Tag: Craven Breeze Up Sale

Craven Sale: Walsh In Dreamland As Godolphin Goes To 525k For New Bay Colt 

Nobody could accuse Katie Walsh of going around with her head in the clouds but, in the case of Tuesday's 525,000gns top lot, a colt by New Bay (GB), the leading breeze-up consignor revealed that she felt she had something worth dreaming about in the build-up to this year's Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale. 

And so it proved after the colt was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin. Bought for 125,000gns from the Ogden family's dispersal at Book 1 last year, the already-named Anno Domini (GB) (lot 26) was one of the big eyecatchers from Monday's breeze that took place in some of the most challenging weather conditions that many key stakeholders said they could remember. 

After out-muscling BBA Ireland's Mick Donohoe, who filled the role as underbidder, Stroud explained how he empathised with some of the consignors and even the horses for negotiating such terrible weather conditions during the breeze.

“Struck early, go home early,” Stroud said, referencing the contrasting approach to last year's sale, where he was forced to stay to the bitter end to secure the joint-top lots, including what turned out to be the unbeaten superstar Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}). 

Asked if he saw the colt last year, Stroud answered, “I did see him as a yearling. I probably should have bought him as a yearling, shouldn't I!? But sometimes, it's better to leave them and come back. It's good to keep the whole business rolling on. He is a very nice horse and did a very good breeze. Katie Walsh does a fantastic job. We're delighted to get him.”

He continued, “I thought it was really hard on consignors and mostly the horses [on Monday]. It was really hard. I think I would probably be more flexible in looking at the weather charts but it's difficult when you have people coming in on the Monday for the breeze to go and switch it for another day. I have never seen it that bad.

“Also, I sometimes think the concentration required for that length of time [during the breeze] is difficult. I don't know if you want to go and have them on two separate days but I do think that, if you are breezing 180 horses, it's difficult for everyone. If the weather had been really nice, it would have all worked out.”

The New Bay colt really was one of the big talking horses coming into the sale and he didn't disappoint. Stroud, who did his bidding at the back wall, held off the persistent challenge of Donohoe in the bidders' area, but there was a moment of confusion before the hammer fell.

Double checking with auctioneer John O'Kelly that it was, in fact, he who had placed the winning bid, the bloodstock agent was met with a typically witty response. 

“Don't worry sir, I'm an auctioneer–I'm here to look after you,” O'Kelly joked. 

As for Walsh, topping sales is something she has done in the past, but there was an extra layer of satisfaction to Tuesday's result given she owned a large chunk of the colt. 

“I can't believe it, really,” Walsh said. “But I guess I did dream a little bit as he had cost 125,000gns and he has the pedigree. The people who are into pedigrees couldn't knock him on it. He made sense on paper and then when he breezed well and vetted well, I knew we had a chance of getting a touch.”

She added, “In the moments after a big sale it is all a bit of a whirlwind as the phone is ringing from home, and you want to ring everyone, but it is brilliant–it's great for everyone. We are a family-run business with my sister Jennifer, my Mum and Dad, and my husband Ross. We are all in it together–as well as all the lads at home.”

Anno Domini hails from the Galileo (Ire) mare Alegra, who has produced five winners, including Listed scorers Pythagoras and Blue Gardenia.

 

Collins's Pinatubo Colt Off To Paddy Twomey

Paddy Twomey doesn't hang about. Along with his stable jockey Billy Lee, the leading Irish trainer day-tripped it to Newmarket on Monday before scouting the barns to catch a glimpse of the horses who caught his eye in the breeze.

Back at his base in Golden, County Tipperary on Tuesday, where he opened his yard to the Irish press, Twomey snapped up a colt by exciting first-season sire Pinatubo (Ire) from Johnny Collins's Brown Island Stables for 220,000gns through bloodstock agent Mark McStay. 

The Pinatubo colt proved to be one of the big hits on day one. Bought by Collins for 68,000gns from New England Stud at Book 2, he ended the session as the third highest-priced lot and will carry the colours of Mohammed Al Suboosi on the racetrack.

“It's great,” said Collins. “He's going to a very good trainer and I hope he's very lucky for him. He has a great temperament, he's a straightforward kind of horse. He breezed very well and showed very well all week and was just a pleasure to deal with.”

McStay and Twomey have teamed up with a good degree of success at the breeze-up sales and the bloodstock agent explained how the pair came to land on lot 22. 

The agent said, “He's been purchased for a very good client based in Dubai called Mohammed Al Suboosi who already owns some nice horses with Paddy–Procrastinate (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), another breeze-up horse, and Noche Magica (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), who'll come back for a sprinting campaign this year.”

McStay added, “We had a very select list and combined all our thoughts and this was the horse we hit on. I think the sire could be very promising and the mare has already done it by breeding Mrs Gallagher (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). The colt came recommended by Johnny Collins, who I've known for a long time. His recommendation counts for a lot so I'm delighted to get this colt.”

O'Callaghan Begins With A Bang

Michael O'Callaghan makes no secret about the fact that he prefers to stock his Kildare-based stable with breeze-up horses rather than shopping at the yearling sales. The trainer struck early in the sale for a Mehmas (Ire) half-brother to the Aidan O'Brien-trained Coventry S. winner and Classic hopeful River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) for 300,000gns. 

Consigned by Willie Browne's Mocklershill Stables, lot 6 got the sale off to a roaring start, with O'Callaghan revealing that he was taken by the professionalism of the colt's breeze. 

He said, “The horse has a great pedigree. He's a half-brother to River Tiber and it's a very good cross with Mehmas and an Arcano (Ire) mare–Supremacy (Ire) is the very same. He's been bought for an existing client.”

O'Callaghan added, “He was up early and, not long after he breezed, things were delayed because of the weather. The weather was bad so he was very professional and we're delighted to get him. Hopefully he can be a nice horse.”

 

Talking Points

  • Cormac Farrell told TDN Europe this week that his dream was to emulate top breeze-up handlers Willie Browne, Con Marnane, Norman Williamson and Eddie O'Leary by producing a champion. The Copper Beech Stables-based consignor, who went out on his own under the banner of CF Bloodstock last year, couldn't have wished for a better start to the 2024 breeze-up campaign when his Hello Youmzain (Fr) colt [lot 12] was knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock for 200,000gns. Bought for 58,000gns at Book 2, Tuesday's result represented a respectable profit for the man who sold top-notch prospect Bracken's Laugh (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) at Tattersalls last year.
  • The Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners have lit up Park Paddocks in recent times and, in snapping up lot 20, a Havana Grey (GB) filly consigned by Cian Hughes, the American outfit got in on the action once again. Interestingly, the 180,000gns purchase will go into training with Newmarket-based handler, Dylan Cunha. 
  • Mick Donohoe may have been out of luck on the day's top lot but he didn't come away from Tattersalls empty-handed after picking up a City Of Light colt for 210,000gns and a Good Magic filly for 65,000gns. Both horses were bought for Saudi Arabian clients. The BBA Ireland agent said, “I bought two horses for Saudi Arabia today and hope to do a bit more business here tomorrow as well. I have been travelling to Saudi Arabia for 20 years now so you could say that the hard yards are paying off. I actually underbid the New Bay that topped the sale. He probably would have stayed in Britain before eventually going to Saudi Arabia but, anyway, we couldn't get it done.” He added, “We're very happy with the two horses we bought today. The City Of Light colt is a brother to a horse [Rational Choice (Candy Ride {Arg})] who has done very well out there and was a very good individual. The Good Magic filly was good value at 65,000gns and she has a good pedigree being a sister to a Group 3 winner. Happy with the day's business.”
  • Donohoe wasn't the only man representing Saudi Arabian interests at Tattersalls. Lot 46, a Knockanglass Stables-consigned colt by Munnings, went the way of Marco Bozzi for SBS Global. Bozzi said, “We saw the horse in Ireland last week and really liked him. The Prince likes Munnings and we know the family. So we think he is a good prospect to run in Saudi Arabia. He will go to Ireland for now and then ship over in August.”
  • It wasn't all a bed of roses on day one. Of the 75 horses offered, 53 were sold, representing a clearance rate of 71%. The aggregate was down 14% to 5,589,500gns, the median stayed the same at 77,000gns and the average dropped 4% to 105,462gns.

 

The Golden Touch: Lot 78
Filly by King Of Change (GB) out of Greatest Virtue (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB})
Consigned by Donovan Bloodstock 
Purchased by Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah
Danny O'Donovan and Adam Potts deserve some credit for turning lot 78, who was the cheapest yearling sold at Book 1 at 8,000gns, into a 80,000gns breezer. The filly is from the family of Sole Power (GB) and certainly caught the eye of some good judges by how well she breezed. In the end, the hammer fell the way of Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah [owner of Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire})], securing a healthy profit for the two lads. 

Thought For The Day

Consignors might well have come away from day one of this year's Craven Breeze-Up Sale suffering from a heavy dose of deja-vu. The patchiness that dominated on day one 12 months ago was back again, which was represented in a clearance rate of 71%.

The post Craven Sale: Walsh In Dreamland As Godolphin Goes To 525k For New Bay Colt  appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

“I’m Absolutely Loving It” – Poste Excited By Debut Breeze-Up Consignment

Respected point-to-point handler and ex-jumps jockey Charlie Poste says that he is “absolutely loving” his first endeavours into the breeze-up business and looks forward to consigning his first draft at the upcoming Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up and Goffs UK Doncaster Breeze-Up sales. 

Poste trained over 100 winners between the flags in Britain, including talented chaser Third Time Lucki, but explained how the broad international market for breeze-up horses compared to the parochial feel to the point-to-point game made it a no-brainer to try his hand at the former. 

The early indications are that Station Yard, the banner in which Poste consigns under and where he is based near Stratford-upon-Avon, is here to stay in the breeze-up game such is the level of enjoyment he has got out of the Flat additions to the stable. 

He explained, “I'm very excited about the whole thing. We have two in the Craven, two in Donny and then another couple for the Guineas Sale. There is a saying in life that a change is as good as a rest and that is certainly true in this case. The horses have been very well received by Jerry McGrath, Matt Prior and Freddy Powell during inspections and Gordon 'Flash' Power, who is going to ride them at the breeze-ups, came over on Sunday to give them all a little bit of a twist. We had a little away day and 'Flash' was very happy. Being completely honest, this is a new project for Francesca [Poste's wife] and I. We are not going to pretend that we have all of the answers, but I have been very encouraged by having respected people coming in and being complimentary about how the horses are looking and with 'Flash' being very happy with how the away day went, so that gives us a lot of confidence.”

Poste, who operates Station Yard alongside Francesca, will be represented by a filly and a colt by Blue Point (Ire) at the Craven Sale. The couple will also consign fillies by Calyx (GB) and Kodiac (GB) at Doncaster and expect to be represented in the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale as well. 

Speaking to TDN Europe at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale last year, Poste explained how he had gathered up a team of 10 investors to attack the yearling sales with the help of Blandford Bloodstock's Tom Biggs, and how he planned on putting his own stamp on how he produced the horses for the breeze-ups. 

Tom Biggs | Tattersalls

He elaborated on Wednesday, “The similarities between the point-to-point and breeze-up projects is that you are working with young, inexperienced athletes who are expected to perform to a high level without the benefit of match practice. Where there are massive similarities between the two disciplines is that you need to do all that you can to get as much life experience into the point-to-pointers and the breezers so that, when they go to there without any prior experience, they are streetwise enough to show whatever ability they have in their race or their breeze, whether that be good, bad or indifferent. What you don't want is a good horse not being able to showcase its talents because they are too green to deal with the occasion. With that in mind, we have done a lot of cantering around the farm with the breezers and have brought them to a lot of different places.”

He added, “We're fortunate enough that we rent a farm that offers us the ability to do a lot of different things and, beyond that, they've been in the lorry and have had away days. It's all about going to different places, introducing them to different scenarios and making sure that they can mentally adjust and cope with everything. That way, when they get to the breeze they can adapt and help 'Flash' do what he needs to do to make them go quickly.”

The decision to branch out into the breeze-up market could prove to be a timely one. At the Cheltenham February Sale just gone, all of the key figures took a hit, and Poste says that the flimsiness of the middle tiers in the National Hunt game in Britain is what ultimately forced him to change course.

He said, “We're definitely seeing a correction in the National Hunt market. Yes, there's no doubt that if you are in that top five per cent, you're still going to get well paid and people are falling over each other to buy those. But if you are in the middle market which, invariably, as the industry builds, the British point-to-point sector is in, it becomes tricky. It is definitely becoming tougher to know where you are at and to get those horses away for what, maybe three or four years ago, you'd be expecting them to make. In that respect, we are very happy to have a new potential revenue stream for the business with the breeze-up horses. The excitement, and maybe even the nerve-wracking part of it all, is the finality of the whole project. There is only one day, really, and you are preparing them for that day alone. There are no excuses.”

He added, “But I'm absolutely loving it. The changes in these horses in just a week or 10 days is very different to dealing with a store horse. These Flat horses seem to transform within a blink of an eye, which is really exciting for all of us.”

Poste was keen to heap praise on Biggs for helping source a rock-solid debut draft of breeze-up horses and says “he couldn't be more chuffed” by the quality of the horses he is working with.

He said, “Tom is immensely professional and is well-respected, hence why we asked him to come on board and help buy these horses. We couldn't be more chuffed by what he selected and bought for us. Fingers crossed, given he works closely with the Blandford Bloodstock group, who are big buyers from the breeze-ups, he may even put some of these horses up at the other end of this scenario.”

Poste added, “We've got fillies by Calyx and Kodiac for Doncaster. The Calyx looks very quick–everything has come very naturally to her. The Kodiac filly has a scopier action and has been shaping up very well at home. Neither of those have missed a beat. Both appear to be quick and should be ideally suited by the sale that they are in.

“With Blue Point, the sire speaks for himself. It's very exciting to have a filly and a colt by him going to the Craven Sale in our first draft and hopefully that shows people that we are serious about this venture moving forward. The Blue Point colt seems to be a really quick, professional horse who has thrived with work while the filly exudes class. Again, it's probably credit to Tom with the horses he's bought but everything just seems to come very naturally to all of them.”

The post “I’m Absolutely Loving It” – Poste Excited By Debut Breeze-Up Consignment appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Colts By Havana Grey and Blue Point Light Up Craven Sale

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lot 198 by Havana Grey | Laura Green/Tattersalls

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

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

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

Top Talking Points From Day Two

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

Night To Remember For Holland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

Patience Pays Off For Richard Brown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hoban Adds Breeze-up Arm To Operation

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

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

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

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

The post Colts By Havana Grey and Blue Point Light Up Craven Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

American Buyer Miller Looking Forward To Getting Involved At Craven Sale

Joe Miller, the leading bloodstock advisor and American representative for Tattersalls, has put forward the value on offer in Britain comparable to America as one of the main reasons behind the increasing levels of interest among international buyers getting involved at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale.

A number of top American buyers are reported to be making the trip to Newmarket for the Craven Sale in just over a week's time and Miller, best known in Europe for playing a leading role buying for Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal's racing operation at the horses-in-training sales, is looking forward to returning to the breeze-up scene this month.

“Last year was our first year shopping the Craven Sale and we're looking forward to going back,” Miller said. “It's incredibly difficult to buy the horses that you really like at the breeze-up sales in America. If you don't have two hundred to four hundred thousand dollars to spend, it's hard to even get your hand up. 

“My experience of the Craven last year was that, with the horses we bought or even with the horses that we liked but didn't end up buying, you could get a really nice racehorse for much less than you could in America. You can get much better value for your money at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale at Newmarket. If you are shopping at the seventy five thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand mark, you can buy horses that you really like for that money at Tattersalls and you don't have to talk yourself into it either. That's what has really convinced us to go back and do it all again this year.”

Miller bought two horses at the Craven Sale last year, both of whom ended up racing for William Jarvis in England. He is hoping to fill a similar brief when he returns to Newmarket for the sale that takes place on April 18 and 19 but revealed that he would be buying for new investors who are commercially-minded. 

He explained, “We're going to try and buy a few horses there this year with the view towards leaving them in England to race and they may be sold on in the future. We also might buy a couple of horses with the idea of running them a couple of times and bringing them back to America to run at Del Mar. We're going to be looking to do both of those things. The ship and win bonuses in California is a big plus for us. If you run a time or two outside of California before the Del Mar meet and then you ship in, you run for a substantial purse bonus, so that is very appealing to us. We've done so well with these European grass horses that we said we'd try to source them a little earlier in their careers.”

Miller added, “We bought two horses at the sale last year and they ran for William Jarvis. One of the horses was Dandy Man Shines (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), who William did a great job with. He ran third on debut before finishing fourth in a Group 2 and then shipping out to America. I think it's a very good foundation for a horse to get them started in Britain. He wasn't a particularly expensive horse at 105,000gns and we'll be shopping in a similar price range at the Craven. 

“This is a completely different venture to the Red Baron's Barn operation. Moving forward, Rancho Temescal is going to be in a racing partnership format with Tim Cohen and myself being the managers but we will also be bringing in some outside investors and will be specifically shopping for racehorses privately and at the Tattersalls horses-in-training sales. We're going to be very active at the sales this year on behalf of the Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners racing venture but shopping at the Craven is a different deal this year. There are different people involved and we will be looking at possibly selling some horses further down the road.”

So what do the American buyers look for at the breeze-up sales? The Craven may be billed as the sale where consignors have the opportunity to sell the dream of owning a Royal Ascot two-year-old but, according to Miller, he is hoping to find a horse for the future rather than one who will burn up the track in the early part of the season.

He said, “We are partial to horses by stallions who we have done well with before. But we are just looking for horses with good physicals and ones who we think are going to like firm and fast ground. I'm not too desperate to buy horses who are going to be incredibly precocious and winning in May. I'm looking for horses who will have a future–the ones for further down the road.”

The post American Buyer Miller Looking Forward To Getting Involved At Craven Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights