Tag: waldgeist

Paddington 2: The Sequel?

DEAUVILLE, France–The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe trophy, a pared-down replica of Paris's mighty monument, was in residence at the Arqana restaurant, where diners were treated to a complimentary glass of champagne courtesy of the owners of Ace Impact (Fr), Serge Stempniak and Kamel Chehboub. Some of us had work to do, however, and a solid opening day of Arqana's October Yearling Sale had more than a little fizz about it here and there. 

Frankel (GB) may rule at Tattersalls, but in Deauville we are in the court of France's champion sire Siyouni (Fr), whose 10 yearlings sold on Tuesday returned an average price of €189,500 and included one of the day's co-top lots at €420,000.

With a touch of déjà vu, that colt bore several similarities to one of the leading lights of the sale a few years ago. Both were bought on behalf of Coolmore by Laurent Benoit, who, after outbidding Anthony Stroud, said,  “He's by Siyouni out of a Galileo mare. It's the same price, same stallion and also the same underbidder as Paddington, and I think he will have the same trainer as Paddington. Let's hope he's as good as him.”

One of the differences in this case was the vendor of lot 132, which was Haras d'Etreham, who sold the son of the Grade III-placed Galileo (Ire) mare Decorating on behalf of his breeder Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farm.

Sharing his podium at the top of the leader board was Fairway Consignment's colt by Zarak (Fr) (lot 101), who will head to Norway after being signed for by Ross Doyle on behalf of his longstanding clients Magne and Bente Jordanger.

“We were given the mandate to find a horse to win Classics in Scandinavia, the Norwegian Derby, hopefully that's the plan. He was on a very short list and the one we wanted to get,” Doyle said.

“He's for Magne and Bente of Stall Perlen and will go to trainer Wido Neuroth. He was a magnificent colt and every time we saw him he was very relaxed.”

He added, “They've won the Norwegian Oaks recently with a filly we bought them by Night Of Thunder [Thunder Sea]. Scandinavian owners are very competitive. Mr Jordanger said to me that he's at the stage of his life where he wants to drink the best wine and buy the best horses.”

We can all drink a toast to such a sentiment, and the largesse of the Jordangers, along with plenty of other buyers on the day, led to an upturn in trade from last year. The 170 yearlings sold on the day pushed the clearance rate up slightly to 82%, while turnover rose by 21.5% to  €15,581,000, and the average was also up, by 18%, to €91,653. The median increased from €55,000 to €70,000.

Another busy day for Stroud

Despite being denied one son of Siyouni, Anthony Stroud had already secured lot 47, a half-brother to last year's October Sale topper, at €350,000. Offered by Haras du Mont dit Mont, the colt is out of Shamtee (Ire) (Shamardal), a Listed winner from the further family of stallions Territories (Ire), Street Cry (Ire), Shamardal and Victor Ludorum (Ire).

The Siyouni colt will join Andre Fabre's string for Godolphin, and was one of 14 purchases by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock during a busy Tuesday. Also on the list, for an unnamed client, was the Sea The Moon (Ger) half-sister to Group 1 winner Simca Mille (Fr) (Tamayuz {GB}), who was sold by her breeder Haras de la Perelle for €260,000.

In a further fitting tribute to the late Lady Chryss O'Reilly, her Haras de la Louivière draft was responsible for the joint-top-priced filly of the day (lot 29), a daughter of Wootton Bassett (GB) who was bought by Jerome Glandais of Ecurie de Launay for €260,000.

Out of the unraced Sablonniere (Fr) (Verglas {Ire}), she is a full-sister to the Listed Prix Ridgway winner Dream Works (Fr) and a half to the Group 3 winner King Malpic (Fr) (King's Best).

Pair of fillies for Sumbe

Sumbe had a busy day announcing two new stallions for next year [see accompanying story] and Nurlan Bizakov's team also recruited two new yearlings on Tuesday, lots 77 and 131. The first, a daughter of Bated Breath (GB) from La Motteraye Consignment, is a half-sister to the dual Listed winner Shalromy (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}) and was bred by Frederic and Jennifer Bianco. She was bought for €240,000 and Sumbe later went to €260,000 for a Sea The Stars (Ire) filly out of a half-sister to the Arc winner Danedream (Ger) (Lomita's {GB}) from Ecurie des Monceaux.

After signing for the Bated Breath filly, Nurlan Bizakov said, “It's a lovely family which we know well as Shalromy was born and raised at the stud for her breeders. The mare also boarded at Hesmonds Stud when she went to England to be covered. I am a fan of Bated Breath who is a consistent sire.”

One and done for Holland

Brendan Holland of Grove Stud completed his set for next year's breeze-up sales with the purchase early in the session of a colt by Siyouni (Fr) out of the Group 3-placed Over Reacted (Fr) (Planter {Ire}) from a family that includes the recent G1 Preis von Europa winner India (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}). Catalogued as lot 4, he was sold by Haras de Grandcamp for €175,000.

Reflecting on the yearling trade in general this year, Holland said, “I've found it difficult to buy the colts that I wanted. The market was more selective and maybe I'm getting more selective. I was also selling and the market was a bit patchier, for sure, and more selective, so that made it more difficult on both sides. 

