Saxon Warrior | Horse Racing Free Tips

Value Sires: First Yearlings of 2021

In the third installation of our Value Sires series, we will dig into the sire crop with its first foals born in 2020, and therefore with its first yearlings this year. After some two years in waiting since most of these retired to stud, the judges got the chance at the recently concluded foal sales to lay eyes on the first progeny of most of them, and though it is still incredibly early days, their opinions, corroborated through their actions in the ring, will have an impact on the perception of these horses and the support they receive in their crucial third and fourth seasons.

It is interesting to note that the top four first-season sires by average at the European foal sales in 2020 were all born abroad, and are all by sires that stand outside Europe. It’s not like any of them have snuck up on us, of course-Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy), Zoustar (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}) and US Navy Flag (War Front) were four of the top five most expensive horses of their crop to retire to stud in 2019. But it is affirmation of the global nature of the game.

We noted in our prior edition of Value Sires that all bar three of the 18 sires with their first foals to be born in 2021 are taking fee cuts, and the nature of the pandemic and the global economic uncertainty means of course that much of this sire crop, too, has had its fees reduced.

Leading the way on first-crop foal sale averages was Coolmore’s G1 Racing Post Trophy and G1 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior, who had 16 sold for an average of €108,315/£98,679-3.6x his debut stud fee of €30,000, and he was the only member this sire crop to crack six figures on foal sale averages. His median of €82,502/£75,162 was 2.75x his fee. Saxon Warrior had 94 foals registered from his first crop and covered a further 166 mares last year at a fee of €27,500, and he stands for €20,000 in 2021.

Unbeaten in three starts at two, Saxon Warrior won the G2 Beresford S. before besting Roaring Lion in the Racing Post Trophy. He once again bettered that rival as well as the likes of Derby winner Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and GI Breeders’ Cup Mile victor Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) in the Guineas first up at three. Though that proved his final win, Saxon Warrior put in fine performances in some of Europe’s greatest races over the remainder of the summer, including second-place finishes by a neck to Roaring Lion in both the G1 Coral-Eclipse and G1 Irish Champion S. Saxon Warrior is the second foal out of the G1 Moyglare Stud S.-winning and Classic-placed Maybe (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who, after a stint in America to visit American Pharoah and War Front, returned to Japan and produced a full-brother to Saxon Warrior in 2020. Maybe is herself out of Sumora (Ire) (Danehill), a three-quarter-sister to G1 Oaks winner and multiple stakes producer Dancing Rain (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), while sires Dr Devious (Ire) and Shinko King (Ire) and last year’s G1 Irish Oaks winner Even So (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) appear under the third dam.

Second on the first-crop foal sale averages was Horse of the Year Roaring Lion, who tragically died in the summer of 2019 after covering a book of 133 mares that resulted in 90 registered foals for a fee of £40,000 at Tweenhills Stud. Roaring Lion’s eight foals sold at the sales averaged €69,603/€63,411, with a median of €62,272/£56,732. While his legacy will be sadly fleeting, he nonetheless has an excellent chance to make a last impact, with Group 1 winners Bateel (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Giofra (GB) (Dansili {GB}), Golden Lilac (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Simple Verse (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) among those to have produced by him, as well as excellent young mares like Kiyoshi (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Purr Along (GB) (Mount Nelson {GB}) and Wekeela (Fr) (Hurricane Run {Ire}).

The team at Tweenhills are afforded some consolation by the fact that they have another exciting young sire among this group, the Australian shuttler Zoustar (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}). Zoustar’s popularity in his first season shuttling was such that he sired 102 foals in his first crop, and he covered a further 124 mares last year. Zoustar started at £25,000 in 2019, took a rare second-season fee hike last year to £30,000 and is back down to £25,000 in 2021. His 18 first-crop foals sold at the breeding stock sales averaged €67,281/£61,295, 2.7x his stud fee, with a median of €49,971/£45,525, 2x his stud fee.

The team at Qatar Bloodstock, which had bought into Zoustar during his racing career, made the strategic decision to not shuttle the horse until he had proven himself Down Under, and that decision has paid dividends, with Zoustar having an excellent body of work behind him in his homeland before he even set foot on UK soil. Zoustar won two key sire-making races in Australia, the G1 Golden Rose S. and G1 Coolmore Stud S., over seven and six furlongs at three, and it took him no time at all to fulfill that prophecy in the stud barn. He was far and away the leading first- and second-crop sire of his generation in Australia, and in his first season among the general sire ranks in 2019/20 wound up seventh with just three crops of racing age. Zoustar thus far has 16 stakes winners with his fourth crop of juveniles having just hit the racetracks Down Under, with 12 of those emanating from his first crop including his brilliant sprinting mare Sunlight (Aus), who led home a trifecta for her sire in the Coolmore Stud S. of 2018. Sunlight is one of five pattern race winners by Zoustar with dams or second dams by Sadler’s Wells or Danehill, which bodes well for the European broodmare population.

European breeders may be less familiar with Zoustar’s sire Northern Meteor-another winner of the Coolmore Stud S. who got off to a brilliant start at stud before an untimely death. He is a son of the excellent Australian sire Encosta de Lago (Aus), who is by Sadler’s Wells’s full-brother Fairy King, and out of a daughter of the influential American sire Fappiano. European breeders will be plenty familiar, however, with Zoustar’s damsire Redoute’s Choice (Aus), who not only hails from one of the most international families in the stud book but who is himself proven in the Northern Hemisphere through the likes of G1 Grosser Dallmayr Preis winner Danceteria and the excellent staying filly Enbihaar, the winner of five Group 2s.

Like Zoustar, US Navy Flag started out at €25,000 at Coolmore in 2019, and after dropping to €17,500 last year he is down to €12,500 for 2021. US Navy Flag’s 10 foals to sell at the sales last year averaged €39,971/£36,415, with a median of €41,297/£37,623. Like Saxon Warrior, US Navy Flag is out of a Group 1-winning daughter of Galileo, his dam being the four-time Group 1 and Classic winner Misty For Me (Ire), a full-sister to the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac scorer Ballydoyle (Ire) who has also produced the triple Group 1 winner Roly Poly (War Front). US Navy Flag’s second dam, Butterfly Cove (Storm Cat), is a half-sister to the dual Group 1-winning juvenile and sire Fasliyev (Nureyev).

US Navy Flag embodied the precocity his pedigree suggested he should. He ran a remarkable 11 times at a 2-year-old, finishing worse than fourth just twice and winning the G1 Middle Park S. and the G1 Dewhurst S. over his subsequent GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf-winning stablemate Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy). US Navy Flag returned at three to win the G1 July Cup in a performance that was a joint career-best with his Dewhurst win (RPR 122). He sired 60 first-crop foals last year and covered an additional 143 mares in his second book.

