NEWMARKET, UK-Every cloud has a silver lining, even one as black and pervasive as this accursed pandemic. And the transfer of the Tattersalls Ascot Yearling Sale from its eponymous base to the headquarters of its parent brand, as part of an emergency revamping of the yearling sales calendar, worked so well on Monday that conceivably it might prove tempting to make the relocation permanent.
On the other hand, prospectors will go anywhere for the right animal. Mouse O’Ryan put it well. “You can sell a good horse at a crossroads,” the agent said. “You tell us where it is, we’ll make it our business to get there.”
Certainly there were other valid factors in play, besides the congenial setting.
Though only in its fourth year, this auction had momentum of its own through the racetrack endeavours of its graduates, notably group winners at Glorious Goodwood and the Ebor Meeting this summer acquired for a combined £22,500.
Nor was it too demanding to build on that success from such a low base, with both the character and cost of the stock holding appeal even to trainers who may find themselves shorter of orders than usual.
All that said, it felt like no mean feat–especially after those bruising opening skirmishes at Doncaster last week–even to tread water in terms of the average, never mind actually to advance it.
Conversion was required to compare this sale with 2019, one having traded in guineas and the other in sterling. But the indices were very positive: the average up 13%, from £10,684 to the equivalent of £12,110; and the median up five% to an effective £8,400 from £8,000. A much-expanded catalogue, however, was the principal driver to turnover soaring all the way up to £2,458,418 from £1,356,850.
Last year, three lots made £40,000 or more; this time round, selling with “the extra shilling”, there were eight that realized 40,000gns and above. Even allowing for the extra 90 lots into the ring, that ratio suggests the quality has more than kept step.
In a week when so many professionals are prospecting bigger sales at Deauville and Lexington, just the sheer bustle about the place was heartening. Remember that yearling vendors had embarked on the sales season in a spirit of grim pragmatism, an 84% clearance rate at Doncaster indicating a willingness to cut losses and start over. A similar outlook here appeared to be reflected in just seven scratchings from 257 catalogued, quite apart from another healthy ratio of 81% finding new homes.
The thrust of business can be judged from the fact that a son of Ribchester (Ire), winner of four Group 1 prizes over a mile, was announced from the rostrum as being by “a Mill Reef winner.” It remains to be seen whether demand can keep up with so much supply across that commercial, sharp ‘n’ early sector. For now, however, there will be plenty of people out there willing to welcome any sign of resilience at any level of the market.
“We have witnessed robust trade throughout the day, and it is hugely pleasing to see gains made across the board,” said Matt Prior, Head of Tattersalls Ascot. “Vendors have noticeably increased the quality on offer and have been rewarded with both strong domestic and international participation.
“Our thanks go to Tattersalls for accommodating the sale at its headquarters in Park Paddocks, along with Great British Racing International, who have assisted in the promotion and airport transfers for those travelling from farther afield. We look forward to charting the progress of this year’s graduates, from a sale that goes from strength to strength.”
Congratulations to Prior not only on a sale that gave fresh confidence to a nervous market, but also on the birth of his first child, James, safely delivered by wife Amanda only at the weekend. A time of new hope all round.
Ringfort Continues Profitable Run
The poster girl for last year’s sale was Miss Amulet, winner of the G2 Sky Bet Lowther S. at York after being picked up for just £7,500, and her half-sister by El Kabeir duly featured in the top echelon here when sold as lot 143 for 45,000gns. But she was only the second leg of a productive quarter-hour for her breeder Derek Veitch of Ringfort Stud, who had just realized the top price of the day of 58,000gns for a Profitable (Ire) filly presented as lot 135.
Veitch was self-deprecating enough to remind the press that he had written off both Miss Amulet herself (a €1,000 Goffs November pinhook as a foal) and her dam Sheena’s Dream (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) for virtually nothing last year. But to make six figures from two lots here is consistent with the rare skills that produced a second Group 2 winner within 24 hours at the Ebor meeting, through Minzaal (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) in the Al Basti Equiworld Gimcrack S.; never mind that Veitch had bred the winner of that race last year as well, in Threat (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}).
The Profitable filly actually shares a second dam with Minzaal, and it is a productive family overall. Her mother is sibling to four black-type operators, while the third dam produced two elite-placed foals in Polar Bear (GB) (Polar Falcon) and Dance To The Top (GB) (Sadler’s Wells).
“The pick of what we’ve seen,” said Kevin Ross, who signed the docket on behalf of Paul and Clare Rooney. “I thought she was a lovely filly. The sire’s stamping his stock, we bought one at Doncaster as well, and this was a lovely walker. We like a nice athlete, and she has a lovely temperament too.”
Though a May foal, Veitch expects her to be the more forward of the pair. “I felt the Profitable was going down best, she was getting the better interviews and comments,” he said. “And she did look a queen up here: it wouldn’t have mattered what sale she was at, she’d have stood out. She looks a May, June sort, whereas the other one will need a bit more time. But she’ll have residual value for sure, and if Miss Amulet wins the Cheveley Park she’ll be worth a lot more than that.”
