Tattersalls ready for lift-off

International demand is expected to be a key element in the fortunes of this year’s Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

The 552-strong select sale, which starts its three-day run tomorrow in Newmarket at 11am, annually attracts an array of leading international players. However, an extremely successful season across the Atlantic has seemingly prompted a greater American presence to complement the usual strong traditional buying bench that is invariably led by the Maktoum family and Coolmore. Indeed, Sheikh Mohammed is once again expected to attend.

Leading the American charge is Mike Ryan, a regular visitor to Tattersalls who assisted Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown in the purchase of top American two-year-old Newspaperofrecord (by Lope De Vega) here two years ago.

In what turned out to be an excellent foray into the market, Klaravich also came away with Grade 2 winner Digital Age (by Invincible Spirit), highly regarded two-time winner Value Proposition (by Dansili) and the Grade 3-placed Good Governance (by Kingman).

As for Peter Brant, he purchased Grade 3 winner Demarchelier (by Dubawi), who is set to take up stallion duty at Claiborne Farm next season.

“That was a very successful trip,” Ryan told Owner Breeder earlier in the year. “Chad and I had talked about it before. I told him I was very familiar with the pedigrees and that I knew the lay of the land and the breeders. So we discussed it with Seth Klarman and Peter Brant, and they were keen.

“We believe the best grass horses in the world are in Europe – the best female families and the best stallions.”

Ryan continued: “It’s very difficult to compete with the Maktoums in that market and we were buying underneath them, but we came away with some lovely horses – we’ve been very lucky.”

Unsurprisingly, such success has piqued the interest of other American buyers, namely WinStar Farm, BSW Bloodstock, Jacob West and Todd Pletcher, all of whom were busy working the sale grounds on Monday.

Tattersalls are also hopeful of increased interest from Japanese and Australian buyers.

“There’s been a pretty good footfall,” says Peter Kavanagh of Kildaragh Stud. “There’s certainly more American buyers here, so I’d be hopeful.”

He adds: “Goffs last week [the Orby Sale] was very good for the good horses. If you had a real horse, it was a very good market. But anything below that was difficult. It was patchy.”

A catalogue containing the full or half-siblings to 56 Group/Grade 1 winners suggests a record aggregate may not be out of reach

Tattersalls celebrated a record turnover for the eighth consecutive year in 2018 as the host of 106 million guineas worth of yearlings that sold for an average of 271,691gns.

Included in that total was the world’s most expensive yearling of 2018 in the Dubawi brother to Too Darn Hot, sold by his breeder Watership Down Stud to David Redvers for 3.5 million guineas.

Tattersalls are unlikely to match that feat this time around given the fireworks of the Keeneland September Sale, where an American Pharoah filly sold for $8.2 million. Yet a catalogue of 552 well-bred individuals, among them the full or half-siblings to 56 Group/Grade 1 winners, suggests that a record aggregate may not be out of reach.

“It’s another excellent catalogue,” says Jimmy George, Marketing Director of Tattersalls. “For starters, all of Europe’s elite sires are well represented – Galileo, Dubawi, Sea The Stars and Frankel. Plus the catalogue contains the only Shamardal yearlings for sale anywhere in the world this year.”

Kingman, as the sire of 41 catalogued, leads the way among all stallions, followed closely by Frankel with 40. Dubawi is represented by 29 lots, while there are 23 opportunities to purchase a yearling by Galileo. Shamardal, who has been a private stallion for the Maktoum family since 2016 (save for a select group of outside mares covered this season), has eight yearlings catalogued, all of whom were bred by Rabbah Bloodstock.

As ever, each lot offered this week with come with the allure of the £25,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 bonus. Now in its fourth year of operation, no fewer than 184 bonuses have already been paid out, including to a number of value buys.

One fine example is the Mark Johnston-trained Kingbrook, who was picked up last year by owner Roger Brookhouse and J D Moore for just 22,000gns; the Kingman colt went on to win his purchase price back and more in one fell swoop when scoring at Ascot in July.

Despite the inclement weather that affected Sunday’s viewing, the sale grounds have been a hive of activity since showing began in earnest on Saturday morning.

“I’m very happy at the moment – and us vendors are never happy!” says Flash Conroy of Glenvale Stud. “Sunday’s weather didn’t help but it’s been busy despite that, which is good. I’ve a lot of good animals, a good variety of horses.

“One I’d pick out is the Awtaad colt [out of Venetian Beauty] – he’s a big, strong horse with great movement and balance.”

TEN TO WATCH OUT FOR

11) b f Invincible Spirit – Scarlett Rose (Royal Applause)
The half-sister to fellow Book 1 graduate Blue Point, who captured the imagination of the racing public earlier this year with his sweep of Royal Ascot’s King’s Stand and Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

The exceptional sprinter won 11 races and over £2.6 million overall, including the Al Quoz Sprint and Gimcrack Stakes, and will undoubtedly be a popular new recruit to Darley’s stallion roster next year.