Darley’s Champions

Rounding out the top five first-crop sires by average at the foal sales last year was Darley’s Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who had 16 foals sell for an average of €35,958/£32,759. Cracksman has stood for £25,000 the past two seasons and is down to £17,500 for 2021.

Cracksman has earned the gold medal on the value sire podium in this column the past two years based on his racetrack merits; he was one of the best racehorses we’ve seen in the past 10 years, his official rating of 130 trailing only Frankel (140), Sea The Stars (Ire) (136) and Harbinger (135) among European colts in the past decade.

A debut winner in October of his 2-year-old campaign, Cracksman won an Epsom Derby trial conditions race next out before finishing a length off Wings Of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}) when third in the Derby in his third start. He split that rival and the winning Capri (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Irish Derby before embarking on a three-race win streak that began with the G2 Great Voltigeur S. and G2 Prix Niel and culminated in a seven-length score in the G1 Champion S. (RPR 131), good enough to earn him champion 3-year-old honours at the Cartier awards.

Cracksman added victories in the G1 Prix Ganay and G1 Coronation Cup and a title defense in the G1 Champion S.-in which he won by six lengths, equaling his RPR of 131 from the year prior-at four. He packs plenty of power on pedigree, too, being out of the stakes-winning and multiple stakes-producing Pivotal (GB) mare Rhadegunda (GB), who is herself a granddaughter of the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Sussex S. scorer On The House (Be My Guest). Cracksman sired 98 first-crop foals last year and covered 112 mares in his second book.

Cracksman is joined at Dalham Hall by another Cartier champion in Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). A half-brother to the G2 Mill Reef S. victor Pierre Lapin (Ire) (Cappella Sansevero {GB}) out of Beatrix Potter (Ire) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}), a half-sister to Hong Kong star Xtension (Ire) (Xaar {GB}), Harry Angel was a sprinter of the highest quality. He also won the Mill Reef at two and leapt into the big leagues at three with back-to-back scores in the G1 July Cup and G1 Sprint Cup. Harry Angel has had 89 foals reported from his first crop and bred an additional 98 mares last year. After standing for £20,000 his first two seasons, Harry Angel is down to £12,500.

Expert Selection

Another young Group 1 winner who has been well supported is Juddmonte’s GI Breeders’ Cup Mile scorer Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), who has 96 first-crop foals and covered 105 mares in his second book including a handful of Juddmonte bluebloods. Expert Eye was precocious enough to win the G2 Vintage S. at two, and add the G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot by 4 1/2 lengths and the G3 City Of York S. before shipping to Churchill Downs to take the Breeders’ Cup Mile. There have been fewer sire lines hotter than Acclamation as of late, he having supplied the likes of Dark Angel and Mehmas (Ire), and Expert Eye has the female side to match; his dam Exemplify (GB) (Dansili {GB}) is a half-sister to champion and dual Classic winner Special Duty (GB) (Hennessy), and it is also the family of multiple Grade I winners Sightseek (Distant View) and Tates Creek (Rahy). Expert Eye is down to £12,500 after standing for £20,000 and £17,500, with his first-crop foals (22 sold) having averaged €35,857/£32,667.

Completing the Coolmore clan with its first yearlings in 2021 are the Castlehyde Stud duo of Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy) and Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Sioux Nation shares a likeness with No Nay Never not only through their sire by also through the fact that they both won the G2 Norfolk S. at two and followed it up with a Group 1 score; for No Nay Never it was the Prix Morny, and for Sioux Nation it was the Phoenix S. Both also trained on to win Group 3 sprints at three, and Sioux Nation was just three quarters of a length behind Havana Grey (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) when third in the G1 Flying Five S. Sioux Nation was the busiest first-season flat sire in Britain and Ireland last year, covering 241 mares which yielded a first crop of 133 foals. His second book numbered 158 mares. Sioux Nation was well received at the foal sales, his 28 sold averaging €29,622/£26,987, 2.4x his opening stud fee of €12,500. Sioux Nation, who is out of the Oasis Dream (GB) mare Dream The Blues (Ire), is down to €10,000 for 2021.

Gustav Klimt hails from the same Galileo over Danehill cross that has produced the excellent sires Frankel and Teofilo. His race record didn’t nearly hit the heights of either of those two, but nonetheless he won the G2 Superlative S. at two and, in addition to taking the Listed 2000 Guineas Trial S. at Leopardstown at three, placed in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, the G1 St James’s Palace S., G1 Prix Jean Prat and G1 Sprint Cup during a busy 10-race 3-year-old campaign. Gustav Klimt has a sire’s pedigree, too, being out of Massarra (GB), who has produced five stakes winners and is herself a daughter of Rafha (GB) (Kris {GB}), the dam of Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Kodiac (GB). It is also the family of Pride Of Dubai (Aus), who made an eye-catching start with his first 2-year-olds last year, and future sire power could be added to the page by not only Gustav Klimt but also Pinatubo (Ire), who is the most expensive first-season sire of 2021, and James Garfield (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), who also stands his second season in 2021. Gustav Klimt is down to €4,000 after standing for €7,500 and €6,500 the past two seasons.

Rathbarry Stud’s James Garfield bested Invincible Army (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the G2 Mill Reef S. in 2017 and trained on to beat Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) in the G3 Greenham S. before being beaten a half-length in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. He had 45 first-crop foals last year before covering another 31 mares and is down to €4,000 from an opening fee of €7,000.

Speed Proves Popular

Whitsbury Manor Stud’s Havana Grey (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) was the busiest of this sire crop at the foal sales last year, with 44 offered and 36 sold for an average of €26,161/£23,834 (3.3x his opening fee of £8,000) and a median of €18,812/£17,139. His first crop numbered 108 foals, and he maintained his popularity when covering a further 130 mares in 2020 dropped to £6,500. He is available for £6,000 this year. From the family of the great Al Bahathri (Blushing Groom {Fr}) and her sire son Haafhd (GB) (Alhaarth {Ire}), Havana Grey is out of the Dark Angel (Ire) mare Blanc de Chine (Ire). He is best remembered for his victory at three in the G1 Flying Five S. over the likes of Sioux Nation, but he was also prolific at two, running eight times and winning the G3 Molecomb S., two listed contests and finishing second in the G1 Prix Morny.

Havana Grey looks to follow in the footsteps of Whitsbury Manor incumbent Showcasing, and it is a son of his, Tasleet (GB), who represents Shadwell here. Tasleet turned heads at the mare sales in 2019, his first in-foal mares selling for an average of 5.3x his opening fee of £6,000. The G3 Greenham S. and G2 Duke of York Clipper Logistics S. winner remained popular at the foal sales last year, with 17 sold averaging 3.8x his fee at €22,834/£20,803 and returning a median 3.3x his fee at €19,605/£17,861. Tasleet’s dam Bird Key (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) is a half-sister to the dam of Sheikh Hamdan’s outstanding sprinter Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who continued to enhance the page last year with wins in the G1 King’s Stand S., G1 Nunthorpe S. and G2 King George S. While Tasleet can’t claim to have reached the racecourse status of that illustrious relative, he has some upside down to £5,000 in 2021. He ran six times at two and was a listed winner and placed in the G2 Richmond S. and G3 Somerville Tattersall S. before winning a three-runner Greenham S. when it was switched to Chelmsford’s all-weather course in 2016. Despite running just once more at three he returned at four to win the Duke of York before finishing second in three Group 1s-the Diamond Jubilee, Sprint Cup and British Champions Sprint S. Tasleet has a first crop of 63 foals and covered 51 mares last year.

Another Shadwell-bred among this crop is Massaat (Ire), a son of the red-hot Teofilo (Ire) who stands at Mickley Stud for £4,000, down from £5,000 the last two seasons. Massaat finished second to Air Force Blue (War Front) in the G1 Dewhurst S. in his third start and confirmed that form by finishing second to Galileo Gold (Ire) (Paco Boy {GB}) in the G1 2000 Guineas before going on to win the G2 Hungerford S. at four and finish third in the G1 Prix du Moulin. Massaat boasts a page littered with high-class runners; he is a half-brother to G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Eqtidaar (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who has his first foals in 2021, and last year’s G3 Horris Hill S. scorer Mujbar (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}). His dam, Madany (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) is a half-sister to the four-times stakes producer Zeiting (Ire) (Zieten), who is also the second dam of French Classic winner Precieuse (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}).

If toughness is what you’re after, Bearstone Stud’s Washington DC (Ire) may be the way to look. The son of Zoffany (Ire) ran 32 times over four seasons on the track and won a stake in all but his final year. Washington DC won the Listed Windsor Castle S. at Royal Ascot and was second to champion Air Force Blue (War Front) in the G1 Phoenix S., and went on to win two listed races and place in two Group 1s and an overall five pattern races in 11 starts at three before registering a career high at four in the G3 Phoenix Sprint S. His first foals earned plaudits at the foal sales, too, averaging 3.9x his opening fee of £6,000 at €23,376/£21,296. After standing for £5,000 in 2020, Washington DC is down to £4,500 in 2021.

Tweenhills’s Lightning Spear (GB) is down to £5,000 from an opening fee of £8,500. Lightning Spear won his lone starts at two and three, but he didn’t truly get going until four. From that point, he rarely had an off day through his 7-year-old campaign, and after winning the G2 Celebration Mile at five and six and placing six times in Group 1s, he at last got that elusive top level prize to his name when beating Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) in the G1 Sussex S. in 2018. Free of Northern Dancer in his first three generations, he is a son of the influential Pivotal.

Though he is down to £3,000 for 2021, the National Stud’s G2 Coventry S. scorer Rajasinghe (Ire) (Choisir {Ire}) turned heads at the foal sales last year; off a debut fee of £5,000, his six first-crop offerings brought 50,000gns, 46,000gns, 37,000gns, etc. for an average of €33,936/£30,941 that was 6.8x his stud fee, and a median of €32,827/£29,906.

Irish Value

Available for €5,000 in Ireland this year are Kessaar (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Smooth Daddy (Ire) (Scat Daddy). Kessaar was Ireland’s busiest first-season sire in 2019 standing outside the Coolmore banner, with a book of 97 mares at Tally-Ho Stud yielding 75 registered foals. Kessaar is the latest juvenile group winner to be ushered off to stud after early success on the racecourse, he having won the G3 Sirenia S. and the G2 Mill Reef S. during a seven-race 2-year-old campaign. His second book dipped to 42 mares last year, but strong debuts by Kodiac sons Adaay (Ire), Kodi Bear (Ire), Prince Of Lir (Ire) and Coulsty (Ire) last year alone should ensure Kessaar still has his fans, especially as he dips from an opening price of €8,000 to €5,000.

Smooth Daddy will have the weight of numbers against him on the racecourse, having sired 25 foals in his first crop before covering a further 37 last year at Starfield Stud, but what he does have going for him is that he is a graded stakes-winning son of Scat Daddy who was tough and sound throughout a five-year, 32-start career, the highlight of which was a win in the GIII Fort Marcy S. going 1800 metres on the turf over Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).

Unfortunately (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}), winner of the G1 Prix Morny and G2 Prix Robert Papin at two and the G3 Renaissance S. at three, stands for €4,500 at Oak Lodge Stud in Ireland. He has 32 first crop foals and covered 50 mares in 2020 with substantial support from his joint owners Cheveley Park Stud and Linda and Reddy Coffey.

Group 1 Winners In France

France welcomed a pair of classy Group 1 winners in 2019, and heading those on fee at the time was Haras du Quesnay’s Recoletos (Fr) (Whipper). The G1 Prix d’Ispahan and G1 Prix du Moulin scorer debuted at €8,000 and is down to €6,500 in 2021, and he is a classy individual that trained on to win a further four pattern races after defeating the future G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Waldgeist (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G2 Prix Greffulhe at three and finishing third in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club. Recoletos retired with a rating of 121 and hails from a stout family; in addition to being a half-brother to the dual pattern race winner Castellar (Fr) (American Post {GB}), he is a grandson of Pharatta (Ire) (Fairy King), a graded/group winner in Britain and America and is also related to the dual Derby winner Shahrastani (Nijinsky).

On both pedigree and race record one has to imagine that Haras du Logis’s Cloth Of Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) has a great chance to stand for much more than €7,000 down the road. The winner of the G3 Prix des Chenes in his second start at two before finishing second in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, Cloth Of Stars won the G3 Prix la Force and G2 Prix Greffulhe during a four-race 3-year-old campaign. He returned at four to win the G3 Prix Exbury, G2 Prix d’Harcourt and G1 Prix Ganay consecutively before finishing second to Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the Arc, and he came back the following October to fill third in the great race, and on both occasions was the first colt across the line in the Arc. Cloth Of Stars retired as a tough, consistent Group 1 winner rated 123 and holds further clout as a sire prospect being out of a full-sister to Oaks winner Light Shift and a half to G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Shiva (Jpn) (Hector Protector), both of whom are excellent producers.

Haras De La Haie Neuve offers Seahenge, a $750,000 yearling by Scat Daddy, for €4,000, down from €5,000. Seahenge won the G2 Champagne S. at two and was third in the G1 Dewhurst S., and is one of four stakes horses out of the listed-winning Fools In Love (Not For Love), those also including last year’s GI Belmont S. and GI Runhappy Travers S. third Max Player (Honor Code). Another son of Scat Daddy available in France for €5,000 this year is the 1700m GIII Pilgrim S. winner Seabhac, who is enshrined at Haras de Saint Arnoult.

