moi's son Wings Of Eagles (Fr) in 2017.

The quirky but brilliant Montjeu was often derided when it came to his record as a sire of fillies, but he is currently performing well in the broodmare sire table, some 11 years after his death at the age of just 16. On Saturday, he featured as the damsire of Classic winner Paddington, while previous group winners around the world this year out of Montjeu mares include Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) and Coltrane (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). He has already featured as the broodmare sire of an Oaks winner, courtesy of Meon Valley Stud's 2019 victrix Anapurna (GB) (Frankel {GB}), and he could enhance that record further if Heartache Tonight (Fr) were to oblige on Friday for David Menuisier. The daughter of Recorder (GB) has been produced on the same pattern of 3×3 inbreeding to Sadler's Wells as Anapurna, and they respectively have the half-brothers Unfuwain and Nashwan in the bottom half of their pedigrees. 

It was also a big week for some of the star juveniles of 2022. Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) pulled up lame after the 2,000 Guineas but put that firmly behind him with a resolute win in the G2 Sandy Lane S. under Frankie Dettori. In the second of two cracking sprints at Haydock, Steve Parkin's homebred G2 Queen Mary S. winner Dramatised (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) returned to lift the G2 Temple S. She heads to the G1 King's Stand S., while Little Big Bear is now a warm favourite for the G1 Commonwealth Cup.

Whitsbury World

When it comes to golden geese, Whitsbury Manor Stud appears to have one of both the male and female variety. The stud record of last year's leading freshman sire Havana Grey (GB) goes from strength to strength, and on Thursday his son Elite Status (GB) emulated his dad by winning the Listed National S. for the Karl Burke stable, becoming the first stakes winner of Havana Grey's second crop. Among those from his debut crop of three-year-olds, Mammas Girl (GB), Great State (GB) and Shouldvebeenaring (GB) are all black-type winners this year, with the last two named, along with Elite Status, having been bred by Whitsbury Manor Stud.

The stud also features this year as the breeder of 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}), whose half-sister Get Ahead (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) gave Whitsbury Manor yet another Listed win on Friday in the Cecil Frail S. The four-year-old thus became the fourth stakes winner for the increasingly celebrated mare Suelita (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}).

Stand By To Party

When Con and Theresa Marnane's Different League (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}) appeared at Royal Ascot in 2017 with two wins under her belt and promptly took the G3 Albany S., the revelling continued not just late into that night but for several months. Stand by then to join the party if Givemethebeatboys (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {Ire}) should follow suit for the Marnanes in the G2 Coventry S. Similarly unbeaten so far in his two starts, the Airlie Stud-bred €11,000 yearling consigned two six-figure rivals to the minor placings when winning the G3 Marble Hill S on Saturday. Like the aforementioned Chaldean and Get Ahead, he is out of a mare by Dutch Art, in this case the 1m4f winner Dromana (Ire), a half-sister to the G3 Henry II S. winner Lismore (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}).

It was a good day for the Marnanes' Bansha House Stables, which sold Salisbury debut winner Reveiller (Ire) at the Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale last month. The Archie Watson-trained colt took the tally of wins for Soldier's Call (GB) to 11. Ballyhane Stud's young sire was also trained by Watson and triumphed as a juvenile at Royal Ascot, where a number of his first-crop members will surely be heading.

Incidentally, Different League, who went from being an €8,000 foal to a 1.5 million gns in-training purchase, was represented by her first winner at the Curragh on Friday when her three-year-old son Subzero (Ire), who has borrowed his name from a Melbourne Cup winner, won the three-year-old maiden for Peter Brant and the Coolmore team.

Premierisation and Injunctions

It is generally the preference in this column to sail on and celebrate all that is good about the sport. There are, however, two looming issues which cannot presently be ignored. 

It is a desperate measure for a racecourse operator to have to apply for a High Court order in an attempt to prevent disruption at a major meeting, but this is exactly what the Jockey Club has been forced to do in the wake of overt threats from the protest group Animal Rising. On Friday, an injunction was granted for Epsom Downs, which could lead to fines and/or imprisonment for anyone attempting to prevent the smooth running of races during the Derby meeting. 

The group has been offered a spot near the entrance to the racecourse to conduct a peaceful protest, but it remains a chilling prospect that this will not be taken up, and instead the safety of the horses, which the protestors claim they want to protect, and their jockeys will potentially be put at risk by those intent on halting proceedings.

As well as facing outside threats, racing is not immune to acts of self-harm, and it remains to be seen how well the British Horseracing Authority's 'premierisation' experiment works. In announcing some of the details of this scheme on Thursday, the BHA stressed that this is a two-year trial. Its key element revolves around restricting Saturday afternoons to two premier meetings and one of lesser status, referred to as a core meeting, in order to drive betting turnover. Data supplied to the BHA by the betting industry is said to imply that a clearer schedule during the 2pm to 4pm slot will encourage punters to bet more. It seems a dubious claim, but time will tell.

What is not in doubt is that staging fewer meetings on a Saturday afternoon will have a negative affect on racecourse attendances, which are already on the wane. There are few better ways to introduce new people to the sport than through an enjoyable day out at the races, and for many working people, a weekend afternoon presents the perfect opportunity for this.  

Other racecourses beyond the three with the selected meetings can still race on a Saturday, but they must either start early enough for their races to be concluded by 2pm, or stage a twilight or evening meeting. Both options are less convenient for most racegoers (not to mention owners, trainers and racing staff).

Enhancing the current fare on offer on Sunday afternoons in Britain has also, sensibly, been suggested, and along with that will be staged a trial of Sunday evening racing. It is no surprise that the prospect of the latter has been greeted with widespread dismay. 

As stated, however, it is a trial. If owners and trainers don't like the idea, they can simply not enter to run. It has to be said that some of the language used in reference to this pilot scheme sticks in the craw a little, with the fixtures described as betting sessions rather than race meetings. These six test sessions are, of course, for “lower-grade horses” and will take place between January and March. 

The meetings are clearly not aimed at encouraging racegoers–more for the punter at home during what has been identified as a time when “betting activity tends to be strong”. But the horses and the travelling staff still have to get there and, more importantly during the winter months, get home safely in the cold and dark. The same goes for the owners of those lower-grade horses, plenty of whom enjoy actually going racing to see them run. It is up to them and their trainers to decide whether this is a step too far, or whether the rewards on offer will be enough to entice them away from Countryfile on a Sunday evening.