Scarlett Rose, a half-sister to the hardy Group 3 winner Tumbleweed Ridge, is also dam of Group 2-winning two-year-old Formosina.
Oak Lodge & Springfield House Studs

19) b f No Nay Never – Seeking Solace (Exceed And Excel)
The sister to Ten Sovereigns. Successful in last year’s Middle Park Stakes, Ten Sovereigns returned this season to take the July Cup and is currently in training for a tilt at the Everest at Randwick in Australia.

Listed-placed dam Seeking Solace, who cost connections just 45,000gns through the BBA Ireland at Tattersalls in July 2011, is also the dam of Eden Quay, a 600,000gns graduate of last year’s sale who was recently placed on debut for Aidan O’Brien.
Camas Park Stud

44) b c Dubawi – Speedy Boarding (Shamardal)
The first foal out of Meon Valley Stud’s Prix de l’Opera and Prix Jean Romanet heroine Speedy Boarding. He is a direct descendant of the stud’s wonderful miler Milligram, whose family gifted Meon Valley with another memorable moment back in June as the source of Epsom Oaks and Prix de Royallieu heroine Anapurna.

Meon Valley also consign a half-brother to Speedy Boarding, by Lope De Vega, as lot 243.
Meon Valley Stud

77) b c Dubawi – The Fugue (Dansili)
The first foal out of Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webber’s champion mare The Fugue to come under the hammer. A member of Watership Down Stud’s Sumoto family, The Fugue was saddled by John Gosden to win the Yorkshire Oaks, Irish Champion, Nassau and Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

In turn, she is out of the Ribblesdale Stakes runner-up Twyla Tharp and from the further family of Summoner and Limato.
Watership Down Stud

124) b c Dubawi – Without You Babe (Lemon Drop Kid)
This family has been a terrific servant for John and Tanya Gunther’s Glennwood Farm and chances are that it will serve them well again this week in the sale ring.

Without You Babe, a homebred half-sister to Grade 1 winner Stay Thirsty, has already produced two top milers for the Gunthers in Tamarkuz, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, and Without Parole, winner of the St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Without You Babe’s current three-year-old, She’s Got You, also recently ran third in the Rosemary Stakes at Newmarket.

Dubawi is also represented in the Newsells Park Stud draft by a half-brother to champion Legatissimo (128). As outstanding draft for the Darley flagship stallion also includes the half-brothers to top milers Barney Roy (148) and Galileo Gold (307) as well as a filly out of Prix Jean Romanet winner Ribbons (540).
Newsells Park Stud

166) b f Dark Angel – Anna Law (Lawman)
The sister to sprint sensation Battaash, Sheikh Hamdan’s speedball who was at his most lethal back in the summer when lowering Dayjur’s track record in the Nunthorpe Stakes.

Paul and Marie McCartan’s Ballyphilip Stud paid just 14,000gns for Anna Law, a half-sister to Champagne Stakes winner, as an unraced two-year-old in 2012.
Ballyphilip Stud

180) b c Frankel – Attraction (Efisio)
Hopes will be high that this colt can provide a fitting tribute to his breeder, the Duke of Roxburghe, who died in late August. He is the 11th foal out of the Duke’s wonderful miler Attraction and a brother to this year’s York Stakes winner Elarqam.

Attraction’s seven winners also include Group 3 winner Fountain Of Youth and the stakes-placed Cushion.

A select draft for Floors Stud also includes the Kingman half-sister to Hong Kong icon Viva Pataca and Grade 1 winner Laughing (230).

As for Frankel, he is also represented within Book 1 as the sire of a half-brother to Golden Horn (289) and a half-sister to Japanese Derby hero Deep Brillante.
Floors Stud

208) b c Siyouni – Cabaret (Galileo)
A colt with a very current pedigree as the half-brother to Magna Grecia, successful in this season’s 2,000 Guineas. Bred by Robert Scarborough, he is out of Silver Flash Stakes winner Cabaret, herself a half-sister to another talented two-year-old in Solario Stakes winner Drumfire.
Norelands Stud

357) ch c Galileo – Jacqueline Quest (Rock Of Gibraltar)
The sixth foal out of the 2010 1,000 Guineas first-past-the-post Jacqueline Quest, this colt is a full brother to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Line Of Duty. The Godolphin colt was a 400,000gns purchase out of the 2017 sale and has turned in several creditable performances since the publication of the catalogue, notably when third in the Prix Jacques les Marois and Prix du Moulin. Another sister, Hibiscus, was Listed-placed.

Galileo is also represented by the half-siblings to Group 1 winners Tiggy Wiggy (377; filly), Garswood (493; filly) and Latrobe (524; filly) as well as a colt out of top Australian mare Melito (441).
New England Stud

495) b f War Front – Perihelion (Galileo)
The sole yearling catalogued by leading American sire War Front, this filly is a half-sister to 2015 Oaks heroine Qualify as well as the Group 2-placed Shogun. Further back, it is the noted Juddmonte family of Classic winners Workforce, Flute and Brian Boru.

Adding further allure to this filly is the fact she’s bred on the successful War Front – Galileo cross also responsible for U S Navy Flag, Roly Poly, Fog Of War and recent stakes winner Fort Myers.
Newsells Park Stud