Germany’s flagbearer of this sire crop is the nation’s 2016 Horse of the Year Iquitos (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), who stands at Gestut Ammerland for €6,000. Iquitos was Group 3 placed at three but really got going the following season when he won the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden and the G2 Grosser Preis der Badischen. First or second in all but two of his seven starts at five, Iquitos added the G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis and was twice second at Group 1 level. The bay wrapped up a prolific career with a victory over Defoe (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) in the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern in November of 2018.

Value Podium

Gold: Cracksman (£17,500) – he has occupied this space the last two years and deserves to more than ever down in price. One of the best colts we’ve seen of the past 10 years.

Silver: Expert Eye (£12,500) – a world-class Group 1 winner by sire-maker Acclamation. Juddmonte rarely misses the mark.

Bronze: Havana Grey (£6,000) – a quality sprinter at two and three who was popular at the foal sales and has the book sizes to sustain him.

The post Value Sires: First Yearlings of 2021 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Barberini Lands Goffs Topper

KILDARE, Ireland–Different day, different trade. As expected, business at Goffs on Saturday proved a good bit more lively as pin-hookers and end users alike did battle for some quality foals. Although last year’s corresponding top price of €135,000 was exceeded by a €155,000 Sea The Stars (Ire) filly foal, other sale indicators suggest the market continues to struggle in the face of uncontrollable circumstances. The clearance rate of 79%, while considerably improved from Friday was still a little shy of last year’s 86%. Similarly, the aggregate of €4,855,900, average of €27,907 and median of €20,000 all failed to keep tabs on 2019’s figures, though these numbers are still perfectly respectable in the current grand scheme of things.

Lot 451, the only foal by Sea The Stars catalogued on the day, was bound to attract a lot of interest and, when the filly in question hails from the immediate family of the Gilltown stallion’s brilliant but ill-fated daughter Sea Of Class (Ire), then it was no surprise that agent Federico Barberini was pushed to €155,000 to secure the Oak Lodge & Springfield House Stud consigned foal. The Razza Del Velino bred filly is out of Mooney Ridge (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), a half-sister to G1 Irish Oaks winner Sea Of Class who is already the dam of two stakes performers in Italy.

Barberini, acting for an undisclosed client, said, “She has been bought to race and her page speaks for itself. She has lots of residual value and her 2-year-old half-brother by Australia (GB) is highly regarded.”

A return to a sale ring next year is also not the plan for Lot 354 rather a racing career in Sheikh Hamdan’s silks is in store as the son of Whitsbury Manor Stud stallion Havana Grey (GB) was knocked down to Shadwell’s Stephen Collins for €135,000. The grey colt is a half-brother to Martyn Meade’s quality sprinter Method (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and his yearling half-brother by Belardo (Ire) sold at the Orby Sale in Doncaster for £60,000.

After getting the better of a series of determined bids from Ger Morrin Collins said, “He was our pick of today. He is a very nice colt, forward, mature and athletic with a great attitude. He will go to Derrinstown to be raised and we’ll start to think about where to send him this time next year.”

The sale was a fine return for breeder Michael Phelan of Pipe View Stud in Kilkenny with the foal bred from the inexpensive mare Darsan (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) off an advertised 2019 covering fee of £8,000.

The Mehmas (Ire) factor kicked in with Lot 512 when the Morrin family’s Pier House Stud dug in to acquire the first foal out of unraced Single Thought (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) for €130,000.

It was a huge result for breeder Mick Buckley who consigned the colt foal through his Curragh based Harefield Cottage Stud and who picked up the dam for very small money at Tattersalls in 2018.

“I’m delighted, absolutely over the moon,” said Buckley. “He is a lovely horse and a lot of it is a case of the right sire at the right time. I think I got lucky at Tattersalls when I bought the mare as England were playing in the semi-final of the World Cup when she went through the ring and a lot of people were pre-occupied and I managed to get her for 2,000gns. My luck didn’t end there as when I brought her to Tally-Ho to get covered by Kessaar (Ire), my original choice, he was busy so I had to make do with Mehmas! Lots of luck involved but there can be plenty of bad luck in this game, so I’ll gladly take today’s result. All the right people liked him, he vetted well and I’m delighted he is going to a good home and I hope he is lucky for the Morrins. He’ll be a right bull of a yearling next year and I look forward to seeing him wherever he turns up,” Buckley added.

Coolmore stallion Saxon Warrior (Jpn)’s first foal to be offered at Goffs was certainly well received and Lot 329 was eventually knocked down to MAB Agency and Larry Stratton for €88,000. The Castlebridge consigned bay filly is the first produce out of Cascella (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), who in turn is out of the multiple stakes winner Lily’s Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Another Coolmore sire to have a good day was Australia (GB) and Luke Barry of Manister House Stud will be monitoring the American racing results with interest over the coming months after parting with €80,000 to purchase a son of the Classic stallion from Irish Emerald Stud. Lot 301 is a full-brother to Counterparty Risk (Ire), who broke her maiden last month at Aqueduct for the powerful combination of Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables.

Bigger targets will no doubt await that 3-year-old filly having cost 325,000 gns as a yearling at Tattersalls and this colt’s page, which already features GI Canadian International winner Sarah Lynx (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) could look even better in 10 months’ time. For breeder and vendor Irish Emerald Stud it was a fantastic result having purchased the 11-year-old mare Anklet (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) at Tattersalls 12 months ago carrying this foal for just 18,000gns. While obviously delighted with the price, Gary Duffy, owner of Kildare based Irish Emerald Stud said he wouldn’t have been surprised if the colt had made even more.

“He is a cracking foal and it’s a great pedigree, so I was expecting him to be popular,” said Duffy. “Luckily for me Australia had hit a bit of a flat spot this time last year and the mare was at a bit of a crossroads, so I was able to get her for what is now great value. Australia then had plenty of good success on the track this year and the filly winning in America was also a great help and I believe there are plans to run her in a Grade I. The mare is in foal to Ribchester (Ire) but after today, and with Counterparty Risk, I’d say she’ll have to go back to Australia (GB).”

Baroda Stud also found favour with an Australia colt when selling Lot 504, a half-brother to the stakes-placed American Lady (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) for €72,000 before making an impact as a purchaser when buying lot 530 for €90,000. This colt by Teofilo (Ire) was consigned by Clare Manning’s Boherguy Stud on behalf of her grandfather Jim Bolger and is a full-brother to the smart stakes placed 3-year-old Agitare (Ire).

Friday’s top price was equaled early Saturday morning when the fourth foal into the ring, Lot 291 was bought by BBA Ireland’s Eamonn Reilly for €75,000. By the ever popular Dandy Man (Ire) the Milestream Stud offered colt is the second produce out of the Raven’s Pass mare Zehrah (Ire), who is a half-sister to stakes winner Sameem (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}).