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Donny Delights…

Also at Doncaster are the Listed Cammidge Trophy, which sees the return of the still-unexposed G2 Sandy Lane S. winner El Caballo (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) returning for the first time since beating only two home as the joint-favourite for the G1 Commonwealth Cup, and the Listed Doncaster Mile while the 2-year-olds assembled for the opening Brocklesby Conditions S.

Plat Du Jour…

'TDN Rising Star' Pensee Du Jour | Scoop Dyga

It is at Saint-Cloud that the high-stakes action takes place, however, with Andre Fabre seeking a third straight success with TDN Rising Star Pensee Du Jour (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in the G3 Prix Penelope. Staged over the 10 1/2-furlong trip of the Prix de Diane, the renowned trial has surprisingly not been won by a subsequent heroine of that Classic since Pensee Du Jour 's distant relative Pawneese (Ire), the Wildensteins' champion of 1976. Fabre already holds the record of nine in this and the way the Ballymore Thoroughbred representative went through her maiden at Chantilly in February and the Listed Prix Rose de Mai here early this month suggests that number 10 is imminent.

Come On, Get Happy…

Ballydoyle have begun the year with gusto and the presence of two of the stable's runners in the Penelope is certain to be an indicator of what is to come as Rosegreen look more to France than ever before. Ryan Moore is here and not on the aforementioned favourite for the Lincoln, so it is up to another daughter of Camelot in Be Happy (Ire) to make up for that missed opportunity. Impressive at Cork on debut in September, the relative of the Prix du Jockey Club hero Anabaa Blue (GB) and of the great Urban Sea was only fifth in The Curragh's G3 Staffordstown Stud S. the following month but this is a new year and her rider is quietly confident. “Be Happy will enjoy the expected soft ground and she is a filly we like,” he said. “She probably didn't get the run of the race at the Curragh and this longer trip will suit.” Jean-Claude Rouget saddles Denford Stud's dual Cagnes-Sur-Mer scorer Iznik (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), while Gainesway Ventures' Arqana December purchase Speirling Beag (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) adds weight having won Leopardstown's G3 Eyrefield S. and been in front of Be Happy when third in the Staffordstown.

Old Habits Die Hard…

In the G3 Prix Edmond Blanc, Al Asayl France's stalwart The Revenant (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) has everything in his favour as he bids for a third renewal following his win in the course-and-distance Listed Prix Altipan three weeks ago, with the G3 Prix Perth one-two Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) and Tribalist (GB) (Farhh {GB}) and the 2021 G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and G1 Criterium International hero Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) offering stern opposition. Unbeaten at this venue in five starts on ground that rode softer than good, the 8-year-old former QEII hero still sets the standard in this type of company.

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Carrying the silks of owner-breeder Diane Wildenstein, Pensee Du Jour made all of the running to win the Rose De Mai S. by seven lengths, with Stroud explaining the significance of the victory shortly afterwards. 

He said of the 'TDN Rising Star', “Funnily enough, they [the Wildenstein family] started out in racing back in 1923 so this is the hundred-year anniversary-it's a very significant year.”

The significance does not end there. Pensee Du Jour hails from a deep family that has been nurtured for generations by the Wildensteins. The homebred is from the family of the outstanding Peintre Celebre, who carried Daniel Wildenstein's colours to a host of big-race successes, including victory in the 1997 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. 

Group 1 targets now await Pensee Du Jour, who made it two wins from as many outings on Thursday, and will warm up for a tilt at the Prix de Diane by running in the G3 Prix Penelope back at Saint-Cloud next month. 

Stroud said, “She is potentially very good–a nice filly. Hopefully, depending on how she comes out of this race, she will run in the G3 Prix Penelope in three weeks. The ultimate aim is the Prix de Diane.”

Asked why Pensee Du Jour did not run as a 2-year-old, he replied, “She is a big filly and was a bit backward last year. As well as that, the ground was quite hard last summer, so we just took our time with her. 

“She couldn't have won any easier today–we just wish the races were a bit faster for her and that there was more pace in the race. Otherwise, she wouldn't have to make her own running.”

Diane Wildenstein was in attendance at Saint-Cloud to witness Pensee Du Jour make light work of her rivals and confirm herself a top-notch prospect.

Stroud continued, “The filly hasn't done it yet, she still has to go and do it, but everyone works so hard–the people at the stud and in the racing stables–to produce good racehorses. “Everyone who is into breeding and racing racehorses, that's what their aim is, and that's what we are in this game to do.”

He added, “It's a combination of an awful lot of hard work from an awful amount of people. She couldn't have done more than she's done and we'll find out a bit more on the next step.”

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As previously stated, we will be examining sires in four key price brackets according to their yearling sales returns of 2022 set against their fees at the time of covering. The average profit has been determined by the stallion's fee plus a figure of £20,000 for keep costs. The profitable stallions featured must have had at least five yearlings sold in 2022 to make the list and prices have been converted to sterling from Euros according to the conversion rate on the day of the sale.

Just as Dubawi (Ire) headed the list of those in the most expensive fee bracket, so does his son Night Of Thunder (Ire) claim top honours here in this second tier when his fee was €25,000, having been as low as €15,000 for two years before that. It stepped back up a notch after the Kildangan Stud resident's stellar first crop of two-year-olds demonstrated just what their sire was capable of and, since that time, his price has kept climbing to a current high of €100,000. Yes, that's expensive, but the clamour for Night Of Thunder's yearlings was such that 90 were sold (84 of which were in profit) last year for an average of more than eight times his fee at £197,346, with an average profit of £154,565. 

Clearly it will be hard to maintain such a level from a higher fee, but it is fair to assume that with the price rise comes an uplift in the quality of mares he is covering, and he was no one-crop wonder. With a top-rated sprinter in Europe to his name last year in Highfield Princess (Fr) and 32 stakes winners from four crops of racing age, Night Of Thunder is fast reaching the elite bracket at only 12 years of age.

