Tattersalls’ 250th anniversary year has been celebrated in fine fashion thanks to another excellent year on the track for its October Yearling Sale Book 1 graduates.
Recent Matron Stakes winner Alice Springs, Juddmonte International hero Postponed and top sprinter Profitable are the powerful triumvirate that adorn this year’s catalogue. However, the list of current G1-winning flagbearers also includes Blazing Speed, Highland Reel, Muarrab and Tryster to complement the 2015 season that was highlighted by Golden Horn, Legatissimo, Night Of Thunder and Shalaa among others.
Last year’s sale featured six million-guinea lots, led by a Dubawi filly out of Loveisallyouneed, who was sold by Newsells Park Stud for 2,100,000gns to MV Magnier. She has since been named Veruschka and is in training with David Wachman.
Loveisallyouneed is represented this time around (the sale runs from Tuesday to Thursday) by a Dansili colt, lot 166.
Such demand at the top end of last year’s market contributed to a record turnover of 82,744,500gns, making it the highest grossing sale in European auction history. The average was 222,431gns, while the median was 150,000gns.
In terms of figures, the 2015 renewal will be a hard act to follow, but Tattersalls have once again put together a powerful catalogue on paper.
A total of 551 yearlings have been catalogued over the three days, 50 of whom are the own or half-siblings to classic and/or G1 winners.
There is also a tremendous depth in sire power, with Galileo and Dubawi accounting for 21 yearlings apiece. Frankel is responsible for 17 yearlings while leading American sires such as Bernardini, Curlin, Giant’s Causeway, Kitten’s Joy, Medaglia d’Oro, Scat Daddy, Speightstown, Tapit and War Front are also represented.
For the second year running, each lot is eligible for the Tattersalls October Book 1 bonus, in which sale graduates win an additional £25,000 should they win a class 2, 3, or 4 2yo maiden/novice race during the 2017 flat turf season.
Although in its infancy, the initiative has to be classed as a success given that Tattersalls have already paid out 31 bonuses this year. The first bonus was landed back on May 1, when the classy Global Applause won his debut at Newmarket in the colours of Dr Johnny Hon, a new owner to British racing.
Since then, bonuses have been won by a wide of variety of purchases, among them seven yearlings who cost 50,000gns or below. They include 32,000gns yearling Kilmah, the Prestige Stakes winner who paid for herself in one swoop when successful on her debut at Newmarket.
Ten lots likely to have the sale ring buzzing
5) ch c Frankel - Dash To The Front (Diktat)
An early highlight promises to be this colt, one of 17 catalogued by his sire and a half-brother to Speedy Boarding, winner of the G1 Prix Jean Romanet since the publication of the catalogue.
Meon Valley Stud’s association with the family traces back to his fourth dam, the 1979 1,000 Guineas winner One In A Million, who was bought for 18,500gns as a yearling. In turn, she gifted the stud with a brilliant miler in Milligram, who defeated Miesque in the 1987 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Although not in the same league at stud of her G2-placed half-sister Someone Special (dam of G1 winner One So Wonderful), Milligram’s line remains healthy through the branch responsible for this colt, who is out of her listed-winning granddaughter Dash To The Front.
Frankel heads into this year’s set of yearling sales having made an excellent start with four first-crop stakes winners to his credit. Like last year, he is represented by a powerful draft of well-connected yearlings, including colts out of Classic winners such as Attraction (475) and Casual Look (523) as well as the G1 winners Kinnaird (134), Peeress (244) and Wizz Kid (418).
Meon Valley Stud
39) b c Dubawi - Fallen For You (Dansili)
The second foal out of Philippa Cooper’s homebred Coronation Stakes winner Fallen For You.
This is a family that has served Cooper well in recent years since his granddam, listed winner Fallen Star, has also produced listed winner Fallen Idol and the G2-placed Fallen In Love - dam of this year’s Pontefract Castle Stakes winner Loving Things - for her Normandie Stud. In what has been a productive year for the family, Fallen Star is also the granddam of recent Distaff Stakes winner Light Up Our World.