Another Dandy Man (Ire) colt, Lot 380 fetched the same price of €75,000 when selling to Yeomanstown Stud. Offered by Airdreigh Stud the colt is out of Fancy Feathers (Ire) whose five winners to date include the stakes winner Elnadim Star (Ire) (Elnadim). Not long after Joe Foley rowed in to support his own stallion when going to €67,000 to buy J.P Condren’s son of Dandy Man, Lot 428 before yet another Dandy Man colt, Lot 464, out of a winning half-sister to G2 Queen Mary S. winner Elletelle (Ire) (Elnadim) was knocked down to Euro Ventures for €72,000. Rounding off a quintet of high end foals by the super dependable sire lot 491 from Ballinacurra Stud also reached the €72,000 mark when selling, like a previous one by the stallion, to Yeomanstown Stud. That quintet grew to a sextet late in the day when one of the bravest pin-hookers in the business Philip Stauffenberg gave €72,000 for Oak Leaf Stud’s Dandy Man filly (Lot 525) from the family of Quarter Moon (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells).

Some much needed festive cheer will be added to Sunday’s session when well known sales groom Brenda Shortt will don a Mrs. Claus outfit while leading up the final foal in the sale Lot 759, a Dark Angel (Ire) colt offered by the McEnery’s Vinesgrove Stud. Shortt is raising money for mental health in a year that has been understandably tough for so many. To contributions to the worthy cause, click here.

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Dubawi Stars At Foal Sale Friday

NEWMARKET, UK–When there are two Dubawi half-brothers to Group 1 winners in a foal catalogue, the chances are that they will attract the attention of Sheikh Mohammed and go close to topping the sale, and that was exactly how it played out at Tattersalls on Friday.

First up (lot 939) was the half-brother to the Irish champion 2-year-old filly Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy), brought to the sale from Ireland by his breeder Airlie Stud to head proceedings at 700,000gns. His price–100,000gns ahead of the top lot at last year’s sale–made him the second-most expensive colt foal to be sold at Tattersalls after the 2.5 million gns paid for Padua’s Pride (Ire), the brother to Derby winner Generous (Ire), in 1997.

“In all these decisions we are always trying to aim for quality,” said Anthony Stroud, who signed for the foal in the name of Godolphin. “He comes from a wonderful nursery in Airlie and obviously we absolutely love Dubawi. [The colt] was a very good-looking and athletic individual and both David [Loder] and I really liked him.”

Just a handful of lots later ( lot 944), Stroud was back in action in the freezing fog outside the ring, this time going to 600,000gns for the Dubawi colt out of Baisse (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}).

This half-brother to Godolphin’s G1 Cantala S. winner Best Of Days (GB) (Azamour {Ire}) didn’t have quite so far to travel as he was born at Luca and Sara Cumani’s Fittocks Stud just outside Newmarket and consigned by them to the sale on behalf of his breeder Gerhard Schoeningh.

“He has been a star ever since he was born,” said Sara Cumani. “He’s just a complete charmer. He had Grade 1 x-rays and a Grade 1 scope and we are delighted he’s gone to such a good home. We’re also delighted that we are even able to be here at the sale.”

The colt’s dam Baisse, a listed winner in Germany and a full-sister to G3 Dee S. winner Azmeel (GB), is a permanent boarder at Fittocks and is in foal to Frankel (GB). She will visit Sea The Moon (Ger) next season.

The sole Dubawi filly in the sale (lot 954) , a daughter of listed winner and G2 Oaks d’Italia runner-up Joyful Hope (GB) (Shamardal), was bought by Andreas Putsch’s Haras de Saint Pair for 310,000gns. Her dam is a sister to Italian champion 3-year-old Crackerjack King (Ire) and a half to his fellow Group 1 winners Jakkalberry (Ire) (Storming Home {GB}) and Awelmarduk (Ire) (Almutawakel {GB}).

These may be troubling times but it was easy to forget the woes of the outside world on a bumper day of trade at Tattersalls. Certainly, racing has issues to face post-pandemic but pinhookers appeared not to be deterred by the events of 2020 with some bold plays in the ring throughout a busy session. A total of 64 foals have sold for six-figure sums so far this week, most of those being offered on Friday, when the clearance rate rise to 87%. That came from the sale of 189 weanlings for an aggregate of 16,341,000gns (-4%). The average and median declined slightly but not to an overly concerning degree, settling at 86,460gns (-14%) and 57,000gns (-12%), respectively.

Alkumait’s Brother To Juddmonte

While Sheikh Mohammed recruited a pair of colts by his star stallion, Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms did the same with a brace of Frankel (GB) colts.

Whitsbury Manor Stud’s half-brother to this season’s G2 Mill Reef S. winner Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing{GB}) was the more expensive of the duo at 550,000gns, with Simon Mockridge outbidding David Redvers for the son of Suelita (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}).

“He is an incredibly well-balanced and strong foal,” Mockridge said. “The mare has already produced two very good horses and she suited Frankel. This is the kind of animal that we are looking for. We struggled to buy yearlings, they were making a lot of money. We have got two by Frankel today so we are very happy.”

Whitsbury Manor’s Chris Harper bought Suelita as a 4-year-old from Tattersalls in 2013 for 21,500gns. Her first mating with Cityscape (GB) resulted in listed winner The Broghie Man (GB) and she has also produced the listed-placed Gloves Lynch (GB) (Mukhadram {GB}). Alkumait was 220,000gns Book 1 yearling when sold to Shadwell and his full-sister sold last month in Book 1 for 200,000gns to Creighton Schwartz Bloodstock.

“Dad bought the mare and she’s the only mare he has bought in the last seven years,” said Ed Harper. “From the very first foal she has thrown nice horses. In the February of his 2-year-old career I remember getting a phone call from Brendan Duke, who trained The Broghie Man, saying I think you’ve bred a very good horse here. He wasn’t wrong.”

He added, “I’m so pleased Juddmonte have bought the colt. It is going to be so satisfying to see him in the pink and green. I am delighted and I really appreciate the fact they have bought him. I have to thank my staff, too.”

Suelita wasn’t covered this year as her foal was born on May 10, but the Harpers are considering a return to their home stallion Showcasing.

Juddmonte also bought lot 882, the Frankel colt out of Group 3 winner Divine (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), for 260,000gns from Voute Sales.

Lope De Vega In Demand – Again

Following a season in which Lope De Vega’s yearlings sold for an average price of more than £180,000, the demand for his stock showed no sign of abating at the foal sale, with six sold throughout the week so far for an average of 210,000gns.