Wootton Bassett (GB) has been an incredible success story for Haras d'Etreham, where his stud career started at a lowly €6,000 fee, which dropped to €4,000 in 2014 and 2015 and rose in line with his achievements from relatively small books of lowly mares in his early years. The figures shown on this table represent his final crop bred in France at €40,000. He has subsequently taken another two big price leaps following his move to Coolmore in Ireland – to €100,000 and now €150,000. That, predictably, has been accompanied by strong support from plenty of big breeders. His upward rise will need to continue but, given the mares he has covered in recent years, it would be staggering if it doesn't. Like Dubawi and his sons, Wootton Bassett provides a useful outcross option for many via the Mr Prospector line, in this instance through Mr P's extremely influential son Gone West, who is Wootton Bassett's great grandsire. 

Wootton Bassett has at least one top Classic prospect in the Group 1-winning juvenile Al Riffa (Fr), who provides an early example of just what his sire of capable of when crossed with Galileo (Ire). His 83 yearlings sold in 2022 returned an average price of £151,427, giving him a profit margin of £94,978.

Starspangledbanner (Aus) had noted poor fertility at the outset of his career but this appears to have been largely overcome, which is a bonus to breeders. From 121 mares covered in 2020 at a fee of €22,500, 62 of his yearlings were sold with a decent profit margin of £70,801. This year marks the 16-year-old's career-high fee of €50,000, which means that unlike Night Of Thunder, Wootton Bassett and Camelot (GB), Starspangledbanner will remain in this bracket for now. He is joined at stud this season by his high-flying son State Of Rest (Ire), a Group 1 winner in four different countries, and is responsible for one of the most exciting sprinter/milers in Hong Kong, California Spangle (Ire), who recently downed the colours of the outstanding Golden Sixty (Aus). It is easy to see why Starspangledbanner's popularity has been consistently high, just like his fellow Coolmore-based forefathers Choisir (Aus), Danehill Dancer (Ire), and Danehill. 

Then there's Camelot, the horse who should be a Triple Crown winner and the sole remaining son of Montjeu (Ire) in the Flat division in Britain and Ireland (his fellow Derby winner Authorized (Ire) is still plying his trade in Turkey).

Camelot may divide opinion but as the sire of ten Group/Grade 1 winners in five different countries he is unquestionably a good stallion, and one who has piqued the interest of Australian buyers thanks to the exploits of Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet and dual Group 1 winner Russian Camelot (Ire), who is now at Widden Stud. His two highfliers of last year, Irish Champion S. victor Luxembourg (Ire) and Deutsches Derby hero Sammarco (Ger), remain in training and the yearlings of 2022 posted average profit of £54,918 from the 45 that were sold. That crop was conceived at €40,000, and Camelot's fee rose to €60,000 the following year, where it is again now after a brief high of €75,000.

With Night Of Thunder out in front, there is plenty for the Darley team to like about this list and they have another three in the top ten at varying stages of their career: Blue Point (Ire), Teofilo (Ire), and Cracksman (GB). Much will be expected of Blue Point this year, and with 98 of his first-crop yearlings offered in 2022 it is clear that breeders viewed him as a commercial prospect from the outset. He is after all made in the image of his late and celebrated sire Shamardal and his race record had that intoxicating blend of precocity and speed which is catnip to modern-day breeders.

Having started out at €45,000, he is now down to €35,000 for his fourth season at stud, and his first yearlings returned average profit of £36,872. Of course this season is crucial for him as we start to see his first runners but you can bet that Charlie Appleby has a few smart juveniles up his sleeve by the sire who lit up Royal Ascot not once but twice in a week with a Group 1 double. A two-year-old winner at the same meeting this year for Blue Point would be just the ticket to get his secondary career off to a similarly fast start.

Cracksman took a few people by surprise last year with a spate of relatively early winners which has grown to a list of 18 to date, including the G2 Premio Dormello winner Aloa (GB) and Listed Star S. victrix Dance In The Grass (GB). His opening fee of £25,000, gave average profit of £25,201 on the 34 yearlings sold from his second crop. Cracksman is now available at £17,500 and, given his own racing profile, there is cause to believe that his offspring take another step forward in their Classic season and beyond.

Cracksman's fellow first-season sires of 2022, Zoustar (Aus) and Saxon Warrior (Jpn), were also buoyed by solid results from their debutants. Zoustar is of course several seasons ahead in the southern hemisphere. G1 Cheveley Park S winner Lezoo (GB) was the stand-out of his European runners, prompting a fee rise to £30,000 this year from his opening mark of £25,000. From 67 yearlings sold, his average profit margin was £23,951. 

Saxon Warrior gives renewed hope of the Deep Impact sire-line taking root in Europe and from his first runners, Victoria Road (Ire) flew the flag for him with a Breeders' Cup victory, while the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac runner-up Gan Teorainn (Ire) has now spread her wings even farther through being exported to Australia after being bought for 1,000,000gns by Yulong Investments. From a starting fee of €30,000, which dipped to €27,500 in 2020, his yearlings averaged almost £67,000 last year, showing average profit of £21,938.

My pick from this list, however, is the dependable Nathaniel (Ire). There are few stallions in the world who will ever sire a filly of the calibre of Enable (GB), but the brilliant light of his stud career shines well beyond that obvious beacon. A Classic heroine in France and Grade 1 victrix in America, backed up the top-class British-trained duo of God Given (GB) and Lady Bowthorpe (GB), could have had Nathaniel pegged as a fillies' sire, but then Desert Crown (GB) breezed down the hill at Epsom to win the Derby with consummate ease. 

Nathaniel's success extends beyond the Flat to some smart jumpers, including Zanahiyr (Ire) and Concertista (Fr), and the offers to Newsells Park Stud from National Hunt stallion operations in recent years have surely been numerous. 

The average price of the yearlings conceived from Nathaniel's 2020 fee was £66,259, leading to average profit of £21,259. Good on the team at Newsells Park for hanging on to this extremely useful stallion, who surely represents excellent value at his current fee of £15,000.

Value podium

Gold: Nathaniel

Silver: Cracksman 

Bronze: Starspangledbanner

The post Value Sires Part II: The Middle Ground  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Of the winners of the above named Group 1 races–Alpinista (GB), Nashwa (GB), Inspiral (GB) and Onesto (Ire)–all bar Alpinista remain in training in 2023 giving Frankel an impressive battalion of older horses, which should also include 2021 Derby hero Adayar (Ire) and Irish Derby winner Westover (GB). Then of course in the Classic division for next season there's Chaldean (GB), who is in the running to be named European champion 2-year-old when the 2022 international classifications are announced in January.

