Zarak Share Leads The Way At Tattersalls Online January Sale

Aga Khan Studs' sire Zarak (Fr) continued to prove popular at the sales, as Tom Goff's Blandford Bloodstock shelled out 350,000gns on behalf of Chasemore Farm for a 1/50th share (lot 63) in the rising sire star to top the Tattersalls Online January Sale on Thursday.

The son of Arc heroine Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar) has gone from strength to strength with his progeny in the past few years. Among his many stakes winners are group winners Purplepay (Fr), Sirjan (Ger), Baiykara (Fr), Lavello (Ire), and Lizaid (Ger), while La Parisienne (Fr) was runner-up in the G1 Prix de Diane.

Goff said, “I'm delighted to have secured the share in Zarak on behalf of Chasemore Farm. Andrew and Jane Black have a number of mares that they would like to send to France to be covered by Zarak over the next few seasons so, after some discussion, the decision was to give it a go.

“The sire has done tremendously well so far. At 11% stakes winners to runners and 68% winners to runners to date, his statistics sit comfortably with Dubawi (Ire)'s other successful sons Night Of Thunder (Ire) and New Bay (GB) at the same stage. In addition to his stakes winners, Zarak has also sired La Parisienne (Fr), who was second in the [G1] Prix de Diane, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he sires his first Group 1 winner.

“The fact that he is managed by Georges Rimaud at Haras de Bonneval is another massive plus for me personally. We have first-hand experience of their stallion syndicates–they are absolutely blue chip and are exceptionally well managed.”

The other lot to make six figures was a breeding right in one of last year's star first-crop sires, Whitsbury Manor Stud's Havana Grey (GB) (lot 66). Heather Raw came out the winning bidder at 105,000gns. The grey already has 16% stakes performers to runners, highlighted by group winners Rumstar (GB), Eddie's Boy (GB), and Lady Hollywood (GB), as well as listed winners Shouldvebeenaring (GB) and Cuban Mistress (GB).

Other breeding rights also went under the hammer, with one in Time Test (GB) (lot 62) making 32,000gns to WebBloodstock, and Stephen Hillen secured a breeding right to Harry Angel (Ire) (lot 65) for 30,000gns.

Overall, 31 of the 67 lots sold for a gross of 656,500gns. The average was 21,177gns and the median was 2,600gns.

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12 Questions: With George Boughey

First job in the Thoroughbred industry?

Working for Tom Goff and Luke Lillingston doing the yearling sales in the USA and UK.

 

Biggest influence on your career?

Hugo Palmer. Working for six seasons from when he had 30 horses to training Classic winners.

 

Favourite racehorse of all time, and why?

It has to be Cachet, beyond my wildest dreams to train a Classic winner in my third season for Highclere.

 

Who will be champion first-season sire in 2023?

He might not have the most winners but I have a handful by Blue Point who are very hard not to like.

 

Greatest race in the world?

The Derby, but I'd love to win a Breeders' Cup or a Cox Plate.

 

If you could be someone else in the industry for a day who would it be, and why?

Aidan O'Brien.

 

Emerging talent in the industry (human)?

Harry Derham (top man who I've sent a horse!) and Connor Planas (joins us after a stint in Dubai).

 

Name a horse TDN should have made a Rising Star, and didn't?

Proverb (Harry Angel) when he won his novice at Hamilton by seven lengths.

 

Under-the-radar stallion?

Mayson.

 

Friday night treat?

Deliveroo.

 

Guilty pleasure outside racing?

Outside of racing?!?!

 

Race I wish I'd been there for…

Gold Trip winning the Melbourne Cup for great friend David Eustace.

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Hotter Than July At Tattersalls

NEWMARKET, UK–The legacy of Sheikh Hamdan still casts a long shadow over the bloodstock world, and the influence of his bloodlines was once more evident at Tattersalls on Wednesday when Rihaam (Ire), a 9-year-old daughter of Dansili (GB) in foal to Dark Angel (Ire), led the first day of the July Sale at a new record price of 540,000gns.

With a buying bunch greatly enhanced by the returned freedom of international travel, several records were set at Park Paddocks, which saw the two top prices ever at a July Sale along with the highest turnover for a single session.

For that new record-breaker Rihaam, it was Tom Goff, standing with Paul Shanahan, MV Magnier and Timmy Hyde, who secured the unraced mare (lot 179). Her current 3-year-old Ribhi (Ire), a full-brother to the foal she is carrying, won twice last year and was third in the Listed European Free H.

