Caravaggio colt claims top lot crown after fetching 240,000gns at Craven Sale
After a frenetic opening session, intensity levels settled down a touch on day two of the Tattersalls Craven Sale, with the market headed by 14 six-figure two-year-olds.
The most expensive offering sold on Wednesday was signed for by Alastair Donald, who went to 240,000gns for a colt (Lot 143) from the debut crop of bullet sprinter Caravaggio (Scat Daddy). The Yeomanstown Stud-consigned colt is a half-brother to Herbert Power Stakes (Gr 2, 2400m) runner-up Wall Of Fire (Canford Cliffs), and is out of a daughter of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) and Cherry Hinton Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) winner Jewel In The Sand (Bluebird).
“He’s been bought for a new Hong Kong client so he’ll head out there at the end of the season,” said Donald from his position at the back of the auditorium. “He’s a lovely horse with gorgeous movement, he’s just a really striking individual and looks the type to do well in Hong Kong.
“He’s well-bred and breezed very well for a big horse; he won’t be racing until he’s three so we didn’t want something sharp and early.”
The Sackville Donald agent added: “The sire looks like he’s got a very nice two-year-old already in Tenebrism too. That the first I’ve bought by Caravaggio, although I liked the ones I saw as yearlings, they all seemed to have particularly good movement.”
The colt belatedly returned some pinhooking profit for the Yeomanstown Stud team, who picked the youngster up at 155,000gns at the December Foal Sale before he was bought back at 130,000gns during Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale.
“Things didn’t quite work out when we brought him back for Book 1, but he’s a beautiful colt with a great attitude and he breezed really well so we’re pleased,” said Yeomanstown’s David O’Callaghan.
“I’ve had three go through the ring and I’ve sold all three so I’m happy enough. [The market] feels a little softer tonight than it did yesterday but the clearance rate is still pretty good, so I think most people are pleased.”
Day one’s top lot, the 360,000gns Practical Joke (Into Mischief) filly (Lot 71) bought by Alex Elliott for White Birch Farm, is set to return to the US for her racing career, and a similar future awaits day two’s second-top lot after Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah signed for the Union Rags (Dixie Union) colt (Lot 145) Tattered Flag at 185,000gns.
The Powerstown Stud-consigned youngster, who was signed for at $115,000 at Keeneland last year, is out of the US Grade 1 winner Careless Jewel (Tapit).
Williams doubles up
Stuart Williams was on the scoresheet on the Rowley Mile when his two-year-old Desert Dreamer (Oasis Dream) landed the opening fillies’ maiden, and the Newmarket-based trainer was also on the mark at Tattersalls when going to 150,000gns for Tally-Ho Stud’s son of Aclaim (Acclamation) on behalf of Opulence Thoroughbreds.
The colt (Lot 96) is out of the unraced Step Sequence (Nayef), making him a half-brother to the Listed-winning sprinter Lady Penelope (Night Of Thunder), who was offered at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale in 2019 before joining Joseph O’Brien.
“We tried to buy a couple yesterday but weren’t able to, but we really liked the way this guy breezed and he looks like he’ll be able to run as a two-year-old,” said Williams. “He’s very athletic and a big, strong sort so he’s got a chance of being a good horse.
Around 30 lots later Williams added a Dark Angel (Acclamation) colt (Lot 128) to the Opulence Thoroughbreds string when going to 125,000gns for the half-brother to Feliciana De Vega (Lope De Vega) consigned by Church Farm & Horse Park Stud.
The 150,000gns mark was hit for a second time during Wednesday’s session when Stephen Hillen secured the Showcasing (Oasis Dream) colt (Lot 101) out of Swirral Edge (Hellvelyn) offered by Katie Walsh’s Greenhills Farm.
O’Callaghan collects
Having supplied day one’s 360,000gns top lot, the filly bought by Alex Elliott on behalf of White Birch Farm, Practical Joke enjoyed another good result when Michael O’Callaghan went to 140,000gns for a colt (Lot 90) offered by Tom Whitehead’s Powerstown Stud.
