Godolphin’s seven-figure spree continues as 1,100,000gns Dubawi tops day two
It was not all plain sailing for vendors during day two of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, as was to be expected given the market downturn experienced this year, but Sheikh Mohammed’s appetite for the most choice offerings continued to supply some soaring highs.
Godolphin signed for the four most expensive yearlings on day two, headed by a 1,100,000gns (approx. AUD$2.1million) Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) colt, taking the operation’s Book 1 buys to 17 lots acquired for a total of 12,700,000gns (approx. AUD$24milion) – around 26 per cent of turnover across the two days.
Mike and Michelle Morris may be relative newcomers to the breeding ranks, but their sizeable early investment produced a big result on Wednesday when Anthony Stroud, bidding on behalf of Godolphin, went to 1,100,000gns for the couple’s Dubawi colt consigned as Lot 225 by Highclere Stud.
The seven-figure youngster is the first foal out of Intricately (Fastnet Rock) who won the Moyglare Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 7f) for Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez and Joseph O’Brien in 2016.
Intricately’s race record helped to ensure that she topped day one of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2017 when knocked down to John and Jake Warren on behalf of the Morrises at 1,700,000gns.
“I’m thrilled for Mike and Michelle Morris,” said Highclere’s Lady Carolyn Warren. “They’re clients of ours, Jake bought the mare for them, and they’re lovely people. They stepped up and bought this fantastic mare and she’s really repaid them.
“He’s a gorgeous colt, he was gorgeous from the day he was born, he’s been so straightforward and has a fantastic temperament. I’m delighted for Anthony Stroud and Sheikh Mohammed. Dubawi is a brilliant stallion and this colt looks like he’s got a bit of magic about him.” Warren explained that the Morrises’ boutique broodmare band boards at Highclere, and also includes the likes of Hertford Dancer (Fowedge), whose Dubawi colt sold for 300,000gns (approx. AUD$570,000) as Lot 195 shortly before the seven-figure son of Intricately.
“The Morrises have some other mares with us, we sold a Dubawi colt out of Hertford Dancer, who we own in partnership, earlier today,” she said. “Anthony bought that colt too so that was great.
“They’re doing it the right way and it’s lovely to see them having such success. Michelle is a great horsewoman herself and Mike is very interested in racing. Intricately is in foal to Kingman and she has another Dubawi colt at foot, so we might see him up here next year too.”
Elite Racing ready to roll the dice again
The seven-figure mark was reached for a second time later in the day when the Frankel (Galileo), Lot 295 half-brother to brilliant sprinter Marsha (Acclamation) was knocked down at 1,000,000gns (approx. AUD$1.9milion). However, it transpired that the blue-blooded colt had been bought back on behalf of the colt’s breeders, the Elite Racing Club.
The son of Frankel is the final foal out of Elite Racing’s ill-fated star broodmare Marlinka (Marju), who tragically succumbed to colic earlier in the year. She left three winners, with Nunthorpe (Gr 1, 5f) and Prix de l’Abbaye (Gr 1, 1000m) heroine Marsha joined by the talented Judicial (Iffraaj) and Marseille (Excelebration).
Elite Racing manager Dan Downie will be hoping that becomes four winners in the years to come when the Frankel colt sports the club’s famous white and black-spotted silks.
“We know he’s a nice horse so it’s exciting for the club to be able to keep one like this,” he said. “We’ve always said to our members that we don’t have an endless pot of money and we need to make sure the club is secure financially. If he were to have made a lot of money we couldn’t afford not to sell, but that wasn’t to be.”
The Frankel covering that resulted in this colt was, at least in part, funded by the sale of Marsha, who set a European record when sold to Coolmore for 6,000,000gns at the December Sale in 2017.
Hillwood living the dream
Godolphin’s haul also took in the Lope De Vega (Shamardal) colt out of Moi Meme (Teofilo) offered as Lot 320 by Hillwood Stud when Stroud got the better of David Redvers with a bid of 900,000gns (approx. AUD$1.7milion).
The youngster’s page boasted a significant update as his two-year-old full-brother King Vega was last seen finishing a close second in the Solario Stakes (Gr 3, 7f).
“He’s been a lovely horse all along but that was beyond our wildest dreams,” said an emotional Charlie Vigors of Hillwood. “He was bred at home by Fortescue Bloodstock, which is a syndicate of mainly London-based investors who have been buying some blue-chip mares. It’s great when you get a reward like that.
“We put a sensible reserve on him but that’s the beauty of public auction; two people can lock on to the same horse and after that anything can happen.”
The colt is the third foal of Moi Meme, a French Listed winner, who was signed for by Old Mill Stud at €440,000 at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in 2015.
The eight-year-old has been mated with Lope De Vega exclusively since she retired to the paddocks. The Ballylinch Stud stallion stood for €45,000 in the first year Moi Meme visited him, a fee that has since risen to €100,000.
“The mare has a lovely Lope De Vega filly foal on the ground and she’s back in foal to him again,” continued Vigors. “Her progeny have all been so nice that she’s been married to Lope De Vega, who’s obviously one of the top young sires.
“We picked him out as a sire on the up a few years ago, but we need paydays like this to be able to keep going back to him now!”
Gryada’s legacy grows
The purchase of Gryada (Shirley Heights) in December 2006 continues to pay rich dividends for Nicholas Jones of Coln Valley Stud, as a Dubawi colt, Lot 186, from a burgeoning branch of the great mare’s family went the way of Godolphin at 800,000gns (approx. AUD$1.52milion) early on during Wednesday’s session.
