Tag: Pinatubo

Havana Grey Lights Up Book 2 With 425k Colt Knocked Down To Anthony Stroud

It seems as though Michael Fitzpatrick and Havana Grey (GB) have something in common with the lord himself as turning water into wine comes natural. 

Time and time again, the man behind Kilminfoyle House Stud produces pinhook after pinhook in a similar fashion to how Whitsbury Manor Stud's emerging force seems to transform whatever pedigree he touches. 

The latest transformation played out on Tuesday evening of Book 2 at Tattersalls when a colt by Havana Grey (lot 1020), who Fitzpatrick purchased as a foal under the banner of JC Bloodstock for 82,000gns here in December, sold to Anthony Stroud for 425,000gns. 

Stroud knows a thing or two about high-class sons of Havana Grey, having paid 625,000gns for the unbeaten two-year-old sensation Vandeek (GB) from Glending Stables at the Tattersalls Craven Sale back in April. 

Like Vandeek, Tuesday's sale-topper will be trained by Simon Crisford, but will carry the colours of HH Shaikh Nasser, according to Stroud. 

He said, “Havana Grey has done terrifically-well. This is a very well-balanced horse who moved particularly-well.”

Asked if parallels could be drawn between this colt and Vandeek, Stroud responded, “Well, with Vandeek, we were lucky enough to see him breeze. This horse has the credentials to be a very, very nice horse. He's got a pedigree and is by a stallion who is on the upgrade and doing really well.”

He added, “Havana Grey is a very exciting young stallion and, from what he has had, he's done very well. He's doing a great job. This colt is for HH Shaikh Nasser and is going to Simon Crisford.”

The Havana Grey colt is a full-brother to high-class two-year-old Elite Status (GB), who made 325,000gns at this sale last year. Elite Status may not have been a match for Vandeek when they met in the Morny and the Middle Park, but he has confirmed himself a classy juvenile in his own right when landing a Group 3 in France, and it was on the strength of him showing up on the track this season that Fitzpatrick snapped up his little brother at auction from Whitsbury. 

He explained, “I bought this colt as a foal solely on the full-brother. I sold him [Elite Status] last year and loved him. Whitsbury Manor is a great breeder and this horse is a pleasure to do anything with. My thanks go to Anthony Stroud and I wish the new owners the very best of luck.”

Fitzpatrick added, “I also can't thank my staff enough–Pamela, Hannah and Santos. It is only for them, the work they do, I actually think they are made of iron!”

“When you have a Havana Grey yearling, it gives you a chance,” – Joe Foley

That wasn't the only big-ticket Havana Grey bred by Whitsbury through the ring on the day as a filly (lot 981) consigned by Ballyphilip Stud was knocked down to Joe Foley standing alongside Steve Parkin earlier in the session for 280,000gns. 

That particular filly netted her connections a nice packet as she was sourced as a foal at Goffs last November for just €68,000.

Foley commented, “She's a very good example of what the stallion can throw. As we all know, he's made an outstanding start, he's on the way to superstar stallion status. We have a good two-year-old by him this year called Queen's Guard (GB). When you have a Havana Grey yearling, it gives you a chance.”

He added, “I like the fact she's out of a Showcasing (GB) mare. I like the idea of him as a broodmare sire and the pedigree goes back to Blue Duster. It's a good, fast family and one I like.”

 

 

Pinatubo Continues To Pack A Punch As McElroy Provides More Amo For Kia

Amo Racing's Kia Joorabchian has been showing some love to Ben McElroy this week with the American-based bloodstock agent signing for a 325,000gns Pinatubo (Ire) colt among others on behalf of the owner.

That transaction came just 24 hours after McElroy featured alongside the list of buyers for the Pinatubo filly that was also acquired on behalf of Amo on Monday for 110,000gns. Needless to say, McElroy described himself as a fan of Darley's young stallion. 

McElroy said of lot 939, “He is a very imposing colt, a great mover with great strength. He carried himself well the two or three days of showing and is just a lovely horse. I actually thought he might cost maybe a bit more than he did. Maybe the aggressive bidding helped out on that a little bit.

“He's been bought for Amo Racing and will go back to Robson [Aguiar] who will assess him for Kia. We will decide on a trainer next spring. We bought a beautiful filly by the stallion yesterday and he seems to be getting really nice stock. Pinatubo was a great racehorse and I think this colt has a great chance.”

The Pinatubo colt was sold by Ballyhimikin Stud. Aguiar and Hamish Macauley, who have bought plenty of horses on behalf of Amo before, also featured among the list of buyers. But the relationship between McElroy and Joorabchian is a newer one.

The agent explained, “We'd always meet up with Kia at the races down through the years and maybe we even bid against each other when we were in America last year. Robson bought a horse [Valiant Force (Malibu Moon)] who turned out to be Kia's first Royal Ascot winner at Keeneland last year. Between Saratoga and Keeneland, we bought a few horses for Kia this year and we've bought a few here for him as well.”

