‘Breeze-up Momentum’ Carried Through to Tattersalls Guineas Sale

[Wandering Eyes]

NEWMARKET, UK — It felt more like the July Sale at Park Paddocks as May got off to a blistering start with record-breaking temperatures. The trade was warm enough in the ring, too. 

Though the figures for the Guineas Breeze-up Sale didn't rise quite as swiftly as the mercury, the returns were decent, with the 79% clearance rate being up three points on last year, while the median of 30,000gns represented a rise of 11%. The 5% dip in average was the one negative marker, with the turnover lifting slightly, to 5,045,500gns for 126 juveniles sold.

Now, it is widely known that figures on any sales company's website don't always give a fully accurate picture of the market, with various deals struck with trainers or private transactions taking place after the close of play. Generally, though, the breeze-up sector appears to have held up well so far this year against a backdrop of global financial uncertainty, with demand for relatively precocious two-year-olds remaining undimmed. 

The Middleham Park Racing team stated their intended participation at this sale in yesterday's TDN, and they were true to their word, with the operation's Tim and Tom Palin and Mike Prince having a notably productive five minutes when signing up lots 250 and 252 – daughters of Calyx (GB) and Havana Grey (GB) respectively. 

The Havana Grey half-sister to the dual Australian Group 3 winner Future History (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) from Jerry Horan's Ballynure Park Stud had clocked the fastest time during the previous day's breeze on lively ground at the Rowley Mile, and it took a bid of 100,000gns from Prince to secure her. She will be trained in Yorkshire by Mick and David Easterby. 

The Calyx filly had also been among the five fastest breezers, and she will also head north, to Richard Fahey's stable, after being bought from her breeder Albany Stud for 155,000gns. She is out of Lamsa (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who is already the dam of four winners from five runners. 

It was a result which brought Albany's Paul Commins to tears. “We never entered her in a foal or a yearling sale,” he said. “Everything has always been so easy for her, she has never come off the bridle at home.

“After her breeze we were quietly confident and knew that we had done okay. We were hopeful of a good time and it was better than expected.”

The Commins family bought the filly's dam for just 3,200gns at the July Sale back in 2016. Paul, 2o, who runs the farm with his father Don, added, “The second she was born my father said she was fast. He fell in love with her and almost lived in her stable.

“I really do think she is good and I have been saying all week she is an Ascot filly.”

Tom Palin did not disagree with the assessment and immediately nominated a Royal Ascot target. 

“We bought her from Albany Stud, so let's hope she wins the race of the same name in six weeks,” he said. “She was an obvious one really, she has a lot of size and substance, timed well and ticked all the boxes. We had to stretch a bit more than we wanted, but this sales season has been very hard to get stuck in, so you have to be a bit punchy on the ones you want.”

Jerry Horan was thrilled that the Middleham Park team kept punching when his Havana Grey filly took to the ring two lots later. An 18,000gns purchase at October Book 2, she brought just over five times that amount just over six months later.

Horan said, “She's a very fast filly, straightforward, and she's going to a top-class home. When I bought her she had a haematoma but once that opened and cleared out she just turned inside out. I'd like to thank the team – Jack, Stephen, Sinead and Jody – at Capital Stud for preparing her.”

Knockgraffon Leads the Way

Stevie Byrne of Knockgraffon Stables was responsible for two of the early leading lots, with Jono Mills of Rabbah Bloodstock going to 150,000gns for a colt by Ten Sovereigns (Ire), and Tessa Greatrex signing for a first-crop daughter of Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) at 92,000gns. 

The Ten Sovereigns colt (lot 237), whose granddam Long Lashes (Rock Hard Ten) won the G3 Sweet Solera Stakes, was bred by Michael Downey.

“Michael has been a great client for us over the years,” Byrne said. “The horse has taken everything here like a champ and did a savage breeze.

“We don't clock them at home, but his work at home has always been very good and it was a pleasant surprise to see him go so well. We are just delighted that it all fell into place for Michael.”

With four lots sold for a total of 362,000gns, Knockgraffon Stables ended the day on a high as leading vendor.

GS Bloodstock On Song for Breeder Noel O'Callaghan

The trainer/jockey team of Sean Davis and Gary Halpin, whose ventures in the breeze-up sphere are made under the name of GS Bloodstock, had a result to remember on Thursday when selling a Mehmas (Ire) colt on behalf of breeder Noel O'Callaghan for 145,000gns. 

The son of Orange Blossom (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), from the family of G3 Cornwallis Stakes winner Good Vibes (GB), was bought online by Adam Driver on behalf of Omar Esmil Ghrghar.

“Noel O'Callaghan has breeze-up horses with us every year. He's a massive supporter, Davis said. “This is a very nice horse and I am delighted that he has rewarded his breeder. He was a brilliant horse to do all winter and he clocked a very good time. We were kind of excited about him and I just hope he goes on and is lucky for his new owner.

“The Mehmas [horses], they have great minds and they are athletes. He was very easy to train all winter, a professional, he made our job easy.”

GS Bloodstock has sold six two-year-olds so far this season and the duo has another 15 to sell. As well as preparing horses to breeze, Davis also celebrated his first winner as a trainer in March, with his second winner coming along very quickly that same night.

“I've eight horses in training and hopefully we'll have a few more once the summer gets going,” he added.

Japan Pinhook Blows Hot for Tradewinds 

Lot 294, a colt from the first crop of the Gestut Etzean resident Japan (GB), became one of eight six-figure lots of the session when sold to KGS for 110,000gns. A €32,000 purchase by Tradewinds Stud and Paragon Bloodstock at the BBAG Yearling Sale, the colt, named Protagonist (Ger), is out of the Camacho (GB) mare Passcode (GB), a half-sister to German champion two-year-old Pomellato (Ger) (Big Shuffle) and Italian St Leger winner Parivash (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}).

Shane and Alex Power of Tradewinds may well be making a return trip to Baden-Baden come September as the other member of their Guineas consignment, a filly by Sottsass (Fr), also came from the BBAG sale. Sold as lot 182 for 75,000gns to Megan Nicholls, the daughter of Amerique (Ger) (American Post {GB}) was a €22,500 yearling. 

Coulsty Cracker for Correa Brothers

Ilson and Anderson Correa, who trade under the name of Anderson Bloodstock, have been in the breeze-up business for just two seasons but experienced the kind of result all pinhookers dream of when turning a €3,000, s yearling into a 115,000gns breezer.

“I'm very happy, what more can I say?” Said Anderson Correa, who moved from his native Brazil to Mullingar three years ago. “We will be reinvesting – each year we try and improve.”

It is a second six-figure lot for the brothers, who sold a colt by King Of Change (Ire) at last year's sale for 120,000gns. The Coulsty filly, out of the five-time winner Pacolita (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) was bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock.

Golden Touch

It was another good breeze-up sale for Eddie Linehan of Lackendarra Stables on the whole but his exploits with lot 185, a gorgeous filly by first-season sire Nando Parrado (GB), was deserving of high praise.

Bought at the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale for just £16,000, the Nando Parrado filly turned a tidy profit for the Cork-based handler when selling to Ross Doyle for 75,000gns. 

Linehan said, “Very happy with that. She's gone to a really good home in Richard Hannon and hopefully she can do very well for her new connections. She's as nice a filly as we've had in  a while so hopefully she can show it on the track. It's a brilliant result.”

From the same draft, Doyle and Hannon also bought lot 266. The first foal of the unraced Mandaza (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) had been picked up by Linehan at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale for £40,000. The family has received a boost of late as his third dam, the treble Group 1 winner Mandesha (Ire) (Desert Style {Ire}), has an exciting Classic prospect in her final foal, Mandanaba (Fr) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), one of the favourites for the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches on May 11.

Talking Points

By Brian Sheerin

• If you are not first, you're last, or so it can seem sometimes in this breeze-up game. Regardless of what people say, the clock does dictate plenty. However, there are lots of examples of horses who are not bred to blow up the clock and finish down the time sheet but still turn out to be pretty darn good on the racetrack, with Derby runner-up Ambiente Friendly (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) being the most obvious recent example. Perhaps lot 228 could be something similar. A Dark Angel (Ire) colt out of an unraced Golden Horn (GB) mare from a good Ballymacoll Stud family, he posted one of the slowest breezes on Wednesday, but bloodstock agent Richard Ryan knows the time of day and clearly spotted the potential in the fine, big colt who is surely going to benefit for time and a trip. He is understood to be going into training with George Boughey and will be given every chance to fulfil his potential in that stable.

• Sire-power has undoubtedly become an increasingly important factor for vendors to get paid, as we saw at the Craven and in Doncaster, where the majority of the big-ticket lots were dominated by the progeny of either Mehmas (Ire) or Havana Grey (GB). The results were more evenly spread here with nine different stallions featuring within the top ten lots sold. 

• Shirley Anderson-Jolag made history in November by becoming the first female auctioneer at Tattersalls and her burgeoning career on the rostrum reached a new high on Thursday when she sold a Saxon Warrior (Jpn) filly for 80,000gns to Guillermo Arizkorreta, the Spanish champion trainer who enjoyed another Classic victory in Madrid on Sunday with Octans (Spa) (The Grey Gatsby {Ire}). Anderson-Jolag has gone from strength-to-strength in a short space of time and it should only be a matter of time before she is selling horses north of six figures. 

• The big question coming into this sale was just how well the middle market was going to hold up. The fact that 42 horses sold for 50,000gns or more, which is three more than went through the ring at this sale last year, would suggest that things are holding up at pretty much every level on the breeze-up circuit this season. This was another encouraging sale.

Royal Ascot Contender Headlines HIT Session

The horses-in-training section was headed by the 90-rated Veblen Good (Ire) (Starspangledbanner (Aus)}), who returned home to his own stable on Thursday evening after his trainer Karl Burke struck the winning bid at 110,000gns. Veblen Good carried Noel O'Callaghan's silks to victory at Wolverhampton back in October and chased home the highly-regarded Strong Warrior (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}) last month. 

From a deep Mountarmstrong Stud family that goes back to Commonwealth Cup winner Anthem Alexander (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), Veblen Good might well chart a similar path towards that Group 1 at the royal meeting. 

He was the only six-figure lot to go through the ring during the horses-in-training section, where many of the key figures dropped when set against last year's catalogue, which included a dispersal of John Dance's horses. The 1,442,700gns turnover was down 30% on last year's trade despite 24 more horses being offered while the median was down 60% to 8,750gns and the average by 46% to 16,776gns. The clearance rate was 91%, which was down by 3% on last year.

The Chairman Reflects

Commenting on the day's trade at the close of play, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said, “The momentum from the recent, record-breaking Craven Breeze-up Sale has been well and truly carried into the Guineas Breeze-up and Horses-in-Training Sale, which has seen a record number of 50,000-guinea lots and a record-equalling median for the breeze-up section. Buyers continue to be drawn to a sale whose recent results include three individual Group/Grade 1 winners and 42 Group or Listed performers since 2022 – arguably making it the best value breeze-up sale in Europe.

“We have welcomed a diverse and international group of buyers to Tattersalls – a hallmark of our sales at Park Paddocks. This follows promotional visits in recent months to America, Australia, Bahrain, Dubai, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Malaysia, Norway, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Sweden in conjunction with our extensive network of overseas representatives.”

He added, “We now look forward to the Tattersalls July Sale, Europe's leading midsummer sale, which offers buyers an enticing mix of top-class horses in training and high-quality breeding stock on the eve of the July Festival at Newmarket Racecourse.”

 

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