There are few certainties in life, let alone in horseracing, but what we can say with some certainty is that these titles so early in Frankel's stud career will only be multiplied as the years progress.

Leaving aside this interloper in French territory, the Aga Khan Studs resident Siyouni (Fr), who was champion in his home country in 2021, again finished best of his compatriots and second in the table overall. He is the great hope for now as France seeks up-and-coming stallions to show themselves worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as him, Le Havre (Ire), who died in March and was ninth overall this year, and Wootton Bassett (GB), who was bought by Coolmore in 2020 and relocated to Ireland.

Siyouni was more than €3 million behind Frankel in prize-money and he now owns a truly international reputation. For the past two years he has been available to cover mares to southern hemisphere time and he notched a new Group 1 winner in Australia, the extremely promising 3-year-old filly Amelia's Jewel (Aus), in November. In Europe his star of 2022 was Tahiyra (Ire), who earned her Group 1 laurels in Ireland on just her second start in the Moyglare Stud S. The Aga Khan-bred half-sister to Tarnawa (Ire) must be considered one of the leading female Classic contenders for next season.

It would be no surprise to see Siyouni start to make a proper mark as a broodmare sire, too. His leading light in this regard is Erevann (Fr), a son of Dubawi and Siyouni's first Classic winner Ervedya (Fr), who in 2022 won the G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein and was third in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois. He looks a Group 1 winner in waiting.

Lope De Vega (Ire) of course plied his own trade in France during his racing days and was, like his sire Shamardal, a dual Classic winner there. In 2022, he sired his highest number of stakes winners (24), with three of his four Group 1 winners triumphing in France. They were led by Dreamloper (Ire), whose two top-level  victories came at Longchamp, in the Prix d'Ispahan and the Prix du Moulin. Sweet Lady (Fr) landed the Prix Vermeille and Place Du Carrousel (Ire) broke the hearts of Nashwa fans in the Prix de l'Opera.

Churchill (Ire), whose first-crop runners were 3-year-olds in 2022, had only 26 representatives in France through the year. However, exactly 50% of them won, and they included both of the Coolmore sire's Group 1 winners to date. Of those, Vadeni (Fr) backed up his victory in the 'stallion-making' Prix du Jockey Club by taking on his elders when travelling to England to win the Eclipse. He is a highly exciting individual to follow next year when considering he wasn't beaten far when third to Luxembourg (Ire) in the Irish Champion S. and was subsequently only half a length behind Alpinista when trying 12 furlongs for the first time in the Arc.

Then from Churchill's second crop came Blue Rose Cen (Ire), who was asked lots of questions during her debut season by her young trainer Christopher Head, and generally answered them with ease, winning four of her six starts, including the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G3 Prix d'Aumale.

Churchill was the fourth-leading sire in France in 2022 and managed a top-10 finish overall in Europe when leading his intake in ninth place overall, splitting Kingman (GB) and Siyouni, which is no mean feat for a second-season sire. His haul of seven stakes winners included the Group 2 scorers The Foxes (Ire) and Ladies Church (GB).

Of Churchill's contemporaries, Zarak (Fr) continued his ascent and was 11th overall in the French sire rankings. Most impressive was his tally of seven stakes winner (8.5%), which included the G2 Prix de Sandringham winner Purplepay (Fr), while La Parisienne (Fr) was placed in both the G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Prix Vermeille. That elusive Group 1 winner will surely not be far away.

We heard plenty about Dubawi in Thursday's appraisal of the leading sires in Britain and Ireland, where he was crowned champion for the first time. The Darley sire was fifth in the French table, having sired the Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Modern Games (Ire), who went on to glory at the Breeders' Cup for the second time, and Dubawi finished just ahead of the second of the French domestic sires, Dabirsim (Fr).

It is hard to consider Dabirsim as much more than a useful sire. From six crops of runners he has sired two Group 3 winners and another five stakes winners, but he does get plenty of winners and was second only to Siyouni in this regard. There was a flurry of excitement when he was represented by the G3 Albany S. winner Different League (Fr) in his first crop, and the offspring of the large book of mares that he covered the following year (2018) were 3-year-olds in 2022. Having stood his first two seasons in Germany at Gestut Karlshof, he moved to France's Haras de Grandcamp and from 2023 will be in his new home of Haras de Montaigu.

One can only admire Kendargent (Fr), the blue-collar lad of the French stallion ranks, who, as a non-stakes winner still has his name printed in upper and lower case in the France Galop table, which in itself, ironically, makes him stand out. And stand out he should because by now it has been well documented that from pretty humble beginnings, he has put his owner Guy Pariente's Haras de Colleville firmly on the map. He finished seventh in the table this year, his lowest ranking since 2017, having been third and fourth in the last three years. Furthermore, he is not only a successful sire but appears to be an up-and-coming broodmare sire.

Goldikova's brother Anodin (Ire), who is now at Haras de la Haie Neuve after starting his career at Haras du Quesnay, was represented by two stakes winners in 2022 and was eighth in the table ahead of the late Le Havre.

Saxon Warrior (Jpn) made a pleasing start to his stud career and ended the year as the leading first-crop sire in France. That was thanks in no small part to his GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Victoria Road (Ire), who, prior to jetting to America, won both the G3 Prix de Conde and Listed Criterium du FEE. But he wasn't his sire's sole group winner in France, as Moon Ray (Fr) won the G3 Prix Miesque, while Gan Teorainn (Ire) was runner-up in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac.

Adlerflug's Reputation Continues to Fly High

For the third year in a row Adlerflug (Ger) was the champion sire in Germany, though regrettably his premature demise in April 2021 means that the last two of those championships have been awarded posthumously. Only Dubawi could better Adlerflug's percentage of 11% stakes winners to runners in Europe in 2022, his top-flight representatives being headed by G1 Grosser Preis von Baden winner Mendocino (Ger) and G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Alenquer (Fr).

Adlerflug's Arc-winning son of 2021, Torquator Tasso (Ger), added the G2 Grosser Hansa-Preis to his record and was third in this year's Arc after runner-up finishes in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. and the Grosser Preis von Baden. He has now joined the stallion barn at Gestut Auenquelle, while Adlerflug's other representatives at stud in Europe include In Swoop (Ire) and his full-brother Ito (Ger), as well as Iquitos (Ger).

