Filly Foal Is The First For Perfect Power

The first foal of the three-time Group 1 winner Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) was born at Whatton Manor Stud on February 3, Darley announced on Monday.

The bay filly is a daughter of the former Richard Fahey trainee Vaulted (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), a half-sister to the multiple Group 2 winners Dimension (GB) (Medicean {GB}) and Spacious (GB) (Nayef).

Whatton Manor's Ed Player described her as, “A big, strong filly, nice limbs and [we're] pretty pleased with the model we've got.”

Perfect Power, who won the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S. as a two-year-old before adding the G1 Commonwealth Cup to his tally at three, stands for £10,000 at Dalham Hall Stud this year.

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Sea The Stars Filly In Front as Yearling Season Concludes

NEWMARKET, UK–That's a wrap for the yearlings of 2022, with the late-season curtain-up for a fortnight of sales of all ages at Park Paddocks netting 4,501,500gns from the exchange of 130 fledgling racehorses.

Figures dipped a little from last year's slightly larger catalogue, but there was still plenty of money about for the 'right' horse, with a number of those towards the top of the list having missed an earlier engagement at Tattersalls for a variety of minor reasons. The average of 34,627gns was pretty much on a par with 2021 figures, but the median fell by 19% to 22000gns. The clearance rate dropped two points to 86%.

Combined tallies for the yearling sales of October and December weighed in at 204 million gns, a significant increase on the previous record for those fixtures of 167 million gns in 2018, and that doesn't take into account the latest addition to the Tattersalls yearling calendar, the Somerville Yearling Sale, which this year turned over 7.7 million gns.

Alex Elliott talked of paying a “Book 1 price for a Book 1 filly” and that was certainly the case for the day's leading light [lot 80], a filly by the Sea The Stars (Ire), who was bred by the Rogers family at Airlie Stud and consigned on their behalf by Whatton Manor Stud.

Elliott has been busy recruiting yearlings for Valmont this season, and this latest purchase took the juvenile team for 2023 to a total of 33. Ralph Beckett, who has sent out 11 runners for Valmont during 2022, will take charge of the full-sister to Fifty Stars (Ire), who was eventually secured with a bid of 260,000gns.

“She fitted the profile: she was a Book 1 filly but she missed out [on that sale] as she had a slight injury prior to Book 1, so she was a Book 1 filly in December and we had to pay a Book 1 price for her,” said Elliott, who noted that Valmont now has 60 horses in training.

“We had a good Sea The Stars filly this year called Trust The Stars, who won a Newmarket maiden, and she is hopefully going to be an Oaks filly, and that is the type of middle-distance, three-year-old profile we are looking for.”

He continued, “She was a foal share but she was bred by Airlie Stud and they are such good breeders and I love buying from them; they are so organic and they get such great results. The mare is in foal to Sea The Stars, she has a Sea The Stars foal, and she is going back to him so there's a lot to happen for us. Hopefully she is one that we can race and breed from in time.”

The filly, bred on the same cross as Oaks winner Taghrooda (GB), is a daughter of the Sadler's Wells mare Swizzle Stick (Ire). The unraced mare's most prolific offspring is the aforementioned Fifty Stars, whose major victories in Australia include the G1 Australian Cup, two running of the G2 Blarney S., and the G2 Ajax S.

Sea The Stars was also on the shopping list of Peter and Ross Doyle, who signed for lot 69, from Gestut Fahrhof, at 145,000gns. The colt out of the French listed winner Sequilla (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) could well be seen back in the same ring next spring as he was bought on behalf of breeze-up consignor William Browne of Mocklershill.

Emphasising the range of horses on offer at the breeze-up sales these days, this year's St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was a graduate of the Arqana Breeze-up Sale, and either that auction or the Craven were mooted as possible destinations for another Dubawi colt who was bought for 180,000gns by Yeomanstown Stud.

Lot 154, who was offered by his breeder Shadwell, is out of the Listed City of York S. winner Fadhayyil (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), whose first foal Turaath (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) has won two stakes races in Australia, including the G2 Let's Elope S.

“Obviously he's by a top stallion and out of a very good mare,” said Yeomanstown's David O'Callaghan. “We don't get too many opportunities to buy this type so we said if he didn't make a silly price we'd step in. Thankfully he fell just within our range.”

Breezing is also on the horizon for the Frankel (GB) half-brother to the Group 3 winners Peace Envoy (Fr) (Power {GB}) and Our Last Summer (Ire) (Zamindar), who was picked up by Tally-Ho Stud for 130,000gns from the Glenvale Stud draft.

Yulong Investments has been a staunch supporter of the European bloodstock scene in recent years and its principal Zhang Yuesheng was a significant participant at last week's Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale when spending more than €5 million on mares to support the operation's young stallion Lucky Vega (Ire). Along with bloodstock agent Michael Donohoe, the the Yulong team was active again at the December Yearling Sale, snaring one of the earliest lots into the ring [6] for 155,000gns. 

Offered by the Castlebridge Consignment for breeder Michael Enright, the dark brown colt is the first foal of the unraced Lady Corsica (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a sister to GI Belmont Derby winner Deauville (Ire). The six-year-old mare was sold in the same ring two years ago for 310,000gns when carrying the colt.

Donohoe, who confirmed that the colt will go into training with Karl Burke, said, “I had previously bought the dam for client Michael Enright so I know all about her. I had seen [the colt] as a foal and a yearling, he was entered in Book 1 but was going through a growing stage then and was withdrawn.”

The Australian appetite for European bloodstock shows no sign of abating and Annabel Neasham, a regular buyer at the Horses-in-Training Sale, expanded her remit to add a December yearling to her export list from Newmarket. Agent Stuart Boman of Blandford Bloodstock conducted the bidding on behalf of the trainer and Nathan Bennett of Bennett Racing for lot 24, a Ten Sovereigns half-sister to Sibaaq (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who races for the same team in Australia and was picked up at Tattersalls last autumn. A four-time winner in the UK for Mark Johnston, the four-year-old is yet to win in Australia but has finished placed on four occasions.

“This is a bit of longer-term project,” said Boman after bidding 120,000gns for the Barton Stud-bred filly who is also a half-sister to Group 3 winner The Happy Prince (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}). “Sibaaq has already won over half a million in prize-money. He has worked out very well and this filly has huge residual value.”

He added, “She was in the October Book 2 Yearling Sale, but did not make it due to a minor issue. It makes sense and we think Sibaaq is up to Group class in Australia.”

Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock stepped in to buy the Lope De Vega (Ire) half-brother to G3 Prix Paul de Moussac winner Azano (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) for 150,000gns for an undisclosed client. The colt [lot 113] hails from an Aga Khan family which includes Azamour (Ire) and The Autumn Sun (Aus) and was bred by Elysian Bloodstock. 

A sole purchase on the day for the Hong Kong Jockey Club came for lot 112, a colt by Invincible Spirit (Ire) out of the Frankel (GB) mare Aspirer (GB), a Juddmonte-bred daughter of Prix de Diane winner Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat) from this family of Irish Derby winner Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Consigned by Norris Bloodstock for breeder Eric Chen, he brought the hammer down at 100,000gns.

Leading the day's pinhooks was lot 84, a colt by Harry Angel (Ire) bought for 26,000gns last year by David Hegarty of Hegarty Bloodstock and resold for 92,000gns to Richard Frisby. His dam Thankful (GB) (Diesis {GB}) has a clean sheet thus far from her six offspring to take to the track who are all winners, headed by the listed-placed Morning Post (GB) (Acclamation {GB}).

Action returns to sale ring at Park Paddocks at 10am on Wednesday with the start of  the four-day Tattersalls December Foal Sale.

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Lope De Vega’s Silver Knott Battles To Autumn Success

Godolphin's Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}–God Given {GB}, by Nathaniel {Ire}), whose yearling half-brother sold for 1,500,000gns at Tattersalls' Book 1 sale during the week, bounced back off a below-par effort–behind subsequent G1 Dewhurst S. hero Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB})–in last month's G2 Champagne S. to deliver a game victory in Saturday's G3 Emirates Autumn S. at Newmarket and completed a hat-trick for connections following in the wins of Coroebus (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and One Ruler (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the two most recent editions of the seven-furlong test. August's G3 Solario S. victor, burdened with a three-pound penalty for that win, was steadied to race under a firm hold in a handy fifth after a smart exit from the gates. Inching into fourth at halfway, the 4-1 third favourite was angled into the clear passing the quarter-mile marker and kept on strongly up the hill once launching his challenge inside the furlong pole to deny the rallying 'TDN Rising Star' Epictetus (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) by a neck. Nick White and Elaine Burke's dual Group-placed Listed Chesham S. victor Holloway Boy (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) finished 1 3/4 lengths further adrift in third.

“It was a disappointing run last time, but we had a genuine excuse and felt the step up in trip was always going to suit him as was being back on a sound surface,” explained Charlie Appleby. “He got caught up in the mud at Doncaster, but went there off the back of a nice performance at Sandown where he quickened up and I think we saw that again today. A key factor today was the distance as he has a stout pedigree, being out of God Given. He doesn't do anything flash and I know we were getting excited after Sandown, but that sort of race broke down in front of him as they went hard and came back in front of him up the hill. He got the penalty for a reason, but he was up against a competitive field. He is a horse that you will see at 10 furlongs in the middle of next summer, but we will likely put him in one of the trials in the spring.”

Champion jockey-elect William Buick added, “The ground went against him at Doncaster, but on a nice surface he travels well and he has seen out a mile very well today. He's a big horse and that gives you confidence for next year. This lad is a 3-year-old type and anything he does as a 2-year-old is a bonus. He has plenty of scope to improve.”

Silver Knott, a half-brother to the aforementioned yearling colt by Dubawi (Ire), is the first of two foals produced by multiple Group winner God Given (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), whose career high came in the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio. The March-foaled bay's second dam Ever Rigg (GB) (Dubai Destination), who also threw multiple Group 1-winning sire Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), is a daughter of G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Bianca Nera (GB) (Salse). The latter is also the granddam of GIII Beverly Hills H.-winning GI Yellow Ribbon Invitational second Turning Top (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and G3 Winter Derby victor Robin Hoods Bay (GB) (Motivator {GB}). Silver Knott's Group-winning fourth dam Birch Creek (GB) (Carwhite {Ire}) is responsible for G1 Moyglare Stud S. second Hotelgenie Dot Com (GB) (Selkirk), herself the dam of G1 Fillies' Mile and G1 Falmouth S. winner Simply Perfect (GB) (Danehill).

Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
EMIRATES AUTUMN S.-G3, £60,000, Newmarket, 10-8, 2yo, 8fT, 1:36.00, gd.
1–SILVER KNOTT (GB), 132, c, 2, by Lope De Vega (Ire)
1st Dam: God Given (GB) (G1SW-Ity, MGSW-Eng & GSW-Fr, $492,122), by Nathaniel (Ire)
2nd Dam: Ever Rigg (GB), by Dubai Destination
3rd Dam: Bianca Nera (GB), by Salse
(725,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-St Albans Bloodstock LLP (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £34,026. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-1, $102,676. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Epictetus (Ire), 129, c, 2, Kingman (GB)–Thistle Bird (GB), by Selkirk. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-George Strawbridge (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden. £12,900.
3–Holloway Boy (GB), 129, c, 2, Ulysses (Ire)–Sultry (GB), by Pivotal (GB). (60,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA; 60,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Nick White & Mrs Elaine Burke; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-Karl Burke. £6,456.
Margins: NK, 1 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 4.00, 2.25, 2.00.
Also Ran: Dancing Magic (Ire), Killybegs Warrior (Ire), Exoplanet (Fr).

 

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How Whatton Manor Has Become A Major Player

The makers of the popular BBC programme Country File could easily film a riveting episode just within the 700 acres of Nottinghamshire countryside that is Whatton Manor Stud. The farm is home to Longhorn cattle and rare breeds such as Wensleydale sheep and Suffolk Punch horses. But its main business is of course the breeding and rearing of thoroughbreds, something the Player family has done increasingly well in the 40 years since Peter Player inherited the farm from his aunt.

An inheritance of a plot of such rich land deep in the Vale of Belvoir can be regarded as fortunate, but it is one which has given rise to decades of work. Peter's son Ed is now at the forefront of the business and he speaks with reverence of the dedication his 80-year-old father has shown to the place for half his life. 

“There were no horse paddocks at all when we first came here,” he says. “It was cattle or arable land completely, but the Vale of Belvoir is well known for being brilliant land and he thought he could make a go of it with horses. My father was managing Hadrian Stud for the Wells family and then they sold Hadrian and for the next 40 years, his lifetime's work has been building up this stud up from scratch. Initially, we started with no fences and now it's up to 700 acres of fenced land.”

He adds, “We're an hour from the Doncaster sales and around 40 minutes to Newmarket, so it works very well for us.”

It is the latter destination, and Tattersalls in particular, which will be occupying Player's thoughts and time over the next fortnight. At Book 1 this coming week Whatton Manor Stud offers its strongest draft to date.

The eight at Book 1 are consigned for a range of clients, including the Players' Nottinghamshire neighbours Fiona and Mick Denniff, who are selling an Invincible Spirit (Ire) half-brother to group winners Beat The Bank (GB) and Chil Chil (GB), as well as Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock and Rabbah Bloodstock. For the last two named, Whatton Manor consigns three Dubawi (Ire) yearlings, including a half-brother to this year's G3 Solario S. winner Silver Knott (GB), a 725,000gns purchase by Godolphin from Stone and Whatton Manor at Book 1 in 2021.

Making the quick buck is always the wrong choice; we want to have a reputation for breeding good horses

“Over the years, we've not really had many in Book 1,” Player says. “We've had the odd ones in certain years, but we've been very much more a Book 2 draft. Luckily, we've got some very good clients who breed some very nice horses, which gives us the opportunity to sell these horses in Book 1. We've always aspired to do so but it's easier said than done. You've only got to look through the catalogue at the moment and it's lot after lot of beautiful pedigrees.”

He continues, “To have a nice draft this year is very exciting. I'm happy to work with any stock, and I get just as much fun out of a horse we've sold for £2,000 that wins five races, but as the quality of mares here has improved, we've been lucky and had a lot of good horses from the farm.”

One of those is a young stallion who will no doubt soon be represented by some of his stock at Whatton Manor Stud. David Ward's G1 July Cup winner Starman (GB) was bred at the farm, and the Tally-Ho Stud resident is reported to have been one of the busiest stallions in Ireland this year.

“David is such an enthusiast and he very much views his involvement as a team with myself, Ed Sackville and Ed Walker,” says Player. “We all have our part and if something good like Starman comes along he's very appreciative and thanks us all for each individual bit we've all done, whether it's Ed deciding on the matings, us looking after the horse for the first two years of his life, and then Ed Walker training him beautifully, or Brian O'Rourke breaking him in.”

He continues, “Starman was bred from David Ward's first broodmare, and was the second horse he ever bred. The first was Sunday Star (GB) who was stakes-placed seven times. When Starman won the July Cup, it was very emotional, a very special day for all of us.”

The aforementioned Silver Knott, who holds an entry for the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy later this month, is one of the most recent star graduates and has provided his Group 1-winning dam God Given (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) with an excellent start to her broodmare career for Andrew Stone, who is also the owner-breeder of the G3 Chipchase S. winner Sense Of Duty (GB) (Showcasing {GB}).

“Again, Andrew is a hugely enthusiastic person loves his racing and puts a lot into the sport. He's had a very good year this year. Sense Of Duty was born here as well, and I know they really felt she was a Group 1 filly. She's had an issue but hopefully she can come back next year. Then to breed Silver Knott out of his pride and joy, God Given, was fantastic. We have a very nice Dubawi to offer from the mare [lot 504].”

Player admits to a few grey hairs emerging these last few years watching horses like God Given's Dubawi colt grow, but says, “The most important thing for us is that they go out in a big field and they learn to be proper horses. We don't mollycoddle them to make sure they're perfect sales horses.

“Occasionally, accidents happen and you try to do everything to stop those but being a racehorse is crucial. My father always said to me, 'Keep it as close to nature as possible, and if you have racehorses off the farm, the money will come.' Making the quick buck is always the wrong choice. We want to have a reputation for breeding good horses.”

That certainly has become a hallmark of Whatton Manor Stud, as has the eye for a good pinhook. This is not only something that Ed Player enjoys doing but also the eldest of his three sons, Freddie. Now 16, Freddie has been pinhooking with some notable success for several years now. He first dabbled in 2017 when buying a Dandy Man (Ire) filly foal for 7,000gns and selling her on for £24,000. Later known as Dr Simpson (Fr), she won the G3 Mercury S. at Dundalk. Another of the young Player's pinhooks was the listed winner and multiple group-placed Method (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), while his father, along with Ed Sackville, bought subsequent four-time international Group/Grade 1 winner State Of Rest (Ire) as a foal, as well as G2 Lowther S. winner Besharah (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}).

Half the fun is making a judgement call: which stallions you like, which you think are going to be successful

“We get a huge amount of fun out of doing it,” says Player. “Obviously, the whole purpose of doing it is to try to make money, but when you have a horse like State Of Rest winning at Royal Ascot, that's a hugely exciting day. We bought him for 45,000 and sold him for 60,000, so he didn't make us much money, but the fun we've had has more than made up for it.”

He recalls, “He was a tall, good-moving horse that we struggled to get quite as much weight on as we wanted. We thought he was going to make a lot of money and things didn't quite work as we hoped, but he went to a great trainer and people have had great success out of him. It is a lovely story for people not buying horses for ridiculous sums of money.

“Half the fun is making a judgement call: which stallions you like, which you think are going to be successful. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you get it wrong.”

It hasn't always been horses at the forefront of Player's mind. Though growing up at the stud with his sister Alice–who is married to Goffs auctioneer and breeder Nick Nugent–and encouraged to be hands-on from an early age by their father, Ed worked in the city for ten years before returning home. 

“Growing up, it was all hands on deck as my father was working every hour of the day to make ends meet and trying to get a business going,” he says. “So we never sat at home and did our homework. We were always out in the field, and from an early age it was my love, but I like to think I was sensible enough not to go straight into it. I learned about business and accounts, got my city qualifications and had a lovely time, but that was a stopgap to always wanting to come back and being lucky enough to have a business that my father was building up.”

He continues, “It's very much been a family effort from all of us. My mother's been a huge part of it. Now Freddie's very involved and loves it. From an early age, he has been obsessed with the pedigrees, the breeding, the racing, the sales. The younger two, Archie and Harry, are getting more involved and enjoying it. That's half the fun for me, if we can do it as a family, and they all come feeding with me at weekends.”

The future of Whatton Manor Stud appears to be in good hands, then, and if you are wondering which rabbit Freddie Player will pull from the hat next then be sure to inspect his Magna Grecia (Ire) colt out of Occupation (Ire), who is part of Whatton Manor's 23-lot draft for Book 2.

Like many, Player expresses his amazement at how well the bloodstock industry came through the pandemic and continues to thrive. 

“It was extraordinary,” he says. “I couldn't believe the market would be that strong, and I can't believe it's been this strong this year. Our industry has this amazing resilience and seems to come up with new people to buy horses.” 

Though he has given the youngsters in his care as much of a head start as possible while spending their formative years in the sweeping paddocks of Whatton Manor, it is understandable that Player, like any consignor, has the odd nerve-jangle as sales times approaches.

“It concerns me how many more horses have got to be sold this year, despite it being so strong so far, but we try to keep our heads down and keep working away,” he says. “I think we've got a very good bunch that's going to sell for a range of prices, and I'd be astounded if there weren't some very good racehorses amongst them.”

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