“Of her age group she was the outstanding broodmare here,” Goff said. “It's an absolutely fantastic Sheikh Hamdan pedigree that goes back to Bahri. There's numerous stars all over the pedigree, and she's by Dansili.

“[Ribhi] is a good colt and she's carrying a full-brother to him. The Invincible Spirit (Ire) [2-year-old] is with Marcus Tregoning and is apparently showing some speed. The Blue Point (Ire), who is now a yearling, is a nice filly. It was a very good package and one that doesn't come along too often, and it's one of the reasons that the Shadwell dispersal continues to be of such interest.”

Indeed it does, and Shadwell was one of the leading consignors of the day with four sold for 696,000gns, but it was the Godolphin draft which really turned heads, with three of the day's top 10 lots emanating from the royal blue team, which, with 42 horses sold for 2,624,500gns, accounted for 30% of the day's total aggregate of 8,740,785gns–an upturn of 47% on last year's opening session.

That was achieved through the sale of 226 of the 262 lots offered and, though the clearance rate dropped to 86% from last year's opening-day high of 93%, the figures for average and median both soared. The former was up by 54% at 38,676gns, while the median rose to 14,000gns (+27%).

 

 

Wild Rose Another To Pass Record

Wild-card entry See The Rose (Fr), a Group 3-winning daughter of Kendargent (Fr) and sister to listed winner Xaarino (Fr), was another to pass the previous high at the July Sale when bringing the hammer down at 500,000gns. Signing the ticket in the name of his London Thoroughbred Services for lot 271A was James Wigan, an accomplished breeder in his own right but this time acting on behalf of an undisclosed client.

Bred by John O'Connor of Ballylinch Stud, the daughter of the Xaar (GB) mare Xaarienne (GB) originally sold for €180,000 as a yearling at Arqana, and won three times in France for Andre Fabre as well as finishing fifth, beaten less than two lengths, in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. She was unsold at 450,000gns at the most recent Tattersalls December Sale.

“She's very elegant filly,” said Wigan. “I saw her last December and she is a breeding prospect now rather than a racing prospect.”

 

Yulong Support Continues

The determined spending of Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong Investments continued apace at Tattersalls as the July Sale got underway, with the owner/breeder bidding more than 1.8 million gns for 10 broodmares or broodmare prospects through Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland.

This group included the day's third-top lot at 450,000gns, Shining Bright (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), an unraced sister to this season's G2 King Edward VII S. and G3 Chester Vase winner Changingoftheguard (Ire). The 4-year-old was sold in foal for the first time to Starspangledbanner (Aus) and was bought by Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland for the Lucky Vega syndicate.

“Mr. Zhang was in Ireland last week and saw Lucky Vega and is keen to support him next season and is determined to give him every chance,” said agent Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland of the owner's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S winner and G1 S James's Palace S runner-up who is now resident at the Irish National Stud.

“[Yulong CEO] Sam Fairgray will decide but this mare will probably go back to Ireland and be covered by Lucky Vega next spring. There was obviously a nice update to the pedigree at Royal Ascot and we have his 2-year-old full-brother, too.”

Lucky Vega will also have the Galileo (Ire) mare Footprints (Ire) pencilled in for next year's book after Donohoe went to 340,000gns to secure the 3-year-old on Zhang's behalf. The unraced sister to the four-time group winner Armory (Ire) was covered in May by Wootton Bassett (GB) and was sold by The Castlebridge Consignment as lot 271.

Matt Houldsworth made a determined effort within the ring to buy lot 33, the 3-year-old filly Le Designe (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), but in the end it was the online bid, again made on behalf of Yulong Investments that brought the hammer down at 180,000gns. In training with Ralph Beckett for Marc Chan, the daughter of G3 Park S. winner Oh Goodness Me (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) never made it to the racecourse but she has plenty on her page to recommend her as a broodmare. Her first three dams are all black-type winners and her half-sister by More Than Ready is already a black-type producer in Australia, and that is where Le Designe will be heading eventually.

 

Siyouni has done very well in Australia,” said Donohoe. “She will be covered here on Southern Hemisphere time and she will then ship. The Siyouni and Galileo cross has done very well in Australia, she is a very good-looking filly and there are not too many Siyounis on the market.”

By the day's end, 10 horses had been bought under a number of banners through BBA Ireland for just over 1.8 million gns.

“It's been a busy day but I'm really pleased with the mares we've got,” said Yulong's chief operating officer Sam Fairgray. “Some will head to Australia, some will be bred up here to Southern Hemisphere time and then head down and others will stay here and visit Lucky Vega.

“I'd imagine they'll all make their way down to Australia in time but we want to support Lucky Vega. He had a fantastic first season here and we want to continue that support. I'd imagine a couple will be covered by Frankel (GB) before heading down but we haven't decided which ones yet. We'll sit down and work out where we go from here.”

The Yulong team visited Frankel (GB) earlier in the week at Banstead Manor Stud and Zhang has special reason to continue his support of the Juddmonte star, having bred and raced his Australian Group 1-winning Hungry Heart (Aus). The filly's dam Harlech (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) was the first purchase made by the breeder at the Tattersalls July Sale, for 60,000gns in 2016. She remained temporarily in Newmarket to be covered by Frankel to Southern Hemisphere time.

 

Chachamaidee to Chasemore

Andrew Black's Chasemore Farm is enjoying a fruitful season on the track and its paddocks will welcome a new recruit from the July Sale in the form of G1 Matron S. winner Chachamaidee (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who was bought on Black's behalf by agent Tom Goff at 200,000gns.

A star performer on the track for Sir Henry Cecil and Tony Evans, for whom she won four group races and was also runner-up in the G1 Sun Chariot S., the 15-year-old mare has produced two stakes winners, the G3 Pinnacle S winner Klassique (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and recent listed winner Valiant Prince (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who struck in York's Ganton S. for Charlie Appleby after publication of the catalogue. Sold as lot 97 through DVA Equine Services, Chachamaidee has unraced youngsters by Sea The Stars (Ire), now two and three, and was sold with a Mar. 10 cover to young Shadwell sire Mohaather (GB).

“We've followed this mare for a while; I know this family very well,” said Goff. “She's a lovely old mare and I thought she looked amazing for her age. I liked the cover to Mohaather–I think he's an exciting young sire.

“I remember her Sea The Stars [2-year-old] as a yearling; he was a nice horse and is now with Hugo Palmer and he likes him. He has a Derby entry. So it's a great package and we're delighted to get her. We'll try to breed some fillies out of her.”

Chachamaidee was succeeded in the ring by her daughter For Henry (GB) (lot 98), an 8-year-old sister to Klassique who was offered in foal to Advertise (GB) and knocked down at 100,000gns to BBA Ireland.

 

Family Ties Tempt Buyers To Godolphin

The sizeable draft from Godolphin had been well perused since the horses arrived at the sales ground and the ring quickly filled as the first batch came through around lunchtime. Tally-Ho Stud, which has no shortage of stallions available for their broodmare purchases, came out on top at 180,000gns from a prolonged bidding exchange for the juvenile winner First Smile (Ire) (lot 127), a daughter of the G2 Queen Mary S winner Jealous Again (Trippi) and Dark Angel (Ire).

After signing for the 4-year-old mare, who is in foal for the first time to Profitable (Ire), Tally-Ho's Tony O'Callaghan said, “We already have her half-sister and it's the type of family that just works for us, with her dam being a Queen Mary winner. She'll go to a Tally-Ho stallion.”

The sibling already in the paddocks in Co Westmeath is Covetous, an 8-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro bought from Godolphin at Goffs five years ago. Her daughter by Kodiac (GB) was sold at last year's October Yearling Sale for 300,000gns.

Two men who are more than familiar with the Godolphin/Darley families are John Ferguson and Mark McStay, now independent agents in their own right who made significant purchases from the draft.

Ferguson's investment scheme Natalma Bloodstock opted for lot 130, Rainband (Medaglia d'Oro), a winner and listed-placed in France and out of the German Group 3 winner Fitful Skies (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). With Nelson Bunker-Hunt's outstanding racemare Dahlia (Vaguely Noble) as her third dam and the Group 2-winning Wajd (Northern Dancer) as granddam, plus a foal by Invincible Spirit (Ire) in utero, the 4-year-old looks to have been well bought at 135,000gns.

Similar comments apply to lot 122, the treble juvenile winner Autumn Lily (Street Cry {Ire}), who went the way of McStay's Avenue Bloodstock at 125,000gns. Now 11 and the dam of Group 1-placed Botanik (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), Autumn Lily is a half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Alexandros (GB) (Kingmambo) and a granddaughter of the Group 1 winner and Classic-placed High Hawk (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}), whose offspring include treble Group 1 winner and sire In The Wings (GB).

“She comes from one of the great families: High Hawk, In The Wings, and Alexandros up there very close,” McStay commented. “It's a family I knew very well during my time with Darley and these families don't come up very often so you have to bid bravely when they do. She's a nice mare and she has bred a Group 1 performer already.”

The mare was sold with an early cover to Derby winner Masar (Ire), who has already found favour with McStay.

“His foals were nice and we pinhooked two of them last year for our foal syndicate,” he added.

 

BUY OF THE DAY

by Brian Sheerin

Dermot Dwan of Kellsgrange Stud did not have to spend much to take home the prize for buy of the day.

Dwan went to 13,000gns to secure lot 67, the twice-placed Brush Creek (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}), whose page was boosted by Royal Ascot winner Holloway Boy (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) a few weeks before the sale.

Holloway Boy's Listed Chesham S. success did not feature on the catalogue page but Dwan couldn't be accused of being asleep at the wheel.

Brush Creek's dam Resort (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is a half-sister to Sultry (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), the dam of Holloway Boy, who achieved the rare feat of winning at Royal Ascot on debut last month.

Given that Holloway Boy is open to any amount of improvement, and his place in the pedigree may have gone unnoticed by many, time might prove the 13,000gns Dwan parted with to be money well spent.

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Kodiac Colt Leads The Way At Tattersalls

NEWMARKET, UK—We know that these breeze-up consignors have nerves of steel: otherwise they simply couldn't do the job. As such, the bloodstock industry could not have appointed a better echelon to test the stormy waters of the last couple of years, when they were first to be broadsided by the pandemic and then tried to put things back on an even keel last year. The opening session of the opening sale of the European circuit, then, gave them a chance to put their world back on its axis—even as they found themselves having to navigate the fresh uncertainties of war and soaring energy costs. And the initial signs were most promising.

All sectors of the bloodstock market, on both sides of the ocean, soaked up the Covid crisis with astounding resilience. But the Craven Sale understandably subsided from the boom that had peaked in 2017 and 2018 with averages exceeding 140,000gns, clocking an average over the past two years of 95,000gns and 86,000gns, respectively.

But the opening exchanges here represented a huge rally. Albeit the clearance rate slipped a little, the average for the first session roared up 22% from 99,769gns to 121,365gns; with the median also advancing nicely from 80,00gns to 86,000gns. Turnover was only marginally down (3%) despite withdrawals leading to a diminished offering: 52 of 67 sold, compared with 65 of 76 last year.

Obviously a breeze-up catalogue tends to be very uneven, depending where the fastest breezers may be lurking, and that volatility can be exaggerated in a relatively boutique offering. So we'll see how things stack up after Wednesday's second session, but the first impressions were certainly heartening.

Loughnane Tops Session For 525,000gns Kodiac Colt

Some of the most extraordinary chapters in the extraordinary story of Kodiac (GB) have been written at the breeze-ups, and there was another one here when David Loughnane signed a 525,000gns docket to make lot 29 the sire's most valuable 2-year-old yet.

The February colt was presented by the farm that has supervised the rise and rise of Kodiac, Tally-Ho Stud—and that operation's trademark acuity is condensed by the fact that they acquired his dam No Lippy (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) for just 20,000gns at the 2018 December Sale here. This was a full-sister to stakes winner Polybius (GB), and the winner of three of her first four juvenile starts; while her mother Freedonia (GB) (Selkirk) won the G2 Prix de Pomone before being Grade I-placed on turf in the U.S. And now No Lippy's first foal into the sales ring has hit the ball out of the park.

“I loved everything about him,” Loughnane said after seeing off underbidder Oliver St Lawrence. “He looks an out-and-out Royal Ascot horse. His dam was a very good 2-year-old for Mark Johnston, and he's a lovely, very well-balanced horse that did an exceptional breeze, the second-fastest of the lot. Fingers crossed he can back it up on the track, but the sire has obviously done it year in, year out, and he comes from a very good farm.”

Loughnane said he was acting on behalf of a new syndicate, and signed jointly in the name of OMNI Horse. “I knew he wasn't going to be cheap, but thankfully I have some owners who are willing to back me,” he said.

He has given them ample grounds for doing so, after his best season yet in 2021—not least thanks to Go Bears Go (Ire), who won the G2 Railway S. after his 150,000gns acquisition at this sale. That colt is by Kodi Bear (Ire), himself penning a new chapter for Kodiac as a sire of sires.

Mehmas Follows In Studmate Kodiac's Slipstream

Tally-Ho received another handsome dividend—and some corresponding compliments—when Ross Doyle gave 300,000gns for lot 65, a February filly by their latest phenomenon Mehmas (Ire). It was at this same sale in 2016, of course, that the agent and his father Peter bought the son of Acclamation (GB) from Horse Park Farm for 170,000gns.

“This filly comes from one of the very best farms in the game,” the agent said. “And of course we're all huge fans of the sire. He's been very good to a lot of people already, ourselves included, and obviously Richard Hannon is a massive fan too. He has done magnificently well at Tally-Ho.”

The dam Soft Power (Ire) (Balmont) has already hit the bull's eye for the farm, another of whose young sires, Galileo Gold (GB), covered her in his debut season—and promptly came up with G1 Phoenix S. winner Ebro River (Ire). Soft Power is a half-sister to the dam of star sprinter Slade Power (Ire) (Dutch Art {GB}).

Doyle expects that his unnamed client will ultimately seek residual value from that page, but hopes that she will enhance it first. “She looks like she would do what it says on the tin: hopefully, she's a real 2-year-old,” he said. “There's a lot of speed on the page. If she can run like the way she looked [on Monday], you'd hope there might be some black type along the way.”

But Doyle had kept some powder dry for the very last lot into the ring, the wildcard 81A. This was a filly by Zoustar (Aus) picked up by Midland Equine, Ltd. at Arqana last August for €75,000. Having meanwhile lodged with Robson Aguiar, here she elevated her value giddily to 400,000gns.

“She's outstanding,” enthused Doyle, this time operating for a new client. “I haven't seen a filly like that for a long time. She's an unbelievable individual: she has a lovely big ear, an honest head, everything is in the right place and she takes everything very easy. She breezed well, and comes highly recommended from a very good home.”

For his part, Aguiar had earlier done a productive sale with another filly by a young stallion, converting the Tasleet filly (lot 54) he bought for 75,000gns at the Tattersalls Somerville Sale into a 200,00gns purchase for Kerri Radcliffe/OMNI Horse.

Parr On The Trail Of The Champion

Speaking to TDN on the eve of the sale, Norman Williamson of Oak Tree Farm had not disguised his enthusiasm for the War Front colt he brought here as lot 39—and that counted for plenty, in the man who sold subsequent champion juvenile Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) here this time last year.

There was corresponding demand for a colt that had slipped through the cracks of Book 1 at Keeneland last year, but it was agent Ted Durcan who gave Satish Seemar no way back at 425,000gns.

But while Native Trail joined the Godolphin powerhouse, this was a striking roll of the dice for an ambitious name at the other end of the town's training spectrum. Joseph Parr is only embarking on his third season, but here he could be grateful for some extremely purposeful backing from patron Oliver Harris.

“He's a smashing-looking horse from a marvellous stable,” said Durcan. “He's fairly self-explanatory, really. He did a smashing breeze and he's just a beautiful stamp of a horse. He's obvious and you have to pay for them.”

Durcan expects that the horse will be one for seven furlongs and Williamson concurs that he has the build to keep progressing.

War Front is the sire of another of Williamson's star graduates in GI Preakness winner War Of Will. The consignor stressed his gratitude to Mark McStay, who completed a $170,000 private sale through his Avenue Bloodstock agency after this horse went through the ring unsold at that price.

“I have to give Mark a mention,” Williamson said. “He knew I'd had luck with War Of Will, and he said, 'Listen there's a War Front colt out here that's not been sold.' Tim Hyde [Jr.] went out to the farm and took videos and all the rest, but really without Mark we wouldn't have got him.”

Williamson was emphatic when asked whether this colt evoked War Of Will. “Yes,” he said firmly. “He's very similar: action, attitude, he's always fresh and happy with life, which is interesting. If he's as good, then we'll be more than happy. For a War Front, size and build-wise, he's big and strong with a lot of scope. Let's hope he's a racehorse, but he really is beautiful and his breeze was beautiful too.”

War Front's books have been managed with care and his dam earned her access as a graded stakes-placed daughter of Giant's Causeway, out of G1 Oaks d'Italia winner Meridiana (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}).

 Yet Another Admirer For Tally-Ho

The system really is working well, so the “send-more-money” bit should take care of itself. Richard Brown wasn't quite sure which of Blandford Bloodstock's clients would step up to the plate for a Night Of Thunder colt consigned by Tally-Ho Stud as lot 9—but he is confident that it will be a privilege well worth 225,000gns.

That's partly because of the way this colt, a €77,000 Goffs November foal, captivated the agent's attention with both his build and his breeze. But it's also because Blandford and Tally-Ho have clicked so often in the past.

True, some of their deepest gold strikes have been at Doncaster—most notably Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB}), a £36,000 bargain back in 2010; Ardad (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who also proved great value even as a £170,000 co-sale topper at the same auction in 2016; and now, with a turn of the wheel, a son of that horse in Perfect Power (Ire), bought for £110,000 last year before adding two Group 1 wins to his Royal Ascot success. And Brown also has high hopes for another of Richard Fahey's charges, Umm Kulthum (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), confined to a light second season but expected to take high rank as a mature sprinter.

“We have a long and happy history with Tally-Ho,” Brown said. “We've gone back to them for many years now and it's been a source of so many good horses. This colt did a fabulous breeze, I loved all of it. I'm a huge fan of the sire and I'd say he has set sail to reach another level again. I don't have a client as such for him, but I am sure there'll be plenty who will want to train a colt like this!”

The sales pitch should feature his damsire Ghostzapper as a promising addition to a line of classy broodmare sires, plus a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Magical Fantasy (Diesis {GB}) as second dam.

Seemar Bookends The Session With Dubai Exports

It didn't take long to ignite the session, with Satish Seemar forced to 210,000gns to export only the second lot into the ring—a €45,000 Orby pinhook by Johnny Collins of Brown Island Stables.

It was Collins who led the breeze-up sector's fightback in the chaos of 2020, topping this sale when it was eventually staged (in late June) with a 575,000gns Night Of Thunder colt (who, incidentally, broke his maiden for Chris Waller in Australia just a couple of weeks ago).

This lucrative debut at the breeze-ups was obviously a feather in the cap of rookie Saxon Warrior (Jpn), who is off the mark in France already and was here represented by a February colt out of a winning Sea The Stars (Ire) mare.

“With his low [catalogue] number, we were happy to find one at the beginning of the sale,” said Seemar. “One of our regular clients in Dubai has a liking for the Japanese breeding so it was perfect match. As an individual, this horse was very impressive, and he passed the vet the way we like. But I knew with [the] action he was getting we would have to pay a premium—which we did.”

The trainer believes that a young horse will adapt to whatever surface is suggested, and that we should resist assumptions. Dirt will certainly be offered to the horse, then, but to Seemar the key is that young horses of sufficient quality are introduced to the maturing local programme.

“We've been working hard at getting breeze-up horses for the last six years or so,” he said. “If you don't bring in new blood then the programme will never improve. He will ship in a couple of weeks, acclimatise and should be for November or December.”

Having pounced early, Seemar bookended the session by giving 230,00gns for one of the final lots into the ring: a Medaglia d'Oro colt presented as lot 75 by Powerstown Stud.

Collins, meanwhile, pulled off another fine pinhook with an Oasis Dream (GB) colt he had bought at Baden-Baden for €58,000. Here, presented as lot 47, he made 310,000gns from Godolphin.

The previous time he went prospecting for yearlings in Germany, he came back with future G1 Preis Von Europa winner Khan (Ger) (Santiago {Ger})—albeit he sold him at Arqana at a loss.

“I bought three horses, including Khan,” Collins recalled. “It's going to be hard to beat that—though Khan didn't make me any money! This was a beautiful yearling with a great walk, I was surprised that I got him to be honest. He has been a lovely horse all the way through, and shown us a lot of speed. If you go through his pedigree, he's probably bred to get a mile-plus, but I'll let Charlie Appleby be the judge of that!”

Certainly his new owners won't want to end up on the same slide as Khan—who was actually last seen winning over hurdles at Ludlow in January!

The sale resumes at 5.30pm on Wednesday.

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