Camelot (GB) was represented by the Deutsches Derby and Grosser Dallmayr-Preis winner Sammarco (Ger) and was runner-up in the table ahead of former multiple champion Soldier Hollow (GB), who also features as the broodmare sire of Sammarco.

Sea The Moon (Ger), who, like Adlerflug, was a Deutsches Derby winner during his racing days, has the favourite for that race next year in the form of the G3 Preis der Winterfavoriten winner Fantastic Moon (Ger). The Lanwades resident was fourth in the German rankings, with Areion (Ger), who died earlier this year, in fifth. The latter has been succeeded at stud in Germany by his son Alson (Ger), who stood his first season at Gestut Fahrhof in 2022.

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Guy Mulcaster, who also bought the 84-rated Postwick (GB) (Postponed {Ire}) from Barton Sales for 130,000gns to join Waller, secured Coolmore's Irish Cesarewitch winner. 

Described by his trainer Aidan O'Brien at the beginning of the season as a lively each-way contender for the Derby, Waterville [lot 275] never made it to Epsom but went some way to justifying that high opinion by recording a last-gasp Irish Cesarewitch success at the Curragh last month. 

Camelot (GB), the sire of Waterville, has an excellent record in Australia and Mulcaster thinks this latest recruit by him has the right profile to be a success down under. 

He said, “We saw him in June when we were at Ballydoyle and his form has gone on since then. I spoke to Chris this morning and he was keen to get the horse, so fingers crossed he works out for us.”

Mulcaster added, “He is a well-bred horse, has been looked after and he has not had many runs. He has got a high profile and he looks obvious for us. We have not had many by Camelot ourselves, but he has done well in Australia.”

A large portion of that Camelot success was enjoyed by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace with the ill-fated Sir Dragonet, another ex-O'Brien-trained colt, whose finest hour came when he stormed to G1 Cox Plate glory in 2020. Sir Dragonet also won the G1 Tancred S. at Rosehill last year and amassed almost £3 million in career earnings. 

Russian Camelot (Ire) is another to have flown the flag for Camelot in Australia having won the G1 Underwood S. at Caulfield for trainer Danny O'Brien.

Maher and Eustace secured another classy European-bred runner in wildcard entry Chairman (Fr) (Almanzor {Fr}), a 94-rated dual winner for Freddie and Martyn Meade, who was knocked down to Will Bourne, the bloodstock executive for the hugely successful training operation.

Bourne said, “He's a very athletic horse and didn't carry too much condition. What I observed, and Ciaron did as well, is the ones who have worked for him down there are the ones that aren't too heavy. You don't have to work them as much and we obviously have much different facilities in Australia than here. I think he's a horse who will suit Australia and has been racing in really good handicaps over here.”

He added, “Prize-money is so good in Australia, especially in those distance races. Looking forward to getting him in Ciaron and David's stable. Ciaron's alarm goes off at three in the morning so he's well across the purchase. He's happy.”

Maher went on to buy John Murphy's Charterhouse [323], who climbed from humble beginnings to win four races and reach a rating of 105 in his pomp, for 130,000gns.

Charterhouse (GB) (Charming Thought {GB}) was an 11,000gns foal but made just 3,000gns from Trickledown Stud to Stroud Coleman at Book 3 here in 2019. 

He changed hands privately after finishing just a head behind Juddmonte's Masen (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in second on debut at Leopardstown in 2020 and has won close to £100,000 for his owner Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez.

Tattersalls has been a happy hunting ground for the Australians in recent times, with Group 1 winners Knights Order (Ire) (So You Think {NZ}) and Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) poster boys of the Autumn sale, and representatives from the nation turned out in force on Monday.

Andrew Balding's unexposed Gleneagles (Ire) gelding Cadmus (Ire), a winner when last seen over 1m4f at Ascot on his third start, made 160,000gns to Badgers Bloodstock on behalf of trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman.

“Hopefully he has got his best days ahead of him. He is a very unexposed horse. I loved the way he quickened when he won at Ascot last time out and the second is a decent horse. They pulled clear of the field,” said buyer Tom Pritchard-Gordon.

“We will see how he progresses. He has only had three runs, won last time, and is going to like firm ground. He gets a trip and has a massive advantage over Australian horses over that distance.”

Zaaki's trainer Annabel Neasham also got in on the act when Blandford Bloodstock and Bennett Racing signed for Joseph O'Brien's recent Dundalk maiden winner Fawkner Park (Ire) [65] for 120,000gns.

The Zoffany (Ire) gelding pulled over six lengths clear of Aidan O'Brien's Fleet Commander (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) [274] last Friday, form which is clearly held in decent regard, as that horse made 100,000gns to join De Burgh Equine and Darby Racing. 

A total of 8,566,100gns was spent on Monday, which represents an increase of 20% on last year's figure of 7,126,000, despite the fact that many buyers described the opening day of trade as the calm before the storm given that many exciting lots are due through the ring on Tuesday. 

The median stayed that same as in 2021 at 16,000gns while the average was up 21% from 27,095 to 32,820. The clearance rate was 88%, which was also the same in 2021. 

Dream Bound For Saudi

Be it on the track or off it, the big results keep on coming for Simon and Ed Crisford as, just a couple of days after sending out Knight (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) to win the G3 Horris Hill S. at Newbury, the father-and-son duo netted a big result in the ring with Beautiful Aisling (GB) selling for 240,000gns. 

The 90-rated daughter of Havana Gold (Ire), who won two of her seven starts in the colours of Khalifa Aldoseri, was purchased by Najd Stud and will continue her career in Saudi Arabia. 

The filly's new connections revealed that they think the juvenile is up to listed class in due course and identified a sprint campaign in Saudi Arabia as the main objective. 

Saud Al Qahtani said, “She is a good filly, she was beaten by a good filly last time [Magical Sunset (Ire) (Kodiac {GB})], who has already gone on to win at listed level and I think this filly is a listed class, too. She might be one for the Sprint on Saudi Cup day.”

Beautiful Aisling has the chance to prove herself up to listed class as soon as Friday as she holds an entry in the Bosra Sham S. at Newmarket.

Simon Crisford said, “She is a beautiful filly, she has done us well throughout the summer, she is a very straightforward filly and will do very well in Saudi Arabia. I think they have bought her well, I have a lot of confidence in the filly.”

