With another 60 yearlings standing out in the field at home in Westmeath, it was important for the team at Tally-Ho to begin the domestic sales season with a bang, and that's exactly what they did in sending out the top lot at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale–the Blandford Bloodstock-bought lot 278, a filly by Night Of Thunder (Ire).
Mark McStay went to £230,000 to secure a colt by the stallion [170] on Tuesday but it was Tally-Ho's first foal out of the five-time winner and listed-placed Thiswaycadeaux (Ire) (Theywayyouare) that topped proceedings.
Finishing the sale as the leading consignors, the Mullingar-based stud played a significant role in the excellent figures posted over the two days at Doncaster.
Of the 406 horses offered at the sale, 363 were sold, representing a clearance rate of 89%. The aggregate was up by a whopping 20% to £15,987,500 while the average was up 8% at £44,043 and the median rose 9% to £35,000.
Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent said, “The last few days have been absolutely outstanding and, on behalf of the team, we must thank everyone that has made this sale such an incredible success. We were confident we had a good catalogue coming into this week but you can only hope that others agree and whilst one noted industry professional said that we 'were not missing anyone', another noted that there were 'better horses here this year'.
“These comments are great to hear in the build up to any sale, but the level of the market can only really be measured in the sales ring and those comments certainly came to fruition with an outstanding trade from start to finish and a wonderful atmosphere throughout the sales complex. “This helped to deliver 23 horses that sold for a six-figure sum whilst seven made £200,000 or more. This was matched by an impressive 89% clearance rate and a top price of £240,000.”
He added, “Our focus for this sale was quality, precocity and athleticism and the feedback from buyers is that we achieved exactly that. We had a complex full of the traditional 'Donny rockets' which is very much true to the mantra on which this sale was founded and has thrived. To our vendors, we want to extend a huge thanks for their support. They got the brief, delivered the goods and we are delighted to have been able to produce a strong sale which has generated some sizable gains in the key figures.
“To our buyers, it was a huge turnout from everyone involved, it made for a brilliant atmosphere. We have had countless positive comments on the quality of the catalogue and the type of horse here, and that the sale is back where it belongs, praise that means a lot to the Goffs team. We extend our sincere thanks and we look forward to seeing our athletes tearing up the tracks as 2-year-olds next year.”
Tally-Ho Steal The Show
The top lot was bought by Blandford Bloodstock on behalf of Jurgen Sartori and that sale ensured Tally-Ho finished up as the leading consignor.
Sartori is perhaps best known for owning horses in Germany, including Penja (Fr) (Camelot {GB}), who he bought out of Jean-Claude Rouget's yard at the Arqana Arc Sale last October for €1.2 million.
Roger O'Callaghan is not in the business of counting chickens but he knows what a good horse looks like and, perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the stud's performance over the two days was the fact that a wide range of their own stallions produced the goods.
Notably, the newest of them all, Inns Of Court (Ire), whose yearlings were purchased by a host of top breeze-up consignors-Star Bloodstock, Longways Stables and Kilminfoyle House Stud–with the most expensive of them all going to Robson Aguiar.
“A lot of the breeze-up people have bought yearlings by him, and rightly so. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come,” O'Callaghan said.
Aguiar went to £125,000 to secure lot 77 by Inns Of Court on behalf of Amo Racing on day one. However, O'Callaghan predicted the best was yet to come for the stallion.
“He's not the only nice horse by him. The lads who look after him in the yard every day bought one, Gary Halpin and Sean Davis bought another off our farrier Matty Smith, so hopefully they get rewarded.”
Halpin and Davis are not exactly new faces on the breeze-up circuit, given the jockeys have ridden breezers at the sales for many of the top consignors in recent years, but the pair are hoping to grow their own operation this year.
After selling a Galileo Gold (GB) filly last season, Halpin and Davis now plan on putting together a string of breezers to go with the Inns Of Court colt [127] bought from Baroda Stud for £55,000.
Halpin explained, “We underbid a few and the Inns Of Court was the only one we got in the end. He's a nice colt with a good page so he should get into any of those classy sales next year. Myself and Sean have been riding breezers for a few years now and we sold a Galileo Gold filly last year for a few quid. Hopefully we can grow the operation.”
Of the 17 yearlings offered by Inns Of Court, all of them found new homes for a total spend of £623,000. That averages out at a respectable £36,647 per yearling sold.
It was not just the first-season sire Inns Of Court who punched in respectable results for Tally-Ho. Their resident stallions Kessaar (Ire), Cotai Glory (GB), Kodiac (GB) and Galileo Gold (GB) did well in the ring, launching what O'Callaghan revealed would be a busy couple of months.
“Kessaar is going well because he's short on numbers, they want a bit further than most people expected, but yea, he's holding his own. They're taking a bit of time but sure that's nearly a good thing. They're more valuable if they go further unless they're very good.”
He added, “The sale has been very good. I can't imagine anyone will be complaining. Everything we brought, we sold-but that's nearly always the case. But hey, we've about 60 yearlings out in the field at home. We've 40 to breeze and then there's about 15 more for the next yearling sales.”
Tally-Ho sold 24 horses at Doncaster over the two days. They cleared £1,544,000 and averaged £64,333.
Only Baroda Stud, who sold 14 yearlings at the sale, came close to those figures with David Cox's operation netting £793,000 at an average of £56,643, highlighted by the New Bay (GB) colt [lot 211] that was knocked down to Peter and Ross Doyle for £200,000 on day one.
Havana Grey Lights Up Sale
The sun hasn't stopped shining down on Whitsbury Manor Stud ever since the progeny of their first-season sire sensation Havana Grey (GB) hit the track this season.