“He’s a lovely physical who had a great action when he breezed and who came highly recommended by Tom,” said O’Callaghan, whose past breeze-up buys include the likes of Steel Bull (Clodovil). “He’ll probably get an easy month now and then we’ll kick on with him, I’d say he’s just going through a bit of a growth spurt at the minute.”
The colt, who is out of the Super Saver (Maria’s Mon) mare Sky Saver and from the family of Grade 1 scorer Octave (Unbridled’s Song), was pinhooked by Whitehead at $75,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Selected Yearlings Showcase.
O’Callaghan said he had seen only a limited number of youngsters by Practical Joke, who is standing the 2021 season at US$22,500 at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud, but said he had been impressed by the ones he had inspected.
“I’ve seen only this colt and the filly from Tally-Ho last night, and she looked exceptional, so I’ve liked the couple I’ve seen,” he said.
That purchase took O’Callaghan’s Craven Sale haul to four lots, acquired at a total outlay of 453,000gns. He added: “The market seems strong. We gave 190,000gns for a Dabirsim from Tally-Ho Stud last night and 100,000gns for a Profitable from Eddie O’Leary, but it’s always strong when you’re going after nice horses.”
Thunder in demand again
The progeny of Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) continued to prove in high demand with buyers as Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock went to 125,000gns for a colt (Lot 117) offered by Yeomanstown Stud. The colt is out of the Listed-placed Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Vitoria and was pinhooked by Yeomanstown at €120,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale.
“He’s a lovely horse and was my pick of the sale over the two days,” said McStay. “I’m a massive fan of the sire, I bought Storm Legend by him at last year’s breeze-up sales and he won first time out – and was John Oxx’s last winner too.
On the state of trade over the two days, McStay said: “I’ve been lucky and purchased two horses now, this horse and a nice Caravaggio for Joseph Parr who we bought yesterday.
“Like every sale I’ve been to in the last number of years, it’s selective. It’s highly competitive for the top horses but the middle and lower tiers are very tough on vendors. These breeze-up boys aren’t only brave, they’re also some of the best horsemen in the world and when they get a good one they deserve to get well paid.”
Final figures
Last year’s Craven Sale took place around two months later than originally scheduled, meaning it was staged not only amid significant financial uncertainty brought on by the unfolding Covid-19 pandemic but, crucially, after Royal Ascot.
Back in its rightful pre-Ascot place and with a more stable economic outlook, the sale registered a positive set of figures.
Aggregate sales reached 10,408,500gns, up 57 per cent year-on-year and also up marginally on the pre-Covid Craven Sale held in 2019. The average was down nine per cent year-on-year to 86,020gns, albeit from an offering that was up 63 per cent. The median closed out at 68,000gns, up 11 per cent year-on-year.
Arguably the most encouraging metric, at least in terms of the immediate future, was the clearance rate, with 121 of 137 offered lots selling at a clip of 88 per cent, the highest clearance rate at a Craven Sale this century.
At the close of the sale, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony commented: “We introduced the £250,000 Craven Royal Ascot/Group 1 Bonus this year, in addition to the lucrative £15,000 Craven Breeze Up Bonus and it is clear that owners have embraced these unprecedented bonuses.
“We have seen solid and diverse demand at all levels of the market from start to finish, which has produced the best Craven Breeze-Up clearance rate since 2000 and key indicators which have held up well, especially when taken in the context of the Covid-related challenges and restrictions which we are all still grappling with and which continue to hinder international travel.”
“Buyers from America, Bahrain, Dubai, France, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Singapore have all been active, many of them using the live internet bidding platform, and as well as paying tribute to the consignors who have as ever presented an outstanding collection of two-year-olds, we must again commend everyone for their patience with the regulations and determination to overcome the obstacles we continue to face.
“We are still having to conduct sales under strict guidelines, but as well as looking forward to the forthcoming Guineas Breeze-Up and Horses in Training Sale, we are also looking forward to returning to more normality in the not too distant future.”