Aisling translates to dream in Irish and, in the case of Danny Donovan and Stephen Byrne of Knockgraffan Stables, who sourced the filly as a yearling and turned a hefty profit on her at the Goffs breeze-up sale earlier this year, Monday's result was the best possible outcome for business.

Beautiful Aisling was snapped up by the well-known breeze-up operators for £22,000 off Ladytown Stables at the September Yearling Sale before selling to Stroud Coleman for £120,000 in April. 

Donovan, who happened to be in attendance for Monday's sale, described himself as delighted to see how the filly has progressed for the Crisfords.

He said, “She was lucky for me at the breeze-ups this year and, while it's great to get a good result in the ring, it's just as important for business that they go on and prove themselves to be good racehorses and she's obviously smart.”

Najd Stud also went on to buy Tom Dascombe's 2-year-old filly Red N Blue Candy (Twirling Candy) for 140,000gns.

Nicholls Returns To Oliver For Rare Talent

Andy Oliver supplied Paul Nicholls and Tom Malone with a Champion Chase winner in the shape of Dodging Bullets (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the powerful trainer-agent combination returned to the County Tyrone handler for classy prospect Rare Middleton (GB) (Aclaim {Ire}). 

A winner of a 10-furlong Leopardstown maiden on his second start, Rare Middleton [120] was always going to command plenty of interest, and it was Malone who fought hardest to secure the 3-year-old for 215,000gns. 

Oliver has a proven track record in unearthing future top-class jumpers, with dual Grade 1-winning novice hurdler Long Dog another graduate, and Malone is hoping Rare Middleton can prove even half as good as the 2015 Champion Chase hero Dodging Bullets. 

Indeed, Rare Middleton could prove to be Classic-producing sire Aclaim's first jumps runner, but just whose colours the horse will run in remains to be seen. 

Malone said, “I absolutely loved him. His form has gotten stronger and stronger–the horse he beat at Leopardstown [Imaginarium (Ire) (Make Believe {GB})] won yesterday at the Curragh, the horse who beat him first time out at the Curragh went on and won the October Handicap [Zoffman (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire})] and Fawkner Park (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), who was behind him at Leopardstown, came out and made 120,000gns this morning. It is proper, proper form.”

He added, “I am delighted to get him. Aclaim hasn't got a hurdler yet, his first crop are only 3-year-olds, but this is lovely horse and Andy always buys this sort of horse.”

Rare Middleton was not the only jumping prospect that Oliver sold on Monday. The 74-rated maiden Regally Blonde (GB) (Mukhadram {GB}), who finished second in a 1m5f handicap at Down Royal on her most recent start, was sold to Kevin Ross on behalf of trainer Ben Case for 62,000gns.

Malone and Nicholls also struck for Beny Nahar Road (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}), without doubt one of the biggest horses in the sale, for 72,000gns. 

Trained by Richard Hughes, Beny Nahar Road failed to win in five starts but placed in four of them and achieved a rating of 81. 

Recent Form Pays 

Two-year-olds don't come much tougher than Legend Of Xanadu (GB) (Sixties Icon {GB}), who doubled his tally at stakes level when beating Aesop's Fables (Ire) (No Nay Never) in typically gritty fashion on his 13th start at Doncaster on Saturday. 

That effort went some way in Mick Channon securing 140,000gns from Gassim Al Ghazali for the colt [279] who also won the Woodcote S. at Epsom earlier in the season. 

Legend Of Xanadu was one of the more expensive of the seven horses that the champion Qatari trainer picked up on Monday for a total spend of 516,000gns.

Al Ghazali also made it his business to add Freddie and Martyn Meade's 103-rated Method (Ire) (Method {Ire}), last seen finishing a good third in a listed even at Ascot at the beginning of the month, for 155,000gns.

Method [315] was bought by Dermot Farrington for just £20,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale in 2019 and he raced in the white and black silks of Manton Park Racing. Farrington also unearthed Meade's Chairman for 75,000gns at Book 2 at Tattersalls last year.

Meanwhile, another runner with recent form in the book, last weekend's Give Thanks S. third Direct Security (Ire), netted her connections 135,000 when selling to Nasser Bin Omairah.

Robin Brisland bought the daughter of Sioux Nation for just £2,500 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale last year with Monday's result netting a major return for the filly who also broke her maiden at Kempton last month. 

The Qatar-based Alban de Mieulle [Wathnan Racing] made a similar splash by spending 460,000gns on four highly-rated runners, headed by Hello Deira (Ire) (Expert Eye {GB}) for 180,000gns and Bolthole (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}) for 130,000gns. 

Hello Deira [148], bought by Federico Barberini on behalf of Ahmad Al Shaikh at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale for just 35,000gns earlier in the year, won his second race for Owen Burrows, a nursery at Kempton off 82, this month. The 91-rated Bolthole [300] won twice for Michael Bell.

Speaking after purchasing Hello Deira, Olly Tate, who was in charge of the bidding process, said, “He goes to Qatar and to trainer Alban de Mieulle. He is a lovely horse and had good form as a 2-year-old. 

“He has the distance profile and is a good racehorse. It is competitive wherever you race and he will do well in Qatar. There is plenty of racing in him, he has a progressive profile and Owen has said he is a straightforward horse.”

Red And Rancho Strike

Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal made the trip to Newmarket worthwhile by securing Bellstreet Bridie (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}) and Maltese Falcon (Ire) (Caravaggio), a filly [303] and a colt [49], to race in America. 

Bellstreet Bridie was trained by Michael Bell to win three of her 12 starts and reach a mark of 80 while Maltese Falcon carried Lady Ogden's colours to finish second on debut at Redcar for Rebecca Menzies. Bellstreet Bridie was sold for 260,000gns while Maltese Falcon made 105,000gns.

Speaking after buying Bellstreet Bridie, Rancho Temescal's Tim Cohen, who was sitting beside Alistair Donald, said, “I think she will go on a bit of ground in California. That division is getting a little light, so with a younger filly, she should do well for the year. We could give her a break after that and bring her back at four. That's the plan.”

He added, “We thought we'd have to go to that sort of money, but the exchange rate helps. I am going to pay tomorrow before the rate goes up!”