He added, “Robson really rated this horse very highly and I suppose it will be Robson who decides how he fits in with all the yearlings heading into next year.”

McElroy, Macauley and Amo went on to snap up another colt by up-and-coming Darley-based stallion Earthlight (Ire) for 325,000gns. But the real story here was how Jimmy Murphy of Redpender Stud transformed the colt (lot 1013) from a 78,000gns foal here in December to the major payday in the ring on Wednesday. 

“He was a good-looking horse and we took a chance-plenty of others don't work out so well,” a beaming Murphy reported afterwards. “Earthlight is a son of Shamardal and he is from a very good dam line. We were lucky that Selenaia (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) [Grade 3 winner] came up in the first dam and then Lake Forest (GB) (No Nay Never) in the second dam won the Gimcrack.”

Murphy added of the Earthlight colt, who was bred by Derek Iceton of Tara Stud, “He is very much a two-year-old and is a precocious type of horse. Hopefully we will see him at Royal Ascot.”

Fellowes To Train 350k Wootton Bassett Colt

Charlie Fellowes has a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt to look forward to training next year after owner Paul Hickman shelled out 350,000gns on the WH Bloodstock-drafted yearling who is bred on the same cross as Group 1 winner Al Riffa (Fr).

The Wootton Bassett colt (lot 915) was bred by Westerberg and is out of Galileo (Ire) mare Beluga (Ire), a half-sister to Derby winner Pour Moi (Ire) and a sister of the Group 3 winner and Irish Derby third Dawn Patrol (Ire).  

He was bought by Will Douglass, agent for Charlie Gordon-Watson, who was standing alongside Fellowes to the right of the rostrum. The winning bidders held off the challenge of Richard Ryan who was on the phone atop of the stairs. 

“It's not been as easy as the market would suggest,” Douglass commented. “This week has been a lot better. He's a very special horse and has been bought for an English owner called Mr Hickman. He's had horses with Charlie for a few years and is involved in Cloudbreaker (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).”

Douglass added, “We bought a few for him last year and got a Frankel [colt for 250,000gns] here last week. We also underbid one at Deauville for a lot of money. It's not easy. When you follow those nice horses through, you're competing against countries, not just people. If you want to get in, it's really tough.”

Beluga has a Wootton Bassett colt foal and is in foal to Camelot (GB). She is also a sister to Listed winner Kissed (Ire).

 

 

Talking Points

  • What a day for Whitsbury Manor Stud. Not only did Havana Grey earn the plaudits of major buyers Anthony Stroud and Joe Foley but the stud also bred the respective lots that both men signed for. That's what you call a good day at the office. 
  • As good as Havana Grey performed on Tuesday, it must be said that Pinatubo continues to impress. Of the 10 yearlings through the ring by Darley's hot prospect, they averaged 128,600gns. What's more impressive is the fact that Pinatubo has posted a bigger average–150,250gns—than any other stallion on day one and two of Book 2. 
  • Edgar Byrne played a major role at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale when signing for a €115,000 Kameko colt to join Scandinavian-based trainer Niels Petersen. The same connections were active at Book 2 on Tuesday when landing a Dark Angel (Ire) colt from Yeomanstown Stud for 145,000gns. The colt (lot 816) is a brother to Fantasy Lady (Ire), winner of the Listed Staffordstown S. and not beaten far in an Irish 1,000 Guineas for Paddy Twomey.
  • The clearance rate remained strong on Tuesday at 86%. However, compared to this corresponding day's trade 12 months ago, the average fell 18% to 88,171gns while the median dropped 6% to 66,000gns.
The Golden Touch 

By Georgia Cox 

Lot: 976
Filly by Havana Grey (GB) – Chloris (GB) (Dansili {GB})
Bred by Hascombe and Valiant Stud
Consigned by Hazelwood Bloodstock
Purchased by Ross O'Sullivan 

Chloris admittedly did little to write about on the track herself, but she has shown promise as a broodmare with her first foal Royal Elysian (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) placing in three of her four starts to date. Of course Dansili is well known for his success as a broodmare sire. 

Chloris is a third-generation representative of a family nurtured by esteemed owner-breeder Anthony Oppenheimer, and further back the family also includes the Wildenstein-bred Prix du Jockey Club and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Peintre Celebre. Her half-sister Bartzella (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) was a convincing listed winner for William Haggas. 

The exploits of the progeny of young stallion Havana Grey speak for themselves, and that no doubt had a hand to play in this filly realising 140,000gns. The hammer fell at five times the price of 28,000gns, which was originally paid when she last walked through the ring just ten months ago at the December Foal Sale. Katie Walsh was the final bidder and signed for the filly in the name of her husband, trainer Ross O'Sullivan.

Buy of the Day

Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock doesn't miss very often and in lot 987, a Lope De Vega (Ire) colt bought from Cheveley Park Stud for 210,000gns, he looks to have sourced another nice prospect. 

For a start, the sire doesn't need any explaining and the mare, who was black-type herself, is a sister to Alice Springs (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). 

Whether this colt runs in the Wathnan Racing silks, the major owner that Brown has been buying on behalf of recently, or any number of the major clients that the top agent represents, he could be one to keep an eye on for next year.

Thought for the Day 

Is it any wonder why we're all running around with little pot bellies on us in the height of sales season? Whether it's the toasted sandwiches and the carrot cake at Newsells or the breakfast down at Castlebridge, it's hard to resist some of the [free!] grub on offer at Park Paddocks. Just wait until the Tweenhills van arrives in December! We'll be rolling out of Newmarket for Christmas.

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Pinatubo Leads Way At Goffs With 180k Colt To Godolphin

Pinatubo (Ire) hardened his reputation as one of the most exciting young stallions in Europe at the Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale when a colt by the freshman sire led the day two trade when selling to Godolphin at £180,000.

With Anthony Stroud and the rest of the regular Godolphin buying team nipping away from Goffs early to make it to Germany for the BBAG Sale at the weekend, Jono Mills was left in charge of securing the Pinatubo colt from Longview Stud. 

Mills said, “He was bought on behalf of Godolphin. The buying team are on their way to Germany. I was just talking to Anthony [Stroud] and David [Loder] on the phone and this colt is obviously a lovely Pinatubo and comes from a good farm. He is a lovely individual and we were very keen on him.”

He added, “The buying team have all been here and liked him and I was just the conduit to wave the finger, basically. He's by a proper young stallion and fingers crossed he will be a good racehorse for us.”

Lot 405 boasts a strong pedigree being a half-brother to Group 3 winner Al Raya (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) and out of listed winner Fig Roll (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}).

Clive Cox landed the second Pinatubo to sell at Doncaster on Wednesday in the shape of lot 428, consigned by Barton Stud, for £90,000. 

The trainer described himself as a fan of the sire after what proved to be a productive two days at Doncaster where he added five two-year-old prospects to his team for next year to the tune of £392,000. 

Cox said, “Really pleased. I liked the Pinatubo colt as an individual and admired the sire when we were racing against him. Hopefully he is a nice athletic horse to look forward to.”

After a strong opening day's trade with notable footfall, the sales ground did clear out from mid-afternoon on Wednesday with many top buyers jetting off to Germany, but the figures remained strong.

Of the 414 lots offered, 355 sold at a clearance rate of 86% while the aggregate was up 2% to £16,262,000. The average also climbed 4% to £45,809 while the median stayed the same on £35,000.

Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent commented, “It's been a fantastic few days in Doncaster with an incredible atmosphere generated by the huge number of people who've visited our vibrant sales complex over the last few days. Vendors have been quick to say that we are missing no one, the car park has been full since the weekend, and our party on Sunday night set the atmosphere nicely for the week ahead.

“In the ring it has been great to see the sale make advances in turnover and average, with the latter growing 4% to £45,809 which is the third-highest figure achieved in the history of this sale. The number of six-figure lots also grew on last year, moving to 28 for the two days, and despite not having an obvious standout lot, the top of the market was very strong with plenty of bidders looking for what they believed to be the best horses on offer and frenzied bidding at the very top.”

He added, “The term 'Donny Rockets' has been widely used in advance of the sale and buyers were quick to congratulate the Goffs team on the selection of horses as that is exactly what they found over the last two days. The rebranded Harry's Half Million sales race at York is something else that has certainly captured the imagination of buyers and we look forward to seeing our rockets contest the £500,000 race next year and we wish everyone the best of luck with their new purchases.”

 

 

Tate Stays Late For Twilight Son Colt

James Tate had reason to stay at Donny for the bitter end on Wednesday and landed himself a Twilight Son (GB) colt (lot 444) from Tally-Ho Stud for £160,000. Tate had to fight off a persistent challenge from Anthony Bromley, an increasingly prevalent figure at the major yearling sales, to land the colt for an existing client. 

The visibly delighted trainer said of the colt, who is the second foal out of black-type Invincible Spirit (Ire) mare Ice Gala (GB), “He's an extremely good-looking horse. Let's hope he's as fast as he looks. I've had one Twilight Son, who was a winner. This is the same cross as Twilight Calls (GB) so, if he was as good as him, that would be good.” 

Elliott And Jackson-Stops Join Forces For New Partnership

Two of the leading agents in Britain, Alex Elliott and Billy Jackson-Stops, combined to land a Mehmas (Ire) colt and a well-bred Mayson (GB) filly for a cumulative figure of £215,000 for a new partnership of owners that will support trainers George Scott, Andrew Balding and possibly Ralph Beckett. 

The Mehmas colt was purchased on day one from Tally-Ho Stud and is out of black-type Kodiac (GB) mare Lady Aria (GB) while the Mayson (lot 359) boasted a big pedigree being a sister to dual listed winner and Group-placed Dance Diva (GB). She was consigned by Luke Barry's Manister House Stud.

Elliott commented, “She has been bought for a new partnership between Billy Jackson-Stops and I. We are buying a couple of horses to go to George Scott, Andrew Balding and potentially Ralph Beckett as well. We got two for George this week, a Mehmas [lot 8 for £95,000] and we got the Mayson, who was our pick. George loved her and we wanted to have a go on her. She's a full-sister to a stakes horse and is a beautiful physical. If she stubs a toe, she's still got residual value with her page.”

Asked if the partnership was one set up with a view towards trading, Elliott said, “No, it's not. It's two owners who will hopefully enjoy a bit of success this year.”

That sale capped a productive week for Barry who sold 11 yearlings for £603,000 and Elliott described trade as being “fair” before explaining that the vendors who brought the right types to the market got well-paid. 

He said, “I think it has been very fair. It's been a very fair market to buy horses at and Goffs have done their usual great job and you can see from the turnout that everybody loves coming here. Some good horses have been on show and vendors are being rewarded if they bring the right horse. “

 

Talking Points

  • Classic-winning owner Phil Cunningham clearly meant business when he snapped up the services of top bloodstock agent Anthony Bromley for this sale. Cunningham, who will forever be associated with 2,000 Guineas winner Cockney Rebel (GB), spent £617,000 on seven yearlings through Bromley this week. 
  • Oliver St Lawrence enjoyed a productive two days at Doncaster and his £570,000 haul across five yearlings was headed by a £170,000 Dark Angel (Ire) colt (lot 338) from Yeomanstown Stud. That colt is a brother to Juliet Capulet (Ire), winner of the G2 Rockfel S., and was bought on behalf of Fawzi Nass. St Lawrence said, “Lovely colt and the mare has done well with Dark Angel. He looks a ready-made two-year-old and could get us to Ascot. A nice type.”
  • Andy Lo made the trip from Hong Kong a worthwhile one by signing for lot 181, a Ten Sovereigns (Ire) colt from Camas Park Stud for £70,000. The young agent signed for the colt on behalf of Hong Kong-based David Fenn, who plans on leaving the horse in Britain before eventually shipping it back to his home country. Lo explained, “This is the first horse I have bought at Doncaster and it is also David's first horse. I used to work in a bank but I have started buying horses for friends and owners back in Hong Kong and enjoy it. I am hoping to go to the Orby as well.” He added, “The plan for this colt is to go into training with George Peckham and then, hopefully, come back to Hong Kong in time.”
  • Peter and Ross Doyle remained as powerful as ever at Doncaster in signing for 17 yearlings for just shy of £1 million. To be precise, the top agents spent £988,000 and interestingly picked up two Kamekos, two by Shaman (Ire) and one more unproven sire in Earthlight (Ire).
  • The Shaman colt (lot 336) that the Doyles bought off Tinnakill House for £36,000 represented a right touch for the stud's Tom Murphy, who bought the horse as a foal for €16,000 at the Goffs February Sale.  

Atomic Racing Reinvests

It has been a banner year for Atomic Racing, the commercial syndicate that has horses in training with Kevin Coleman in Ireland and managed by bloodstock agent Sean Grassick, who purchased his first two yearlings of the season following some notable sales with form horses recently. 

Uluru (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), an impressive winner on debut at Gowran Park in July, netted the syndicate a major payday when selling to Team Valor to be trained by Joseph O'Brien.

Atomic's Churchill (Ire) colt Bladon (Ire) will also continue his career with O'Brien after OTI snapped up the colt after his eye-catching debut at Killarney.

Signing under O'Byrne and Grassick, the bloodstock agent picked up a Golden Horde (Ire) filly (lot 219) for £32,500 from Kildaragh Stud this week and a Masar (Ire) filly (lot 342) for £38,000 from The National Stud. 

Grassick commented, “It's nice to get on the board for Atomic Racing and we bought two lovely fillies. The Golden Horde is a lovely, scopey filly while the Masar is one for the back end and could be a nice trading prospect. That's the type of horse we like to try and buy. We weren't really looking for the early and speedy types.”

He added, “We've had a lot of interest in the syndicate from prospective investors since Uluru won. Uluru and Bladon are gone to Joseph O'Brien and we hope they are lucky because we want to be known for selling good horses.”

Folland-Bowen Bloodstock Continues Donny Love Affair

It was at this sale last year where Folland-Bowen Bloodstock burst onto the scene with a Land Force colt selling for £85,000.

The burgeoning operation eclipsed that figure on Wednesday with a Mohaather (GB) filly out of Blue Geranium (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) (lot 327) selling to Johnny McKeever and Charlie Hills for £105,000 

Natalie Folland, who runs the operation alongside her partner Matt Bowen, said, “She was sold on behalf of her breeder Jane Keir, our former landlord at Elkington Stud, and we're delighted for her. She's a very loyal client. When we left to set up at Fonthill Stud she said she'd close up and send her mares to us as she didn't want anyone else looking after them.”

She added, “The filly prepped beautifully and we thought she might make 40 or 50 thousand, but you never really know what you've got until you bring them to the sales, and she's been showing well all week; she's never put a foot wrong. In fact, the more shows she did, the better she got. We love selling at Doncaster, and that's the second year in a row we've had a bit of a touch.”

Buy Of The Day

There were a couple of interesting fillies to sell on Wednesday, not least the Masar (Ire) that Sean Grassick bought from The National Stud for £38,000.

Masar has yet to catch fire in his debut season at stud and this filly does not look as though she will be bolstering his record with juveniles but she does look like she will be okay in time. 

At the money, Grassick can't have gone too far wrong with a filly who could be worth a lot more than that if she manages to place in a maiden in Ireland at the back end next year or even as a three-year-old. 

She has been bought for the Atomic Racing Syndicate and will be trained by Kevin Coleman. It's an owner-trainer axis that has advertised an uncanny knack at finding value and trading horses with form in recent times. This filly could be the latest smart recruit for the team. 

Away from the Masar, Peter Trainor may well have found himself a bit of value in the Ardad (Ire) filly (lot 423) he bought from Browne Brothers Bloodstock at 22,000. 

At least Trainor will know if he got the value or not pretty soon given that the Ardad's half-sister Graceful Thunder (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) runs in a Group 3 at ParisLongchamp on Thursday. 

Already a listed winner for Amo Racing and George Boughey, Graceful Thunder is a 3-1 chance to boost the pedigree in that Group 3. It could prove an interesting 24 hours for Trainor. 

Thought For The Day

After another strong yearling sale for Havana Grey (GB) with three yearlings selling for six figures or more, one has to wonder what Whitsbury Manor Stud will set the fee at next year. 

It was a question that generated much debate in the early hours of Wednesday morning in the Earl Of Doncaster Hotel  and it seems as though many top judges feel Havana Grey is worthy of a decent bump following another excellent year. 

 

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From France To Doncaster: The Key Pointers For The Premier Yearling Sale

DONCASTER, England–A serious tempo was set to the European yearling sale season at Arqana last week with strong trade recorded in the August and V2 sales. If the momentum is to continue into the Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale this week, Goffs could be in for a productive week. 

G3 Princess Margaret S. winner Sacred Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was sourced here 12 months ago for £52,000 while similarly smart two-year-old Jasour (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) cost £85,000. 

Both juveniles have flown the flag for the Donny yearlings with their exploits on the track this season and, judging by the footfall on the sales ground on Sunday, there is a long queue of buyers eager to find the next Sacred Angel and Jasour. 

The two-day sale kicks off on Tuesday at 10am and there are plenty of pointers to take from Arqana that could shape the way things play out at Doncaster and beyond. 

Blue Point Here To Stay

There was huge expectation placed on Blue Point's first runners this season and he has lived up to his billing with a Royal Ascot success and 25 individual winners in Britain and Ireland alone. 

Big Evs (Ire) has been the flagbearer for Blue Point (Ire), with Mick Appleby's colt following up his Windsor Castle victory at Royal Ascot with a Group 3 success in the Molecomb at Goodwood before running down the field in last Friday's Nunthorpe. 

Blue Point has eight horses rated 90 or above in Britain and Ireland and these are the sort of statistics that are willing buyers to reinvest in the Kildangan Stud-based stallion's yearlings. 

An average of €191,364 for 11 yearlings sold at an aggregate of €2,105,000 at the August Sale would suggest that Blue Point has more than justified the belief placed in him by breeders. His yearlings won't be easy to buy this week.

Pinatubo and Earthlight Off To A Strong Start

The strength of the Darley roster was there for everyone to see at Arqana. If it wasn't a son or a daughter of Dubawi (Ire) selling for a couple of million euros, well then it was one of the legendary stallion's sons Night Of Thunder (Ire) or Ghaiyyath (Ire) who were catching the imagination. 

Pinatubo (Ire) was the one of the most popular freshman sires at Arqana while fellow Darley stallion Earthlight (Ire) certainly struck a chord with his first yearlings. 

Of the nine Pinatubos to sell in the August Sale, they averaged €195,000 with buyers including Wesley Ward, Oliver St Lawrence, Robson Aguiar and more. 

There are three Pinatubos and eight Earthlights on offer at Doncaster. One would wager that they will be in high demand. 

Sergei Set To Make a Splash

If the first yearlings by Sergei Prokofiev (Can) are as popular as the foals were, the Whitsbury Manor Stud-based stallion could be in for a good week.

Sergei Prokofiev embarked on his stud career on a fee of £6,500 and rewarded breeders with an average of almost £30,000 for 52 foals sold in Britain and Ireland in 2022. 

Last weekend was a good one for the Scat Daddy line, as pointed out by Coolmore's Mark Byrne on Twitter, with Ten Sovereigns (Ire), Justify, and Sioux Nation responsible for a number of smart winners. 

Good judges Julie Woods, Freddy Tylicki, Larry Stratton, Harry Dutfield and Tom Whelan nominated the progeny of Sergei Prokofiev as being ones to keep the right side of in the TDN last year and plenty can be expected from him this week. 

Hello Youmzain One To Take From France

Fair to say Hello Youmzain (Fr) really captured the imagination at Arqana. Etreham's newbie had 19 sell for an average of €128,789 in the August Sale and 12 sell for €42,458 at V2.

Many are tipping him to scoop champion first-season sire honours in France next year and it's easy to see why given how well his stock was received.

The dual Group 1-winning sprinter is represented by two yearlings this week and the momentum could continue to build behind Hello Youmzain at Donny.

Golden Horde A Dark One?

Golden Horde has just one yearling at Doncaster [219] but he could be an interesting sire judging by how his first yearlings were received at Arqana.

They came in different shapes and sizes last week, with Peter and Ross Doyle signing for a strapping colt from Anna Sundstrom's Coulonces draft for €80,000 in the August Sale catching the eye. Six of the seven yearlings by the G1 Commonwealth Cup winner sold for an average of €35,833 at the V2 Sale and it was notable that Richard Fahey, Jean-Claude Rouget and Sheik Sultan Al Khalifa featured among the list of buyers at V2. 

Standing at Montfort et Preaux for €8,000, Golden Horde won't have many yearlings to represent him in Britain and Ireland this year. Along with lot 219, a filly consigned by Kildaragh Stud, Golden Horde has a couple of yearlings to sell at Book 3 at Tattersalls. 

Nevertheless, judging by his stock at Arqana, Golden Horde remains an interesting young sire at an affordable level.

Breeze-up Handlers Out In Force

Kenny Rogers famously said that one of the gambler's secrets to survival is knowing when to walk away from the table and there was plenty of that in France from the breeze-up fraternity. 

While Mick and Sarah Murphy from Longways Stables picked up five yearlings, Tally-Ho Stud added two and different operators like Matt Eves of Star Bloodstock were dotted around the sales results across both sales, the trip to Deauville didn't yield much for the majority of breeze-up handlers.

This will be the week where many operators buy their first breezers for the upcoming season and that will add to what is expected to be strong trade. 

Other Newbies To Note

We were provided with an early glimpse of the yearlings by Arizona (Ire), Kameko, Mohaather (GB), Threat (Ire), Without Parole (GB) and Shaman (Ire) at Arqana but Doncaster will mark the debut Far Above (Ire), King Of Change (GB), River Boyne (Ire) and Sands Of Mali (Fr).

Of that bunch, Mohaather could be the pick. His sole yearling failed to sell at the August Sale but he has a nice bunch of yearlings to go under the hammer this week and, with a foal average of over £40,000 last year, plenty can be expected from his yearlings.

 

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Elation For Etreham As Well-Bred Dubawi Filly Makes €2.4m 

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin

DEAUVILLE, France–As the co-breeder of the outstanding matriarch Urban Sea, Maurice Lagasse will forever be famed in the racing world but it is another family that has put his Gestut Zur Kuste in the spotlight of late, and on Saturday night his Dubawi (Ire) half-sister to two Group 1 winners topped the August Sale at €2.4 million.

Oliver St Lawrence is no stranger to plucking expensive yearlings from Arqana's flagship sale and it was his name on the docket for lot 214 after he outbid Anthony Stroud on behalf of Bahraini interests for the sibling of last weekend's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and his full-brother, the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner Wooded (Ire). The transaction put the seal on a memorable day for Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d'Etreham, who clinched the G2 Prix du Calvados with co-owner Craig Bernick and their filly Les Pavots (Ire) before racing back to the sales grounds to oversee a momentous evening for his Etreham draft, which consigned the filly on behalf of longstanding client Lagasse.

The filly's dam Frida La Blonde (Fr) is a daughter of the late Etreham stallion Elusive City and was co-bred by Lagasse before racing in his colours.

Reflecting on the family, and the filly's second dam Firm Friend (Affirmed), Lagasse said, “I loved her immensely. She was ordinary looking, but she broke her maiden at two at Evry, and she beat a very good filly in Sky Paradise, and then she won a Listed, she beat a Breeders' Cup winner in Lit De Justice, and a multiple graded stakes winner in Borodislew.  

He added of Frida La Blonde, “The dam is empty this year, but she should be going back to Wootton Bassett because Dubawi is too expensive.” 

 

After being slapped on the back by almost everyone who passed him on his way out of the ring, a beaming de Chambure added, “There was more excitement than pressure, and I'm glad she's going to a great home. Maurice was a friend of my grandfather and has been with us for many, many years, so it was a great thrill to have this filly for him.”

Etreham was also the vendor of Bucanero Fuerte at last year's sale, for €165,000 to Robson Aguiar, as well as €90,000 October graduate Wooded. 

St Lawrence, whose clients have purchased the filly as a future foundation mare, said, “She is a nice filly. She has her few little faults but so did her brother here last year. Hopefully he can go on and win a few more Group 1s; he won very easily the other day at the Curragh.”

