‘The BBAG Yearling Sale Has Thrown Up More Than One Good Horse A Year’

[Wandering Eyes]

Leading industry players have their say on the eagerly-anticipated BBAG Yearling Sale

If you are looking for a Classic contender, the BBAG Yearling Sale in Baden-Baden cannot be missed. Horses like Lazy Griff and Tamfana are just a couple of recent examples of what can be sourced here and, judging by the amount of international buyers that have made the trip for this year's edition, which kicks off on Friday, competition for the next big-name graduate will be fierce. 

From leading trainer Joseph O'Brien to Liberty Racing founder Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten, the man who sourced Fantastic Moon and Palladium here, there is a host of people searching for the next Group 1 winner here this week. Then you have first-time consignor Bartek Radzikowski, seasoned professional Jamie Railton and Tom Palin, whose Middleham Park Racing are proud owners of the Derby-placed Lazy Griff, who have also made the trip. 

Those five industry professionals weigh in on the big topics ahead of what is rightly regarded as one of the most interesting and successful yearling sales in Europe that consistently punches well above its weight on the racetrack.

First-time consignor Bartek Radzikowski with his Intello colt [lot 25]

How do you weigh up form and pedigrees at this sale?

Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten: Personally, I absolutely love the old German families that have been cultivated from some of the bigger stud farms over here. They are very deep families and I love to see fillies and colts that can be traced back to some of those famous families. 

Joseph O'Brien: We work all sales the same. That is concentrating on the horse in the flesh number one and then the pedigree forms part of that equation. Obviously, we try to find value and Kevin [Blake] helps us with pedigree and form. 

Bartek Radzikowski: We tried hard to buy foals in Ireland and France but couldn't afford them. So we went to France, where we concentrated on the horses more so than the pedigrees, and it happened that we managed to buy two that we thought would suit this sale. These are staying horses and, the day we bought them, I knew they should come to this sale. I rear all of my horses back in Poland so, geographically, this sale is actually the easiest one for me to get to because it is only a 10 or an 11-hour drive. 

Tom Palin: We don't follow German form on a day-to-day basis so we tend to concentrate on the physical more than anything else. Jeremy Brummitt, who does a lot of our buying here, studies the form and the pedigrees in more depth but generally we concentrate on the horse first and then the pedigree comes second.

Jamie Railton: I have been coming here for a long time. Unfortunately, there have been a few gap years because Tattersalls ran a horses-in-training sale on top of this sale for a few years, which meant I couldn't come. The German thoroughbred is revered around the world and it's important we get behind them. We can't allow the German breed to continue going in the direction that it appears to be heading right now.

Germany does not have a flagship stallion right now. Have you seen the progeny of anything that could possibly fill that void?

Baumgarten: This is a big problem and, you know, that is the biggest question on everyone's lips coming into this sale. Can Japan, Torquator Tasso or even Alson fill that void? Losing Adlerflug and Soldier Hollow has been very tough on the German market. However, we are positive and look to the future. There are a lot of Torquator Tassos here and I hope he can produce a stayer with speed that can go on and win Cup races in Europe. 

O'Brien: I'd have a very open mind when it comes to stallions. Some of the more obvious sires are not around anymore here, which is a shame, but as always, we try to find a nice physical for what we deem value. 

Radzikowski: I have been so busy with my own consignment that I haven't got around to see the stock but I am looking forward to seeing how Torquator Tasso gets on. 

Palin: Torquator Tasso is going to be key, isn't he? A son of Adlerflug, if he can be a good sire, he will be an important addition to German breeding, which is starting to teeter a little bit.

Railton: Sadly, we lost Adlerflug and Soldier Hollow far too young and the responsibility now seems to be resting on the shoulders of Torquator Tasso. From my experience, sometimes it can be the less-obvious stallion who comes to the surface. Whether it's Torquator Tasso or something else, only time will tell. I have seen a lot of his progeny but it is hard to make a judgment on a stallion without seeing 30 or 40 of his yearlings. But that In The Wings sire line has served this country so well and for so long so let's hope it comes good once again. 

Given this sale comes hot off the heels of the Tattersalls Somerville Sale and the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, how do you go about getting your eye in and tuning into these bigger, middle-distance types?

Baumgarten: I start my yearling sale shopping at this sale every year so I don't have that problem. From here, I will go to Book 2 at Tattersalls and then onto Arqana in October. It was very tough for us to buy a horse at Tattersalls and Arqana last year. Stuart Boman worked hard for us but we got outbid on 10 different horses! We managed to buy a Zarak colt at Arqana but we bought six horses here. So this sale is our main sale every year. The horses here are far more natural. Also, every horse has x-rays and that is a big advantage for the buyer. 

O'Brien: You generally expect more middle-distance pedigrees here and the horses would look a lot different to the ones who will run next April or May. Once you get into any sale, whether it's precocious types or middle-distance horses, you get a good feel for the stock on the ground and tune into what's on offer. The horses presented here would probably be a bit more natural compared to Britain or Ireland. They have spent more time on the land.

Radzikowski: You won't find too many sprinters here. I thought my Intello was a big size, and then I came here and I was like 'oh my God'. There are some very big, stoutly-bred horses here. That is the way they are bred. They are way different.

Palin: It's a stark contrast to what we have been looking at over the past couple of weeks. At previous sales, we may have been under-sizing horses and here, perhaps you could over-size them. It is quite a marked contrast in literally 24 hours. But, again, we work with pretty good people who know what they are looking at and we are merely clinging onto their coattails. 

Railton: Yes, fair comment. We have been selling slightly smaller horses over the past few weeks. I think it's the buyers who have to readjust their eyes to what is a very different type of horse over here. But the international market for these big, scopey middle-distance horses is massive. And these horses are what people want in the long-term, not the short-term.

Why do you like coming here? Or, if you are a first-time visitor, why did you decide to come?

Baumgarten: I have bought five Group 1 winners – including Fantastic Moon and Palladium – from this sale in the past 10 years. I know every German family inside out and absolutely love it here. We know the families, we know the mares and that is a big advantage. 

O'Brien: This is my second time coming here and we have had some success with horses who have come from this sale. We think we have some nice stock at home that came from this sale last year as well. I feel like there might be value to be found here. Even forgetting about horses for a moment, Baden-Baden is a beautiful place to come and everyone looks after us really well. 

Radzikowski: This is my first time coming here and it is also my first time consigning under my own name. I am in deep water but I also feel like I have the right horses. To be honest, I wouldn't have gone out and consigned under my own name if I didn't have the confidence in these horses. This has always been a dream of mine. You have to start somewhere. 

Palin: The missus is German, so I have to come! On a serious note, we've actually been tipping away at this sale for the past 10 years or so. We first came with Peter and Ross Doyle and bought some good horses. You can get your hands on those stamina-laden genes. Lazy Griff has possibly put this sale on more people's radar, maybe even to our detriment, but you can buy a horse like that who is second-favourite for the St Leger whereas you might not afford similar staying-types at say Book 1 or 2 at Tattersalls.  

Railton: I enjoy German people and I enjoy selling horses in Baden-Baden. I have a lot of German clients and hopefully they will feel like we have provided them with a good service. 

Kevin Coleman, Jamie Railton and Sean Grassick at the BBAG sale complex on Thursday

What are you hoping to achieve this week?

Baumgarten: I'd love to find a Group 1 winner here – an international Group 1 winner would be even better! That is our big target this week. We will try our best and our main vision is to bring as many people as possible into this sport. We created syndicates to find new owners for what is a poor German market right now. I think that is our main objective. 

O'Brien: I'd love to buy a couple of nice horses. Generally, we're looking for middle-distance horses here. 

Radzikowski: To find a good house for our horses to live in. I have spent a lot of time with these horses so I want to see them go on to be the best that they can possibly be. I spent 15 years in Ireland and also spent some time in Australia so I have taken a few things from different places and have put them into what I do back home in Poland. But I don't even have a walker where I am based so all of these horses are hand-walked. I always think about where I can improve. Nothing is ever rushed and it's quite a long process prepping them for the sales. So hopefully they can sell well and I can go again next year. 

Palin: If we could buy anything close to Lazy Griff we'd be very happy. We will try to buy two or three horses and have some trainers in mind, with Charlie [Johnston] being the obvious one. We will try and get as close to the good horses as we can and hopefully lightning can strike twice.

Railton: This sale is a good place to come and interact with potential clients who might be interested in selling horses-in-training or breeding stock further down the line. 

Is there something you have picked up over here that you think could work well back home in your own jurisdiction?

Baumgarten: No. The sport is so much bigger and more professional in Britain, Ireland and France. Yes, we have big breeders in Germany, the racetracks are improving and we have a lot of supporters, but we have lost owners and breeders in recent times and things have been tough. Here in Germany, people are interested in soccer, followed by soccer and then more soccer. Other sports, like racing, is fifth or sixth down the line. That is the way it is. 

O'Brien: Generally speaking, the people in German racing and breeding industries are very hospitable. Whether it is at the races or at sales, everywhere we have gone, we have made new friends. It's a real pleasure to spend a few days here. 

Radzikowski: The horses are very well handled in Germany and I even saw some consignments showing horses in head collars. They seem to have very good temperaments as well as everything else and they are well-handled. They have great minds.

Palin: They don't over-race here whereas there is too much racing back home in Britain. When you only race once or twice a week, you self-regulate the amount of horses who enter the system. There are a lot of horses in training in Britain that probably shouldn't be in the system. Another thing I'd like to bring back to Britain from Germany is a horse that qualifies for the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot! There haven't been many of those at the yearling sales in Britain, unfortunately. 

Railton: The sausages are fantastic here! You don't get those back home. On a serious note, I'll tell you what is brilliant here; the amount of young people who are going racing and engaging with this sport. That is something that we need to encourage back home in Britain. 

Finally, more international buyers than ever seem to have made the trip. How do you think that will affect this sale?

Baumgarten: It has become much tougher to compete and it is our job to find a gap. We will try our best. We bought Fantastic Moon for €50,000 so, it's not a question of money, you have to find the right horse. 

O'Brien: I am sure the market will be competitive. Obviously a lot of good horses have come out of this sale but we will be trying to find value. 

Radzikowski: If you have a nice horse, you will sell it anywhere because that's what the market wants. I am sure the nice horses will sell very well here on Friday. 

Palin: It is always quite tough to get involved in this market as they can be very regimented in the way they conduct business here. So I think the fact that there are more people here than I have ever seen before, it's going to be even trickier for us to get our hands on the ones we want. But hey, at least more people are coming to this sale and German pedigrees are getting the attention they deserve because we need this jurisdiction back thriving again. 

Railton: The afternoon flight out here on Tuesday was full. That is because there isn't another sale that is clashing with it but also because of the amount of top-class horses that have come out of this place. This sale has consistently thrown up more than one good horse a year.

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