Unraced Laurens Colt Among John Dance’s Horses to be Sold at Tattersalls

[Wandering Eyes]

First Ambition (GB), a colt by Invincible Spirit (Ire) and the first foal of the six-time Group 1 winner Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), is among a sizeable number of horses owned by John Dance's Coverdale Stud to be catalogued within the Castlebridge Consignment draft for an extended Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up and Horses-in-Training Sale. 

A record number of 195 lots in the horses-in-training section means that the auction will now start with an evening session on Wednesday, May 1 at 5pm. The sale continues on Thursday morning at 9.30am with the breeze-up section to follow.

Around 50 horses from the Castlebridge draft are from Dance's operation, with some of them having raced last year under the names of Coverdale Stud or Titanium Racing Club and others still unraced. 

Andrew Mead, a director of the Castlebridge Consignment, said, “The Castlebridge Consignment have 71 entries in the Tattersalls Guineas Horses-in-Training Sale, now scheduled for the 1st and 2nd May, a number of which are being sold by Coverdale Stud. Whilst several of the horses are proven high-class performers, none of the horses have raced recently due to the personal circumstances of the owner. The majority are well-bred, unraced or lightly-raced horses with considerable untapped potential and all from this owner will be sold as 'out of training'. Castlebridge will be consigning from the Highflyer barns at Tattersalls and welcomes inspections and vettings at the sales.”

Owner and breeder John Dance was arrested last April and is involved in an ongoing Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) investigation into allegations of fraud and money laundering involving his company WealthTek LLP. Under the name of an associated company, Vertem Asset Management, Dance sponsored the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster between 2018 and 2022. 

Following his arrest and the subsequent freezing of his assets, Dance's horses were initially not allowed to be entered for races, but in May the British Horseracing Authority granted permission for them to run under the name of Coverdale Stud or Titanium Racing. 

First Ambition is among the unraced three-year-olds for sale at Tattersalls, while Tribal Rhythm (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}), a half-brother to Group 1-winning sprinter Bradsell (GB), was placed twice in three starts for Dance's former trainer James Horton last year and is also entered for the sale.

Among the 202 juveniles catalogued for the breeze-up section is a Mocklershill-consigned colt by Wootton Bassett (GB) out of the former champion three-year-old filly Peeping Fawn (Danehill). The mare's four winning offspring include September (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who was beaten a nose by Laurens when runner-up in the G1 Fillies Mile. 

Willie Browne's Mocklershill operation will also offer a Quality Road colt out of treble Group 1 winner Alice Springs (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

Among the leading graduates of the Guineas Breeze-up Sale is the top-class stayer Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}), who was bought by Highfleyer Bloodstock for 31,000gns and went on to win three Group 1 races for Alan King.

The catalogues for the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up and Horses-in-Training Sale are now available online. 

 

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