The six-figure youngster is the first foal out of Gryada’s daughter Great And Small (Galileo) who carried Jones’s silks to success in a Chester maiden and a career-best effort when fourth in the Noel Murless Stakes (Listed, 1m6f).
There was a distinct sense of deja vu about the transaction as last year’s Book 1 saw a Kingman (Invincible Spirit) colt out of another daughter of Gryada, Grace And Favour (Montjeu), go Godolphin’s way at 2,300,000gns, while a Showcasing (Oasis Dream) colt out of a third daughter, Grace And Glory (Montjeu), was knocked down for 600,000gns in 2018.
Despite the remarkable strike-rate of Gryada’s daughters, Jones said the nature of the breeding business meant he had suffered his share of pre-sales anxiety.
“It’s a nerve-racking game, this,” he said. “Those three minutes are the only time we have any revenue coming into the stud. It’s the one chance we get each year to have cash coming in, rather than going out, so I’m delighted.
“I do love the breeding game but I lose about a stone in weight coming up here every year. Although my wife would say that’s a good thing!”
The pedigree has grown exponentially since Jones purchased Gryada for 180,000gns through Amanda Skiffington 14 years ago, thanks in no small part to the mare’s son Fame And Glory (Montjeu) and daughter Yummy Mummy (Montjeu), who is better known as the dam of Legatissimo (Danehill Dancer).
Jones reflected on the impact the late Gryada has had on Coln Valley since her acquisition, saying: “Gryada died a few years ago, she was quite old when I bought her, but she left these three fillies for us. She’s been a wonderful broodmare for us and given us an enormous amount of fun.
“Great And Small is the third daughter of Gryada we have and this is her first foal. I have a full-brother to this colt at home, so I’ve just told Anthony Stroud I hope to see him here next year too! She’s in foal to Bated Breath.
“All the colts we’ve sold out of Gryada’s daughters have sold well, which is exciting and means I can afford to keep the fillies now.”
Jones went on to explain that it was the exploits of Gryada and her daughters that had supplied the finances to fund nominations to the likes of Dubawi and Kingman.
He said: “She’s also enabled us to go to these top stallions. I’m not sure what will happen with fees next year but our mares will still want to go to the best stallions, so I’m afraid I’ll be writing a lot of cheques to the stallion owners.
“We have a small stud and try to have the best mares we can afford. I have a wonderful stud manager, Ian Emes, he’s actually retiring next month after spending 18 years with me. Glen Eddery will be taking over.”
Frankel filly sparkles
Godolphin’s spree continued right into the evening when Stroud went to 700,000gns (approx. AUD$1.32milion) for the Frankel filly out of the Listed scorer Pearly Steph (Oasis Dream) offered as Lot 350 by French-based consignor Haras de Saint Pair.
The page is replete with black type and traces back to Saint Pair’s foundation mare Pearly Shells (Efisio). Pearls Galore (Invincible Spirit), who appears beneath the second dam, added further black type when she finished second in the Fairy Bridge Stakes (Gr 3, 7.5f) on her most recent outing.
“She’s a lovely filly,” said Saint Pair’s Andreas Putsch. “We have plenty of the family, the family has been with me all the way since Pearly Shells, who won the Prix Vermeille and who we bought as a yearling at Goffs. Breeding is a long-term business and we’ve built the farm around her basically.”
One more for Westerberg
Georg von Opel’s Westerberg signed for the session’s fifth-top lot after Tom Goff from Blandford Bloodstock went to 680,000gns (approx. AUD$1.29milion) for the Siyouni (Pivotal) filly out of Listed winner Mischief Making (Lemon Drop Kid), that was offered as Lot 309 by Highclere Stud.
The filly is a sibling to five winners, most notably Cliveden Stud’s Lancashire Oaks (Gr 3, 1m 3.5f) heroine Horseplay (Cape Cross) and the Listed-winning More Mischief (Azamour).
“She’s been bought for Georg von Opel’s Westerberg,” confirmed Goff after signing the docket. “She’s an absolute queen, a lovely filly with a fabulous outcross pedigree. John Gosden is going to train her.”
Goff’s other purchase on behalf of Westerberg turned out to be Miss Yoda (Sea The Stars), who won the German Oaks (Gr 1, 2200m) having been one of the joint top lots at the 2018 BBAG Yearling Sale at €280,000.
Strong start for Almanzor
Cambridge Stud stallion Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) has made a promising start at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Six of his yearlings sold for an aggregate of 750,000gns (approx. AUD$1.42milion) in the first two days of the sale, at an average of 125,000gns, (approx. AUD$237,000) and median of 125,000gns.
Sackville Donald Bloodstock Agency went to 210,000gns (approx. AUD$397,000) to secure Almanzor’s highest priced yearling of the sale so far, Lot 336, the colt out of Nehalennia (Giant’s Causeway), a daughter of former Champion Two-Year-Old Airwave (Air Express).
Cambridge Stud was also active at the sale, purchasing Lot 177, the Almanzor colt out of stakes winner Gemstone (Galileo) in partnership with Haras D’Etreham for 100,000gns (approx. AUD$189,000).
Aggregate sales on day two dropped by 33 per cent compared to the corresponding session last year at 21,377,000gns (approx. AUD$241.37milion). The average was also down by 26 per cent at 179,640gns (approx. AUD$341,000) and median was clipped in by 17 per cent at 125,000gns (approx. AUD$237,000). The clearance rate was 77 per cent, having been 84 per cent 12 months ago, as 119 of 154 offered yearlings found a buyer.
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