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Breezers At Stud Testament To Quality On Offer

The European breeze-up sector prides itself as a source of quality, a notion that held particular weight in 2021 as graduates Native Trail (Fr) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) signed off their juvenile campaigns with victories in the G1 Dewhurst S. and G1 Middle Park S.

Added to that, various graduates are currently more than holding their own at stud. This isn't a new development–older representatives such as Society Rock (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and Paco Boy (Ire) (Desert Style {Ire}) each sired Group 1 winners in their first crops–but it is one that has gained real momentum in the past few years and, as such, the breeze-up industry heads into 2022 on a particularly strong footing when it comes to advertising itself as a source of successful stallions.

Of course, a horse good enough to take up a place at stud can come from anywhere, whether it be as the product of an owner/breeder or a purchase at auction. However, there are some factors at play that may explain the breeze-up sector's growing influence.

Firstly, pinhookers naturally target horses that will come to hand relatively early, or at least stand up to the rigours of early training. They are widely regarded as excellent judges of young horses; after all, they are often spending their own money, making the need for a good-looking, well-balanced horse imperative.

As a result, a number of the horses that go through the breeze-up system will be bred to be quick and/or possess the early physical strength to hold commercial appeal. Graduates such as A'Ali (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}), Ardad (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB), Mehmas (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), Prince Of Lir (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Sands Of Mali (Fr) (Panis) and Ubettabelieveit (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), all of whom shone over sprint distances at two, fall into that category as does Far Above (Ire) (Farhh {GB}), who captured the G3 Palace House S. as a 4-year-old before retiring to Starfield Stud.

As we know, such precocity and speed is coveted by the stallion market. Throw in the likelihood of the horse in question being a correct and athletic individual and the opportunities are immediately there for him to take up stallion duties as a commercial prospect.

Kodiac in Demand

That is also particularly true if the horse is a son of Kodiac (Danehill). The Tally-Ho Stud stalwart is a favourite among breeze-up buyers for his ability to throw sharp, fast individuals and given his recent emergence as an accomplished sire of sires, it is no surprise to see several of his stakes-producing sons sit at the forefront of the breeze-up sire movement, notably Ardad, Prince Of Lir and Adaay (Ire). Of Kodiac's others sons, Kodi Bear (Ire) has been represented by the talented breezers Go Bears Go (Ire), himself surely in line for a place at stud as a Group 2-winning 2-year-old, and Mystery Angel (Ire), while Coulsty (Ire) is sire of the top American filly Shantisara (Ire), another breezer.

It was arguably the emergence of Ardad as Britain's leading first-crop sire for Overbury Stud last season that set the seal on Kodiac's arrival as a noted sire of sires.

Winner of the G2 Flying Childers S. for John Gosden following his purchase for £170,000 by Blandford Bloodstock at the 2016 Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale, it stood to reason that Ardad would throw fast runners and so it proved, with Perfect Power and G3 winner Eve Lodge (GB) contributing to an excellent first crop that currently contains 23 winners.

As such, last season's sales saw him return a yearling average of 53,516gns–a rise of 246% from 2020–while the stallion himself earned a fee increase to £12,500 from £4,000.

There are shades of Ardad in Mickley Stud's new recruit Ubettabelieveit, another Kodiac breezer who won the G2 Flying Childers S. Ubettabelieveit was a 50,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 purchase by the dynamic duo of Roger Marley and John Cullinan of Church Farm and Horse Park Stud. All was going well for them with the colt until Covid hit and ravaged the 2020 breeze-up season. Consequently, Ubettabelieveit was sold privately to trainer Nigel Tinkler on behalf of Martin Webb Racing.

“I'd seen the horse in Book 1 but had left to go home,” recalls Cullinan. “Roger rang me and said that this horse seemed to be falling through the cracks and that we should have a go. I'd no problem buying a Kodiac, as he's been very good to us, and this horse had a fast look to him.

“He showed plenty of boot from an early stage. I remember Nigel rang looking for something so he went to Roger's, rode two of them himself and picked Ubettabelieveit.”

Webb and Richard Kent of Mickley Stud were busy at the sales stocking up on mares to send to Ubettabelieveit, who stands for £5,000. However, he has also attracted plenty of outside interest.

“He's gone down very well,” says Kent. “Some shrewd Irish breeders have bought into him.