The full-brother to G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner and young Irish National Stud stallion Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) was another to make the shortlist of Oneliner Stables and, at 300,000gns, is one of three foals bought by the Lowry family’s operation so far this week. Lot 854 was offered for sale by Newtown Stud on behalf of breeder Arild Faeste and his daughter Nina of Tourgar Bloodstock.

“He is very similar [to Phoenix Of Spain] in temperament and walk,” said Newtown’s Cathy Grassick, who was responsible for buying their dam, Lucky Clio (Ire) (Key Of Luck)–the first broodmare purchase for the Faeste family–at 17,000gns.

She continued, “They are unflappable, very athletic and that was what appealed about Phoenix. When he came to the sale he stepped up a gear and handled it really well, and so did this horse. I hope he is very lucky for the buyer, he is a lovely horse.”

Two of 11 purchases this week by Yeomanstown Stud were by Lope De Vega, including the half-brother to dual listed winner Khalid (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) at 260,000gns. The May-born colt (lot 878) was consigned by Church View Stables for breeder Spencer Chapman of Aston House Stud.

The current crop of foals were conceived when Lope De Vega’s fee was €80,000. He will stand for €125,000 in 2021.

Floors Stud Dispersal Continues

Lope De Vega also provided the highlight for the foal section of the part-dispersal of the stock of the Duke of Roxburghe’s Floors Stud when the colt out of Hibiscus (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 906) sold for 220,000gns, again to the team from Yeomanstown. His 7-year-old dam, who was a winner and listed-placed at three, is a sister to Godolphin’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Line Of Duty (Ire) and a half to Onassis (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who provided an update when winning the Listed October S. at Goodwood.

Seven foals were sold for the Duke’s family by Kiltinan Castle Stud for a total of 600,000gns, including an Invincible Spirit (Ire) filly (lot 905) from the family of Group 1 winners Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and St Mark’s Basilica (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). The daughter of Prance (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was bought by Blandford Bloodstock for 155,000gns.

Warrior Leads The Charge

Saxon Warrior (Jpn) is heading the freshman sires at the sale with nine sold for an average of 96,889gns. They were led by his Norris Bloodstock-consigned daughter of Archangel Gabriel (Arch), an unraced full-sister to Grade I winner Prince Arch. Offered as lot 835 on behalf of her breeders Hunscote Stud and Chris Humber, the filly had many admirers, including underbidders Gerard Lowry and Philippa Mains, but it was pinhooker Philipp Stauffenberg who placed the final bid of 280,000gns from outside the ring.

“I’m happy and sad really as she was by far the best foal we’ve ever had through our hands,” said Hunscote Stud manager Andy Lloyd. “Chris is marooned in Guernsey and Steven [Smith, Hunscote’s owner] is in France but they’ve both been watching online and will be delighted.”

He added, “We had a runner at Doncaster the day Saxon Warrior won the Racing Post Trophy and I remember Ryan Moore saying then what a special horse he was. I followed him closely and of course he won a really good Guineas.

“Norris Bloodstock did a very good job with her and Jenny is such a pleasure to deal with.”

Archangel Gabriel, whose half-siblings include the G1 National S. winner Kingsfort (War Chant), has had two foals to race to date, both of whom are winners, and her Kingman (GB) yearling colt was sold for 350,000gns during October Book 1 to Kevin Ryan.

“Physically she was an absolute stand-out,” said Stauffenberg of the filly foal. “She has real quality.”

Hunscote Stud later reinvested in a foal by Saxon Warrior’s old sparring partner Roaring Lion, signing for lot 923, a Tweenhills-consigned filly out of the dual winner Great Court (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}).

Ringfort Caps Golden Year

Derek and Gay Veitch of Ringfort Stud brought 14 foals to Newmarket and sold 13, finishing on a starry sextet for Friday which included the Belardo (Ire) half-brother to G2 Gimcrack S. winner Minzaal (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}).

Concluding the draft as lot 919, the son of Pardoven (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) elicited plenty of interest and brought a final bid of 280,000gns from agent Alex Elliott.

“We had three nice foals there and they all sold really well,” said Derek Veitch of his final batch through the ring, including a Cracksman (GB) filly (lot 917) bought for 92,000gns by Brendan Holland. “Everybody seems resilient in our industry,” he continued. “It’s a very workmanlike sale for certain sires and certain pedigrees but if you have a nice horse it’s very strong. A lot of people have turned up and it’s a different world here really.”

Throughout the summer, the Veitch family had plenty of excitement on the racecourse, even in a year when few people were allowed to go racing. Along with Minzaal, they also bred G2 Lowther S. Winner Miss Amulet (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) and the G2 Flying Childers winner Ubettebelieveit (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), both of whom were placed in Grade I contests at the Breeders’ Cup.

“It has been a superb racing year and that has topped it all off really well,” Veitch said. “It’s nice to be able to have a bit of success on the track and then to bring some nice foals to the sales and everybody sort of expects to see them. I hope I can keep up my own standards now. It’s nice when people support you and I am very appreciative of everybody who does.”

Pardoven is now in foal to Footstepsinthesand (GB), another stallion who has been kind to Veitch as the sire of the 2019 Gimcrack S. winner Threat (Ire), another Ringfort graduate.

He added, “I’m not sure where she will go yet next year, but we’ll probably try to do something similar to the Minzaal cross and either go to Dark Angel or back to Mehmas.”

Alex Elliott, who bought the half-brother to Minzaal for Kia Joorabchian of Amo Racing, said, “We had Lullaby Moon by Belardo this year who won the Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy and the Group 3 Prix Miesque; she will head to the Fred Darling next year and could be Guineas filly. I thought this colt was flawless, he vetted perfectly. He is a half-brother to the Gimcrack winner who showed phenomenal speed and is a very good horse.”

He added, “We stretched to buy this foal, but if he had been here as a yearling he’d have been even more. The dream when we buy anything is Royal Ascot, and we hope that in a few years’ time he will be one for there.”

Sweeney’s Worthwhile Trip

Irish ex-pat Harry Sweeney, the owner of Paca Paca Farm in Japan, has been busy across the last two days and is the leading purchaser at the sale with 11 foals bought for just shy of 1.5 million gns.

“It’s great to be alive and to be at a sale,” Sweeney said. “I’ve been locked down for nine months in Japan and I had to get permission from the government to be here and to return, but we’ve had some success here in the past. This year we’ve had two graded stakes winners in Japan who were both foal purchases.”

He added, “We’ve bought about ten and they will go off to Ireland to be reared before heading to Japan in late summer next year.”

Sweeney’s purchases included lot 858, a Lope De Vega half-sister to G3 Silver Cup S. winner Eagles By Day (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), out of the former classy stayer Missunited (Ire) (Golan {Ire}).