Potentially, indeed, the El Kabeir filly could prove well bought even if she were never to race, and Michael Bell was duly gratified to secure her–through son Nick–on behalf of Chris Wright. After all, despite her cheap export to Italy here last December, Sheena’s Dream is out of a half-sister to GI Arlington Million winner Mill Native (Exclusive Native) and French Classic runner-up French Stress (Sham).
“Chris is a longstanding owner, and he’s got a stud farm, so we’re delighted,” Bell said. “Annoyingly, we did look at Miss Amulet last year but didn’t buy her. I must admit I have precious little recollection of doing so, but I know we looked at all the grey fillies. And I do know this is a bigger individual. I bought an El Kabeir at Doncaster as well, so I’m putting a few eggs in his basket.”
Wright’s “grey filly” formula has worked at this sale in the past, notably through listed winner Flippa The Strippa (Ire) (Outstrip {GB}), a £10,000 graduate of the 2018 edition.
“It’s great for Tattersalls, the way this sale has expanded,” Veitch remarked. “I thought it might go backwards, with those numbers, by diluting it. But actually I think the horses have stepped up. Big vendors who are at all the other sales are supporting it, and I think that’s a sign the sale’s going the right way.”
As for Ringfort’s own remarkable month, he said with a grin: “Somebody might think I know what I’m doing soon! This here was a great few minutes–a magic few minutes, in the current climate.”
Kildangan Pair in Demand
It was Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland who found Miss Amulet last year, and he returned to the well for lot 166, a 40,000gns Profitable colt consigned by WH Bloodstock. In the process he added to the laurels of the sale-topper’s young sire, whose first yearlings must work off a fee of €12,000.
“There are a couple of nice Profitables in the sale, and I think he has a chance,” said Donohoe, who was operating for a Middle-Eastern client. “This one was certainly a nice physical, a lovely individual. He has the premiums so he may well end up in France, he looks like he could be an early sort for there.”
Profitable will certainly live up to his name if he can match his Kildangan buddy Night Of Thunder (Ire). The way he is going, Night Of Thunder is threatening to become a rarity at this level, and Joe Foley was duly delighted to pick up his daughter out of a winning Singspiel (Ire) mare for 44,000gns as lot 93.
Foley, acting for Clipper Logistics, reiterated his admiration for Singspiel as a broodmare sire, citing the prolific Suedois (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) as well as Lady Kaya (Ire), the Classic runner-up by Ballyhane’s own Dandy Man (Ire).
This was Foley’s first visit to the sale, but he was one who felt he would have been equally likely to attend at the usual venue. “Nice horses have been coming out of it every year,” he said. “So we thought we had better come and take a look.”
Night Of Thunder also stoked up the embers of the session when Mark Grant gave 42,000gns for a colt (lot 254) out of an unraced Pivotal (GB) mare to prep for the breeze-ups. “That’s a great cross: I love a Pivotal mare and the sire’s on fire,” Grant said. “I’ve been waiting all day for this one, he’s a lovely horse. We did well with a Night Of Thunder last year, but I didn’t think I’d be able to get another one.”
Rookie Sires All the Way
Predictably enough, other new sires contributed to the higher yields of the day. One was Ardad (Ire), whose daughter out of a young, unraced Poet’s Voice (GB) mare made 43,000gns from Peter and Ross Doyle as lot 105.
Consigned by Britton House Stud, she brought a strong page: most conspicuous, among other brisk performers, being her granddam’s half-brother, champion sprinter Sakhee’s Secret (GB) (Sakhee).
“Nice, racy filly who fits the bill physically for us,” declared Ross Doyle. “She has a good bit of size to her and a good, tough attitude, and that nice back pedigree too. We like the Ardads. He was a well-bred horse, and fast, and it’s a good sign when you see a first-season sire stamping his stock.”
Pick of the early trade, meanwhile, had been the Cotai Glory (GB) colt sold to Robson Aguiar for 40,000gns as lot 36 through Owenstown Stud. “He’s a very strong colt,” said the breeze-up pinhooker. “We’re here looking for Ascot horses and he looks the right kind.”
This is the first foal of the stakes-placed Island Vision (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}) and John Tuthill was delighted for the client who owns her. Tuthill reports that the farm’s star mare Choose Me (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}), dam of Persuasive (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), has a full-brother to that Group 1 winner heading to Book I here next month. “He’s a strong, good-looking colt,” he said. “My big dream.”
A World of Encouragement
The last word goes to Mouse O’Ryan, who caught the upbeat mood of proceedings after giving 47,000gns late in the day for a January colt by another young sire in Mondialiste (Ire), consigned as lot 225 by Norris Bloodstock. The dam is also just getting started, but her mother is G2 German 1000 Guineas winner Penny’s Gift (GB) (Tobougg {Ire}).
“Lovely horse,” said the agent, who was acting for Richard Fahey. “Really sold himself, and you have to give the sire a chance: he was a very good racehorse, and a very good-looking one too. Trade is good. I think trade at every sale since lockdown has been good. The clearance rate is high, and the breeze-up men are reinvesting, which is great. People are realistic. They want to get business done. This is a great game to defy anything that’s going on in the world. People are very resilient. Long may it continue.”
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