Tattersalls Ascot Breeze Up Sale | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jetting In For The Fresh Prince Of The Ring

NEWMARKET, UK—There may have been one significant Prince Of Lir (Ire) colt missing from those originally consigned for the Tattersalls Ascot Breeze-up but the Ballyhane Stud resident still made his presence felt as the sire of three of the top eight lots of the sale.

The G2 Norfolk S. winner The Lir Jet (Ire) was withdrawn by Robson Aguiar and sold privately ahead of the delayed auction but that hold up has worked in other people’s favour. Heading the list of those who found themselves in the ring on Thursday afternoon was lot 13, the colt from Knockanglass Stables out of the listed-placed juvenile winner Harvest Joy (Ire) (Daggers Drawn), who sold for 92,000gns to Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock.

“He’s a lovely horse and we are delighted to have bought him,” said McStay, who was acting on behalf of a group of owners with Joe Parr, who is in his first season training in Newmarket.

“We thought he was one of the nicest horses on the sales ground and he compared very favourably with those in the Craven Sale, both on type and on the time he did for his breeze. He was prepared very well by Thomond O’Mara, who recommended him highly.”

Bred by John Hutchinson, the colt was bought by O’Mara for €10,000 at the Goffs February Sale.

McStay added, “He might have been considerably cheaper ten days ago had it not been for The Lir Jet but we hope he might be the next one. The horse is eligible for the new Ballyhane Stakes at Naas so hopefully he can go over and win some of Joe Foley’s money.”

Peter Swann was the man who raced Prince Of Lir—a Norfolk S. winner and breeze-up graduate himself—and, while Swann had to play the role of underbidder on the sale’s top lot, he picked up number two on the list, another colt by the sire for whom he has an understandable fondness. Sold for 70,000gns, lot 23 was consigned by Mickey Cleere of MC Thoroughbreds. A son of the six-time American winner Little Italy (Proud Citizen), he was bred by Gerard Mullins.

Matt Coleman did the bidding on behalf of Swann’s Cool Silk Partnership and said, “We missed out on The Lir Jet but Peter was very keen to buy a Prince Of Lir colt for Robert Cowell to train as he also trained the sire.”

Prince Of Lir ended the sale as the leading sire with an average of 44,800gns for five sold.

The Cool Silk team also picked up a first-crop son of Pearl Secret (GB) (lot 85) for 45,000gns and ended the sale as leading buyer with three bought for 130,000gns. The Pearl Secret colt was another with particular significance for Swann as he is out of Bertorizzia (Fr) (Bertolini), an unraced half-sister to Cool Silk’s GI QIPCO British Champions Sprint winner Sands Of Mali (Fr) (Panis), himself a £75,000 purchase from the second edition of the Ascot Breeze-up Sale.

Despite a much denuded catalogue—after 39 withdrawals only 57 juveniles were offered for sale—the figures for what is usually the breeze-up season opener held up pretty well. Fifty horses (88%) sold for a total of 1,000,440gns, for a 21% improvement in the median to 15,750gns and an average which held steady at 20,009gns.

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Tattersalls In Spotlight As Breeze-ups Begin

NEWMARKET, UK—The first British breeze-up sale will be staged in Newmarket on Thursday when the curtain rises on the Tattersalls Craven Sale, which will be swiftly followed that same afternoon by the Tattersalls Ascot Breeze-up.

Horses catalogued for both sales breezed on the Rowley Mile on Monday and extended, staggered viewing periods have been in operation at Park Paddocks over the last few days to allow agents, trainers and other prospective purchasers ample time for inspections within the confines of social distancing.

Earlier in the week Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the two-metre distance rule between people in Britain has been reduced to one metre, and steadily businesses are opening, with many pubs and restaurants serving take-aways but not yet fully operational. Strict health protocols remain in place at Tattersalls, where visitors to the sales grounds have their temperature checked on arrival having submitted medical questionnaires in advance.