Joining Forces

Mimi Wadham and Violet Hesketh of WH Bloodstock teamed up with Kelsey Lupo’s Atlas Bloodstock to make two six-figure purchases on Friday led by lot 1002 at 285,000gns. The daughter of Sea The Stars (Ire) was bred by Dr Klaus Schulte and is out of the unraced Adlerflug (Ger) mare Amazone (Ger), whose previous offspring include Listed Dortmund St Leger Trial winner Apadanah (Ger) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}). The further family, which has its roots in Gestut Schlenderhan, includes Melbourne Cup winner Almandin (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) and G1 Criterium International winner Alson (Ger) (Areion {Ger}).

The pinhooking trio returned swiftly for lot 1005, Trinity Park Stud’s Invincible Spirit (Ire) first foal of Hypothetically (Ire) (Medicean {GB}), a half-sister to Group 1-placed Lady Penko (Fr) (Archipenko). The relation to G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Erupt (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was secured for 140,000gns.

Joseph O’Brien bought the Zoffany (Ire) half-sister to his G1 Fillies’ Mile winner Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) for 235,000gns. Bred by Frank Hutchinson and consigned by Norelands Stud, the filly is out of Lady Gorgeous (GB) (Compton Place {GB}), who is catalogued to sell as lot 1740 in next week’s mare sale.

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Sea The Stars Colt Tops Tattersalls Thursday

NEWMARKET, UK-They say that necessity is the mother of invention. The very fact that Tattersalls is contriving to stage the December Sale, while adapting to the strictures of lockdown, attests to that axiom. And so, too, did the fact that the highest bid of the second session was made online–by someone who was actually on site, and could have dived into the ring in an emergency.

That resourceful gentleman proved to be Gerard Lowry of Oneliner Stables, who emerged from the cloak of cyber anonymity after the hammer came down at 170,000gns for a January colt by Sea The Stars (Ire) consigned as lot 718 by Newsells Park Stud.

“It’s a platform that’s there to be used, and it’s nice to see it succeed,” Lowry reasoned. “It’s an interesting tool and it was good to try it out.”

Lowry, in fairness, has never lacked enterprise; nor its close kin, daring. Two years ago, after all, he went as far as 330,000gns for another son of Sea The Stars at this same auction, and returned for Book 1 of the October Sale in 2019 to sell him to Godolphin for a game-changing 725,000gns. Relative to the built-in stud fee, this colt represented a relatively feasible ‘stake.’ He is out of a young Dubawi (Ire) half-sister to three Group 1 winners in Italy.

“Sea The Stars out of a Dubawi mare, he had it on both sides and comes from an outstanding family, with two champions under the second dam,” said Lowry. “He’s a lovely individual, has great movement, and was our top pick of the day so we’re delighted to get him. All going well, and with a bit of luck, he’ll be back for Book 1 next year and try to do us proud.

“Obviously we’re going back to the same well. Understanding the stallion’s stock, knowing his record on the racecourse, seeing what is coming through–that is a massive help. Then there’s the second dam by Barathea, so you are getting Sadler’s Wells over Urban Sea. It stacked up on a lot of fronts. It is a big plus, too, that he has come from such a great farm, and they’ve done a fantastic job with him.”

Julian Dollar of Newsells hoped that the result would encourage breeder Graham Smith-Bernal. “He bought the mare with Jill Lamb here three years ago from Kiltinan,” he explained. “She had a very nice Frankel (GB) who sold well [for 300,000gns as a yearling]; sadly, she then had a beautiful Kingman (GB) who died as a foal. She’s now in foal to New Approach (Ire). Mr. Smith-Brunel is a very nice man, new to the industry: he will race a few, wants to do some breeding as well, and has a few mares boarding with us.”

Lowry also took bronze on the podium for the day’s boldest prices, giving 140,000gns for a typically elegant son of Camelot (GB), sold by Belmont Stud as lot 751. He is out of an Oasis Dream (GB) half-sister to Juliet Foxtrot (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who won a couple of graded stakes and also made the frame three times at Grade I level after export to the U.S.

“The cross works,” Lowry said. “Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) won the [G1] Cox Plate and he’s out of a mare by Oasis Dream, who’s a champion broodmare sire. This foal is a good individual from an outstanding Juddmonte family, that of Dancing Brave: he ticked a lot of boxes and was pretty obvious, really. Also there’s the Australian factor coming into Book 1 now: Camelot is now a worldwide stallion.”

The dam, culled by Juddmonte, has duly proved an alert buy at the February Sale here in 2017 by Glenville Bloodstock, for 40,000gns.

A foal sale, of course, is a real test of confidence in the medium-term viability of the commercial market. And business on the second day held up tolerably well, in the circumstances. Understandably, as so often in the pandemic year, the clearance rate was conspicuously strong, with 84% sent to a new home, up from 79% at the equivalent session last year. From a slightly reduced offering (247 lots into the ring, down from 266), turnover slipped 18% to 7,014,800gns from 8,532,700gns. That yielded an average of 33,888gns, down 17% from 40,826gns, while the median slipped to 25,000gns from 33,000gns.

Hyde Backing Saxon Warrior

Among the usual cavalry of new stallions, few appear as eligible as Saxon Warrior (Jpn) to introduce something different into the European breed. The son of Deep Impact (Jpn) will also tick commercial boxes, however, as a Group 1 winner at two and a Classic miler who always travelled so strongly; and, if the development of lot 603 is any kind of guide, he is also making quite a print on his first foals.

Presented by Highclere Stud on behalf of his breeders–Leonidas and Marina Marinopoulos plus partners–he is the third foal of Aktoria (Fr) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}), a young mare who won at listed level in France, and his fifth dam is the remarkable Stilvi (GB) (Derring Do {GB}), a flying filly on the track prior to producing winners of the Irish Derby and Dewhurst S., plus runners-up in both the 1000 and 2000 Guineas.

The colt gained a precious seal of approval in the signature, on a 160,000gns docket, of Timmy Hyde Sr. of Camas Park Stud–whose seasoned eye later picked out a colt by the same sire, lot 747, for 100,000gns. (This one was consigned by Glashare House Stud.)

“Saxon Warrior was a hell of a racehorse,” Hyde said. “One of the best in many years. And this is a lovely individual. We’ll be sending him back to the sales.”

“I’m absolutely delighted for the breeders,” said Lady Carolyn Warren of Highclere. “They have been in the game a long time, and lovely people as well. Our horses live with them, when they go to French stallions, and we sell their yearlings over here. This is a gorgeous horse, with a great temperament, who was very popular down in the yard. And what a lovely example of how lovely Saxon Warrior’s stock are. He’s a real credit to his sire.”

She also stressed the gratitude of the professional community that this vital sale has been staged despite the prevailing restrictions.