Another opportunity to dip into this family arises with the next lot through the ring, a New Approach colt out of Fallen Star herself.
Norris Bloodstock, meanwhile, also offers a High Chaparral half-sister to last season’s champion French 2yo Shalaa (74).
Dubawi returned a whopping average of 662,273gns for 11 yearlings sold at last year’s sale to complement a figure of 654,500gns recorded the year before. He has 21 yearlings catalogued this time around, among them colts out of G1 winners I’m A Dreamer (110) and Zee Zee Top (427).
Norris Bloodstock
58) gr f Dark Angel - Folga (Atraf)
A sister to this filly commanded 825,000gns from Oliver St Lawrence on behalf of Fawzi Nass at this sale last year and should this year’s offering stand up to physical scrutiny, further fireworks can be expected this time around.
Of course, this family has undergone yet more enhancements since last October. Sister Mecca’s Angel, the champion older sprinter and mare of 2015, captured her second Nunthorpe Stakes in August, while her elder brother, Markaz, won the G3 Chipchase Stakes in June and was awarded the G2 Goldene Peitsche in August. The pair are the only two runners from three foals of racing age out of Folga, a listed-placed mare who was bought by Yeomanstown Stud and Doc Bloodstock for just 33,000gns in 2007.
Yeomanstown Stud
71) ch c Champs Elysees - Galicuix (Galileo)
The half-brother to this season’s top three-year-old miler Galileo Gold, winner of the 2,000 Guineas and St. James’s Palace Stakes. A tough performer, the Hugo Palmer-trained colt also ran creditably in defeat when second in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes.
His 2yo sister, Choumicha, also showed ability when a recent fourth on her debut at Kempton.
Their dam is a half-sister to G1-winning sprinter Goldream while further back is the family of Montjeu.
Houghton Bloodstock’s first day draft also includes the Exceed And Excel half-sister to recent Lowther Stakes winner Queen Kindly (141).
Houghton Bloodstock
109) b f Galileo - Hveger (Danehill)
Few mares boast such an active stud record as Hveger, whose progeny have realised a total of 2.12 million guineas at this sale since 2012.
Since the publication of the catalogue, for instance, this filly’s 3yo brother, Idaho, has won the Great Voltigeur Stakes, while her 4yo brother, Highland Reel, has run second in the Juddmonte International.
Both have proven to be extremely tough campaigners for Ballydoyle. In the past 18 months alone, Highland Reel has packed in wins in the Hong Vase at Sha Tin, Secretariat Stakes at Arlington and the King George at Ascot as well as a highly creditable third in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.
For his part, Idaho has run second in the Irish Derby and third in the Epsom equivalent, and was in the process of running a good race when coming down in the St. Leger.
The pair’s dam, Hveger, was placed in the Australasian Oaks and is also the dam of Valdemoro, G1-placed in Australia. This is a tough Australian family further back that contains the G1-winning half-brothers Elvstroem and Haradasun.
422) b f Shamardal - Yummy Mummy (Montjeu)
Last year’s leading consignor Newsells Park Stud returns with another excellent draft of 23 yearlings by many of the world’s leading sires, including Dubawi, Frankel, Galileo and Sea The Stars.
It was at this sale in 2013 that the stud sold Legatissimo for 350,000gns to MV Magnier. Sent to David Wachman, she went on to become the champion 3yo filly of 2015 by virtue of wins in the 1,000 Guineas, Nassau and Matron Stakes.
Coolmore subsequently returned to the well to purchase Yummy Mummy’s 2014 Redoute’s Choice filly, one of the highlights of last year’s renewal at 775,000gns.
This filly, whose sire now serves at Darley in a private capacity, is the fifth foal out of Yummy Mummy, a half-sister to top stayer Fame And Glory.
Newsells Park Stud
441) ch f Galileo - Aleagueoftheirown (Danehill Dancer)
Galileo daughters of the listed-placed Aleagueoftheirown have lit up recent renewals of Book 1, realising 535,000gns (in 2012) and 550,000gns (in 2014). While the 535,000gns filly, Criteria, was talented enough to run third in the Park Hill and Ribblesdale Stakes for Cheveley Park Stud, it has been her younger sibling, the 550,000gns filly Alice Springs, who has stolen the show.
Sold by Glenvale Stud to MV Magnier, Alice Springs recently turned in an impressive display to take the Matron Stakes, having previously struck at G1 level in the Falmouth Stakes. The flashy filly, who is also related to champion Golden Opinion, has also run third in the 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes this season.
Lot 441 is also a sister to the G3-placed Kingston Jamaica.
Galileo’s draft of fillies also includes lot 309, a sister to Beverly D Stakes first past the post Secret Gesture as well as G3 winner Sir Isaac Newton (a 3.2 million guineas purchase in 2013), lot 431, a daughter of G1 winner A Z Warrior, whose placed sister, Key To My Heart, sold for 1.3 million guineas last year, and lot 47, a half-sister to Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Just The Judge.
Glenvale Stud
460) b c Declaration Of War - Another Storm (Gone West)
Another Storm was a proven producer when picked up by Paget Bloodstock for just $50,000 through Horse France at Keeneland in 2010. The winning daughter of Gone West, who is out of American champion 2yo filly Storm Song, was already responsible for French G3 winner Asperity and listed winner Sehoy, and another G3 winner, Angel Terrace, swiftly followed.
However, the mare has reached far greater heights since then thanks to her 2012 foal Order Of St George, this year’s Ascot Gold Cup hero who could well add another boost to this colt’s sale prospects if he lines up in the Arc on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Another Storm’s 2yo is the promising Arwa, the wide-margin winner of her maiden since the publication of the catalogue.
Declaration Of War is well represented with 13 yearlings catalogued. In addition to lot 460, they include the half-brothers to Toormore (2) and St Leger heroine Simple Verse and her G2-winning half-sister Even Song (89).
Clare Castle Stud
522) b f Frankel - Cassydora (Darshaan)
One of the most exciting Frankel 2-year-olds seen out so far is the unbeaten Toulifaut, the recent winner of the G3 Prix d’Aumale at Chantilly. Ironically, the filly was one of her sire’s lesser lights at last year’s Book 1, failing to sell for 285,000gns.
Given her subsequent exploits for Jean-Claude Rouget, there is likely to be considerably greater interest in her younger sister. She is the fifth foal out of G3 winner Cassydora, a member of Hesmonds Stud’s excellent Galaxie Dust family, who is out of G2 winner Claxon, also the dam of listed winner Classic Remark. While this is a particularly effective filly family, Cassydora is also the dam of Ballyroan Stakes winner Ernest Hemingway, a son of Frankel’s sire Galileo now at stud in Chile.
The same familiy is represented by lot 536, an Intello colt out of Claxon.
Barronstown Stud
535) b f Dubawi - Claba Di San Jore (Barathea)
When Watership Down Stud paid 575,000gns through Charlie Gordon-Watson for Claba Di San Jore at the 2012 Tattersalls December Sale, they added a proven producer of the highest class to their band.
Five of her foals have stamped themselves as among the best of their generation in Italy. Two - Crackerjack King and Awelmarduk - struck in the G1 Derby Italiano. Another, globe-trotter Jakkalberry, ran third in the race before taking the G1 Gran Premio di Milano.
The winning Claba Di San Jore is also the dam of listed winners Kidnapping and Joyful Hope while a daughter, Bois Joli, has made her mark as the dam of G3 winner Circus Couture and the G1-placed Celticus.
She contributes to a powerful 20-strong draft from Watership Down, who will also send through a Dubawi filly out of G1 winner Icon Project (113), the Dubawi half-brother to Eclipse Stakes winner Mount Nelson (116) and a Sea The Stars half-brother to Coronation and Matron Stakes winner Lillie Langtry (104), herself dam of Minding.
Watership Down Stud