As one of the largest companies in Newmarket, Tattersalls, which has been in operation for more than 250 years, has withstood the ebb and flow of financial tides over those years, but it is fair to say that such a juddering disruption to its business has not been seen before. It is a great credit to the respective teams behind its Newmarket, Ascot and Irish sales that the breeze-ups are taking place at all, as well as to the flexibility shown by its fellow sales houses Goffs UK and Arqana, which stage a combined breeze-up sale in Doncaster next Wednesday.

At the Craven Sale last year, traditionally held over two post-racing evening sessions in mid-April, a total of 85 juveniles were sold for a total of 10,343,000gns and at an average price of 121,682gns. The breeze-up consignors, whose restocking accounted for more than £20 million of expenditure at last year’s yearling sales, are generally relieved to be able to hold sales at all following the bleak outlook earlier in the spring. Many have been proactive in selling horses privately ahead of the delayed sales, meaning that the number offered through the ring is significantly down. Indeed, 65 have been withdrawn from the original 145 catalogued for the Craven. The mood now is, understandably, one of nervous anticipation ahead of Thursday’s results and for the trading fortnight to come.

“Tattersalls have done a great job and there are some nice horses here but we just have to hope that it’s going to be sensible trade,” said long-time consignor Malcolm Bastard. “They are trying to be safe so it spreads everyone out and gives people more of a chance when it comes to seeing the horses, which is sensible. There have been a lot of viewings, especially on Monday after they breezed, and it’s been trickling on ever since. But we’re going into the unknown and no-one knows what is going to happen [on Thursday].”

Of his eight originally catalogued, Bastard has brought five to Newmarket, including a colt with one of the most eye-catching pedigrees in the catalogue, the Kingman (GB) half-brother to the dual Group 1 winner Poet’s Word (Ire), who is offered as lot 42.

The Craven also includes one son of American Pharoah, a $170,000 Keeneland September purchase out of the Colleen S. winner Harlan’s Honor (Harlan’s Holiday). Offered by Star Bloodstock as lot 51, the March-born colt was one of the fastest breezers on Monday.

Tom Whitehead of Powerstown Stud has one colt remaining in each of the Craven and Ascot sales, from six originally catalogued, including a colt by Iffraaj (GB) (lot 75) out of a half-sister to the G1 Prix Jean Romanet runner-up and listed winner Princess Loulou (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).

He said, “There have been plenty of local people viewing horses and the local agents are working hard. The few top horses are busy and I would say the rest of the market is going to be tricky but I don’t think anyone is expecting anything else. The middle to lower end is going to be very difficult, I would imagine, that’s the feeling I’m getting. That’s not Tatts’ fault, it’s not anyone’s fault, it’s just the world we’re in at the moment. We didn’t even expect to be able to hold a sale at one point and Tatts have done well to get a sale organised.”

The Ascot Breeze-up, first held in 2016, has become the traditional starting point for the season in early April and generally includes a more precocious type of horse. The Tattersalls Ascot wing can enjoy some reflected glory in the fact that its original catalogue included last week’s G2 Norfolk S. winner The Lir Jet (Ire) within the consignment of Aguiar Bloodstock. He was sold on privately by pinhooker Robson Aguiar, who still has four 2-year-olds to sell on Thursday. There are also another five by The Lir Jet’s first-crop sire Prince Of Lir (Ire).

He is just one of 17 freshman sires with juveniles in the Ascot section of the sale, including Cheveley Park Stud’s Twilight Son (GB), who is represented by lot 9, a colt out of a half-sister to the storied GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Belvoir Bay (GB) (Equiano {Fr}).

The Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale gets underway at 11am, and is followed by the Ascot Breeze-up at 3pm.