“That was the same starting in Doncaster and all the way through Keeneland, it was difficult to buy nice colts. We had to stretch to buy the colt this morning. He's a nice colt with a good pedigree, out of a good mare by a good sire, but that type of colt is getting harder to buy.”

He added, “The spend has gone up the last five years to produce these two-year-old horses. My numbers are always around 20 to 25 horses and everyone is trying to up their quality, it's not just me, but the rest of the lads as well. The results of that have been showing on the track, too. And we're looking at a broad range of horses as well, it's not just a narrow band of two-year-old types.”

Camelot is King for Brummitt

Ecurie des Monceaux sold 20 of its 25 yearlings through the ring on Tuesday. The full-brother to Sottsass (Fr) was withdrawn on the day but among those to be sold was a Pinatubo (Ire) colt out of the Group 3 winner Pacifique (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Offered as lot 6, the half-brother to black-type performers Paix (Fr) (Muhaarar {GB}) and Sir Bob Parker (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) was knocked down to Jean-Claude Rouget at €210,000. 

From the same family and eight lots later was a Camelot (GB) half-brother to the G2 Debutanate S. winner and G1 Moyglare Stud S. runner-up Vespertilio (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). The son of Pacifique's half-sister Prudente (GB) (Dansili {GB}) was selected by an avowed fan of Camelot in Jeremy Brummitt. 

He said of lot 14, “What sets apart Camelot and Montjeu is the way they move, and this is the only yearling I've seen all year who moves in the way that I'm looking for. Nothing wins a race standing still. So I bought the horse that moves in the way that I want, because I think that's why that particular line, or those two stallions, father and son, are so good.”

Brummitt added, “He's been bought for an existing, undisclosed client called Bjorn Nielsen.”

Nielsen previously raced a close relation to this colt, English King (Fr), who is also by Camelot and is a half-brother to the yearling's dam Prudente. He won the Listed Derby Trial at Lingfield before running fifth in the Derby itself.

Talking Points

  • Monceaux once again leads the vendors' list with 20 sold for €2,368,000, and Charles Briere's Fairway Consignment had a good day selling five yearlings for an average of €167,000.
  • Anthony Stroud and Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock were the most active of the buyers and signed for 14 lots to the tune of €2,180,000.
  • Haras d'Etreham's freshman sire Hello Youmzain (Fr) continued his run of popularity at Arqana with 15 sold through the first day for an average of €78,000, which is more than three times his opening fee.
  • Chachnak (Fr)? Yep, I had to look him up too. The dual Group 3-winning son of Kingman (GB) stands at Haras de la Gastine for his owner Jean-Pierre Dubois and has three members of his 33-strong first crop catalogued at Arqana this week. The first sold for €15,000 to trainer Christophe Escuder.
  • In keeping with so many sales, the figures at Arqana's October edition have been increasing in recent years. The first day's aggregate this year, which weighed in at €15,581,000 for 170 sold, is not that far off the turnover for the whole sale in 2019, which stood at €16,957,000 for 414 yearlings. 

Buy of the Day 

Lot 37: Colt by Waldgeist (GB) – Sassella (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire})
Vendor/breeder: Gestut Ammerland
Buyer: Richard Venn, €35,000

Those associated with Waldgeist would probably have liked to see him have a few more winners by now but it's never wise to make judgments on stallions until at least the end of their second year with runners. As a progressive middle-distance horse bred jointly by three of the best operations in Europe it is fair to expect to see his offspring make more of an impact at three. It is also worth remembering that two of the buzz names of the year, Arc winner Ace Impact (Fr) and young sire Justify, did not appear on the racecourse until their three-year-old seasons.

In the case of lot 37, the colt was bred by one of the Waldgeist trio, Gestut Ammerland, whose impact on European racing has been pronounced over several decades, and whose presence we will miss after the stud's remaining breeding stock is sold at Arqana in December. 

Ammerland's Dietrich von Boetticher was not only the co-breeder of the colt's sire but also bred his dam and broodmare sire. Sassella won the Listed Prix Belle de Nuit, while her dam Sevenna (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has produced another four stakes winners, including Sevenna's Knight (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who runs in the Listed Prix Vulcain at Deauville on Thursday.

There's a lot of pedigree for that price and, if given the time he may well need, his owner and trainer could well be rewarded. The colt is heading to England to new Lambourn trainer Charlie Pike for owner Gary Gillies. Best of luck to them.

Thought for the Day

Boy, did the Arqana auctioneers speed things up on Tuesday. Bravo, merci, et encore!

The post Paddington 2: The Sequel? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘Worldwide’ Breeze-up Demand Fuels Bumper Arqana Edition

DEAUVILLE, France–Close to €38 million had already been spent on juveniles at the four breeze-up sales in Europe to have preceded Arqana, and that figure has now risen to around €59 million following a bullish day of trading in Deauville.

Featuring the season's only seven-figure breezer and with a much larger catalogue than usual, it was no surprise to see turnover increase, though a near-50% upturn was perhaps even better than anticipated, with the 140 sold bringing in a total of €21,110,500 to ring the new record bell. Other indicators were also up: the average by 15% at €150,789, and the median to €105,000.