“It’s an amazing thing Tattersalls have done, to put on the show,” she said. “It’s amazing that this is happening. We all owe a huge ‘well done’ and ‘thank you’ to Edmond [Mahony] and all the team.”

The Cigars Are On Havana Grey

A rookie with a rather different profile is Havana Grey (GB), sent to market as a straight-down-the-middle conduit of commercial speed. There is no shortage of that around, of course, so Ed Harper of Whitsbury Manor Stud was palpably moved–and quite rightly–to see lot 741, a February colt out of a mare by the farm’s stalwart Compton Place (GB), hit the ball out of the ground with a 130,000gns sale to Harry Sweeney of Paca Paca Farms.

“It is amazing, somebody from Japan wants a horse by the stallion we stand for six grand,” he said. “I did love the foal: I have just stared at him ever since he was born. There’s a slight tinge of sadness, that I suppose I won’t be watching him race here, but I can’t complain at the price. The Havana Greys have gone so well, it’s just fantastic. Everybody has been opening the doors to see them, and they have been going to good homes as well. This market is really tough, if you have the wrong model. But with the right model, you get well paid.”

This colt is certainly bred to land running, the dam having already advertised a Whitsbury stallion through G3 Cornwallis S. winner Good Vibes (GB) (Due Diligence), who had started her busy juvenile campaign at the Craven meeting and kept on running.

“I knew a lot of the really good judges were on this horse, regular clients of mine, whose support I really appreciate,” Harper added. “But I never thought he’d make that.”

Ervine Family Continues To Flourish

A February colt by Kodiac (GB) out of a speedily-bred Iffraaj (GB) mare looked a pretty safe formula for a market like this and lot 610, consigned by Keith Harte for Max Ervine, duly achieved 110,000gns from Tally-Ho Stud. But he also had the benefit of a cosmopolitan update, since the publication of the catalogue, in the recent stakes success at Aqueduct of his juvenile half-sister Illegal Smile (Ire) (Camacho {GB}), who was exported to Wesley Ward as a €35,000 Orby yearling.

Their dam is an unraced half-sister to Ervine’s fast and hardy sprinter Galeota (Ire) (Mujadil)–whose own mother had been retrieved, at the end of her racing career, after selling to Darley Stud as a yearling.

Harte, who sold a 130,000gns Churchill (Ire) colt for Ervine in Book 3 of the October Sale here, paid due credit to a patron who tends primarily to sell yearlings.

“Another great foal from Max’s farm in County Down,” he said. “We are very lucky to have him as a client. He only has five or six mares. He will put the odd foal through, it depends what way the year goes. He had a good yearling sale, but no one knew what way those sales were going to go, so he entered this foal here. He then said, ‘why don’t we just go and see how we get on?’ It has paid off. This is a cracking foal, we had a lot of interest from all the top buyers, and he was bought by the right men who support the stallion well.”

Zoustar In The Ascendant

David Redvers of Tweenhills reckoned he has seldom seen as many vettings in one day at a foal sale as preceded the arrival in the ring of lot 691, a son of the stud’s coveted Australian commuter Zoustar (Aus) from a very brisk Cheveley Park family.

Sure enough, the colt reached 100,000gns before being knocked down to none other than Tattersalls Marketing Director Jimmy George. And within five minutes George was also signing an 82,000gns docket for lot 694, a filly by the same farm’s tragic Roaring Lion. After enduring some amiable teasing from Alastair Pim on the rostrum, George explained that in both cases he was literally holding the phone for insurance broker David Howden, who has been introduced to the game by Redvers.

“David has got himself involved over the past couple of years and is very enthusiastic,” Redvers explained. “He has seen all the foals at the farm and particularly loved those two, who will be kept to race in his own colours. He also bought a number of yearlings–I bought him a beautiful No Nay Never filly. The Zoustar was one of the most popular we’ve ever had at a foal sale, and I had no idea David would be going to that level.”

The Zoustar is out of a Pivotal (GB) half-sister to Group 1 winner Hooray (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) named Bewitchment (GB), who was purchased by Tweenhills at this sale two years ago for 150,000gns. So too, for 125,000gns, was the dam of the Roaring Lion filly: Roedean (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), a half-sister to G3 Fred Darling S. winner Maureen (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).

Howden may be a novice but he’s in step with some of the most astute judges around, judging from the 110,000gns paid by Yeomanstown Stud for another Zoustar colt, presented by Plantation Stud as lot 738. This one gains some extra Australian dash through his dam, an Exceed And Excel (Aus) half-sister to that remarkable racemare Gorella (Fr) (Grape Tree Road {GB}).

“I have seen a lot of Zoustars, they are quite smart,” said Yeomanstown’s David O’Callaghan. “This is a fine big colt. He and the colt out of Bewitchment were the best two for us. We tried to buy the other one, and couldn’t, but fortunately got this one. He’s from a fast family and is a tremendous walker. We will bring him back next year.”

Frankel Spreads The Benefit

On the face of it, even 105,000gns for a Frankel (GB) filly appeared to represent a limited yield, given the Juddmonte champion’s six-figure fee. But lot 704 was one of those rare cases where everyone could be considered a winner.

The filly was acquired in utero when Highflyer gave 200,000gns for her dam Panmolle (GB) (Lawman {Fr}), who is out of a half-sister to Kingman (GB), in the Juddmonte draft here last year. A good portion of that outlay was redeemed, then, by her sale to Philipp Stauffenberg by Mill House Stud on behalf of Wood Farm Stud.

“The last one I bought from their draft cost me just 10,000gns,” Stauffenberg said. “She was by Cable Bay (Ire). She won in England, was stakes-placed in Germany and has now joined my broodmare band. It would be nice to do the same again.”

A Waxing Moon

Consecutive lots offered by New England Stud, acting for Stetchworth and Middle Park Studs, proved to be in warm demand: a Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt [lot 658] raising 95,000gns from Peter & Ross Doyle; and one by Sea The Moon (Ger) fetching 100,000gns as lot 959 from Frannie Woods of Abbeylands Farms.

Both had a notable third dam: in the case of the latter, G1 Prix du Moulin winner and G1 Oaks runner-up All At Sea (Riverman); and, in that of the former, a half-sister to G1 Irish Derby winner Grey Swallow (Ire) (Daylami {Ire}).

“He’s a lovely colt, though we did pay a little more than we were planning,” said Woods of his purchase. “I have a huge amount of time for the sire. Hopefully, his 2-year-old half-brother George Bancroft (GB) (Australia {GB}), who is with Roger Varian, will win next year.”

Sea The Moon scored another striking result towards the end of the session, when an Apr. 24 colt presented by Overbury Stud as lot 743 realized 115,000gns from Grangemore Stud. This really is an impressive stallion, striking that elusive balance between commercial and Classic eligibility. Bravo.

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