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Stage Set For Return To Action At Tattersalls

NEWMARKET, UK—It’s usually a little bracing on the Rowley Mile in mid-April but we’re now heading towards the end of June and one consolation for people out watching the horses breeze for the Tattersalls Craven and Ascot sales was a warm, bright morning. And, happily, there was a good crowd in attendance, with the expansiveness of the Heath lending ample provision for social distancing once the pre-approved attendees had had their temperatures checked on arrival at the racecourse.

We’ve heard far too much talk of the new normal. Most people in the racing and bloodstock world will be only too happy to return to the good old days of handshakes and hugs, and bonhomie over a beer in the sales-ring bar. That will take a while but for now we have a happy medium that many feared we would not see at all in 2020.

Almost 12 weeks after the Tattersalls Ascot Breeze-up should have taken place, and ten since the Craven, we now have the two combined for a one-day sale on Thursday. Sixty-three horses have been withdrawn from the original Craven Sale, and another 38, at the time of writing, from the Ascot line-up, including the colt listed as lot 40 for Aguiar Bloodstock but now known as the G2 Norfolk S. winner The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}).

With a large percentage of the horses catalogued for the various breeze-up sales having been prepared in Ireland, the consignors have arrived en masse in the UK, where they will remain for the next fortnight while sales take place in Doncaster next week for the combined Goffs UK and Arqana auctions, and then the Tattersalls Guineas Sale on July 8.

The sense of relief that finally some action is taking place was palpable. “It’s just great that the first part is out of the way and that the horses have done as expected,” said Brendan Holland of Grove Stud on Monday afternoon as his horses were being viewed at Park Paddocks.

“Even taking into account the fact that the racecourse side couldn’t be used I still thought [the breeze session] looked to be well attended, so that was pleasing. We’re showing now and the same familiar faces are around and people look like they’re here to buy horses, so we are hopeful. Obviously we had a very anxious few months. A huge amount of work went in on the part of the sales companies, not just for this but all the sales companies, and for this one specifically on the part of Harvey Bell, and of course the team. There was a lot of pressure to put on the sale under the circumstances and we are grateful that they were able to manage it and that we were given the chance to sell the horses. I hope for everyone’s sake it goes well and that when it’s all over we are still in the game and buying yearlings. I’m sure we will be.”

Holland’s relief was heightened by the fact that the horse who has been pleasing him the most in his work, a colt by Kodiac (GB) out of the winning Pivotal (GB) mare Honeymead (Ire) (lot 53), has also received significant boosts to his page by recent racing results. On Saturday at Royal Ascot his sire was represented by the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. winner Hello Youmzain (Ire) as well as providing the winners of the two juvenile group races, Nando Parrado (GB) and Campanelle (Ire). Then the following day the colt’s 3-year-old half-brother High Accolade (Ire) (Outstrip {GB}) remained unbeaten when winning his second race for James Tate and Saeed Manana.

“There’s no secret that he’s the one I’m pinning my hopes on and I was especially pleased to see him to do what I was hoping he would do this morning,” Holland said. “He came up with plenty of style so I have my fingers crossed now for the next bit. The difficult part is out of the way.”

Tattersalls’ marketing director Jimmy George is also delighted that the sale house has been able to reopen the gates at Park Paddocks for the first time since the February Sale, albeit with strict protocols in place.

He said, “It’s great to be at this stage and to be able to put this sale on for the very patient and long-suffering consignors, and equally patient potential purchases. We are just pleased to be able to hold the sale under almost normal conditions. The ground was fantastic down on the racecourse side, the sun was shining and conditions were very good for the breeze so that’s a good start to the week.”

He added, “We’ve had a lot of medical declaration forms submitted so people have been very efficient and responded to all the requirements that we all currently face and that’s been impressive actually. While we are thrilled to be able to put the sale on, we’re equally very conscious that we have a responsibility to everybody’s health and safety in these slightly strange times.

“Logistically, so far everything has gone very smoothly. There’s been a lot of hard work put into it by the team at Tattersalls and it’s great to see everybody responding in the way you’d hope. I think that bodes well for the week and for the coming sales.”

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