No stranger to picking up the top lot at this sale, Oliver St Lawrence was the agent behind the first millionaire two-year-old of the European season when going to €1.2 million for Grove Stud's Siyouni (Fr) colt (lot 145) out of the dual Listed winner Isabel De Urbina (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).

“I had to pay twice the price for this one,” joked St Lawrence in reference to the €550,000 it took to buy last year's top lot, the subsequent G2 Mill Reef S. winner Sakheer (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}). The Siyouni colt will also join Roger Varian's stable.

“He turned out alright so hopefully this one will be just as good. I wouldn't have thought we'll see him racing until August or September, a proper race towards the end of the season.”

He also issued an update on KHK Racing's Sakheer, who finished seventh in the 2,000 Guineas. He said, “He didn't love the ground but he has come out of the race well. There was some discussion about withdrawing him on the morning of the race when all that rain came. He'll drop back in trip now for the Commonwealth Cup, that seems the obvious thing to do, and we'll just take it one race at a time.”

KHK Racing also owns 2021 Arqana Breeze-up graduate Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), the winner of last year's St Leger, who is entered in Friday's G2 Yorkshire Cup.

 

 

The main talking points:

  • The transatlantic travels of Arqana's executive director Freddy Powell have not been in vain for there was a strong American theme to proceedings on Saturday. Two of the top four lots are both heading to the United States. Coolmore bought the Uncle Mo colt (lot 51) for €600,000 from Tom Whitehead's Powerstown Stud and he will be trained by Todd Pletcher, while Arnaud Delacour will take charge of a Blue Point (Ire) filly bought for €500,000 by Nicolas Bertran de Balanda for Roy and Gretchen Jackson's Lael Stable.
  • West Point Thoroughbreds, one of the owners of Flightline, also appeared on the buyers' sheet alongside a Street Sense colt (lot 17) from Knockanglass Stables, while Flightline's trainer John Sadler was active at the sale, buying three horses through Fernando Laffon-Parias and Francoise Dupuis.
  • It was a stellar day for Brendan Holland, who sold seven horses through his Grove Stud, including three of the top eight, for a total of €2.4 million and average of €342,857 to lead the vendors' table.
  • Two colts by Dubawi (Ire) featured in the catalogue, and they both sold to Godolphin through Anthony Stroud for €800,000 and €400,000, from Oak Tree Farm and Yeomanstown Stud respectively. Mags O'Toole had bought the colt (lot 180) from the family of Group 1 winner Chicquita (Ire) and Magic Wand (Ire) for €150,000 at the Arqana October Sale, while Yeomanstown gave 180,000gns for the half-brother (lot 116) to Group 2 winner Turath (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) at Tattersalls December Yearling Sale.
  • Richard Brown struck early with three purchases within the first 11 horses through the ring, led by the €420,000 bid for lot 13, Mocklershill's full-brother to G2 German 1000 Guineas winner Txope (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). The colt had been a €170,000 buy-back in the same ring last August. Blandford Bloodstock ended the day as the second-leading buyer at the sale with nine bought for €1,525,000.
  • Lot 12, a Saxon Warrior (Jpn) colt out of the unraced Posh Claret (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}) bought for 34,000gns as a yearling, was not sold when knocked down at €480,000 in the ring. A private sale of €400,000 was later agreed between vendor Johnny Collins of Brown Island Stables and Anthony Stroud, and the colt will go into training with John and Thady Gosden.
  • Anthony Stroud later bought the Blue Point half-brother (lot 87) to Darley sire Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) for €325,000. Bred by Coolmore, the colt was in utero when his dam Beach Frolic (GB) (Nayef) sold for 2.2 million gns to MV Magnier at Tattersalls in 2020. Another half-brother, the year-older Castle Way (GB) (Almanzor {Fr}), provided a recent update when winning the Listed Newmarket S. at the Guineas meeting.
  • The run on Blue Point continued, with four members of his first crop sold for an average of €281,250 to make him the leading freshman. Of his contemporaries, Calyx (GB) was also represented by four sold for an average of €178,000.

 

 

The Bleep Bleep Connection

We had to utilise the bleep-o-meter when transcribing the interview with Johnny Hassett of the Bloodstock Connection after he sold his Sioux Nation filly (lot 45) to Oliver St Lawrence. There weren't quite 450,000 expletives on the tape, but that was the number of euros it took to secure the half-sister to Listed winner Manhattan Jungle (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {Ire}) who had been picked up for €90,000 at the Goffs Sportsman's Sale. From that same sale, Hassett had also bought a Magna Grecia (Ire) colt (lot 94) for €145,000 in partnership with Nico Archdale and resold that son of the unraced Callisto Star (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) on Saturday for €210,000 to Saudi Arabia's Najd Stud.

“What's not to like? I've had a tricky season,” Hassett said. “I haven't counted it yet but my gut reaction was that I hadn't made or lost too much money up to here, which probably means I had lost some because I'm always positive. But I'd say I'm out now and I've four more horses to sell here.

“This sale is strong so far and I think a lot of the high-dollar horses are stacked later. I think I have a couple of shots at the €150,000-plus lots and that was the first one and it worked.”

Asked if the pressure was off now, he replied, “Oh ****, yeah. You do a bit better when you're not hungry. It makes it easier when the pressure is off; you perform better.”

