Godolphin go big on day one at Tattersalls
Godolphin made their intentions clear on the opening day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale yesterday. At the time of going to press, Sheikh Mohammed’s operation had purchased eight yearlings for an aggregate of 4,690,000gns (approx. AU$9,436,730).
The most expensive of the octet was a colt by Dubawi (Dubai Millennium), Godolphin paying 1,000,000gns (approx. AU$2,012,100) for the Newsells Park Stud-consigned youngster.
Catalogued as Lot 96, the colt is from one of the most sought after families in the global Stud Book, being out of the blue hen mare Shastye (Danehill), who has produced six winners from seven foals to race, headed by Group 1-winning pair Japan (Galileo) and Mogul (Galileo) as well as Group 2 scorer Secret Gesture (Galileo).
The daughter of Danehill (Danzig) is also the dam of Group 3 winner Sir Isaac Newton (Galileo), who was also placed at Group 3 level in Australia, while one of her other sons, Maurus (Medicean), won twice at Listed level Down Under.
The colt is the final foal out of Shastye and the ninth to be offered at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and they have collectively made 15,200,000gns. The mare died in 2022 at the age of 21.
“He is by Dubawi, whom we have huge regard for, and out of an incredible mare,” said Anthony Stroud, who was, as usual, handling the bidding on behalf of Godolphin.
“She has produced so many great horses, and although he is out of a mare who was a bit older he looks incredibly well. We all looked at him, and the boss looked at him and we felt we had to go for it. He is a very good looking, very correct good walking horse and very athletic, he fitted our criteria.”
Julian Dollar, general manager of Newsells, had mixed emotions regarding the sale which brought an end to an era for the farm.
“The money does not really matter, but the figure of a million is a nice bookend for the mare,” he said. “She was such an amazing mare for Newsells, and for me really… jokingly I have said she kept me in a job for 15 years! But the fact that she produced such a good-looking foal as her last one, he came here and Sheikh Mohammed has bought him for a million, it is really ‘nice’ for want of a better expression.”
He added: “We are all in this business because we love horses and for that reason it is a nice three-quarters end to the story – there is still 25 per cent to come when he races. For us it was a nice sign off and fitting for the mare because she did a lot for us.”
Comparing this yearling to the mare’s previous progeny, Dollar said: “He was a bit stronger, a bit deeper, a bit thicker through his middle and shoulder and quarters, like the Dubawis can be. But he had the same great temperament , the same class when he came to the sale and that same aura. She was just such a remarkable mare and nice to see Dubawi have a recent Group 1 winner out of a Danehill mare – so we know the cross works.”
He concluded: “She was a superstar, and I will never find another one. I know that, I am not that greedy, but I will treasure the days we had here and at the racecourse, she was a commercial stud farmers dream.”
The same family came to the fore earlier on in the day when a filly by Dubawi out of Secret Gaze (Galileo), one of Shastye’s unraced daughters, sold to Oliver St Lawrence Bloodstock for 725,000gns (approx. AU$1,458,700). Like the top lot, the filly was offered by Newsells Park.
Oakgrove hits a new high as Frankel colt fetches 900,000gns
Godolphin made a splash early on in the day, parting with 900,000gns (approx. AU$1,810,900) for a colt by Frankel (Galileo) handing John Deer’s Oakgrove Stud a personal best at Tattersalls in the process.
Juddmonte’s general manager Simon Mockridge was involved deep into the bidding, as was Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland, but that pair were knocked back when Stroud struck the decisive blow from beside the parade ring.
That price surpassed Oakgrove’s previous best, which came in 2009 when the farm’s Book 1 draft included the winning and Group 3-placed Rudolf Valentino. The son of Oasis Dream (Green Desert) joined the Coolmore fold having been knocked down to Demi O’Byrne at 700,000gns.
“It means a lot as he’s the most expensive horse the stud has ever sold,” said Oakgrove’s manager David Hilton. “John puts a lot of investment in, and this horse was bred in partnership with Juddmonte so we have to say a massive thank you to them for doing that with us.”
The colt is the seventh foal Deer has bred from Poplin (Medicean), five of which have won. The best of the brood to date is this colt’s three-parts sister Alkandora, a daughter of Nathaniel (Galileo), who won the 2020 running of the Prix Melisande (Listed, 2000m) in the Godolphin blue.
The Frankel colt is also a half-brother to Persian Royal, a son of Oakgrove’s own Al Kazeem (Dubawi), who won four races in the Deer silks before being sold to Wathnan Racing for 450,000gns at last year’s Autumn Horses in Training Sale. The mare produced a filly by Palace Pier (Kingman) in March this year and is back in foal to Lope De Vega (Shamardal).
Hilton said the team had always held the Frankel colt in high regard, but admitted to being left floored by the heights he had reached in the ring.
He said: “I’ve always thought he’s a pretty special horse and he’s been very busy since we got here. He hasn’t missed a beat.
“You can never be confident when you come up to the ring, though, even with the horse having been so popular. You can be hopeful but never confident, so watching that was a bit mad, really!
“It’s very rare to be in that position when people follow the horse through and you can just stand back and watch. It was amazing. John’s already been on the phone and he’s delighted. I’ve got to say well done to all our staff back at Oakgrove because they’ve done an amazing job.”
Poplin herself is a daughter of Group 2 winner Pongee (Barathea), making her a half-sister to dual Australian Listed winner Dr Drill (Dansili) and fellow stakes scorer Pinzolo (Monsun), while further back this is the same family as 2019 Mackinnon Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Magic Wand (Galileo).
Kingman colt for Ferguson and Waller
The successful partnership Newmarket-based trainer James Ferguson has forged with Chris Waller appears as strong as ever, with the pair making their first foray at the auction yesterday when they purchased a colt by Kingman (Invincible Spirit) for 200,000gns (approx. AU$402,400).
It was not surprising to see the duo strike for a son of the Juddmonte sire, who has proved himself in Australia. To date, Kingman has sired three stakes winners Down Under, headed by last season’s JJ Atkins Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m)-winning colt King Colorado.
Out of Listed-winning Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) mare Sivoliere, the colt is a half-brother to Listed-placed colt Doctor Carl (Fastnet Rock).
Sivoliere herself is a daughter of stakes winner Sefroua (Kingmambo), who also produced Group 3 winner Suphala (Frankel).
Waller and Ferguson have teamed up with some top-class performers in the past, racing Group 1-winning juvenile El Bodegon (Kodiac), who Ferguson bought for 70,000gns out of Book 2 in 2020. Now trained by Waller, the son of Kodiac (Danehill) finished third in last year’s Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m), three-quarters of a length adrift of the winner, Anamoe (Street Boss).
A full report from the opening day of the sale will be published in tomorrow’s ANZ Bloodstock News.