“Every day you open the paper and a son of Kodiac has had another winner. They seem to have this unusual aspect where they have loads of speed and a very good temperament. The two don't often go together–it's more speed and lunacy. We'll be supporting him with 40 mares of our own. It's stuck with me how they have always done it at Tally-Ho. I remember Tony O'Callaghan saying that if you can't support them yourself, then how can you expect others to do so?”

Speed aligned with a sober temperament is also a major key to Mehmas. Like Ubettabelieveit, the son of Acclamation is a graduate of Church Farm and Horse Park, having been sourced as a yearling for 62,000gns. He went on to resell for 170,000gns to Peter and Ross Doyle on behalf of Al Shaqab Racing at the Tattersalls Craven Sale and sent to Richard Hannon, won less than a month later at Chester. Victories in the G2 July S. and G2 Richmond S. followed as well as placings in the G1 National S. and G1 Middle Park S. before his retirement ahead of his 3-year-old year to Tally-Ho Stud.

Today, Mehmas boasts 16 stakes winners headed by the Group/Grade 1 winners Supremacy (Ire) and Going Global (Ire), and is the champion first- and second-crop sire of his generation. A revelation at stud, his success has been achieved off fees of €10,000 and €12,500, and he will stand for €50,000 in 2022.

“Mehmas never gave any impression that he was smart when I had him as he was so laid back,” says Cullinan. “When I sent him over to Roger, I said to him that I thought there was some improvement to be had but it was hard to tell as he was completely horizontal. Then when he was first asked to quicken, he went whoosh.

“Hannon asked me when he'd bought him whether he should give him a break but I said no, kick on and run him. He ran him at Chester about only 20 days afterwards, which he won, and then he won again about ten days after that at Newbury.

“I remember seeing him the day after he won the Richmond and it was like he was out on a pony trek. It's that attitude that he puts into his stock. If there's three in a line with a furlong to go, I know I'd like to be backing the Mehmas because they put their head down and try for you.”

Support for A'Ali

Tally-Ho is rarely far from the action as far as breeze-ups are concerned, whether as the home of Mehmas or the vendors of such accomplished runners as Ardad, Perfect Power and Dream Ahead, himself the sire of four Group 1 winners who has relocated to Bearstone Stud for 2022.

The stud also bred A'Ali, another fast horse who is new to Newsells Park Stud at a fee of £7,500. Like his sire Society Rock, A'Ali was a breeze-up purchase by Anthony Stroud, in his case for £135,000 from Star Bloodstock at Goffs UK in 2019. Sent to Simon Crisford, he swept the G2 Norfolk S., G2 Prix Robert Papin and G2 Flying Childers S. at two and trained on to win the G3 Coral Charge and G2 Sapphire S. at three.

“He really was an admirable performer,” says Julian Dollar, general manager of Newsells Park Stud. “He's a neat, straightforward horse and I'm told he was well recommended at the breeze-ups by Matt Eves and Byron Rogers [of Star Bloodstock], where he set a good time.

“He danced every dance at two and turned up again at three. He's got an excellent temperament, he's a very enthusiastic character, and if he throws that, his progeny will have a fighting chance.

“He'll be well supported. We're planning to send Maureen, a fast Group 3 winner, as well as My Special J's, who won the Debutante and is a stakes producer, and Pelerin, a stakes-winning Shamardal mare. We also bought a mare last year called Pretty In Grey–she is a listed-placed half-sister to Lady Bowthorpe and she will go to A'Ali as well.”

Outside mares slated to visit A'Ali also include the listed scorers Riskit Fora Biskit (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Fig Roll (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}), herself dam of Group 3 winner Al Raya (Siyouni {Fr}).

Bansha Gems

A productive association between Stroud Coleman Bloodstock and the breeze-ups also includes Group 1-winning sprinter Sands Of Mali, one of the highlights of the 2017 Tattersalls Ascot Breeze-Up Sale when purchased by the agency for £75,000, and G2 Norfolk S. winner Prince Of Lir, who sold for £170,000 at Goffs UK in 2016. Both were purchased on behalf of the Cool Silk Partnership, sold by Bansha House Stables and now form part of the roster at Ballyhane Stud.

Prince Of Lir sired G2 Norfolk S. winner The Lir Jet (Ire) in his first crop while Sands Of Mali covered 152 mares in his first season in 2021 at €6,500.