Hassett added, “A lot of credit must go to Emma Chilcot and the selection team, who got this right.”

The Bloodstock Connection ended up with six sold for an average of €193,667 and aggregate of €1,162,000, and there was a definite improvement in Hassett's language as the day wore on.

 

 

Ryan Signs Up Lone Waldgeist

Very few French consignors feature at the breeze-up sales but Philip Prévost Baratte made his presence felt when selling the sole entrant in the catalogue from the first-crop of Ballylinch Stud resident Waldgeist (GB) for €360,000.

Richard Ryan, who was been busy throughout the season, signed for lot 47 on behalf of Teme Valley, with Anthony Stroud and Alastair Donald also in the hunt. 

Ryan indicated that the son of Sous Le Soleil (Tizway), who is out of the G1 Preis der Diana winner Que Belle (Ger) (Seattle Dancer), would be trained in Ireland by Paddy Twomey.

“He's quite set and neat, balanced, there's an awful lot of Galileo about him,” said the agent, who signed for four on the day for Teme Valley and Opulence Thoroughbreds respectively. “He'll get a run or two for sure before this season is out, but he was bought with a view to try to run in the Classics next year.”

Ryan continued, “He has a German pedigree on top of an Arc winner. Waldgeist wanted a mile at two himself, so you're not trying to break any records, you just want them to present properly, have a good mouth, nice stride, and finish out the breeze ready for the next stage of his career, which is where he's at.”

He added of Prévost Baratte, “He's a skilled vendor. At this stage, everything has been done right for the horse.”

 

 

No Jogging but a Trio of Breezers for Sadler

In the company of Fernando Laffon-Parias and Francoise Dupuis, Californian trainer John Sadler made the most of his maiden voyage to Arqana by recruiting a trio of European breezers to take home with him.  

“It's my first trip to Deauville and to Arqana. It's lovely driving here from Paris through the French countryside and everyone has been so nice,” Sadler told TDN.

“The Powell brothers [Freddy and Richard] have been good hosts. [Their brother] Lenny Powell, who trains with us at Santa Anita, sent me a text and said 'You might want to think about going for a jog along the boardwalk'. This was last night when it was raining and cold!”

He continued, “There are a lot of horses here with American pedigrees, which is good, through we didn't end up buying one. There's so much turf racing now worldwide, and there are plenty of options for a turf runner in the United States, especially in California, because we have year-round turf racing and the perfect climate for it.”

Joining the Sadler barn will be a colt by Highclere Stud's freshman sire Land Force (Ire), who has been represented by his first two winners in the last two days. Lot 100 from Lackendarra Stables was knocked down at €250,000, and was later joined by Knockanglass Stables' Siyouni filly (lot 122), sold for €150,000, and a filly from the first crop of Haras d'Etreham's City Light (Fr), himself a son of Siyouni, who was bought from Philip Prévost Baratte for €160,000 as lot 177.

 

 

A Blether with Blarney

Brendan Holland, best known to all as Blarney, was understandably a happy man as he reflected on a day's work that represents months and months of planning and hard graft, starting at last season's yearling sales. 

The sale's leading vendor said, “Today has gone above and beyond Plan A, for once, as everyone who does it will appreciate, things went according to plan. 

“I've been lucky in France since this sale was in Saint-Cloud, and I tend to buy, in general, a later-maturing horse. I'm just attracted to that kind of horse, and that type of horse is more suited to this sale than any other sale. It's not just that I like coming here, it just suits my type of horse, and I also have a few left for Goresbridge for a similar reason. I have to split my horses.”

Observing the breeze-up market overall in 2023, he added, “Regardless of many economic woes, if this year wasn't a good year for the breeze-ups then there was never going to be a good year. We had three Classic winners last year and four other Group 1 winners. The quality of the horses is improving every year. We, as a bunch, are spending more on yearlings. That's not always reflected on the track if you spend more, but in this sector that is being reflected. The more we spend on yearlings, we're offering a better product, and maybe we're producing the product better as we are learning. 

“The industry is very connected worldwide and everyone is aware of what's going on in the different jurisdictions. It's no surprise that the breeze-ups are attracting new clients from different parts of the world. I sold one to America and two to Australia today, and that's reflective of the market. The breeze-up market really is worldwide.”

 

Hoyeau And Powell Pleased At Curtain Fall

Arqana President Eric Hoyeau and Executive Director Freddy Powell said, “We are very pleased with the results, thanks to the hard work and professionalism of our vendors who have once again placed their trust in us and brought horses of such a high standard that have been extremely well prepared. The quality of the catalogue brought many buyers to Deauville, whom we would also like to thank for coming. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the work of our teams as well as that of France Galop and the staff at Deauville Racecourse, who largely contributed to the success of this sale by allowing us to hold the breezes on a beautiful prepared track again this year.”

The post ‘Worldwide’ Breeze-up Demand Fuels Bumper Arqana Edition appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Value Sires Part III: Farhh and Away

As we move into the third tier of our examination of stallions by yearling profitability, the name at the top of the list for those standing between the equivalent of £10,000 and £19,999 perhaps provides an example of how rarity drives demand.

