Althania Tops The Tattersalls Online October Sale

Black-type producer Althania (Street Cry {Ire}) (lot 13) topped Tattersalls Online's October Sale on Friday. Sold for 80,000gns to Kevin Blake Bloodstock, the chestnut is carrying a foal by Australia (GB). Offered by Gary Duffy's Irish Emerald Stud, Althania has already foaled Listed August S.-placed Maksud (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) and she is also a half-sister to two-time Grade I winner Gabby's Golden Gal (Medaglia d'Oro), as well as Grade II winner Always A Princess (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}). The trio are out of the listed-winning Gabriellina Giof (GB) (Ashkalani {Ire}).

Kevin Blake, who bought the mare on behalf of Golden Farm Bloodstock, said, “Althania jumped off the page when the catalogue for the sale came out. It isn't easy to buy proven mares that have produced big results on the racecourse as well as in the sales ring, so I thought she ticked all the right boxes. I have also been following the progress of her son Maksud all year. He's a horse I like a lot and think will do even better next year.

“She was bought for an investment fund I manage called Golden Farm Bloodstock. We're looking forward to seeing what she produces by Australia in the spring and to picking her next mate. She is a real outcross, so we will have plenty of options. There is plenty of action in the family, so hopefully she will prove to have been a good investment in the fullness of time.”

Cavalier Bloodstock snapped up Irish Emerald's Hope Lake (Ire) (Shamardal) (lot 21) for 38,000gns later in the sale. It was the second highest of the day, and the 8-year-old is in foal to Acclamation (GB). Her dam, the Nashwan mare Nadia (GB), won the G1 Prix Saint-Alary and was second in the G1 Prix de Diane.

Malbay Madness (Ire) (Wings Of Eagles {Fr}) (lot 37) was the third dearest lot of the day, making 30,000gns to Madness In Mind Partnership. Consigned by Lackendarra Stables, the juvenile horse-in-training has one win and count's Moon Search (GB) (Rainbow Quest) as his second dam. Eva Luna (Alleged), progenitress of G1 St Leger S. hero Brian Boru (GB) (Sadler's Wells) et. al, is Malbay Madness's third dam.

At the end of the day's trade, 24 lots grossed 269,100gns. The average was 11,178gns and the median was 4,000gns.

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Cowell Hoping His Duo Can Tame the Dragon at Haydock 

Roger Varian is expecting Dragon Symbol (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) to leave his stable debut effort behind when he lines out in the feature L. Betfred Nifty Fifty Achilles S. at Haydock on Saturday, however, Robert Cowell believes his duo of Clarendon House (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}) and Atalis Bay (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) can put it up to the favourite as the trainer bids for a second win in the race. 

Dragon Symbol faces a retrieval mission after disappointing in the G2 Duke Of York Clipper Logistics S. on his first star for Varian and Cowell won't be making it easy for the colt on his retrieval mission. 

Cowell, who won this race seven years ago with popular veteran Kingsgate Native (Ire) (Mujadil), believes Clarendon House and Atalis Bay can cause a surprise. 

He said, “Both of our horses are in good order and they'll be trying their best. Dragon Symbol needs to bounce back from a disappointing run at York. If he does I'm sure he'll take all the beating, but if not, hopefully we'll be picking up the pieces.”

There will be heightened interest in how Atalis Bay performs after Kevin Blake, the popular ITV racing pundit and breeder, told TDN Europe of the lengths he went to in tracking the sprinter's dam down in Belgium, where she had spent a brief time as a carriage horse. 

Atalis Bay, who kick-started Blake's desire to track the mare down, won five times for Marco Botti, including a victory over this course and distance, before changing hands for 130,000gns in October.

After making a satisfactory debut for his new connections in the Palace House at Newmarket in April, Cowell is predicting plenty of improvement.

He said, “Atalis Bay just needed his run in the Palace House and he's in really good form and doesn't mind a bit of cut in the ground from what we can see.

“Newmarket is probably not the ideal track for him with the uphill finish and a sharp track like Haydock should suit him much better.” 

On Clarendon House, the trainer added, “He missed the break the other day in France and would have been a lot closer if that hadn't happened.

“We're hoping he's [up to] this level and maybe in time he might get better. He's quite a nice, progressive sprinter.”

Dragon Symbol finished runner-up four times in pattern company last season and was third in the Nunthorpe before making the switch to Varian's from Archie Watson. 

Predicting a much better performance from the colt, Varian said, “He's come out of his run at York well and he's worked nicely, so he's ready to run again.

“We were disappointed at York but we can't find a reason for it-perhaps he just ran a bit fresh and needed it. He looks in good shape, so hopefully we can get back on track on Saturday.”

He added, “It looks a good opportunity on paper and he should cope with the ground and the drop back to five furlongs, so we're looking forward to running him again.”

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Ireland Nab Marquand in Racing League Draft

Tom Marquand will represent Ireland in Racing League 2022 having been the first pick at this morning's jockey draft at Doncaster Racecourse. A total of 108 jockeys signed up for the inaugural draft, with the seven team managers each selecting seven riders in a pre-agreed order to ensure a fair allocation.

Ireland team manager Kevin Blake said, “I am really happy. Six out of the seven were selections I thought I might get and the exception to that I am very happy with. It is a nice mix of British-based and Irish-based jockeys, with some of the top lads in Ireland keen to support the concept. Gavin Ryan and Dylan Browne McMonagle rode in the Racing League last year and were very keen to be involved again, as was Billy Lee. It will be great to get them over alongside the British-based jockeys headed by Tom Marquand, who was obviously the number one pick.”