“I just loved Sands Of Mali,” says their consignor Con Marnane. “I'd had his brother Kadrizzi, who had been very fast, so I knew the family, and then Sands Of Mali was this big, gorgeous yearling, very imposing.

“I remember he was one of the first ones to breeze that day at Ascot. It was very bad weather and he had hail stones hitting his head, yet he still did a very good breeze.”

He adds, “I've sent a couple of mares to him. I'm a big fan and if they have anything like his temperament and will to win, they'll be ok.”

Marnane is also looking forward to seeing how another former graduate Robin Of Navan (Fr) (American Post {GB}) performs at stud. Also purchased by Stroud Coleman, in his case as an Arqana breezer, he went on to win the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud for Harry Dunlop and now stands at Haras de la Barbottiere in France alongside fellow Group 1-winning breezer Donjuan Triumphant (Ire) (Dream Ahead), a graduate of Lynn Lodge Stud.

French breeders also have access to G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), a graduate of Grove Stud who threw last year's German listed winner Mylady (Ger) from his first crop for Haras du Petit Tellier, and G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains runner-up Le Brivido (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), who holds court at Haras de la Haie Neuve.

France was also formerly home to The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). Compromised by fertility problems, the ill-fated stallion sired last year's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Coeursamba (Fr).

American Influence

European breezers have traditionally fared well in the US–think War Of Will (War Front), Ete Indien (Summer Front), Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire) and Mr. Monomoy (Palace Malice)–and in return, they now exert a growing presence within the American stallion ranks.

Chief among them is Claiborne Farm's War Of Will. Bred in Kentucky by Flaxman Holdings Ltd from their famous Aviance family, War Of Will was pinhooked by Norman Williamson out of the Keeneland September Sale and reoffered at the Arqana May Breeze-up, where he was sold to Justin Casse on behalf of Gary Barber and returned to the States.

Under the care of Mark Casse, he developed into a top-flight and versatile performer, winning the GI Preakness S. on dirt and GI Maker's Mark Mile on turf.

He sits among a clutch of top-class performers to pass through the hands of Williamson's Oak Tree Farm, which hit Group 1 heights again last year as the vendor of unbeaten champion 2-year-old Native Trail. Williamson also pinhooked and sold Australian Group 1 winner Contributor (Fr) (High Chaparral {Ire}), now a young Group 1 sire at Mapperley Stud in New Zealand.

“War Of Will was a half-brother to Pathfork, a very good 2-year-old in Ireland, and so I thought the pedigree might translate well over here,” recalls Williamson. “He had a backward look to him as a yearling but I still thought he would make plenty. When he didn't sell, I went straight back to them and luckily was able to come to a deal.

“He was a big horse even then, very well-balanced with a good shoulder and a big stride on him. Even though he was big, he still packed a fair bit in as a 2-year-old–he was second in the Grade I in Canada [Summer S.] and beaten only three lengths in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, so that just tells you how good he was. And then of course, he went on to win his Grade Is as an older horse.”

War Of Will was very popular in his first season at $25,000, covering 143 mares–a Claiborne record–to place him in a strong position to extend Danzig's legacy at the farm.

“We had been looking for the heir apparent to War Front and we believe War Of Will could fill that void,” says Walker Hancock, president of Claiborne Farm. “War Front has 15 sons who have sired stakes winners and War Of Will is arguably his most accomplished son with the strongest pedigree.

“He also fits my grandfather's criteria to a tee; he showed precocious juvenile form by being a Grade I performer at two, he won an American Classic at three, trained on to win a Grade I at four, has a fantastic pedigree and is a strong physical to match.

“It's amazing how similar he is to War Front. They have the same physical from the side, with War Of Will being half a hand taller at 16.2. We expect his offspring to be just bigger models than the normal War Fronts, which is often his only critique.”

Grade I versatility also underpins the race record of Taylor Made Stallions' Mshawish (Medaglia d'Oro). He was a good pinhook for Johnny Collins of Brown Island Stables, blossoming from a $10,000 yearling into a €170,000 breezer and, like War Of Will, pulled off the notable feat of scoring at the top level on dirt and turf as winner of the GI Donn H. and GI Gulfstream Park Turf H.