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At just 25 years of age, Odriozola has already enjoyed a hugely successful career as a footballer and revealed how he adopts a similar mindset to racehorse ownership and breeding by saying “you have to dream big in order to get what you want in life”. 

Already a winning owner in Ireland, after Gaheris won at Leopardstown last year, Odriozola shares the steps he is taking towards becoming a successful owner-breeder in this unmissable interview. 

Brian Sheerin: What is your philosophy to racehorse ownership?

Alvaro Odriozola: My dream is to own a horse of a lifetime. You have to dream big in order to get what you want in life. I have always dreamt big in life and I ended up signing for the greatest football club in the world in Real Madrid so why not? You have to dream it and go for it, so my aim in horse racing is to have a horse of a lifetime. What I am trying to do right now is to focus on the breeding side of things. Normally, the most special racehorses are owner-bred, not bought at the sales, so I am in the process of starting my breeding operation. For me, that is the area I am most passionate about. I just love it. My goal right now is to breed that horse. To create your own horse, from picking the stallion and choosing the right cross, that's the most beautiful thing. I started focussing on buying mostly fillies last year. The plan is to race them and, hopefully, if they are good enough, they will become broodmares. I am only 25 years old so I have my whole life. I have a lot of patience and my end goal is to have three or four very good mares to breed from and hopefully I will get my horse of a lifetime. 

BS: Do you have any broodmares at the moment?

AO: Not at the moment. Up until now, I have only really been buying colts, as it started out as fun. I grew up going racing in San Sebastian Racecourse, which is the town where I come from, and a beautiful place where I would urge everyone to come and visit. I bought my first filly as a foal at Goffs. She's a 2-year-old now and is in training with Carlos Laffon-Parias in Chantilly in France. I bought a Frankel (GB) yearling filly last year and she's in training with Joseph O'Brien in Ireland. I also have a Nathaniel (Ire) filly (signed for by Justin Casse) who is in training in Spain. I bought her at Tattersalls. Those are my three fillies at the moment and they all have beautiful pedigrees so hopefully I will have success with them. I spoke with Joseph and Justin last year and he told me that, if I want to breed, I need to breed with a good racing mare with nice pedigrees. As they say, breed the best to the best and hope for the best. 

BS: Speaking of which, I saw that you were in Coolmore last week.

AO: They are always really kind to me when I am in Ireland. I always say that Coolmore, for any racing fan, is the Disneyland of horse racing. I got very lucky because I got to visit Coolmore last year just one month before Galileo (Ire) passed away. I feel very fortunate to have met a horse like him. They told me that, one of the last photos they took of Galileo at Coolmore was with me, so that is pretty special as he is one of the greatest horses of all time. For me, I love the Classics, so to see Camelot (GB) and Australia (GB) last week was amazing. I am really excited about what St Mark's Basilica (Fr) can achieve at stud as well because he has the pedigree and he has the looks. He was also an amazing racehorse. He was in Galileo's box when I visited so hopefully he can be the next great stallion for them.

“Joseph is my trainer but I have stayed in his house for four or five days this year and I would consider him more as a friend than a trainer,” – Alvaro Odriozola.

BS: What attracted you to have horses in training in Ireland and, more specifically, how did your association with Joseph come about?

AO: I was at the Book 2 Tattersalls Sale in October 2019. At the time, I had spoken once or twice with Joseph's brother Donnacha, and remember congratulating him for winning the 2000 Guineas on Magna Grecia (Ire) through Instagram. I bought a Camelot colt to send back to Spain and Donnacha texted me to see if I had a trainer for him. Joseph won the Derby on Camelot and obviously won the Irish Derby with his son Latrobe. I told Donnacha that this horse was to go to Spain but we bought another Camelot the day after to send to Joseph. That turned out to be Gaheris (Ger), who was our first horse in training in Ireland, and he was also our first winner, as he won a Leopardstown maiden last year. 

BS: How did having your colours carried to victory with Gaheris compare with all of your achievements in football?

AO: It's very similar to winning a match or scoring a goal but I guess it's pretty different. When I am on the pitch, I don't get nervous because I am confident about myself and know that I can do it. Obviously, to be successful in racing, it depends on you to buy the horses but, at the end of the day, it really depends on them, which is quite beautiful. The satisfaction of winning a race, you can't compare it with anything. It's a really beautiful moment. 

BS: Joseph is of a similar age [29] to you which makes all of his success even more remarkable. 

AO: Joseph is my trainer but I have stayed in his house for four or five days this year and I would consider him more as a friend than a trainer. He has a great pedigree, and it was obvious that he was going to make a really great trainer but, if I am honest, I think he will be number one some day. The way he thinks about his horses, 24 hours a day, is amazing. He knows every single detail about each horse in his yard and he has an amazing team around him. I think he will be the champion trainer one day and I hope we have a really good horse together.

BS: You have worked with some of the best football managers in the world. Could you draw parallels between the top football managers and racehorse trainers?

AO: When I said Joseph thinks about racing every minute of the day, the top football managers are the same; they live for the game. The top trainers remind me very much of the football managers in that they are responsible for everything. 

BS: You mentioned that you have horses in Spain and France as well as Ireland. What is the total breakdown of your string?

AO: I have five in Spain, three in Ireland and just one in France. For me, the dream is to win the Derby. I was at Epsom in 2019 when Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) won the race and I fell in love with the place. It's a special race. I love Irish Champions Weekend and really enjoyed St Mark's Basilica winning the Irish Champion S. last year as well. My main goal is to have horses good enough to run in those races. I think it's easier to get black type in France, which is why I would like to keep my fillies there, and I continue to have horses in Spain. 

BS: You are clearly very passionate about racing. When you spoke about starting your breeding operation, you obviously have plans to stay in racing for a long time? 

Bloodstock agent Justin Casse with Odriozola at a match | courtesy Justin Casse

AO: Exactly. My dream is to breed horses when I retire from football. That's how I see my future and I would love to own my own stud one day. I don't know where that will be but that is my dream. I spent last season on loan at Fiorentina in Italy and learned all about Federico Tesio, who bred Nearco (Ity), the stallion responsible for Northern Dancer (Can) and Sadler's Wells. I love racing but breeding is my passion and, to be able to go back through generation after generation, that's what I love to do most. I must also say that I would really like to offer my condolences to the family of Alec Head. His passion for racing was amazing and he was a true legend of racing. For me, he was an inspirational man and I was sad to see he passed away on Wednesday.