The knock-on effect of the brilliant season that the young stallion is enjoying with his first runners was felt in the sales ring, not more so than when the stud sold lot 234, a Havana Grey filly to Jake Warren for £230,000.
A daughter of the Showcasing (GB) mare Showstoppa (GB), who has already produced four winners, including Group 2 Sandy Lane S. Winner El Caballo (GB), is set to join Clive Cox.
However, Whitsbury's Ed Harper revealed that, away from lot 234, he derived a huge sense of satisfaction at seeing all of the yearlings by the stallion netting respectable sales for their owners and breeders.
That included lot 295, a Havana Grey colt who is also heading to Cox, after selling from Jenny Norris for £85,000.
Harper said, “The satisfaction we have experienced extends beyond the headline filly. We have got a huge amount of pleasure out of seeing loyal breeders who have supported our stallions down through the years doing well out of Havana Grey.
“For example, Jenny Norris has been a big supporter of ours, and she got £85,000 today for lot 295, a lovely colt by Havana Grey. Jenny is based just down the road from us so that was fantastic to see. When our stallions are doing well, our breeders are, too.”
He added, “Havana Grey got off to an excellent start at stud but, if we are being honest, we didn't expect the good results to be so consistent. It's been every week with him. Be it winning stakes races or big sales races, it's been great. He has had nine individual black-type horses which really is exceptional. That compares well with not only the first-season sires but some of the best stallions around.”
When Nick Bradley opened the bidding at £100,000 for lot 234, the secret was out that something special was walking around the ring, and Harper says any sadness in parting with the filly dissipated in seeing her join one of the best trainers in the country.
He said, “It was very tempting to keep her but we try and offer as much of our good stock as is possible in order to give everyone a chance.
“Any slight sadness experienced in letting her go is heavily mitigated in seeing her join Clive Cox. He's an excellent trainer and has done very well with the family before so we're really excited to see how she gets on with him. I'm sure she will do very well.”
He added, “The dam has a Sergei Prokofiev (Can) filly foal at foot. It's a bit of a cliché to say that the foal is very nice but she is so nice that we decided to send the mare back to Sergei Prokofiev.”
Of the 22 horses offered by Havana Grey, all bar one were sold for a total of £1,089,000, averaging at £51,857.
Hughes Sticks His Neck Out
One of the most fascinating subplots that developed over the two days was Richard Hughes strengthening his string with the addition of a broad selection of yearlings.
From a £200,000 Frankel (GB) colt consigned by Highclere Stud [lot 269] to a more affordable filly like the one by Kodiac that he picked up from Tally-Ho [lot 216], Hughes landed something for every type of an owner at Doncaster.
The trainer bought 11 yearlings for a total of £744,000, which averaged out at £62,000, all without the help of an agent.
Hughes said, “I find that myself and Fanny [Hannon, sister in law] are buying the right type of horses that suits me. It's working really well.”
Hughes is operating at a 25% strike-rate with his 2-year-old this term but the former top-class jockey admitted that it took time to get a feel for training juveniles at his Lambourn base.
He explained, “When I was working in Richard Hannon's, they had their own gallops, then you go to a totally different training centre and it takes a bit of time to get used to it. I have a great team at home but I do think myself and Fanny are scouring these sales and buying the ones that we really like.”
Hughes added, “In other years, I'd come here and underbid a few of the ones I really liked and then go and buy something else. This time I have been putting my neck on the line a bit more and buying the ones that I love. When you are buying on spec and bringing the ones home you like, you will sell them a lot easier, because you believe in them. But if you buy a horse because you couldn't buy the one you really wanted, it's very hard to have the heart to go and sell that to a client, you know?”
Nobody bought more horses on spec than his old boss Richard Hannon Senior did when he was in his pomp. The yearlings would all have been sold by Christmas and the Hannons would have an army of 2-year-olds to go to war with every spring. Hughes is not exactly adopting the same modus operandi but he is definitely being braver with his approach.
“Most of the sales that I go to, I buy a lot of horses on spec. I bought 10 horses here two years ago and got them all sold by Christmas. We bought a horse here last year for £125,000 on spec. I got him sold in November. They are sleepless nights, I can guarantee you that. “Owner-breeders aren't sending me 10 or 12 horses every season. Other people have that luxury. Now, maybe I will some day, but I don't at the moment. Every horse I have in my yard, I have to go and get them myself and, if I didn't, I'd have nothing to train.”
By that token, Hughes is different to most trainers. He doesn't employ an agent and is therefore willing to die on his own sword.
He said, “They [agents] are there when the horses are winning but it's a lonely old place when they are no good. Normally, when I bring them home, it's me who has to sell them to these owners anyway. We've done really well in the past couple of years with the horses I've bought myself so we're sticking to that.
“I was up here on Sunday and Monday, which isn't great because you miss out on being in the yard, but it's all about building towards the future and my owners understand that.”
Hughes added, “I bring the yearlings home and we have an owners' day in November. We have a bit of a party and people get together and come in on horses together. A lot of my owners know each other so it's a good way of doing things.”
The priciest yearling Hughes picked up was lot 269, a Frankel colt for £200,000, that was consigned by Highclere Stud. He also picked up some well-bred fillies, including the highly-sought after Ten Sovereigns [lot 21] filly consigned by Jamie Railton on day one.
He said, “I thought that she [21] was a very good buy for her ovaries alone. Like, her pedigree was super. She was a gorgeous filly. The Cotai Glory [lot 253 for £40,000] was a gorgeous horse. He'll be more of a 3-year-old. I think I have someone for him. Jaber Abdullah came in for some of the very well-bred fillies. Two of the fillies are out of a Shamardal mare so, if they win a race, they can go breeding.”
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