That theme of versatility is now shining through at stud, with his first crop headlined by French Group 3 winner Bellharbour Music, another European breezer, and G3 Pennine Ridge S. winner Sainthood. He also boasts a promising British-based runner in three-time scorer Mobashr, fittingly also a Brown Island pinhook.

New York, meanwhile, is home to the Mocklershill graduate Mr. Monomoy. Another Arqana May breezer, the half-brother to Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) returned to the U.S. upon a bid of €180,000 from Mandore International and went on to win the 2020 GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds. He is about to commence his second season at Waldorf Farm.

There was an era when breeze-ups, certainly those in Europe, were viewed primarily as a last chance to move young stock on, an idea that today firmly lives in the past. However, it is also a testament to the relentless improvement in the quality of horses on offer that they today are viewed as a legitimate source of successful stallions. Who knows, perhaps another Mehmas or Ardad is lurking within this year's collection.

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Delmotte On The Trail Of Classic Glory

Every owner starting out in racing will have big dreams. That said, when José Delmotte first took a share in a racehorse more than 25 years ago, he may not have allowed his mind to wander as far as one day being the breeder of Europe's champion 2-year-old.

But that is where the Frenchman now finds himself. That one share led to a horse in training, followed by a few more, then some broodmares, the purchase of a farm in France's Orne region, and now that famous graduate of his Haras d'Haspel: Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).

Godolphin's unbeaten Cartier Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of 2021 bears a British suffix as his dam Needleleaf (GB) (Observatory) was in the country to foal ahead of her 2019 visit to Kingman (GB). That latter mating made a lot of sense as the unraced Needleleaf, bought by Delmotte on the advice of his friend and bloodstock advisor Marc-Antoine Berghgracht, is a Juddmonte-bred full-sister to two Group winners, African Rose (GB) and Helleborine (GB). The latter had already produced an early star for Kingman in the young Coolmore sire Calyx (GB).

In fact both sisters are black-type producers as the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup winner African Rose is the dam of Fair Eva (GB), a first-crop stakes winner for Frankel (GB) when landing the G3 Princess Margaret Juddmonte S. on her second start. In hindsight, signing for the 2-year-old Needleleaf for 60,000gns in December 2015 now looks like an excellent bit of business.

“I like buying from Juddmonte. They are the best breeders in the world in my opinion and since I have been working with Marc-Antoine, that is for the past six years, we have always looked at their draft,” Delmotte told TDN during Arqana's Breeding Stock Sale in Deauville in December.

Arqana was also the scene for another of the breeder's highly memorable moments of 2021 back in August when Native Trail's Kingman half-sister sold through the Haras d'Haspel draft for €950,000. It will come as no surprise that the buyer was Godolphin's agent Anthony Stroud, who earlier in the year had signed for Native Trail at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up for 210,000gns. It was the colt's third sale of his short lifetime, with Delmotte having sold him as a foal to Sam Sangster for €50,000, who then reoffered him as a Book 1 yearling for 67,000gns at October Book 1, where he was bought by Mags O'Toole and Norman Williamson to go breezing.

Needleleaf's first two living offspring have clearly been given a collective thumbs-up from a range of experienced horse folk and she has swiftly risen to become the star of Haras d'Haspel's band of 50 mares.

Delmotte recalled his first encounter with the mare in Newmarket. He said, “There was this unraced 2-year-old filly, a sister to two Group winners which had been retained by Juddmonte to breed from. So it seemed logical for them to sell [Needleleaf] as she wasn't as talented as her sisters and they already had several mares from the same family. I bought her because of her Group-winning relatives and also because of her sire [Observatory]. I liked the fact that his bloodlines were quite different from those you normally find in Europe, so I thought she would be easy to mate.”

He added, “We had some misfortune with her as her first foal, who was a magnificent Siyouni (Fr) filly, died a few months after birth. But the following foal was Native Trail and he has secured his place in the history books, which is amazing.”

Despite that early setback, Needleleaf's broodmare career has been relatively plain sailing since then. It didn't take long for Native Trail to start dropping massive hints as to his ability. Two months after the breeze-up sale, he won on debut at Sandown and followed up a month later with victory in the G2 Superlative S. at Newmarket's July Course. With his sister then signed up to the Godolphin team from the August Sale, he went on to enhance both their pedigrees further still, with back-to-back Group 1 wins in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. at the Curragh followed by the Darley Dewhurst S., earning himself a closing mark for his 2-year-old season of 122. The winter favourite for the 2000 Guineas is safely tucked up at Charlie Appleby's Godolphin base at Moulton Paddocks, where his breeder paid him a visit during the December Sales.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Godolphin as they bought his sister from me and welcomed us, with Marc-Antoine and a few friends, to their private training centre in Newmarket and we were treated like royalty,” said Delmotte. “We were allowed to see and hold Native Trail and we had a very open, no-filter discussion with Charlie Appleby about his future plans. It was great, they were so kind to us.”

