Second Time’s A Charm For Invincible Spirit Colt

[Wandering Eyes]

NEWMARKET, UK—A broken rein that could have signalled disaster for lot 122 and cool-headed jockey Gary Halpin during the breeze shows on Monday instead led to a repeat gallop at the end of the session during which Oak Tree Farm’s Invincible Spirit (Ire) colt showed professionalism and talent to post one of the fastest gallops of the day. That impressive take two meant that the half-brother to dual Group/Grade 1 winner Erupt (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) topped the second session of the Craven Sale on Wednesday evening, selling to 575,000gns to Sheikh Mohammed after agent Anthony Stroud outbid Justin Casse.

Bred by the Niarchos Family, the colt was bought privately for €90,000 after failing to find a buyer in the ring at the Goffs Orby Sale. Norman Williamson, who struck on Tuesday with a great pinhooking return via a 300,000-guinea son of Farhh (GB), was again the man responsible for another decent profit. He said, “He proved that he is a good sound colt, he did a fantastic breeze and is a lovely horse. I have been lucky with the breeder before.”

That luck came through the sale of subsequent Grade 1 winner and Kentucky Derby hopeful War Of Will (War Front) at the Arqana Breeze-up last May. Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm ended the sale with the leading vendor tag, selling four juveniles for a total of 1,135,000gns.

Stroud said, “[The colt] showed a remarkable temperament to essentially breeze twice and did a good breeze the second time. He is from a strong Niarchos pedigree and Norman does a great job producing these horses.”

Godolphin added another three juveniles to Tuesday’s haul of four, accounting for almost 3 million gns of the sale’s turnover of 10,343,000gns, a drop overall of 22% on last year. The average was also down, by 14%, at 121,682gns, but the median was up by 13% to 85,000gns and the clearance rate also improved to 78%, with 85 of the 109 juveniles offered being marked as sold.

Early in the session Stroud had also signed for lot 78 at 280,000gns. The Medaglia d’Oro first foal of Henrythenavigator mare Fire And Flame, a half-sister to G1 Champagne S. winner A P Valentine (A P Indy), had failed to reach his reserve at Keeneland and was bought in for $190,000 but later bought privately by Eddie O’Leary, who consigned him through his Lynn Lodge Stud.

Shamardal colt for Hong Kong
The pick of Grove Stud’s draft is likely to end up racing in Hong Kong, where his sire Shamardal advertised his merits via Group 1-winning son Pakistan Star (Ger). Lot 134, by that same world-class stallion and out of a half-sister to the G1 Coronation S. winner Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), will remain initially in Newmarket to be trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam after being bought by American-based agent Sam Wright on behalf of an undisclosed Hong Kong client for 340,000gns.

Bred by Rabbah Bloodstock, the colt is the first foal of the unraced Patronising (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), whose illustrious aforementioned half-sister is also the dam of six-time Group 1 winner Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). He was previously bought by Brendan Holland for 150,000gns during Book 2 of the October Sale.

Rabbah turned vendor for the following lot through the ring, 135, a son of young Darley stallion Night Of Thunder (Ire) who was bought from breeder Clare Castle Stud for €65,000 at the Orby Sale. This time around the chestnut colt out of the listed-placed treble winner Permission Slip (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}) changed hands between Sheikh Mohammed and his associates when he was knocked down to Godolphin for 300,000gns, having been consigned by Houghton Bloodstock.

Harvey has the Competitive Edge
An Irish-bred first-crop daughter of Ashford Stud’s Competitive Edge (lot 93) was one of the earlier highlights of the session when knocked down at 280,000gns to Daithi Harvey. The filly was bought as a yearling at the Goffs Sportsman’s Sale by Cian Hughes of CH Thoroughbreds for €32,000 and made plenty of appeal to her new buyer on both pedigree and her performance on the Rowley Mile on Monday.

“She’s a gorgeous filly who vetted cleanly and posted pretty sharp sectionals in her breeze,” said Harvey. “Her dam was 107-rated and got ten furlongs which gives us hope that she will make up into a nice 3-year-old. She doesn’t look like she has been too hard trained.”

The daughter of the dual winner and twice Group 3-placed Hug And A Kiss (Thewayyouare) will be trained by Gavin Cromwell on behalf of Lindsay Laroche of Highland Yard. Though Cromwell has most recently been in the news as the trainer of Champion Hurdle winner Espoir d’Allen (Fr), he also struck with notable success for American owner Laroche on Arc weekend when Princess Yaiza (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) won the G2 Qatar Prix de Royallieu.

“We had a lot of luck with Princess Yaiza,” added Harvey, who also bought that filly for Laroche. “We were particularly looking for a filly at this sale. Lindsay is developing a breeding operation so if she proves to be stakes class she could end up there.”

For consignor Cian Hughes, who learned the breeze-up trade under the tutelage of ace consignor Jim McCartan of Gaybrook Lodge Stud, the six-figure sale was a huge return on his initial outlay for his sole offering at the sale. He said, “I was in the US and saw some by the sire and thought they were nice horses. Her page caught my eye in the yearling catalogue—her dam was Group 3-placed in France—so I took a look at her. She is a lovely filly and I didn’t think we’d be able to buy her.”

Another Star For Bermuda?
The Bermuda Thoroughbred Racing syndicate has already been rewarded for buying at the Craven Sale with Queen Of Bermuda (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), a 230,000gns purchase last year through John and Jake Warren who went on to win the G3 Firth of Clyde S. and listed Prix de la Vallee d’Auge among her four victories.

This time around Jake Warren went to the same price for lot 79, a daughter of No Nay Never out of the winning Woodman mare First Breeze. The half-sister to listed-placed sprinter Master Speaker (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was consigned by the Star Bloodstock team who bought her for for £40,000 at Goffs UK last August.

“We had some luck last year with Queen Of Bermuda and Simon Scupham is keen to make the next investment for the syndicate—let’s hope the success can be replicated,” said Warren.

“She did a cracking breeze and looks a real Royal Ascot filly. She will stay to be trained in Newmarket and is likely to go to the same trainer as Queen Of Bermuda.”

The trainer is William Haggas, who earlier in the day had saddled Skardu (Ire) (Shamardal) to win the G3 Craven S.

Star Bloodstock, which is comprised of Micky Cleere, Matt Eves, Byron Rogers and Noel McDonnell, enjoyed a good sale, finding homes for all five 2-year-olds offered at an average price of 124,000gns. These included the fast-breezing son of Orb (lot 76), who was one of two purchases on the night for the Cool Silk Partnership at 120,000gns.

Rounding up the facts and figures from the first of Tattersalls’ two breeze-up auctions this spring, Chairman Edmond Mahony said, “An improved clearance rate and a good cross-section of buyers, both domestic and overseas, are positives to take from the 2019 renewal of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale. We deliberately catalogued fewer 2-year-olds than last year and understandably the turnover has reflected this decision, but it was definitely prudent to keep a tighter rein on the numbers.”

He continued, “The sale has as ever produced some outstanding pinhooking successes, most notably Tally-Ho Stud’s outstanding 850,000gns Kingman filly, who is the highest-priced filly ever sold at a European Breeze-up Sale, and it has been encouraging to see new faces from Hong Kong and the USA participating as well as a significant number of buyers from throughout the Gulf region active at all levels of the market. Trainers have also responded positively to the new £15,000 Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Bonus and we look forward to rewarding owners for their confidence in the Craven Breeze-up as the season unfolds. In the meantime we look forward to the forthcoming Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up and Horses-in-Training Sale which features a further 172 quality Breeze-up 2-year-olds and 132 horses in training.”

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