Juddmonte Aids Strong Start At Tattersalls

[Wandering Eyes]

NEWMARKET, UK—On the racing front there will be no shortage of top-class action over the next week in America and Australia, but buyers from each of those nations who have temporarily diverted their attention from the Breeders’ Cup and Melbourne Cup to the sales ring made a significant impact on the opening day of the Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale.

Unsurprisingly, it was the Juddmonte draft of colts and geldings which drew a number of the day’s highest prices, including the top lot (289), Sash (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who elicited a winning bid of 320,000gns from California-based Tim Cohen of Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal. The 3-year-old son of the winning Empire Maker mare Surcingle has been trained to date by Amanda Perrett, for whom he has won three times this year over a mile to earn a rating of 92. It is a family which has transferred well across the Atlantic in the past: Sash’s third dam is Arrive (GB) (Kahyasi {Ire}), an own-sister to Hasili (GB) whose offspring Banks Hill (GB), Cacique (GB), Intercontinental (GB), Heat Haze (GB) and Champs Elysees (GB) were all Grade I winners in America.

Cohen appeared to waver temporarily in his pursuit of the colt as he traded bids with Alex Elliott but he stuck to his guns and said after signing the ticket, “I didn’t want to keep going but at the same time I didn’t want to lose him. Physically he was great and form-wise he likes firm ground which is important as he’ll be going to California. I’ll decide on a trainer once I’m done with the sale.”

A regular visitor to Tattersalls over the last five years, in 2017 Cohen bought River Boyne (Ire) for 70,000gns and the son of Dandy Man (Ire) has gone on to win five races, including the GII Mathis Brothers Mile and GII Twilight Derby as well as finishing runner-up in the GI Hollywood Derby for trainer Jeff Mullins.

Cohen added, “We have a great buying team of Ed Freeman, Joe Miller and Alastair Donald. We work so well together and we all bring something to the table.”

Strong Start In Newmarket
Figures for the opening session were way ahead of the corresponding session last year, which may well be explained by the switching of the ever-popular Juddmonte consignment from its traditional Wednesday slot to Monday. The 23 horses offered by the operation sold for an average of 68,565gns and accounted for 1,577,000gns of the day’s aggregate of 7,696,700gns (+37%).

However, on a cold, bright day in Newmarket, Park Paddocks was abuzz with visitors from across the globe, which bodes well for the next three days of trade. The average from 265 horses sold on Monday was up by 33% at 29,044gns, with the median at a similarly improved 13,500gns (+35%). The consistent demand for bloodstock from Britain and Ireland from their fellow racing nations was apparent in the encouraging clearance rate of 87%.

Australians To The Fore
Guy Mulcaster has spent plenty of time at Tattersalls over the years, usually dispatched by Sydney’s leading trainer Chris Waller on the hunt for classy European stayers. The New Zealander dug deep for three new recruits on Tuesday, with another Juddmonte-bred son of Oasis Dream, Imaging (GB) secured for 260,000gns following the earlier purchase of Surrey Thunder (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) at 280,000gns.

The latter, rated 104 and offered as lot 237 from the stable of Lambourn trainer Joe Tuite, had previously been bought by owners Surrey Racing for €67,000 at the Arqana Breeze-up Sale and, following a win at two, he was twice group-placed in France and Germany this season before winning the listed Grand Prix de Clairefontaine.

Mulcaster said, “Our prize-money keeps going up so we keep coming back. He is a lovely style of a horse, he looked well and has not been over-raced. Horses of his ability are difficult to buy.”

The Surrey Racing syndicate is run by Clive Hadingham and Steve Grubb, who added, “We tend to buy this more middle-distance type. We have a few National Hunt horses, too, so the horses can go that way if we want, but we are always looking for different angles. This horse has been fantastic for us and the owners—we have travelled all around Europe with him. It’s a balancing act between keeping them and selling them but this is the first horse we have had to sell at this level and it means that we can go and buy again.”

Khalid Abdullah has a strong chance in next Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup with Finche (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who is now trained by Waller for the owner-breeder in a rare partnership arrangement. Another from his Juddmonte team to be joining the Waller stable is Imaging (lot 297), a son of listed winner Mirror Lake (GB) (Dubai Destination), who is a year older than Surrey Thunder at four and has been campaigned to date by dual Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Dermot Weld. A five-time winner from 12 starts, his most recent victory came in the G3 Gladness S. in April. The third Mulcaster signing of the day at 100,000gns was lot 350, the lightly-raced New Arrangement (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), a winner of two of his four starts and placed in the other two.

Waller is not the only Australian-based trainer to be benefiting from the arrival of a Juddmonte-bred from the sale. Biometric (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), a winner at Royal Ascot this season in the Britannia H., will be joining the team of David Hayes, Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig after Lindsay Park Racing bid 130,000gns over the telephone to Jason Singh. The 100-rated 3-year-old (lot 269) won three times in seven starts for Ralph Beckett.

Ciaron Maher and David Eustace will take charge of Price Range (GB) (First Defence) (lot 301) after the 3-year-old was bought through Blandford Bloodstock for 105,000gns. Twice a winner at two in France for Pascal Bary, the son of the GI Matriarch S. victrix Price Tag (GB) (Dansili {GB}) followed up with a third success this season.

Yet another of the Juddmonte draft, Spirit Ridge (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) will be heading to the southern hemisphere for the Darby Racing syndicate. Hubie de Burgh signed for lot 286, a son of the dual American Grade I winner Tates Creek (Rahy), on the team’s behalf at 100,000gns.

Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne has turned her attention to training and, through British-based agent Federico Barberini, she made a first purchase at Tattersalls in association with Ashleigh Dowling of First Light Racing. The trio went to 95,000gns for Cape Victory (Ire) (lot 348). The 3-year-old grandson of G3 Park Hill S. winner Alexander Three D (Ire) (Pennekamp) is by Dawn Approach (Ire) and has won twice over nine furlongs for James Tate and owner Saeed Manana.

Dean and Adam Watt of Dynamic Syndications are paying their first visit to Tattersalls and signed for three geldings during the session including lot 337, the progressive Greek Hero (GB), a 3-year-old son of the late Champs Elysees (GB) who has won twice this season for Clipper Logistics and cost 62,000gns.

Galileo Filly For The Paddocks
While predominantly a sale of in-training horses, the odd broodmare prospect can be plucked from this week’s trade ahead of the more competitive action in December and that was the case for the unraced Michael Tabor-owned Lady Corsica (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Sold as lot 363 by her trainer David Simcock, the 3-year-old was knocked down at 220,000gns to Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock standing with Mick Flanagan and Kevin Buckley.

McStay indicated that the full-sister to GI Belmont Derby winner Deauville (Ire) and G3 Arc Trial winner The Corsican (Ire) had been bought for an existing client and added, “Galileo speaks for himself—he is the best stallion in the world, whether at the top or the bottom of pedigrees. With her pedigree, it doesn’t matter at all that she is unraced, and there are plenty of options for her at stud.”

Intuitive Heads To Dubai
Racing has got underway at Meydan again in the last week and Anthony Stroud, who regularly seeks carnival prospects from this sale, signed for one of the early leaders, Intuitive (Ire) (Haatef), who was bought for 190,000gns from Rabbah Bloodstock to join Simon Crisford’s team in Dubai.

“He is very progressive and has the right profile for Dubai,” said the agent of lot 215, the winner of his last two starts for James Tate, bringing his win tally to four from nine starts, with another three placed efforts to his credit.

The top pick from Richard Fahey’s Musley Bank Stables was lot 225, Coolagh Forest (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), who drew a bid of 125,000gns from John Egan of Alliance Bloodstock. A winner last year, the 3-year-old has added another four victories to his record this season, including a three-length success at York earlier this month, and he is now rated 102.

“He is a very athletic horse,” said Egan. “I liked him a lot, and the races he won, and he will continue his racing in the Middle East.”

 

 

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