On paper, the Dalham Hall Stud-based Farhh (GB) has an awful lot going for him. A son of Pivotal (GB) out of a dual Group 1 winner over a mile and a half, he was lightly raced, with just one winning appearance in each of his two- and three-year-old seasons. Then at four, when things fell into place for him, he had Nathaniel (Ire) then Frankel (GB) holding him off the top spot in three consecutive Group 1 races. In total, Farhh ran second in four Group 1s that season, in the Eclipse, Sussex, International and Prix du Moulin, being beaten just a head in the latter by Moonlight Cloud (GB). The infrequency of his appearances resumed in his five-year-old season but boy was he worth waiting for, as he won the Lockinge and the Champion S. to round off his career in style.

Unfortunately things haven't gone swimmingly for the handsome Farhh at stud, as his career has been dogged by poor fertility. It has also been liberally sprinkled with excellence. 

From eight crops of foals to date, the largest number recorded in one year was 39 in 2019. The previous year only 18 Farhh foals were born, and there were 14 in 2022. From a total of 189 foals eligible to have raced so far he has had 149 runners and 89 winners, including 17 stakes winners. His seven group winners give a snapshot of the diversity one can expect when it comes to distance, which is perhaps no surprise given the speed and stamina influences in his own pedigree. His Group 1 winners King Of Change (GB) and Fonteyn (GB) are both essentially milers; the Group 3 winners Wells Farhh Go (GB) and Dee Ex Bee (GB) were both talented stayers, while another, Far Above (GB), was an extremely fast winner of the G3 Palace House S. at Newmarket. Far Above and King Of Change are both now at stud, and it will be interesting to see how much of a boost they can give to the Pivotal male line to enhance the good work being done primarily in France by Siyouni (Fr).

For the benefit of this exercise, as previously stated in Part I and Part II, the stallions are examined in four key price brackets according to their yearling sales returns of 2022 set against their fees at the time of covering. The average profit has been determined by the stallion's fee plus a figure of £20,000 for keep costs. The profitable stallions featured must have had at least five yearlings sold in 2022 to make the list and prices have been converted to sterling from Euros according to the conversion rate on the day of the sale.

With an average yearling price which was 8.5 times his 2020 fee of £12,000, Farhh was the clear leader in this field. Twelve of the 22 member of his 2021 crop were offered for sale, with the ten sold returning an average profit of £69,685. The only reason I have not given Farhh the gold medal which his results certainly deserve is that his poor fertility does present something of a risk, but that is for each breeder to weigh up for themselves as he is quite clearly a very good stallion.

Click Table To Enlarge. 

While the scarcity of Farhh's offspring could well have been a driver in his sales returns, the same cannot be said for New Bay (GB), who had 53 of his 61 yearlings offered sold for an average which was almost six times his 2020 fee. That figure of €15,000 was the lowest he stood for, and well done to those breeders who caught him at that fee in 2019 and 2020. Subsequently he has shot up to €37,000 in 2022, and that was then doubled to his current high of €75,000. One of his three Group 1 winners to date, Bayside Boy (Ire), has just joined New Bay on the roster at Ballylinch Stud, while the other two, Saffron Beach (Ire) and Bay Bridge (GB) remain in training with further lofty targets in their sights. 

In fee, New Bay has moved up two tiers on these stallion tables in just two years. His average profit on the yearlings sold last year was £47,636, and with a likely upturn in the quality of mares covered in line with his fee, it is fair to expect for his yearling average to continue to climb as long as those results on the track keep coming.

Sea The Moon (Ger) bucked a certain number of trends merely by being recruited to stand at Lanwades Stud in the first place. Not many winners of the German Derby make it to studs outside Germany, and not many sons of Sea The Stars (Ire) are afforded places at Flat studs, a situation that is as ridiculous as it is regrettable. 

Early on in his stud career, Sea The Moon caught the imagination of Australian buyers who switched their attention to buying foals and yearlings as the prices for horses in training climbed, and he has a decent strike-rate with his offspring to have ended up down under. They include the G1 Caulfield Cup winner Durston (GB), G3 N E Marion Cup winner Favorite Moon (Ger), and the Group 3-placed Pondus (GB). 

As he embarks on his ninth covering season, Sea The Moon's popularity remains strong. His yearlings of 2022, conceived the last year he stood for £15,000, returned  average profit of £30,284 from 58 sold. Though his fee has since risen to £25,000, he remains that rare middle-distance horse to be holding his own in the centre ground of the stallion market.

With such illustrious stud-mates as Frankel and Kingman (GB), Bated Breath (GB) can be in danger of being under-appreciated but he should not be, for he is a mid-range stallion who offers great value in a commercial marketplace. A Group 1 winner in Europe would be a boost to his profile–presently his sole top-level winner, Viadera (GB), posted her best performance in America–but he has had plenty knocking on the door, including the Group 2 winners Worth Waiting (GB), Daahyeh (GB), and Space Traveller (GB). The last named, twice a Grade I runner-up in the States, has recently joined the roster at Ballyhane Stud.

Bated Breath's fee has increased to £15,000 from the £12,500 paid for the nomination fee when these yearlings were conceived, but that keeps him within this bracket, and when considering a yearling average of £61,029 and average profit of £28,529 from the 45 sold through the ring last year, he remains an enticing prospect for breeders.