With Frankel having already worked well with her family, Needleleaf is currently in foal to his young son Cracksman (GB) and she has a yearling filly by Siyouni. Now nine, the mare is one of around 15 that Delmotte will send from France to either Britain or Ireland this covering season, and in Needleleaf's case it will be to Newmarket for a date with Dubawi (Ire).

“I had to! It is not our usual strategy but I had to give her an exceptional mating,” said Delmotte. “We continue to upgrade our broodmare band but I don't want to go crazy. I don't want to spend €500-600,000 on a broodmare. I try to invest in good families and then work very hard on matings. I prefer to use proven sires, that is why I sent Needleleaf to Oasis Dream. I like him and find that he suits a lot of European bloodlines. I try to remain sensible.”

The 300-hectare Haras d'Haspel, based in good breeding country between Haras du Logis and Haras de Montaigu, was also associated with some Classic names during 2021. Berghgracht's MAB Agency signed for a filly foal by The Wow Signal (Ire) for €24,000 from the 2018 Arqana Breeding Stock Sale and, reoffered the following August, she was sold by Haras d'Haspel for €40,000 to Jean-Claude Rouget, for whose stable she won last year's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches.

Furthermore, the Dalakhani (Ire) mare Biancarosa (Ire) is a boarder at Haspel for Teruya Yoshida, owner/breeder of Tokyo Gold (Fr) (Kendargent {FR}), who was born and raised at the farm and won the G2 Derby Italiano in 2021 for Chantilly-based trainer Satoshi Kobayashi. Delmotte also enjoyed a homebred stakes winner of his own in the Fabrice Chappet-trained Bel Aristo (Fr) (New Approach {Ire}), a progressive stayer whom he races in partnership with Antoine Gilibert. Meanwhile on the National Hunt side, the unbeaten Jonbon (Fr) (Walk In The Park {Ire}), a full-brother to Douvan (Fr) who set a new record price for a point-to-pointer when sold for £570,000 at Goffs UK in 2020, was born and raised at the stud for breeder Lotfi Kohli.

“I have always loved horses. My business is in property development and one of my agents had racehorses. I bought a share with him some 25 years ago and ending up owning the horse outright,” Delmotte recalled.

“That's how I started. I had racehorses, then kept a few broodmares and bought a property to keep the horses. My daughter and her husband were involved in dressage, she was working in a company but wasn't very happy there and what she really loved was horses, so I bought her a farm.”

What started out as a family passion has resulted in one of the most exciting horses in training in Europe, and though Native Trail has already achieved plenty, naturally his breeder's thoughts have now turned to the Classic season ahead.

He added, “His trainer told us he that is a very laidback horse, and I think he can be a very, very good 3-year-old. If you look at his last race, he just kept lengthening his stride to the finish line. He was truly awesome in the final furlong. It is a dream for me. I am pinching myself.”

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Godolphin Wins 14th Owner Title

With Britain's flat season championships coming to a close on Saturday, Godolphin earned its 14th champion owner title with more than £5-million in win and place prizemoney accumulated since May 1.

Adayar (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Hurricane Lane (GB) (Frankel {GB}) have been Godolphin's leading lights this season, while Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) sealed divisional honours last weekend with a win in the G1 Dewhurst S. Godolphin closed the season on a high with a win by Creative Force (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 British Champions Sprint S. on Saturday.

Godolphin Managing Director Hugh Anderson said, “2021 has been a great year for British racing and Godolphin is proud to have played a part in many of the epic races that have framed the season. It is a huge honour to win the Owners Championship in such a competitive and high-quality year and testament to the fantastic work of all the Godolphin trainers and their teams. Charlie Appleby, Saeed bin Suroor and John Gosden have all played big parts in helping us win this Championship and I want to thank our jockeys, particularly William Buick and James Doyle, as well as everyone who works in our racing yards. Equally as important are our stud farms and support staff who are so essential to this operation; we are a team and we celebrate together.

