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Churchill Filly Leads SGA Yearling Sale

Italy’s Societa Gestione Aste held its one-day select yearling sale in Milan on Saturday, with two fillies bringing six figures. A total of 147 youngsters were catalogued with 130 offered after outs, and 84 of those sold for a clearance rate of 64.6% and an aggregate of €1,651,000. The average was €19,655, and the median €11,000. Predictably given the economic climate, figures took a hit from 2019 when 83 yearlings grossed €2,423,000. The average and median had both experienced huge jumps last year to €29,193 and €18,000, respectively.

A first-crop daughter of Churchill (Ire) led the way at €120,000. Lot 74 was offered by Razza del Velino and purchased by Alfalasi Mohamed Saeed Ali. She is a half to a pair of local stakes winners in Sweet Gentle Kiss (Ire) (Henrythenavigator) and Sunset Key (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), and the dam herself was third in the G3 Italian 1000 Guineas.

Churchill’s Coolmore barnmate Australia (GB) has been experiencing a purple patch as of late, including a new Group 3 winner in Epona Plays (Ire) at Gowran Park on Saturday, and leading local owners Scuderia Incolinx paid €100,000 for a filly by the son of Galileo (lot 14) early in the sale. She is likewise a half to two stakes winners: the G3 Premio Elena e Sergio Cumani scorer Candy Store (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Group 3 winner The Conqueror (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}) and out of the listed-placed March Madness (GB) (Noverre). Lot 14 was also offered by Razza Del Velino.

The highest-priced colt of the sale was Allevamento Le.Gi.’s Kodiac (GB) half-brother to this year’s G3 Premio Parioli (Italian 2000 Guineas) winner Cima Emergency (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) lot 89. He was bought by Andrea Marcialis for €90,000. Another young Coolmore sire to feature was No Nay Never; he had a half-brother to listed winner Clockwinder (Ire) (Intikhab) (lot 59) sell to trainer Alduino Botti for €77,000.

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Showcasing’s Alkumait Outpoints Mill Reef Rivals

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s twice-raced Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) broke through tackling six furlongs in a July 28 Goodwood maiden and continued his upward path with a decisive victory returning in Saturday’s G2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef S. at Newbury. The February-foaled bay, who had posted a close-up fourth in a July 19 novice heat over Newbury’s straight six in his only other start, was 3/4-of-a-length too good for King Power Racing’s 475,000gns Tattersalls October Book 1 yearling Fivethousandtoone (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), with G1 Prix Morny third Rhythm Master (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) 2 3/4 lengths further back and best of the rest. The 8-1 chance was steadied to race within range of the leaders at the tail of the field after breaking to the fore in this black-type bow. Making smooth headway once past halfway, he quickened smartly to launch his bid entering the final furlong and was pushed out from there to comfortably outpoint 5-2 favourite Fivethousandttoone for a career high.

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Joel Date For Benbatl

Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) will make his belated return to action in Friday’s G2 Joel S. at Newmarket. The 6-year-old won a pair of Group 2s at Meydan over the winter but hasn’t been seen since finishing third in the Saudi Cup. He was scratched from the G2 Celebration Mile on Aug. 29 after the ground went soft.

“He’ll go for the Joel, he’s working well and he’s in good form. We’ve been waiting for a while to run him,” said trainer Saeed bin Suroor. “We wanted to go to Goodwood and then there was a race at Haydock, but the ground was heavy. Instead we’ll go to Newmarket for the race he won last year–he won it well. We’re looking forward to it and looking to see a good performance from him. The timing is also right for Champions Day, but he will only go there if the ground is suitable. We took him last year when it was soft and he didn’t like it. He’s got the option over a mile [the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S.] and 10 furlongs (the G1 Champion S.). We’ll wait and see, we just need to get him started.”

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Enable “Happy And Well” In Arc Prep

Newmarket’s Henry Cecil Open Weekend could not take place in its traditional format this year, but a wide array of HQ trainers nonetheless participated in virtual format.

John Gosden was chief among them, and he gave an update on the town’s most popular equine resident, Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), as she gears up for an attempt at a third win in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 4.

“Enable is very happy and well,” Gosden said. “She has been fine since the race at Kempton [the Sept. 5 G3 September S). She enjoyed that outing. It’s a massive task [the Arc], a big mountain to climb again. If it had gone quite right last year, she obviously wouldn’t be trying to do it this year.

“It looks a fantastic race; Aidan O’Brien is fielding a wonderful filly in Love, who naturally being a 3-year-old gets all the weight, which Enable benefited from when she won as a 3-year-old, and there are some great older horses. It is very exciting–she is in great form to attempt the impossible. Frankie [Dettori] will hopefully be here next week to ride her in some work and help bring her up to the race.”

Enable will meet her illustrious staying stablemate Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) for the first time on a racecourse in the Arc. Stradivarius shortened up to 2400 metres when second in the G2 Prix Foy on Sept. 13.

“In the Prix Foy, Mickael Barzalona was riding [winner] Anthony Van Dyck and he went nice gentle fractions,” Gosden said. “In the French trials they do not like to overdo them, they come into the straight and then kick. I thought for a two-and-a-half-mile Ascot Gold Cup winner he showed great acceleration down the straight. The other horses behind never got to them. I thought both horses ran lovely races and he came up a neck short. I could not have been happier with him.”

Two of Gosden’s Group 1-winning 3-year-olds, Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Mishriff (GB) (Make Believe {GB}), have dates on British Champions Day, in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. and G1 Qipco Champion S. respectively.

“We are very much looking at the QEII with Palace Pier,” Gosden said. “We were very happy with the [G1] Jacques le Marois–we wanted that straight mile for him. They did have an excessive amount of rain, so it was very soft, but he handled it well. There is a strong possibility that he stays in training as a 4-year-old, in which case it will probably be his last run of the season as we are getting deep into October. I didn’t really want to be whizzing him off to Hong Kong or America at this stage, maybe we will do that sort of thing next year. Hopefully he runs a big race in the QEII, and we will be waiting to run him again as a 4-year-old.”

Of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club victor Mishriff, Gosden added, “We thought about the Arc. We looked at the pedigree and to me, he is not fully furnished and strengthened yet. He is still improving and the Arc at this stage of his career could do more harm than good. We decided we will stay at a mile and a quarter and he will be going to the Champion S. I’d expect him to put up a pretty big show.”

Gosden said the G3 Cumberland Lodge S. could be on the agenda for last year’s G1 St Leger winner Logician (GB) (Frankel {GB}) following his recent winning return off an extended layoff due to peritonitis.

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