Doctor Dino (Fr) is primarily considered a National Hunt stallion, with the likes of Sceau Royal (Fr), La Bague Au Roi (Fr) and Sharjah (Fr) to his credit, but he should be regarded as a dual-purpose option, for he is also the sire of G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Physiocrate (Fr) and Group 3 winners Golden Legend (Fr) and Villa Rosa (Fr). Admittedly those three Flat horses named were all bred by Henri and Antonia Devin at Haras du Mesnil, where Doctor Dino stands, but if we are to learn, then it should be from the best, and the Couturié/Devin family has proved for many years to be extremely capable of producing top-class Flat runners. 

Like his sire Muthathir (GB) before him, Doctor Dino can cut it under both codes, and he has gradually worked his way up from an opening fee of €3,000 to his current high of €20,000. He stood at €16,000 when these yearlings were conceived, and showed a decent average profit of £27,907 for the 14 sold in 2022. There aren't many male-line descendants of Sharpen Up left at stud in Europe (Jack Hobbs is another, but he too is marketed primarily as a jumps sire), so it would be pleasing to see Doctor Dino have broader appeal to Flat breeders.

The more obvious French stallion high in this list, from a Flat perspective at least, is Zarak (Fr). Considering that his pedigree stretches back ten generations and 100 years to Mumtaz Mahal (GB) and the foundation of the Aga Khan Studs, he really would be a fitting stallion to make it to the top, especially as a son of the celebrated Zarkava (Fr). He is making all the right noises, with nine stakes winners from his first two crops as well as two Classic place-getters in La Parisienne (Fr) and Times Square (Fr), and there is a general clamour for his young stock. His opening fee of €12,000 held solid though his first four seasons until rising to €25,000 last year and €60,000 this year. This is the territory in which stallions start to get found out, but with the might of the Aga Khan broodmare band behind him, along with support from plenty of outside breeders, Zarak has a decent chance of taking another big step forward. Last year his yearlings sold for five times his 2020 fee and showed average profit of £25,554.

The G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Sioux Nation made an extremely promising start to his stud career with his first runners in 2022. His tally of winners was such that in any normal year he would have been champion first-season sire, but he came up against another prolific youngster in Havana Grey (GB), who had the edge when it came to the number of stakes winners. Sioux Nation, one of the last of Scat Daddy's sons to retire to Coolmore, was not lacking in this regard himself, and Lakota Sioux (Ire) and Sydneyarmschelsea (Ire) both won Group 3 races, while Matilda Picotte (Ire) landed the Listed Bosra Sham S. and was third in the G2 Lowther S.

His second-crop yearlings were conceived off his opening fee of €12,500. This dipped to €10,000 for two years before bouncing up to €17,500 for the coming season on the back of that promising start. Even at this new fee, Sioux Nation still looks a profitable option if he can build on his debut season with runners, for his 61 yearlings sold last year fetched an average price of £46,626 (four times his fee) and average profit of £15,236.

The 2020 covering season saw three very smart recruits to the stallion ranks in Britain and Ireland. Derby winner Masar (Ire) joined the Darley team in Newmarket, the town which has also become home to the Niarchos family's Prix du Jockey Club winner Study Of Man (Ire), who is at Lanwades Stud, while the Arc winner Waldgeist (GB), who was only narrowly denied the previous year's Jockey Club when beaten a short-head by Brametot (Ire), retired to Ballylinch Stud. All three have top-drawer pedigrees to match their racing records and, while their first two-year-olds will be unleashed this season, it is fair to expect all of them to be better represented once that crop turns three. 

That said, two things should be kept in mind when considering Masar. His sire New Approach (Ire), a fellow Derby winner, had been champion two-year-old and with his first crop he pulled off the extremely rare feat of being represented by three juvenile stakes winners at Royal Ascot. Masar was no slouch at two himself, beating the smart sprinter Invincible Army (Ire) over six furlongs on debut in May before winning the G3 Solario S. and finishing third in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. He could well be in the mix in the first-season sires' table this year.

Masar's first yearlings sold for an average which was 3.3 times his opening fee of £15,000. He has dropped only fractionally to £14,000 but it may well be a good time to use him. His average profit on 59 yearlings sold was £14,942.

Waldgeist outstripped that from an opening fee of €17,500, with 54 sold for an average 3.4 times that mark and average profit of £18,512. He was of course a Group 1 winner at two, and his stock looked pretty tidy, as he is himself, and may well not take too long to come to hand. With a drop in fee to €12,500 for 2023, again this could well be a good time to strike for this well-bred son of Galileo (Ire).

Just as Waldgeist will have been lent support by the powerful Ballylinch partners, including his co-breeder Gestut Ammerland, as well as Newsells Park Stud, so will Study Of Man been supported by the Niarchos family and Kirsten Rausing at Lanwades. The latter was responsible for 25 of Study Of Man's first crop of foals, including ten from her 'AL' family and a filly out of Group 1 winner Madame Chiang (GB) (Archipenko), while other notable first-crop members include a half-brother to Derby winner Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) who was retained by breeder Gary Robinson of Strawberry Fields Stud. Juddmonte Farms, Gestut Fahrhof, Blue Diamond Stud, and Hascombe & Valiant Stud were among the other major operations to back the son of Deep Impact (Jpn) and grandson of Miesque (Nureyev).