“I could name over a dozen horses that have made this season for us–many are names that will go down in history–but I will just focus on the quality of the wins, the Classic successes and the overall consistency of Godolphin's performances and make the assertion that these are the best we have seen for over 20 years. Our greatest supporter is of course His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and we are delighted that we can repay his loyalty to us by achieving this title of Champion Owner. As we see Covid recede in the collective memory, I think that British racing should be very proud of how it has emerged from this pandemic and shown unequivocally that racing is an absolute jewel in the crown of British sport. Long may it continue.”

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Omens Stronger Than Ever As Tattersalls October Approaches

Best horse in the world. Check. Top-rated miler. Check. The only two horses to win three Group 1 races in three different countries in 2021. Check. Highest-rated turf horse in America. Check. Most exciting juvenile in Europe. Check.

When a sale can boast all of these as its graduates in a single season then it's not doing badly at all, but then the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale–and Book 1 in particular–has long been a world leader, both for its results and for its pull of potential buyers from across the globe. But even by the sale's own lofty standards, the results of the yearlings to have passed under the watchful eye of the Tattersalls fox during the first week of October have reached another level in this first year of semi-normality following the pandemic.

Make no mistake, what happens on the racecourse is far more important than any blockbuster results in the sales ring. Performance is the driver for that investment, and while the sport continues to attract fresh investors even as we lose some old, beloved patrons, it makes sense that those with the means to attempt to gather nascent Thoroughbred excellence will turn to the source of such current luminaries as St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}), Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).

“Every now and then even we're surprised by the extraordinary quality and success that comes out of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, and 2021 really has been fairly incredible. Not a weekend goes by without something new to shout about, something new to focus on,” says Tattersalls's marketing director Jimmy George as he and his team in Newmarket draw breath between a lively first edition of the Somerville Yearling Sale and the start of two weeks of frenetic activity for the October Sale from Oct. 5.

He continues, “St Mark's Basilica is the most amazing flagship for the October Yearling Sale. He hasn't been beaten since he won the Dewhurst. I mean this is a very serious horse with a huge pedigree, and I think he sums up what Book 1 is about. It's where the owners come to find the best horses with the best pedigrees and he is the epitome of that, as is Hurricane Lane.”

St Mark's Basilica is not exactly an everyman horse. In his yearling class of 2019, the son of French champion sire Siyouni was one of 10 Book 1 horses to sell for a seven-figure sum, though his price of 1.3 million gns was a little over a third of that paid for the top lot that year. Hurricane Lane looks a bargain now for Godolphin, who bought him from his breeder Philippa Cooper at 200,000gns, while fellow Group 1-winning graduates of that same sale include Pretty Gorgeous (Ire), Aunt Pearl (Ire), Campanelle (Ire) and Teona (GB). The year before Palace Pier had commanded a 600,000gns price tag. Again, he was expensive, but not when one considers his immense value now as one of the most enticing stallion prospects of 2022.

International Appeal

It is at this level of the market more than any other that yearlings are not merely future racehorses but foundation mares and stallions in the making. At least that's the hope. And the array of top-level pedigrees on offer is all the draw needed to lure an international buying bench.

“A recurring feature for Book 1 that has become even more pronounced in the last five to 10 years is the particular success in Australia and North America,” notes George. “I think in both cases, we've got something that isn't readily available in their home countries. So for Australians, it is being able to buy yearlings that are capable of actually staying further than a mile. And that's not a criticism, it's an observation of the way the breed has evolved in Australia, and the emphasis on speed, and the make and shape of most of the stallions. But a lot of their middle-distance races are the most valuable races in their calendar by a wide margin. So it was a logical extension to buy those horses in training, and then to move to the next step and focus on buying them as yearlings. And the guys doing it have done incredibly well.”

Russian Camelot (Ire) became one of the poster boys for the sale, and of the Group 1 winners to have emerged from Book 1 during the 2020 season, he was also the least expensively bought at 120,000gns by Jeremy Brummitt for a syndicate with trainer Danny O'Brien. Having made history as the first northern hemisphere-bred horse to win a Derby in Australia, the son of Camelot (GB) is now at Widden Stud and has covered around 140 mares this year.

