Record Kingman Filly Kick-Starts Craven Sale

[Wandering Eyes]

NEWMARKET, UK—Four purchases, and the top four prices of the session—adding up to a third of total turnover on the night. That was the game-changing commitment made by Godolphin to the opening session of the Tattersalls Breeze-Up Sale, with the presence of its founder in person a welcome boost to the morale of a sector that had, overall, suffered such a rocky time last year.

In fact any jitters were redressed within minutes of the bell, the fifth lot into the ring achieving a spectacular 850,000gns payday for Tally-Ho Stud, having been acquired for just 92,000gns in the same ring last December. Lot 6 is the most expensive filly bought at this sale, and its third highest lot ever.

She contributed to a marginal increase in turnover, up to 5,261,000gns from 5,222,500gns at the opening session last year, from a smaller offering of 57 down from 66 (after withdrawals). But a considerable improvement in the clearance rate, 43 (75%) finding a new home compared with 38 (just 58%) last year, meant that the median took a small slide to 70,000gns from 75,000gns; while the average dwindled 11% to 122,349gns from 137,434gns.

The record filly very soon became the subject of a straight shootout between Anthony Stroud and Kerri Radcliffe. But while Radcliffe could not see who was standing beside her rival, with a partition wall in the way, the rapidity with which Stroud answered her own quickfire bids must have given her a sinking feeling. Sure enough, on finally yielding, she may have glimpsed the Sheikh’s back as he left Stroud to sign the docket.

Only a couple of hours previously the Sheikh had seen one potential Queen Mary filly make a winning debut for Charlie Appleby, up the road on the Rowley Mile, in Chasing Dreams (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). And you would like to think, at this kind of money, that she could yet be joined by this filly.

“Who knows?” said Stroud with a smile. “That’s the idea anyway. She certainly looks quick, breezed very well in a good time, vetted well, and is from a good hotel.”

That hotel’s Roger O’Callaghan had acquired this filly through Matt Coleman. “She was from the Blue Diamond dispersal and Roger and I thought she looked quick,” the agent  said. “She was quite small and light-framed but looked very fast, very racy, and her dam had gone on to finish second in the Queen Mary after herself breezing well. She’s by the sire of the moment, did a very fast breeze, and the stars aligned really.”

The dam in question is Shyrl (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), who has already produced a zippy animal by Dream Ahead in Raucous (GB), twice placed in Group 2 sprints as a juvenile.

Minutes later Stroud gave 375,000gns for lot 15, a May colt by Night Of Thunder (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) out of a Street Cry (Ire) mare who won her only start, herself out of a half-sister to his patron’s Grade I winner Balletto (UAE) (Timber Country). This colt’s half-sister had earned her first graded stakes placing at Santa Anita after Christmas.

Godolphin was duly the toast of another delighted pinhooker in Johnny Collins of Brown Island Stables, who picked this lad out of Book 2 last autumn for just 48,000gns. “I’m a bit speechless,” Collins said. “But he was a very nice yearling who’s had some great updates since I bought him. He’s a very uncomplicated horse, very sound with a very good temperament, a pleasure to deal with. There’s been a good word for the sire, and if this one is anything to go by he is going to do very well.”

And Godolphin’s own stallion, whose overall sales reception to date sits very well with a £15,000 fee, got another boost from the operation when Stroud signed a 260,000gns docket for lot 23. A February colt presented by Powerstown Stud, he is out of a Street Cry half-sister to the tragic Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles (Unbridled’s Song). He previously went through this ring as a 200,000gns December foal.

But even these excellent returns for Night Of Thunder were not going to dislodge Kingman as sire of the session, with Jane Chapple-Hyam adding to his laurels by giving 250,000gns for lot 25, his son out of one of the many daughters—this one by Dansili (GB)—of the great Ballymacoll racemare Islington (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells). Consigned by Willie Browne of Mocklershill, he had been bought in for €90,000 at the Orby Sale.

Farhh Colt Takes Wing for Williamson

His excellent result with lot 41, a colt by Farhh (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) sold to Godolphin for 300,000gns, appeared to be a typically professional job by Norman Williamson. But the Oak Tree Farm consignor admitted afterwards that there had been an element of luck in unearthing the colt, out of a Nayef daughter of Irish Oaks winner Winona (Ire) (Alzao), for just 35,000gns in Book III here last October.

“I couldn’t get a flight home,” Williamson explained. “So I had a look through and thought a Farhh could do a job, he’s going really well, and so I went to have a look. And he was gorgeous. I just thought: ‘Wow.’ He’s wintered really well and is a really beautiful horse, so let’s hope he’s lucky.”

The fourth dam is none other than My Bupers, dam of the first $10-million yearling: the infamous Snaafi Dancer, who never made the racetrack.

Following in Footsteps of Sand

Peter Swann’s Cool Silk operation has become one of the most adept on the breeze-up circuit, and will be hoping the 230,000gns he gave through his regular advisor Matt Coleman for lot 47, a More Than Ready (Southern Halo) filly presented by Mayfield Stables, proves money as well spent as the £75,000 that secured a subsequent Group 1 winner in Sands Of Mali (Fr) (Panis) at Ascot a couple of years ago. A good hike in value, certainly, after she was unsold a second time for $67,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s October Yearling Sale.

“We probably had to pay a little more than we wanted but that’s how it can be when one strikes you, and then does such a good time,” Swann said. “She has a good conformation, a very good page, and the way she got through that ground, when there quite a few coming up with splints and bits and pieces, you’d hope she hopefully won’t take too long to get to the track.”

Swann indicated that his new recruit, whose fifth dam is the great El Prado (Ire)’s Classic-winning mother Lady Capulet, will probably join Sands Of Mali’s trainer Richard Fahey. “He just knocked into himself a bit at Meydan,” he said of his star sprinter. “But he’s fine and coming back into full training. If he is ready in time we’ll look at York but otherwise it’ll be straight on to Royal Ascot.”

Rewards for a Job Well Done

Ed Walker’s achievements with Stormy Antarctic (GB) (Stormy Atlantic)—a 200,000gns graduate of this sale in 2015—were highlighted by colleague Emma Berry in yesterday’s TDN and gained due recognition from that remarkable horse’s lucky owner P.K. Sui when Alastair Donald gave a similar sum on his behalf for lot 63, an April colt by Wootton Bassett (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) consigned by Kilminfoyle House Stud.

A €120,000 Arqana October graduate for Five Star Bloodstock, he is from the same Aga Khan family that produced his sire’s champion son Almanzor (Fr). “He’ll be more one for the second half of the season and next year,” Donald said, after signing a 210,000gns docket. “The way he moved in his breeze reminded us a bit of Stormy Antarctic, he’s a really lovely mover.”

There had likewise been a dividend for good work with a graduate of this sale for Gay Kelleway. Global Spectrum (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), picked up here last year by Charlie Gordon-Watson for 130,000gns, has won all three starts to date, including a valuable prize in Qatar last time, and today faces his biggest test yet in the G3 Bet 365 Craven S. up the road. Win, lose or draw, Kelleway has already done a fine job and was rewarded when Gordon-Watson signed for lot 45, a February colt by Kodiac (GB) (Danehill) consigned by Church Farm & Horse Park Stud, on Hon’s behalf for 150,000gns.

“Better than the pennies I had to spend at Ascot,” Kelleway said. “He’ll need a bit of time, this horse, but he has a bit of size and scope for a Kodiac.”

Gordon-Watson was in good fettle after watching his yearling purchase Solid Stone (Ire) (Shamardal) win the last race on the opening card of the Craven meeting—invariably a signpost to a very smart horse in the making.

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