With some notable owner-breeders involved it wasn't a surprise that not many of Study Of Man's yearlings came onto the market, but of the 27 that did, 23 were sold for an average of £40,321 at an average profit of £5,321. His stud fee was adjusted from an opening £15,000 to £12,500 for his next two seasons, and that is where it remains for 2023, which seems an extremely fair price for a horse with a pedigree of hugely international significance.

The Niarchos family's Flaxman Stables Ireland was also responsible for breeding Ulysses (Ire), the son of a Derby winner and Oaks winner in Galileo and Light Shift (Kingmambo). He does need to have a big year this year, but there have been glimmers of potential from Ulysses's first two crops to date, with Piz Badile (Ire) winning the G3 Ballysax S. and finishing second in the Irish Derby, while Holloway Boy (GB) announced his talent in no uncertain terms when winning the Listed Chesham S. on his audacious debut at Royal Ascot. 

At Cheveley Park Stud, his fee has dropped from an opening £30,000 to £10,000 but there were still plenty of Ulysses supporters at the yearling sales, where 34 of his yearlings sold for an average of £48,239, representing average profit of £13,239 from his 2020 fee of £15,000. There will be plenty of people happy to see Ulysses have a noteworthy season in 2023.

Value Podium:

Gold: Bated Breath

Silver: Sea The Moon

Bronze: Waldgeist 

The post Value Sires Part III: Farhh and Away appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Who’s Hot Ahead Of The Tattersalls December Foal Sale?

The insatiable demand for foals was evident in the figures recorded at Goffs last week with turnover rising 16% to €29,561,000 and the average climbing 16% to €40,110.

At the top end of the market, Kingman (GB) dominated with three foals by the Juddmonte-based stallion selling for a combined €1,540,000 and one of Europe's leading pinhookers Philipp Stauffenberg signing for the €550,000 top lot by the sire. 

Tally-Ho Stud may be best known for being sellers but they pipped Stauffenberg for the biggest spenders title by signing for 19 foals for €1,429,000. Juddmonte, Yeomanstown, BBA Ireland and Camas Park Stud were also on the front foot at Goffs. 

Away from the top end, there were interesting trends to emerge last week that could well impact how this week's December Foal Sale plays out at Tattersalls.

What first-season sires do the buyers want? Who are the emerging forces in the stallion ranks and where might the value lie at Tattersalls? We've examined all of that and more.

Stock In Mehmas And New Bay Is Booming

It's been a breakout year for Mehmas (Ire) and New Bay (GB), who have had their fees for 2023 hiked off the back of memorable campaigns for their respective progeny and, judging by how well their foals went down at Goffs, they can again be expected to play a leading role at Tattersalls.

Let's start with Mehmas, a horse who began his stud career at Tally-Ho in 2017 at a fee of €12,500 and has justified his bump to €60,000 after another memorable campaign, highlighted by Group 1-winning sprinter Minzaal (Ire).

New Bay has done something similar at Ballylinch in that he has climbed the ranks the hard way. He also entered the stallion ranks in 2017, standing for €20,000, but has had his fee for 2023 increased to €75,000 from €37,500 with Bay Bridge (GB), Bayside Boy (Ire) and Saffron Beach (Ire) doing their bit to advertise their stallion's prowess at the highest level this season.

Nine New Bays sold at Goffs for an average of €80,750, headed by colts who sold for €145,000 and €140,000, while Mehmas enjoyed a similarly productive sale with 26 foals selling for an average of €62,455. Four foals by Mehmas broke the €100,000 mark with BBA Ireland going to €160,000 to secure a colt by the stallion.

What's clear about last week's results is that Mehmas and New Bay are the emerging forces in the European stallion ranks. There are 30 foals by Mehmas and 16 New Bays at Tattersalls this week and it will be interesting to see how they perform.

Sergei To Make A Splash?

The Whitsbury Manor Stud team got to dip their toe into the market with some of the first foals by Sergei Prokofiev (Can) going under the hammer at Goffs. How that will prepare an operation who excelled itself with leading first-season sire Havana Grey is hard to know given the amount of foals due to be sold by Sergei Profkofiev at Tattersalls this week. 

The Goffs offering went down well; one colt made €52,000 while the WH Bloodstock team paid €45,000 for another. Of the six foals that sold at Goffs, they averaged at €34,167. Not bad going for a stallion who stood at £6,500 in his first season at stud. 

Indeed, Sergei Prokofiev hails from that Scat Daddy line that is proving so popular. He was clearly quite the looker, too, given he fetched $1,100,000 as a yearling before carving out a decent career without managing to win a Group 1 for Aidan O'Brien. 

There are 60 foals by Sergei Prokofiev at Tattersalls this week. They should provide a better sample size into the standing in which he is held in with the buyers.

Najd Stud Snap Up Foals

We have become accustomed to Najd Stud playing a major role at the horses-in-training sales but it was interesting to see the Saudi Arabian-based outfit sign for four foals at Goffs. Is that a sign of things to come at Tattersalls this week?

Najd Stud didn't shoot the lights out, either, at Goffs. A Ghaiyyath (Ire) colt topped the total spend of €134,500 across five foals. Interestingly, a filly by Shadwell's Commonwealth Cup winner Eqtidaar (Ire), who has his first runners next year, was among the purchases at €36,000 as was a €3,500 Belardo (Ire) colt on the final day of the sale. 