Each region will have at least one Group 1-winning rider, with notable picks including Frankie Dettori for Wales and The West, Jamie Spencer for The North and last year's leading jockey Jack Mitchell for The East.

Added Rupert Bell, team manager for The East, “That was great fun to do. I am delighted as I got most of what I wanted. I kicked off with Jack Mitchell as he was the star of the show last year, helping team talkSPORT win. We have Hayley Turner, Grace McEntee and Luke Morris–some very reliable jockeys who will do our team proud.”

To view the complete teams, click here.

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Heider Purchases Twilight Spinner

Scott Heider has privately purchased listed-winning 3-year-old filly Twilight Spinner (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}), who has joined trainer Joseph O'Brien.

A £30,000 Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale purchase by Jason Kelly, Twilight Spinner was third at first asking at Pontefract in April for Hambleton Racing and trainer David O'Meara before breaking her maiden at Ripon. She won the six furlong Listed Cecil Frail S. at Haydock by 6 1/2 lengths on May 21.

“Kevin Blake picked her out for Scott and she looks like she's a progressive filly,” said O'Brien, who has trained the likes of Crossfirehurricane (Kitten's Joy), My Generation (Speightstown) and Pista (American Pharoah) for Heider. “Scott has been a great supporter of the yard and we've been lucky together. We have a very good relationship and we're hoping this filly can continue that on.

“Scott also has, and is building, a very high-class broodmare band and the hope is that she'll be a strong addition to that at some stage in the future.”

Heider said that Twilight Spinner had been on his, Blake's and O'Brien's radars for some time prior to her black-type score.

“This is a filly that has only made three starts, and on her second start at Ripon, the field split,” he recalled. “She won that day off by herself, she was about nine or 10 in front of anyone else in her group. She came back two weeks later in a listed stake at Haydock. There were some nice fillies in there, she went off at 8-1 and ran a really impressive race-the fractional times, the final time, the way she did it, to draw off and win by six lengths, and she was rated 108 post-race.

“Kevin was watching her and Joseph had noticed her and once she won the listed stake she became more obvious. She vetted perfectly and it all came together in about 72 hours, and all credit to Kevin Blake for making it move in 72 hours. She arrived at Joseph's last week and she's into his regular training regime.”

Heider said he hopes to see his silks at Royal Ascot next week aboard the Listed Patton S. winner My Generation, but that it will likely be a bit longer before Twilight Spinner is seen in his maroon and gold colours.

“I think you probably won't see her for three to four weeks as Joseph is just getting her into his programme, but there is a variety of group stakes for her and ultimately she was purchased to be top-class and compete in the best races,” he said. “It would appear at this point that she's a filly that could potentially stretch [in trip], but looking at the family and at her physically she probably is a filly that will go six and seven furlongs, and that'll probably be where she excels. When you watch her races she relaxes and she has a really nice turn of foot, but she's perhaps bred to be a quicker filly so I think initially what we're talking about are group stakes going six and seven. But I think there will be a temptation there to see if we could stretch her out, because watching her races it does appear that she could get another eighth of a mile if not further.”

Twilight Spinner certainly boasts the pedigree of a top-class sprinter, being one of two stakes winners from the first crop of the dual Group 1-winning sprinter Twilight Son, a grandson of Pivotal (GB). Her dam, Spinatrix (GB) (Diktat {GB}), is bred on a similar cross to last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner and triple Group 1 scorer Glass Slippers (GB), who is by Diktat's son Dream Ahead. Both are out of daughters of Mind Games.

“She comes from an interesting family,” Heider said. “I wouldn't call it a blue-blooded family but it's a family that really runs. Her mother won 10 times and was placed 22 times. She wasn't a stakes winner but she was very highly rated. Twilight Spinner is very sound and she's from the first crop of Twilight Son, who honestly didn't catch my eye with his first 2-year-olds, but he's getting a lot of winners now, so hopefully we'll have the best Twilight Son out of that first crop.”

“Our intention would be to keep her over there [in Ireland] to race as a 3- and 4-year-old, and it would be exciting to see her next year at Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup. I'm pleasantly surprised we were able to get something done as quickly as we could, and I'm very grateful.”

Twilight Spinner's arrival must be all the more welcome in light of the fact that Heider had to make the difficult decision earlier this year to retire his exciting filly Pista, who won the Listed Vinnie Roe S. and G2 Park Hill S. last year and was second in the G1 Prix de Royallieu, and had G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe aspirations as a 4-year-old for 2021. The daughter of American Pharoah has been covered by Lope De Vega (Ire).

“Pista got her time off, and as she started to go back into training she was a little off, and that happens from time to time when they get time off like that,” Heider said. “We did a full check on her and she had a little something bothering her. It was something that was going to set her back; she was going to miss about half the season. Ultimately we decided, with consultation with Joseph, to go ahead and get her to Norelands Stud and let her be a mother.”

Pista, a $675,000 Keeneland September yearling, will have every chance to excel at stud, being a great-granddaughter of the influential producer Coup De Genie (Mr. Prospector).

“For a while it broke my heart that we couldn't continue the dream of the Arc path with her, but sometimes these things happen and you just need to make the best decision,” Heider said. “She was maybe the best filly we've ever owned. Coming from the family she comes from I want to play long ball with her, which means she was always going to be a broodmare for us. So we made the decision to do what we thought was best for her.

“These horses are like roses. When you have the rose you need to stop, you need to admire and you need to appreciate it's beauty. Sometimes the rose lasts longer than you think, and other times it doesn't.”

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