BS: You must be on the road a lot as a footballer so how do you squeeze in the time to go racing and visit your horses?

AO: I am really fortunate to be a footballer. I don't have lots of time on my hands to go and see my horses so, when I take vacation in the month of June, I will go to Ireland, Epsom or to Royal Ascot. I can't go racing or see my horses during the football season but there are other ways of enjoying it. For example, Joseph has a very good app called The Racing Manager and he keeps me updated so it works really well. 

BS: Former NBA star Tony Parker had his colours carried to Classic glory when Mangoustine (Fr) won the French 1,000 Guineas and more recently Antoine Griezmann won the German 1,000 Guineas with Txope (Fr). It has generated a lot of exposure for racing, which is excellent.

AO: The interest in racing is on the up. There are a lot of famous footballers who are interested in racing. It's a healthy hobby and you can enjoy racing by watching and you don't actually have to own a horse to get the benefits. Sports people love the adrenaline involved with winning a match or scoring a goal and, when a horse wins a race, it's pretty similar. Horses are also elite athletes and have to be at peak fitness to win a race. They also suffer injuries like we do and we can relate to them. I try to bring my Real Madrid teammates to the racecourse and they enjoy it a lot. Philippe Couthino is also a very good friend of mine and he is buying horses now as well. Racing is getting more popular in football and it's good to see that because it's a beautiful sport.  

BS: Finally, you wear the all-white strip of Real Madrid, one of the most famous clubs in world football, but your horses carry red and white silks. What is the significance of your racing colours?

AO: I started playing football in school in Spain and our director loved Ajax Football Club so we wore red and white shirts in our matches. So, when I was 12 years of age, we played in white jerseys that had a red stripe in the middle. Those were the colours of my first football team and now they are the colours my horses carry so it's very special. It reminds me of the time I spent playing football with my friends as a kid. Hopefully these colors will bring good fortune for us in the future.

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Frankel's book includes the group and listed winners Alocasia (a half-sister to G2 winner Set Piece), Capla Temptress (G1 winner), Classical Times (a half-sister to Newspaperofrecord), Environs (a half-sister to Frankel's G3 winning son Delaware), Grand Jete, Soffia, Starformer (the dam of listed winner Flavius) and Winsili (G1 winner).

He is also covering the proven producers Bird Flown (dam of G1 winner Siskin), Portodora (dam of the aforementioned Alocasia and Set Piece), Ruscombe (dam of Frankel's listed winning daughter Petricor, who is now in training with Bill Mott), and Scuffle (the dam of Logician). He is also covering the blacktype performer Peace Charter – who is a daughter of multiple G1 winner Emollient and therefore a half-sister to the very promising Frankel filly Raclette.

Kingman had another stellar season in 2021 – Palace Pier, Schnell Meister and Domestic Spending winning six G1 races between them last year, and he will be represented by over 190 beautifully-bred 2-year-olds this year.

His book of mares mirrors his standing as one of the world's best sires and includes G1 winners Emulous, Juliet Foxtrot, Quadrilateral and Samba Inc, and proven producers Flare Of Firelight (dam of G2 winner Threat), Mirror Lake (dam of G2 winner Imaging), Nimble Thimble (dam of the aforementioned Quadrilateral) and Trojan Queen (dam of G3 winner Sangarius); and young group/graded-winning mares Dandhu, Gaining, Isabella Giles, Lucky Kristale (a half-sister to Love), Nay Lady Nay (a sister to Arizona), Pocket Square and Sun Maiden (a half-sister to Midday).

2022 will see the first runners hit the track for the top-class 2-year-old/miler Expert Eye (whose dam is visiting Mehmas) and Juddmonte are continuing their strong support of the son of Acclamation.

The mares going to him include the G2 winning-miler Modern Look (dam of the G3 winner/G1 placed Grand Jete), listed winner Pavlosk, Showcasing's blacktype sister Tendu, and her winning Frankel filly Beheld. Tendu is a daughter of Oasis Dream, the sire of the European champion 2-year-old Native Trail, and amongst others he will cover the G1 winner Announce, G3 winner Hot Snap (a half-sister to Oasis Dream's outstanding daughter Midday) and the winning Frankel filly Wensleydale, whose dam is the Group-winning sprinter Divine.

Bated Breath will be standing for a career-high £15,000 this season and his mares include Photographic (the dam of G3 winner Shutter Speed) as well as the listed winners Variable and Zaminast (a half-sister to Famous Name), the young group-placed mare Midweek, and Star Snap, who is a Galileo daughter of the G3 winner Hot Snap.

Other homebred stallions being supported include New Bay who is covering the Listed winner Heliac amongst others; Showcasing, whose mares include G1 winner African Rose (dam of Fair Eva and relative of Native Trail), Continental Drift (a daughter of Intercontinental and dam of Listed winner Masen) and Deliberate (dam of G2 winners Headman and Projected, the latter by Showcasing); and Time Test, whose book includes Across The Floor, the dam of Irish G3 winner Acanella.

Time Test's dam, the G1 winner Passage Of Time, is one of several mares visiting Dubawi – other mares include Enable (along with her half-sister Entitle and dam Concentric), Frankel's sister Chiasma, and Frankel's black type winning daughters Fount (G3 winner out of multiple G1 winner Ventura, who herself visits Night Of Thunder), Mori (listed winner out of Midday) and Obligate (G2 winner and a granddaughter of Hasili).

Joyeuse, a half-sister to Frankel, will visit Camelot, while her daughter Jovial will visit Wootton Bassett (along with Enable's half-sister Portrush and Banks Hill's G1-winning daughter Romantica).

Joyeuse's other daughter Jubiloso is visiting Sea The Stars, along with Bated Breath's G1-winning daughter Viadera.

Viadera's dam Sacred Shield is one of two G1-producers visiting Siyouni, the other being Juliet Foxtrot's dam Kilo Alpha.

Siyouni's Gr.1-winning son St Mark's Basilica will be covering the G1 winners Midday and Timepiece.

G1 winner Proviso will visit Lope De Vega, along with G3 winner Big Break (the dam of listed winner Georgeville).

Matings which produced talented 2-year-olds last year are being repeated – with Straight Answer's dam Straight Thinking returning to Kodiac – and Juncture's dam Occurrence visiting Dark Angel again.

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