“Russian Camelot was the best possible advertisement for the October Yearling Sale in Australia,” George adds. “That sort of success can't fail to spread the word and catch the attention of buyers, and that success breeds success.”

Australia doesn't have the monopoly, however, and anyone who followed the turf racing at Saratoga this summer will have spotted an undeniably familiar ring to some of the pedigrees. As Bill Finley outlined in these pages recently, Tattersalls graduates have dominated the grass fixtures at the Spa, and there has been notable success at the Breeders' Cup, too.

“I think there's two strands to that in some ways,” says George, who has recently returned from Saratoga. “One, again, it reflects the quality of the stock that the buyers will find at Book 1, but also it's a tribute to these guys who've come over from America with a game plan. We're really fortunate with the stallions that we have at the moment in Europe. The current top 10 sires in Britain and Ireland, some of them are game changers in any era, but they're all in there together at the moment, the likes of Frankel (GB), Galileo (Ire), Dubawi (Ire), Sea The Stars (Ire), Lope De Vega (Ire), Dark Angel (Ire), Kingman (GB). They're real superstars.”

He continues, “And these guys came over, they focused on the quality, they focused on a sector of the market that they felt provided them with a good chance of being competitive and getting value for money, and their results have been phenomenal. In particular, it's the Mike Ryan, Chad Brown, Seth Klarman, Peter Brant axis. They were the pioneers in the recent wave of American interest and you can only applaud them. And obviously, their success has caught the attention of other folk in America. Last year, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf was won by Aunt Pearl (Ire), who was the second Book 1 filly to win that particular race in three years [after Newspaperofrecord (Ire)]. Liz Crow and Bradley Weisbord were I think inspired by the success of the others.”

While the big prices make the headlines at sale time, the Tattersalls team has long been at pains to emphasise the range of fare on offer, even at Book 1.The launch of the Book 1 Bonus connected to the sale's graduates has resulted in around £6.5 million being paid out on top of prize-money, while a recent notable double Tattersalls graduate picked up an extra £125,000 bonus for being a Group 1-winning graduate of the Craven Breeze-up Sale. The horse in question is Godolphin's unbeaten Native Trail, who was bought last October for 67,000gns by breeze-up pinhooker Norman Williamson and Mags O'Toole. He tops the list of 2-year-olds in training this year with the next five colts directly beneath him at the time of writing–Ebro River (Ire) (Galileo Gold {Ire}), Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), Lusail (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and Dr Zempf (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire})–all having been bought at either Book 1 or 2.

“That is another key message for the sale now,” George says. “It isn't just about beauty parades and extraordinary prices, these top-class horses are coming out at every level of the market. So Native Trail, at 67,000gns, is the highest-rated 2-year-old in Europe by a very wide margin.”

He adds, “For some, the Book 1 Bonus is a game-changer. There's a number of trainers out there who've won more than 10 Book 1 bonuses, with the highest number being 20, which is Mark Johnston. Kevin Ryan and Ger Lyons have also won a huge number. These are trainers that really now focus on the sale who may not previously have done so. There are four 2-year-olds this year that won Book 1 bonuses winning their maiden and have since gone on to win Group 2 or 3 races as 2-year-olds that cost less than 100,000gns, including Atomic Jones (Fr) last weekend.”

Also on that list are the G2 Coventry S. winner Berkshire Shadow (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a 40,000gns purchase, as well as G3 Acomb S. winner Royal Patronage (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who was bought for 62,000gns, and G2 Richmond S. winner Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}), a 65,000gns yearling.

“People are buying these top-class horses in all sectors of the market, so this is a sale that has become all things to all people, and is rewarding people with prize-money and quality,” George adds.

This Time Around

What then can we expect to see at Park Paddocks this October? The abbreviated answer is plenty. For a start there are the full- or half-siblings to the young stallions Golden Horde (GB) (lot 10), Advertise (GB) (lot 39), Shalaa (Ire) (lot 46), Arizona (Ire) (lot 110), Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) (lot 130), Blue Point (Ire) (lot 257), Aclaim (Ire) (lot 386), and Havana Grey (GB) (lot 420). Also in this category is the Dubawi (Ire) half-sister to Arc winner Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) who is likely to get the final day of Book 1 off to a rousing start when she appears as lot 336 from the Newsells Park Stud draft as the first in the ring on the Thursday.

Then there are the close relations to some of this year's stars. Highclere Stud's 23-strong draft includes plenty of gems, not least lot 405, the Almanzor (Fr) half-brother to Palace Pier, and lot 274, a colt by Kingman (GB) out of the 1000 Guineas winner Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}) and a half-brother to the G1 Falmouth S. winner Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

Croom House Stud, whose previous graduates of the sale include the late Zoffany (Ire), offers a Lope De Vega (Ire) half-sister to the Australia (GB) brothers Broome (Ire) and Point Lonsdale (Ire) as lot 305.

One of the stand-out breeders of the year, Tally-Ho Stud, consigns lot 279, a filly by their champion first-season sire Mehmas (Ire) who is a half-sister to the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Ebro River (Ire) (Galileo Gold {Ire}).

Early in the sale, Ballylinch Stud will offer an Australia (GB) half-sister to 1000 Guineas runner-up Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) as lot 15, and she will be swiftly followed by a Lope De Vega (Ire) half-brother to the Classic winner Just The Judge (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) (lot 16).

Kirsten Rausing has been enjoying a record-breaking season on the track, both with runners in her own colours and with graduates of her Lanwades and Staffordstown studs. In Book 1, Staffordstown's select draft consists of two of the nine colts in the catalogue by the late champion sire Galileo (Ire), with lot 57 being a half-brother to the Group 1 winners Time Warp (GB) and Glorious Forever (GB), both sons of Archipenko. That same stallion also features as the broodmare sire of lot 134, the Galileo colt out of Rausing's G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S. winner Madame Chiang (GB).

Kildaragh Stud brings a colt with broad international appeal in lot 128, a colt from the second crop of Saxon Warrior (Jpn) who is a three-parts brother to Japanese Derby winner Deep Brillante (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Among the 24 yearlings by Dark Angel (Ire) in Book 1 is Ballyphilip Stud's full-brother to the recently retired star sprinter Battaash (Ire) (lot 379), while Kingman has a huge entry of 43 youngsters in the sale, including a colt out of Meon Valley Stud's dual Group 1 winner Speedy Boarding (GB) (Shamardal) (lot 288).

Frankel's dominance in the sire ranks this year is backed up by his emerging presence as a broodmare sire and he features in this role through his G2 Lowther S.-winning daughter Queen Kindly (GB), whose filly by Dubawi (Ire) is offered by Kilfrush Stud as lot 223. Meanwhile, the Frankel colt out of G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. winner Persuasive (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) could be one of the stars of the Cheveley Park Stud draft as lot 201.

This is the sole year that buyers will have a chance to pick up a yearling by the late Roaring Lion, and his 10 youngsters consigned to Book 1 include lot 231, a half-brother to the high-class stayers Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}). Also featured is lot 343, from Woodcote Stud, the Roaring Lion half-brother to dual Group 1 winner Poet's Word (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}).

Caution Still Advised

While the British government's rules currently allow for bloodstock sales to be conducted in a far less restrictive manner than those held this time last year, Jimmy George still sounds a note of caution when it comes to the unavoidable subject of Covid.

He says, “We've staged two sales, the first one being the August Sale and then the Somerville Yearling Sale, with the gates thrown open to allcomers and restrictions lifted. We're still very conscious that we need to be sensible, there will still obviously be multiple stations where people can sanitise hands, etc., and we, like most walks of life, have gone down the route of personal choice when it comes to people wearing masks.”

He adds, “When the world caved in, metaphorically, last March, it was really troubling for everybody, so to find ourselves 18 months later still talking about the wretched Covid but still standing is a relief. Everybody involved in the Thoroughbred business can certainly look back with a degree of pride in how they coped with everything that was being thrown at them and how they carried on. And we focused on that at Tattersalls, as far as we possibly could, to stage sales in as normal a manner as we could. The key thing globally about the bloodstock business is that the wheels did keep turning, and we were all very fortunate, and we have to extend real gratitude to everybody who made that happen.”

He continues, “We're lucky enough to conduct an awful lot of what we do outdoors, which is a big bonus for the sort of business model that bloodstock sales have. And it's been great actually to see people back at Park Paddocks without restrictions and to feel a real vibrance around the place. There has been a feel of optimism and enthusiasm, and just a happiness to be back. It's pretty well business as usual, whilst we remain conscious that we still all have to be very sensible.”

The post Omens Stronger Than Ever As Tattersalls October Approaches appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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