They say every cloud has a silver lining and while it may not have seemed like it for Lodge Park Stud around ten days ago, there was a certain reminder of that notion early during the first session of the Tattersalls October Book 2 Sale on Monday in the sale of the family’s Dubawi filly for 725,000gns to Godolphin.
The homebred filly was on her way to Tattersalls to take up her engagement in Book 1 when suffering a jaw injury that necessitated a trip to the vets. At that moment, Newmarket was out of the question but in a twist of better luck, she healed swiftly enough for Tattersalls to come back under consideration and having made it second time lucky over without a hitch, went on to dominate the early exchanges of Monday’s Book 2 session as a wildcard entry.
Recalling the turbulence of that week, Damian Burns of Lodge Park Stud said: “She was due to head over on the Wednesday but there was a storm that day and so the shipping had to be moved Tuesday. She got on to the lorry and she was doing just a little bit of jumping around, nothing that a normal yearling wouldn’t do, and our best guess – we have the video from the next door stall – is that the head collar got caught on something and when she released herself, she cut her jaw. It was literally as they were coming out of the yard.
“Anyway she went back to her stable and she was fine. But she had quite a bad laceration so she went down to Fethard [veterinary hospital] as a precaution. They stitched her up, she was eating, everything was fine and then she came home and we were able to turn her out and have her walking up and down.
“The Friday evening before Book 1, we got in touch with our transporters and Tattersalls to say this filly might be ok and set the wheels in motion to sell this week. Many thanks to the guys at home and my brother Jamie, who prepped her, because we were here with our Book 1 yearlings. She got here Wednesday morning and was showing Wednesday afternoon.”
He added: “Our original options were either waiting for December [yearling sale] and or putting a saddle on her. That was our thought at the time. Everything was discussed, but usually with our young mares we like to sell the stock and let them pay their way. Luckily we were able to wildcard her and many thanks to Tatts for allowing us to do that.”
Rerouted from Book 1, this Dubawi filly sold for 725,000gns on Monday. Photo – Tattersalls
The filly hails from a fine Lodge Park Stud line that has been good to the family for many years. Her dam, Park Bloom, won two races for Henri Devin and is a sister to the Oaks heroine Was, who topped the 2010 Book 1 Sale at 1,200,000gns, Group 2 winner and Derby third Amhran Na Bhfiann, who sold for 1,300,000gns in 2018, and Group 3 scorer Douglas MacArthur, who sold for 1,250,000gns in 2015. Further back it is the family of the Lodge Park Stud-bred Derby winner New Approach.
“She’s quite typical of Dubawi but has probably a bit more action than some, which I’d say she gets from her dam line,” said Burns. “And she vetted very well. The family tends to vet very well – there’s those hidden genetics that you don’t see. The family has been very good to us. We had a Night Of Thunder last week from another branch that made 400,000gns.”
“She’s a very nice filly out of a Galileo mare,” added Stroud. “She moves very well and has a good outlook. Obviously she’s by Dubawi, who’s an unbelievable stallion. She’s bred on a good cross and comes from a very good farm, so we’re very lucky to receive her.
“She compares very favourably with the stock on offer at Book 1, she’s a lovely filly. She’s very classy.
“She injured her jaw coming over, which is why she wasn’t in last week. They did very well to get her here this week, there’s a scar under her jaw but the vets have clearly done a very good job. She’s behaved incredibly well, especially considering she’s been through a lot.”
The filly dominated a day’s trade that also further underlined the popularity of Darley’s first-crop sire Pinatubo.
The son of Shamardal fired in an average of 186,333gns for six sold – the most of any sire with more than one through the ring – which was fuelled by the presence of a 325,000gns filly and a 300,000gns colt.
Joseph O’Brien is set to train the filly, who was co-bred by her vendor Corduff Stud with Farmleigh Bloodstock and knocked down to American agent Justin Casse. Out of an unraced half-sister toPrix Morny winner Arcano, she is a half-sister to the Listed winners Platinum Star and Tifosa.
“The Pinatubos are lovely horses,” said Casse. “I looked at a lot of them and was impressed with what I saw. I’m a fan.
“We were looking for something early and for me, I felt like she was the best filly in Book 2. I like fillies who look like colts and that was her. She’s a very robust, very good-moving horse.
“I also like that the mare has already produced some black-type. Everybody has Ascot dreams and there’s some precocity in the family – she has the build to be early and comes from a good nursery, so all of that equated.
“She’ll go to Joseph and we’ll hope for top hats and tails come June!”
The 300,000gns colt, meanwhile, was an early highlight of the session when knocked down to Najd Stud, the racing vehicle of Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz. Bred and sold by Cheveley Park Stud, the colt hails from one of the operation’s long-standing families as the son of a half-sister to the evergreen Group 3 winner Regal Reality and descendant of the stud’sCheveley Park Stakes winner Regal Rose.
“Pinatubo was a champion two-year-old and by Shamardal, who is already a sire of sires, so he looks exciting” said Saud Al-Qahtani, bidding on behalf of Najd Stud. “This is a very good individual, you can’t really fault him. He’s very strong, correct with good movement. It’s too early to say whether he’ll stay here or go straight to Saudi Arabia. We’ll have a think and decide shortly.”
Anthony Stroud: another high-profile purchase. Photo – Tattersalls