Kildangan-Based Sires Come Up Trumps

Speaking of Ghaiyyath, the Kildangan-based freshman sire enjoyed a rock-solid start at Goffs with 11 of his first foals selling for €824,000 which averages out at €74,909.

Leading pinhookers Pier House Stud bought the top two colts by the stallion for €185,000 and €145,000 respectively and few would be surprised if the offerings by the four-time Group 1 winner go down well at Tattersalls as well. 

Of the 11 foals cataloged by Ghaiyyath at Tattersalls, a filly out of a sister to New York Girl (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and a half-brother to Global Giant (GB) (Shamardal) stand out on paper at least.

Fellow Kildangan-based stallions Blue Point (Ire) and Earthlight (Ire) also performed well. Earthlight had 17 foals sell for €942,500 at an average of €55,441 with Tally-Ho, Lynn Lodge Stud, Peter and Ross Doyle among the significant buyers of his progeny.

Even more impressive were figures posted by Blue Point, who had 20 lots sell for €1,011,500 at an average of €56,194. Top of the pops were colts knocked down for €200,000 apiece to Camas Park Stud and Katsumi Yoshida.

Blue Point's yearlings were similarly well-received. Famous for winning the King's Stand and Diamond Jubilee S. in the same week at Royal Ascot in 2019, Blue Point will have his first two-year-olds hit the track in 2023, with yearlings by the sire averaging over €100,000 this year. 

His stats performed favourably against proven sires Dark Angel (Ire), Showcasing (GB), Kodiac (GB), Starspangledbanner (Aus) and Acclamation (GB) in terms of average for a similar number of lots through the ring at Goffs last week. It will be interesting to see if he can carry over that sort of momentum at Tattersalls. 

First-Season Sires

Next year's race to be crowned champion first-season sire is being billed as one of the most exciting renewals for a long time with Too Darn Hot (GB), Blue Point, Waldgeist (GB), Magna Grecia (Ire), Ten Sovereigns (Ire), Calyx (GB), Advertise (GB), Invincible Army (Ire), Land Force (Ire) and Soldier's Call (GB) having their first runners in 2023.

As mentioned above, Blue Point performed well at Goffs while a number of leading pinhookers got behind the progeny of a number of the first-season sires. 

Advertise was one who came out nicely on the figures from a relatively small sample size at Goffs and one would imagine that Tattersalls will provide a more accurate barometer given he has 19 foals there.

But the Goffs results read well. Six foals sold for an average of €32,167 which was more than Invincible Army [14 for €29,773], Ten Sovereigns [15 for €26,833] and Soldier's Call [14 for €26,417]. Those figures could well average out this week. Time will tell.

First Crops Of Note

Along with Ghaiyyath, Earthlight and Sergei Prokofiev, who we have already mentioned, a number of stallions had their first crop go under the hammer at Goffs. 

Some of the more interesting results were posted by Arizona (Ire), perhaps unsurprisingly given he is a son of the sire of the moment, No Nay Never, while King Of Change (GB), Mohaather (GB), Sottsass (Fr) and Without Parole (GB) caught the imagination. 

Peter Nolan paid €60,000 for an Arizona half-brother to Eldrickjones (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) while the Coolmore-based freshman sire, who stands for just €5,000, averaged a respectable €20,192 for 13 foals.

Sottsass was a classier racehorse than most of his first-crop rivals and it told in the figures at Goffs with the former Arc winner posting averages comparable with Mehmas, Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Dark Angel. There were 11 foals by Sottsass at Goffs and they sold for an average of €61,100 and a top price of €180,000. 

G1 Sussex S. winner Mohaather created a good impression with five foals selling for an average of €49,250 including a top lot of €95,000 while Without Parole had four foals sell for an average of €27,000 and a high of €70,000.

King Of Change was subject to a recent transfer after being snapped up by Starfield Stud from Derrinstown and it looks like it could prove to be a decent move given how his first foals performed. 

Peter and Ross Doyle paid €50,000 for a colt by the sire who averaged a solid €24,714 for seven foals sold. That's a good return for a Group 1-winning stallion who is set to stand for just €5,000 next year.

Coolmore Can Count On Wootton Bassett And No Nay Never

Wootton Bassett (GB) and No Nay Never flew the flag for Coolmore at Goffs while demand for the progeny of Saxon Warrior (Jpn) was evidently up off the back of an excellent autumn for the first-season sire. 

Wootton Bassett was bettered only by Kingman and Galileo, who between them accounted for just four foals at Goffs, for the highest averages posted. 

The sire of brilliant G1 National S. winner Al Riffa, Wootton Bassett clearly captured the imagination last week, with seven foals selling for €1,345,000 at an average of €224,167 which earned him a top-three finish in that particular table. 

No Nay Never enjoyed an eighth-place finish in averages posted on €134,800 and, while Saxon Warrior was down on that list at €52,263, he posted a chunky aggregate with 21 foals selling for €993,000. That was the seventh-highest aggregate recorded by any stallion. 

 

The post Who’s Hot Ahead Of The Tattersalls December Foal Sale? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights