Ballyhimikin Stud in the Limelight Again as Godolphin Strike for Blue Point Colt at 1m Gns

[Wandering Eyes]

The annus mirabilis for James Hanly and his Ballyhimikin Stud continued at Tattersalls on Tuesday with the sale of a Blue Point colt to Godolphin for 1,000,000gns, making him the second seven-figure lot during the opening session of Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale.

Lot 67 is out of the G3 Ballyogan Stakes second Boston Rocker (Acclamation), who is the dam of six winners from as many runners to date. They include the G2 Zabeel Mile scorer and G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains third San Donato (Lope De Vega), as well as this year's G2 Gimcrack Stakes runner-up Rock On Thunder (Night Of Thunder). Boston Rocker is in foal to Zarak.

“He was a cracking colt,” said Hanly. “He was always a super horse. He never turned a hair from the day he got here.”

The Godolphin team will be hoping lot 67 can emulate another previous Tattersalls October graduate from Ballyhimikin in Ombudsman (Night Of Thunder), the winner of this year's G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes and G1 Juddmonte International, who was bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 340,000gns at Book 2 back in 2022.

Another flagbearer for Ballyhimikin this year has been the high-class filly Estrange (Night Of Thunder), who was a Book 1 yearling, also in 2022, when going the way of Cheveley Park Stud for 425,000gns.

Asked if selling is any less nerve-wracking after his stellar year on the track as a breeder, Hanly replied, “I just take each day as it comes. Each day is a new day, so just enjoy it and do your best. Some days it doesn't work out, so you've got to put up with those days.”

Other early purchases for Godolphin included lot 10, Ballylinch Stud's full-brother to the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes hero Bayside Boy at 700,000gns, and another Blue Point colt who was consigned by Newsells Park Stud as lot 52 and fetched 575,000gns.

The post Ballyhimikin Stud in the Limelight Again as Godolphin Strike for Blue Point Colt at 1m Gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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