Zain Claudette’s Sister Tops Tattersalls Ireland

NEWMARKET, UK–With an outstanding day of action anticipated at Newmarket on Saturday, an Exceed And Excel (Aus) half-sister to one of the potential stars of the day, Zain Claudette (Ire) (No Nay Never), added further lustre to the family when topping the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale at £200,000.

Zain Claudette has been a break-out performer for trainer Ismael Mohammed this season, progressing from winning a Newmarket maiden to the G3 Princess Margaret S. and then G2 Lowther S. Come the weekend, she may well have taken the next step to become a Group 1 winner. Either way, her year-younger sibling can be viewed as being a value purchase, even as the most expensive yearling to stroll through the ring at Tattersalls over the last two days.

It was no surprise to see Mohammed perched in the top of the bidders' section and making a determined effort to sign up the chestnut filly from Castlehyde Stud on behalf of Zain Claudette's owner Saeed H Altayer.

“He was very keen to buy her,” said the trainer, who reported that his stable star is in good order ahead of her start in the G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S on Saturday. “She is improving with every race,” he added. “She worked on Monday and worked really well.”

“It's good to have a top lot,” Paddy Fleming of Castlehyde Stud had said on Tuesday and he was surely repeating himself on Wednesday when his draft was again responsible for day's top yearling (lot 451).

Zain Claudette had herself been purchased for £20,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Sale last year and, as a first foal, she has helped her dam Claudette (Speightstown) to get off to the perfect start in her stud career, thus ensuring that her second foal, bred in partnership by Andriy and Andrew Milovanov with V Troyan, would make exactly ten times that price. Though not earning black type herself in her four wins, the 8-year-old Claudette is a daughter of the GIII Martha Washington S. winner Tippity Witch (Affirmed), while her grandam Senora Tippy (El Gran Senor) was a listed winner in France before being Grade II-placed in the States. Among Senora Tippy's eight winning offspring is also the prolific Senor Benny (Benny The Dip), whose 10 victories included the listed Abergwaun S.

Claudette is one of 16 mares kept in Ireland by Andriy Milovanov, the president of the Ukraine Equestrian Federation. He indicated that the mare is now in foal to Ten Sovereigns (Ire) and is likely to head back to his sire No Nay Never next season.

Strong Clearance

Day one at Park Paddocks had been an uplifting one for many participants in the September Sale, and similar comments apply to the second and final day of trade. A second-day clearance rate of 91% led to an overall figure for the sale of 90%, up six points on last year and continuing a a trend of apparently strong demand in the middle market. The average on Wednesday was £28,720 (+57%) and the median was £22,000 (+50%).

For the sale as a whole, 402 horses were sold from 448 offered, bringing an aggregate of £10,877,978. Converted to Irish currency, this represents €12,779,580, which is quite a hike from the 2020 tally of €8,009,140, but 69 fewer horses changed hands 12 months ago. To put it into context with trade from 2019, the last time the sale was held at Fairyhouse, 388 yearlings sold that year for a total of €9,415,500 at an average of €24,267.

The 2021 average of £27,060/€31,790 was up by 32%, while the median of £20,000/€23,496 was up 34%.

Daddy Cool

It was a case of Johnston to Johnston in the sale of one of the day's leading lots (293), a colt from the first crop of Starfield Stud's Smooth Daddy.

Mullingar-based breeder Christopher Johnston was responsible for the colt out of the unraced Magician (Ire) mare Silesie, who was sold by Kildallan Stud for £120,000 to Charlie Johnston, assistant trainer to his father Mark.

A son of the late Scat Daddy, Smooth Daddy covered 74 mares in his first crop in Ireland at a fee of €5,000, and in the case of this particular family it is a sireline which has already been deployed to good effect through Silesie's half-sister Surfside Tiara, a stakes-winning daughter of Scat Daddy. The family also includes Coolmore's young American-based sire and dual Group 1 winner Air Force Blue.

Dermot Kilmartin, who consigned the colt through his Kildallan Farm said, “He has been very straightforward since the day he came in for prep and this is an absolutely super result. Christopher was watching online and is over the moon.

“Over the last couple of days he has been very busy. I knew there were people on him, but I didn't think he 'd make that kind of money. Fingers crossed he goes on to do well on the track.”

Charlie Johnston, who had to outbid brothers Sean and Dwayne Woods for the colt, added, “He's a cracking individual. Obviously that was a lot more than I thought he would make, but he was a real standout.

“This is the first one I've seen by the sire, but Micheal [Orlandi, of Starfield Stud] used to work for us many moons ago, so we know him well and it is a great start for his stallion.”

Sitting together on the stairs late in the session, agent Billy Jackson-Stops and trainer George Scott went to £105,000 to secure a colt by one of the hottest young stallions in Europe, Mehmas (Ire). Bred and consigned by Tally-Ho Stud, where the leading second-crop sire stands, lot 482 is a son of three-time winner Drifting Spirit (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) from the further family of G1 Falmouth S. winner Nahoodh (Ire), who is also by Clodovil.

Great Feeling For Dreeling

Topping the list of consignors with an average of £92,500 was the Dreeling family's Coole House Farm, which was represented by only two yearlings at the sale and sold one each day for £90,000 and £95,000 respectively. The latter, lot 435, a son of the venerable Footstepsinthesand (GB), was bought by MV Magnier through agent Ed Sackville and is the first foal of Caped Lady (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}).

A delighted Mark Dreeling explained, “My wife Barbara and I set a plan about five years ago to try to get a Cape Cross mare. Everybody has their preferences in a mare but we personally don't like very big mares and Cape Cross has a tendency to throw a big mare so it took us seven years to find one.”

He added, “We went to the sales to see [Caped Lady] specifically and spent 10 seconds looking at her. I was busy with breakers at home and couldn't go back to the sale when the mare sold on Monday so I said to Barbara, 'You have one job, don't go near that stable door, don't do anything, just arrive in the morning, go to the ring and don't come home without her.” So it is all down to Barbara.”

Caped Lady currently has a Bated Breath (GB) foal on the ground and is in foal to Ten Sovereigns.

Dreeling continued, “We couldn't be happier; it's worth it when you get a day like this. We had two wonderful foals from two beautiful mares. It has been a hard year for Barbara and myself, we have both had health issues. It's been rough, but we are here and the focus was to get these two here to the sales and for me to be better to be with them.”

He added, “My daughter Megan is here with the horses, but my other daughter Julia is at home and she is the one who runs the office and takes care of all the administration. Julia and I go through the stallions and she sorts the mating plans with me, she is fundamental to what we do.”

Banner Results

Starspangledbanner (Aus) proved to be one of the most popular sires at the sale, with 15 of his yearlings selling for an average of £42,667. During the final session,

lot 329, the first foal of the 3-year-old winner Tammy Wynette (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), a colt bred by Gerrardstown House Stud, was the pick of Tom Goff at £85,000.

The same price was given by Ross Doyle for lot 475 from Ballyvolane Stud. Bred by Carrigbeg Stud and David Powell, the late April filly is out of the Averti (Ire) mare Divert (Ire), who is already the dam of eight winners from nine runners, including the listed-placed Reroute (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}).

Among the stallions making their yearling sales debut this year, Zoustar (Aus) was represented by two lots who returned an average of £56,000, while Smooth Daddy, helped by the six-figure colt, set an average of £52,333 for three sold.

Four Havana Grey (GB) yearlings sold for an average of £40,000, while the quintet by Gustav Klimt (Ire) brought £32,800. Sioux Nation had the largest representation of the freshman brigade and his 11 sold fetched an average price of £27,901, while Kessaar (Ire) had eight sell for an average of £29,325.

September Part II

A further 91 yearlings constituting Part II of the September Sale were offered during the evening for an aggregate of £575,897/€676,561.

Heading this final session was lot 521, a colt by War Command who was bought for £36,000 by Demi O'Byrne and Sean Grassick.

Via telephone en route to catching his flight home, Grassick confirmed that the Croom House Stud-consigned colt will also head back home to Ireland to be trained. A half-brother to two winners, he is out of the Refuse To Bend (Ire) mare Peig (Ire), herself closely related to the GI Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup H. winner and stallion Subtle Power (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

Direct comparisons with previous editions are difficult. Last year's Part II featured just 81 yearlings, 56 of which were sold for an average of €5,736, so Wednesday's average of £8,227/€9,665 was up significantly on that figure, and also stood up well compared to the much larger catalogue for the 2019 sale, when 176 horses returned an average of €6,201 and median of €4,500. The 2021 median was £6,100/€7,166.

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Roasting Start To Tattersalls Ireland September

NEWMARKET, UK–Ah, the yearling sales. It's a long old season and sometimes the more elderly members of the press desk can get a little jaded by the halfway point, not to mention discombobulated. After all, we're at a Tattersalls Ireland sale in Newmarket, where instead of selling in guineas or euros, the horses are changing hands in sterling. But every now and then a feelgood story comes along to soften even the stoniest of hearts.

Let's face it, the day started pretty well: the sun shone and the free ice-cream stand was unveiled, attracting an even more attentive throng than Heaven, the, er, gentlemen's club at the bottom of Tatts hill. And then midway through the afternoon from the the exit at the back of the ring burst a bonny Ardad (Ire) colt led by Irishman Leon Carrick, who is a policeman in real life but does a pretty convincing job moonlighting as a yearling consignor and pinhooker. He was quickly joined by his girlfriend Michelle Gibbons, all smiles and hugs and kisses–some of them even directed at Carrick, but most of them landing on the yearling colt who had been transformed from a 7,500gns foal into a £105,000 yearling.

“We bought him while lying in bed–best online shopping ever!” Carrick said with a grin, bringing a hitherto unconsidered upside to being confined to quarters through lockdown. “We couldn't come over here because of Covid and I'd just come in from a night shift. We liked him and decided to buy him online and he has been an absolute delight to do everything with, and of course we have been delighted to see the stallion doing so well.”

Ardad, the young son of Kodiac (GB) based at Overbury Stud, has certainly not let down those foal buyers and breeders who put their faith in him last year as he has made a hugely promising start with his first runners this year, headed by the G1 Darley Prix Morny winner Perfect Power (Ire). The colt consigned by Carrick as lot 154 was bred by Saeed Nasser Al Romaithi and is out of the Azamour (Ire) mare Mara Grey (Ire), already the dam of the dual winner Constanzia (GB) (Dandy Man {Ire}).

Based on The Curragh, the 27-year-old Carrick is the nephew of well-known breeze-up consignor Johnny Collins and has served his time on studs working for the Aga Khan, Coolmore and at Curraghmore in New Zealand. Before joining the Gardai he also worked for Richard Brabazon, who trains Apple Of His Eye (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) for Carrick and Gibbons, who is also 27.

Carrick continued, “I didn't in my wildest dreams expect to get a figure like that. Michelle wants to go to college to do a midwifery course and she'll be able to do that comfortably now. Our thanks have to go to my uncle Johnny, who supports me, and to Richard Brabazon, who allowed us to use his facilities this year.

“We prep a few horses every year, a few cheap foal purchases, hoping that something like this will happen, and this has given us a great boost. If we get a few more results like this we might do it full time.”

The couple has four yearlings to sell this year, including a Dawn Approach colt (lot 296) who is catalogued on Wednesday.

The man who bought the colt has had the inside track on Ardad from the start as Robson Aguiar, who signed the ticket on behalf of Amo Racing, rode Ardad in his breeze at Doncaster back in 2016 and he has been a strong supporter of the stallion at the sales.

Roaring Trade

Both consignors and purchasers expressed a mixture of surprise and delight as the first day of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale drew to a close in Newmarket. The fact that it had been relocated for the second year running amid uncertainty over the lifting of Covid restrictions in Ireland was not ideal, especially for a number of Irish consignors, but many now will be relieved to have taken the plunge and stuck with the sale. The median of £20,000 was up by 18% on the equivalent day of trade last year, while the average rose by 13% to £26,729 from 42 more horses sold this time around–217, bringing an identical first-day clearance rate of 85%. The day's takings amounted to £5,702,500.

On the first day of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale of 2019, the last time it was staged in Ireland and in Euros, 200 horses were sold for €5,084,500, at an average of €25,423 and a median of €21,000.

Going Global

The Ardad colt was not the top price of the day, his tag having been bettered twice by two colts bought by Adam Driver of Global Equine Group on a day of trade that surpassed most people's expectations on both sides of the transactions.

The first yearling to have breached the six-figure mark during the lively opening session was a second-crop son of Churchill (Ire) (lot 111), sold by Grange Hill Stud for £110,000. His dam Komedy (Ire) has given Mark Hanly and his mother Stephanie plenty to smile about in the early days of her stud career and the Kodiac (GB) mare struck gold again on Tuesday when her yearling colt became the first at the sale to breach the six-figure mark.

Consigned by his breeders, he is the third foal of his 8-year-old dam, who was bought in the same ring at the Horses-in-Training Sale for 9,000gns. A winning sister to the listed victrix On Her Toes (Ire), Komedy did not take long to advertise her potential as a broodmare when her first foal Internationaldream (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) won twice at two and was third in the G3 Molecomb S.

“He is a very taking individual and I thought to myself that he'd be a standout at this sale,” said Mark Hanly. “It is a nice, fast family, and he is out of a Kodiac mare and they are working very very well at the moment on the track. The mare is a typical Kodiac and when I first saw Churchill at stud, I absolutely loved him. He has a big physique and would suit a Kodiac mare, and the cross of Danehill and Galileo suited too.”

Komedy is now in foal to Churchill's Coolmore studmate Saxon Warrior (Jpn) having been barren last year.

The Global Equine Group, which Driver said already has two Churchill juveniles in training in Newmarket with Tom Clover, later signed up the leading light of the day online when going to £130,000 for lot 217, Castlehyde Stud's smart chestnut colt by No Nay Never out of the Galileo (Ire) mare Pink Damsel (Ire).

“It's great to have the top lot,” said Castlehyde Stud manager Paddy Fleming. “We brought him here to stand out and he did just that. He was born and raised on good limestone land at Castlehyde and the mare has been very good to us.”

A winner herself at three, Pink Damsel is a daughter of the dual Grade I winner Riskaverse (Dynaformer) and thus a full-sister to the G3 Dance Design S. winner Say (Ire). Her first foal, Glengowan (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), is already a winner and her Caravaggio 2-year-old Sarsons Risk (Ire) was third on debut at Newbury last month having been bought at the Craven Breeze-up Sale for 120,000gns.

A Filly To Go Farhh

Muscling her way in to be the top filly of the day was an athletic daughter of Farhh (GB) consigned by Nelius Hayes as lot 81 through his Knockainey Stud. At £90,000, she was the most expensive of nine purchases by Peter and Ross Doyle, who confirmed that she would go into training with Richard Hannon, whose previous positive experience with the sire runs to training the 2000 Guineas runner-up King Of Change (GB).

“We have been very lucky buying from Nelius Hayes over the years,” said Ross Doyle. “She is the nicest filly Nelius has brought to the sales for a few years. She is nicely sized and she has a bit of class to her.”

Hayes, who with a partnership picked up the filly's dam Imasumaq (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) for 16,000gns when carrying this filly, added, “A friend of mine and neighbour Michael O'Dwyer bought her here at the December Sale. Everybody just seemed to like this filly. We had no expectations of anything like that coming, but as the days go on you get hopeful.”

Hayes was pleased with the early decision taken to switch the sale from Ireland to the UK. He said, “It was a difficult decision for Tattersalls to make, but I think they did the right thing making a call that they were going to stick to this date and sell here. In hindsight perhaps there could have been time to go back to Fairyhouse, but it gave us all some certainty by making a decision back in the summer.”

Brothers Believe

Richard Hannon's brother-in-law and fellow trainer Richard Hughes will also take charge of one of the day's top lots after going to £85,000 for lot 70, a colt by Make Believe (GB) who represented a successful pinhooking debut for brothers Tom and Davy Brickley of Ard Erin Stud. They bought the son of the unraced Tamayuz (GB) mare Hidden Girl (Ire) for €8,000 last year at Goffs.

“He was our very first pinhook,” said Tom Brickley, 29. “We've loved him the whole way through, he has been a champion. We are delighted to get so well paid, we were dreaming about it but never thought it would happen.”

He added, “He came from Brendan Hayes of Knocktoran Stud, who is a great breeder, and we loved his action from the start. For a big horse he moved so well. Everyone at home is part of the team–mum, dad and our sisters. Dad always had a mare at home, but we are the first to do horses in a bigger way. We caught the bug and decided that we wanted to do this game, and we both learnt from the top farms.”

A half-brother to the 100-rated Muraad (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), the colt will be sent to former champion jump jockey AP McCoy for breaking and pre-training, according to his friend Hughes, who said, “I loved him from the minute I set eyes on him. He's not a 2-year-old type, he'll probably be more of a 3-year-old. I haven't had any by Make Believe before but I've been following his stallion career.”

Another of the day's top fillies was a decent pinhook for Guy O'Callaghan, who on Saturday celebrated the G2 Mill Reef S. victory of Wings Of War (Ire), who was bred by him at his Grangemore Stud. The same stallion, Dark Angel (Ire), was responsible for both, and lot 129 had been picked out as a foal by O'Callaghan for 20,000gns. Trainer Tom Ward, acting on behalf of a syndicate, ended up as the successful bidder on the easy-moving grey, out of the Group 3-placed Light My Fire (Ire) (Dragon Pulse {Ire}) at £80,000.

Keeping Good Company

Mark and Barbara Dreeling's Coole House Farm enjoyed a good day through the sale of lot 224, a colt by the late Fast Company (Ire) whose brother Flashcard (Ire) was third in the G3 Sovereign S.

“He has been a gentleman since the day he was born. Hopefully he will be as lucky as the full-brother,” said the couple's daughter Megan after the colt sold for £90,000 to Ed Dunlop and JD Moore.

Her mother added, “He has been very busy today and he can really move. The mare doesn't have a foal as she's not an easy mare to get in foal, but she is now in foal to Gleneagles.”

Four lots later (lot 228), a New Bay (GB) half-brother to recent debut winner Whoputfiftyinyou (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}), who was unnamed when the catalogue was printed, went the way of Kevin Ross for £88,000. Consigned by Ballylinch Stud for breeders Eleanor Commins and the New Bay Syndicate, the colt is also a three-quarter brother to the GIII San Francisco Mile S winner Whisper Not (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}).

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A Case of You to Be Supplemented to Abbaye

Group 1-placed A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}) will be supplemented to the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Abbaye on Oct. 3. The Adrian McGuinness trainee, earlier a winner of the G3 Lacken S. at Naas in May, was second in the G1 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five S. at The Curragh on Sept. 12.

“He's going to be supplemented for the Abbaye, so he goes there next week,” McGuinness confirmed. “He came out of his race really well, he was bouncing and very happy. I think he's improved, it was his first time over five [furlongs] and I really am looking forward to a big run there [ParisLongchamp].

“People were telling me that he was a seven [furlong] horse and that he needed six [furlongs], but he showed me a lot of natural speed at home.

“That's why we decided to drop back to five, it was his first run ever over five. For a 3-year-old to run for the first time ever over five furlongs, taking on some of the best sprinters in training and to finish the way he finished, you couldn't complain.”

Depending on how the G3 Anglesey S. hero runs at ParisLongchamp, an overseas venture to Del Mar in November is not out of the question.

“We'll make plans after that, we'll see which way the Abbaye goes, but there is a possibility that if he ran well he might go to the Breeders' Cup,” he said. “Either way I do think he's definitely going to get better, he's an exciting horse to look forward to for the future.”

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Cheveley Park Field Features Supplements Eve Lodge and Corazon

Mathis Stables LLC's Eve Lodge (GB) (Ardad {Ire}) has been supplemented for £20,000 to the G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket on Sept. 25. A winner of the G3 Sirenia S. over the Kempton all-weather ahead of Wings of War (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Hierarchy (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), later one-two in the G2 Mill Reef S. on Sept. 18, the filly brings the field to 15 for the six-furlong contest.

Trainer Charlie Fellowes said, “The owners have been brilliant–they've put no pressure on her running but have said we'll see what happens with the weather through the week and go from there.

“I was a bit worried about what she beat at Kempton, but it turns out I need not have been–with them being first and second in the Mill Reef.

“You don't get to run in Cheveley Parks very often. She's a very good filly, we've always felt that, so providing the ground isn't too quick I see no reason why we won't take our chance.

“The rain on Sunday helped, and there is the possibility of showers later in the week.”

Another Cheveley Park S. supplement was George Boughey's Corazon (Ire) (Markaz {Ire}), who saluted in the G3 Prix d'Arenberg on Sept. 2 and was third in the G2 Flying Childers S. on Sept. 10. Boughey will also saddle Thunder Love (GB) (Profitable {Ire}).

The four-for-four Sacred Bridge (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), who won the G3 Round Tower S., flies the flag for Juddmonte and Ger Lyons. Ismail Mohammed's Zain Claudette (Ire) (No Nay Never) enters on the back of victories in the G3 Princess Margaret S. in July and the G2 Lowther S. in August. Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten), who won the G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. and three-time group-placed Desert Dreamer (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) were second and third, respectively in the Lowther.

Mohammed said, “She's in very good form–we worked her on Monday on the all weather, and she is flying. She's in good nick up to now–we'll work her on grass on Wednesday too. She's changed a lot since the Group 2 and she's doing very, very well.

“You will 100% see her in the Cheveley Park next.”

Group winners Velocidad (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), successful in the G2 Airlie Stud S. from the yard of Joseph O'Brien and G3 Prix de Cabourg victress Have A Good Day (Ire) (Adaay {Ire}) have also signed up. Listed winner Flotus (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Ire}) and the winning Tenebrism (Caravaggio) will also take part.

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