He added, “We knew that she had to be making somewhere around two million-plus. I don't know how much more was in the tank. She's worth virtually that if she wins an ordinary race.”

The Sons Also Rise

It wasn't just the progeny of Dubawi that was in high demand as his stallion sons Night Of Thunder (Ire) and Ghaiyyath (Ire) played star roles with yearlings selling for €660,000 and €600,000 respectively. 

The Night Of Thunder colt (196) was consigned by Ecurie des Monceaux on behalf of breeder Guy Heald and benefited from a major recent update when his three-parts-brother Arabian Crown (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), who made €600,000 at this sale 12 months ago, won the Stonehenge S. for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby on Wednesday. 

The future looks bright for Classic candidate Arabian Crown, as indeed it does for the stallion sons of Dubawi, with Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown lauding Night Of Thunder after signing for the colt on behalf of his existing and successful client.

He said, “I thought this was an absolute smasher. Night Of Thunder, for me, is a stallion who is going to explode in the next few years. The mare has done it all–she had a very impressive two-year-old winner by Dubawi the other day.”

Blandford Bloodstock has signed for four yearlings for a total spend of €2,180,000 over the past two days and Brown added, “This colt has come from an exceptional farm. I haven't bought many horses from Henri [Bozo] over the years because I haven't been able to but the record of Monceaux speaks for itself. He's for the same existing client and he will go back to England and then we will make plans.”

It was Anthony Stroud, buying on behalf of Godolphin, who snapped up the Ghaiyyath colt from Haras des Capucines for €600,000. Out of Dubai Opera (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), an own-sister to Group 3 winner Lockwood (Ire), lot 195 was the third yearling Godolphin bought from as many offerings by the stallion on the day, having snapped up lot 176 and 160 earlier in the session. That worked out at a total spend of €1,365,000 on yearlings by Ghaiyyath by the powerful operation. 

 

 

Day Two Talking Points

  • The figures were similarly strong to those posted on Friday. Comparing Saturday's trade to the corresponding day 12 months ago, the aggregate, average, median and clearance rate all climbed. Of the 82 lots offered on Saturday, 70 were sold, resulting in an 85% clearance rate compared to 81% in 2022. The average also rose 2.6% to €239,914 and the aggregate was up 10.49% to €16,794,000.
  • Al Shaqab has certainly made its presence felt over the past few days. Sheikh Joaan Al Thani has been spotted on the sales ground and he clearly means business given the operation has already added eight yearlings for a total spend of €2,885,000.
  • Godolphin's support of Ghaiyyath (Ire) was noticeable with the operation signing for all three yearlings by the Darley freshman stallion for €1,365,000.
  • It was perhaps unsurprising for a sale held in Blue Rose Cen's home country, but the progeny of Churchill (Ire) held up well. He's hot at the moment, which was evident in the fact that three of his yearlings sold for an average of €226,667.
  • Helped by the rip-roaring €525,000 sale of the Sottsass (Fr) colt by Coulonces to Mitsu Nakauchida, the progeny of the Arc winner continued to make a big impression among buyers. He's had eight yearlings sell for an average of €227,125, which sees him performing favourably against a lot of proven sires.
  • It shouldn't go unnoticed the excellent start that Pinatubo (Ire) has made, either. He's holding up at a rock-solid €207,857 for seven yearlings sold over the past two days.
  • Romanised had just one horse in the sale but it was a notable one with a filly by the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Jacques le Marois winner, who stands at Haras de Bouquetot for €7,000, making €170,000 to Haras de Meautry. In an era where high-class sprinters are rushed off to stud much quicker than even classy milers like Romanised, it would be nice to see the former Ken Condon-trained star do well at stud. 

Family Ties Run Deep for Coulonces and Sottsass

As the last yearlings by the late Le Havre (Ire) go through the ring in Arqana, there was a special moment for his breeders the Sundstrom family, who, in partnership with long-term friend Charlotte Hutchinson, bred the most expensive member of the first crop of Sottsass (Fr). The colt (lot 183) out of Dalakania (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) will race in Japan after being bought by trainer Mitsu Nakauchida for €525,000.

Like Le Havre, Sottsass won the Prix du Jockey Club, and he also has close ties to Anna Sundstrom's Coulonces operation, in which she is assisted by her daughters Moa and Lillie.

“I thought Sottsass was one of the most tremendous racehorses, but also, when Moa was little, the first mare that she presented [at the sales] was Premiere Creation, who is the dam of the dam of Sottsass. So the dam of Sottsass was born at our place,” said Sundstrom. 

“It's been an amazing family and when we do our matings with Charlotte we take into account a lot of things that we think will be good for us. It's not always about the market, and this was very close to the heart.”

She continued, “Sottsass is a beautiful horse and we really wanted to use him. When [this colt] was born we then decided that we had to cover another mare with him and we have a stunning foal out of a Wildenstein mare that will come here next year, and we have mares in foal to Sottsass. There's a lot of emotion behind these coverings, there's always a story behind it.”

 

Wiping away tears, she added, “It's life-changing. [This colt is] so much like Le Havre. He has the same intelligence. I can't wait to see him run.”

Charlotte Hutchinson was for a long time a familiar face on the French scene and an integral part of Coulonces Sales. In recent years she has returned home to England but still keeps six mares in partnership with Sundstrom, including Dalakania, whom they bought from the Wertheimer family in 2014 for €16,000.

 “We have a long history and the whole team at Coulonces has done a great job prepping him. They are excellent at what they do,” Hutchinson said after making a star guest appearance on the shank to take the Sottsass colt through the ring, her smile growing wider as he neared his final sale price.

“Anna has made it possible for all of us. I'm working back at home with my family on the farm but it's nice to come back and be part of the team again.”

Superpowers Do Battle for Bourgeauville's Colt

Juddmonte and Godolphin locked horns for a colt by Camelot (GB) from the select draft of his breeder Haras de Bourgeauville, with Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge having the final say at €520,000 for lot 154.

The colt is the second foal of the treble winner Bella Bollide (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), herself a half-sister to Es Que (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), the dam of three group winners. The third dam Bellarida (Fr) (Bellypha {GB}) has also produced the Group 3 winner In Clover (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), who in turn is the dam of three Group 1 winners for George Strawbridge, including We Are (Ire) (Dansili {GB}).

“He's been very popular the whole five days he's been here,” said Philip Lybeck, who runs Haras de Bourgeauville with his parents Amelie and Robert Ehrnrooth. The family moved to France from their native Finland, and the farm close to Deauville has been in their ownership from 1992. 

Lybeck continued, “He's a homebred and his dam is a homebred, so it's now the second generation. We've had a lot of the family and we still have. It was two superpowers involved in the bidding and we are delighted that we could breed a horse good enough to attract them.”

He added, “We're the only Finnish Thoroughbred breeders in the world as far as we know.”

 

 

The Next Blue Rose Cen? 

Superstar French filly Blue Rose Cen (Ire) has done her bit to raise the profile of Churchill (Ire) by storming to three Group 1 successes and American bloodstock agent Ben Gowans is hoping that he found the latest top-class filly by the sire on Saturday.

Gowans went to €340,000 to secure Camas Park Stud's Churchill filly [lot 151], who is a half-sister to six individual winners, including the Grade I winner Bayrir (Fr) (Medicean {GB}).

Gowans purchased the Churchill filly on behalf of Mark Grier, who was a late non-runner on the trip to Deauvlle for the sale due to illness, but the owner won't have to wait long to see his latest acquisition given she will race in America. 

Gowans said, “I work for Gainesway and they are very nice to allow me to do some business on the side. We are here for the first time on behalf of Mark Grier, who lives in New Jersey in the United States, and they have long been planning on coming over here to experience the sale. Unfortunately, Mark was diagnosed with Lyme Disease a few weeks ago so he couldn't make the sale, but his wife Jackie and son Jack are here and are having a great time. We're pretty happy with the filly we have bought them.”

He added, “Obviously Blue Rose Cen is a very good filly and Churchill seems to do well with fillies in particular. His stock is rising at the moment. This is a strong and athletic filly. She is well built and moves well. She's got the pedigree and she's got the looks. She will go back to America and she'll go to Arnaud Delacour in Fair Hill.”

Buy of the Day

By Brian Sheerin

Lot 168, B, C, Persian King (Ire)-Cap Verite (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire})
Vendor: La Motteraye Consignment
Buyer: Joseph O'Brien
Price: €70,000

Joseph O'Brien may have got himself a bit of value in lot 168, a nice colt by Persian King (Ire), who fetched €70,000. 

There is a lot to like about this colt on pedigree and looks. Offered by the La Motteraye Consignment, he is out of the listed winner Cap Verite (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and hails from a deep black-type family that includes the brilliant Tally-Ho Stud-based sire Mehmas (Ire).

A big-walking son of the French 2,000 Guineas winner, lot 168 boasts a big hip, plenty of power, and looks sure to run at two, but is likely to progress beyond his juvenile season. 

He has gone to one of the best hotels there is and is probably one to make a note of with regards to an Irish maiden this time next year or even beforehand. 

Of the nine Persian Kings to sell here at Arqana over the past two days, they have averaged €74,556, with Freddy Head going to €160,000 for a filly by him and Peter and Ross Doyle paying €135,000 for a colt by the freshman sire. 

Time might prove that the €70,000 outlay of O'Brien, operating at such a competitive sale, as being a decent bit of business for the horses purchased under the €100,000 bracket this week. 

Of those that made a lot more, the Sottsass (Fr) colt sold by Coulonces to Mitsu Nakauchida for €525,000 really was a belter. It will be fascinating to follow his career in Japan and he could be a high-class colt. 



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