Pearling Heads Rousing Mares' Session

NEWMARKET, UK—It was the family that was always likely to dominate the December Sale and just four days after her weanling Galileo (Ire) filly led the foal sale at 1.7 million gns, Pearling (Storm Cat) trounced allcomers in the mares' division when selling for 2.4 million gns.

The circumstances of the transaction were effectively a repeat performance of last week, with Imad Al Sagar buying out his partner Saleh Al Homaizi for the mare (lot 1918) who has given them their biggest success as breeders through her treble Group 1-winning son and young Irish National Stud sire Decorated Knight (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

The 12-year-old sister to Giant's Causeway and You'resothrilling was offered back in foal to Galileo on a June 8 cover and such a rare opportunity to buy a proven mare from a top-drawer family drew interested parties from all corners of the world. Ben Harris of Lordship Stud was involved in earlier rounds of the bidding along with David Hanley of WinStar Farm and New Zealander Dean Hawthorne, who ended up as underbidder. Tony Nerses, acting on Al Sagar's behalf, ensured that the mare he initially bid 1.3 million gns to buy in the same ring seven years ago would be coming home to the partners' Blue Diamond Stud.

“She is very special to us and has an exceptional pedigree. I could not let her go,” said Al Sagar. “Saleh has some serious business commitments coming up and has needed to reduce his interests, but he is a very good friend. We have had some great times with the horses together, but things change. I am delighted to be taking this mare home.”

Strength In Depth
Last year's 6 million-guinea record-breaker Marsha (Ire) (Acclamation {Ire}) was always going to be hard to topple but with the sales grounds brimming with buyers of varying nationalities, and an extremely strong presence from America, Australia and France in particular, the hints had been heavy since the weekend that Tuesday's traditional show-stopping session would be strong, and thus it proved.

There have been cautionary statements regarding the emphatic polarisation of the market throughout the sales year from sales companies, vendors and breeders alike. While the final session of this particular auction will undoubtedly bring the Tattersalls trading year to a muted close come Thursday, all tales of woe were temporarily banished from the company's amphitheatre of a sales ring during what is perennially the most frenetic day of business in Newmarket.

A clearance rate of 83% was testament to the great demand for blueblooded mares of largely European descent, and those 195 horses to sell brought an aggregate of 42,534,600gns. That represented a 7% decline on last year's corresponding session but even without a headliner of the calibre of the aforementioned top-class sprinter, seven millionairesses ensured that the day was far from a struggle. Indeed, the median was up by 29% at 110,000gns, through the average dropped by 16% to 218,126gns.

Those Who Got Away…
During an early evening session in which trade quickened to a relentless pace, Pearling's 4-year-old daughter Ambrosia (GB) (lot 1920) was auctioned two lots after her mother and was one who has slipped the clutches of Blue Diamond Stud. As a daughter of the world-renowned Frankel (GB) and in foal to one of Europe's most sought-after young sires, Siyouni (Fr), she too had plenty to recommend her to buyers of all prominent racing nations and it came down to a duel between Japan's KI Farm and America's WinStar Farm, with the latter holding out longest to buy Decorated Knight's half-sister at 1.3 million gns.

“We tried on the mother and we're thrilled to get something from the family,” said successful bidder David Hanley. “We said if we missed Pearling we would try on her daughter. It's one of the most amazing families and she's a young mare on an early cover with a good future ahead of her.”

He added, “It's a pedigree that works everywhere. You could get a turf horse or a dirt horse. We'll take her back to WinStar and discuss next year's mating, but Justify would have to be in the mix.”

The G2 Princess Margaret S. winner and Group 1 runner-up Princess Noor (Ire) (1718) was an early-morning offering from the separation of the Blue Diamond Stud stock and the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) will join the broodmare band at Barronstown Stud after David Nagle went to 675,000gns to buy the 7-year-old in foal to Decorated Knight.

“She is a beauty and was very fast,” he said. “She should suit a lot of the stallions at Coolmore.”

Among those Coolmore stallions is of course Decorated Knight's relation and fellow son of Galileo (Ire), Gleneagles (Ire).

Princess Noor's wasn't just fast herself but is out of a half-sister to the dam of top-class sprinter Dream Ahead (Diktat [GB}) and also to the dam of this year's G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Fairyland (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}).

There weren't many offered by Al Homaizi and Al Sagar to sell to outside interests, however. In the name of Blue Diamond Stud Farm UK, Al Sagar has spent 4,673,000gns in order to become the sole owner of 11 mares formerly owned with his partner, including stakes winners Dawn Of Hope (Ire) (1827) at 425,000gns and Shaden (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (1752) at 370,000gns.

Bound For Lordship
Sending fast mares to Galileo (Ire) is now very much in vogue so sending a Galileo mare to a fast stallion makes sense in reverse and there's no more popular sire of sprinters at the moment than Yeomanstown Stud's Dark Angel (Ire). That was the recipe for success offered in the sale of lot 1895 and it was one which Trevor Harris of Lordship Stud and his advisor Luke Lillingston tasted just right when they pledged 2.2 million gns for the listed winner Bound (Ire). In her own mating, the members of the breeding syndicate which owns Bound's dam Remember When (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) opted for a repeat mating to the champion sire, and why not when that cross has already produced Bound's Group-winning siblings Wedding Vow (Ire), Beacon Rock (Ire) and Bye Bye Baby (Ire).

Where Galileo has worked in the first generation, Danehill plays a significant role in the second. Only two dams fit the page for the 4-year-old mare as her grandam Lagrion (Diesis) is herself responsible for champion galloper Dylan Thomas (Ire) (Danehill), who counts the Arc and the Irish Derby along his five Group I strikes, as well as the diminutive 1000 Guineas winner Homecoming Queen (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and the former European champion 2-year-old filly Queen's Logic (Ire) (Grand Lodge).

In securing Bound for his client, Lillingston had to see off his own partner Lincoln Collins, bidding on the opposite side of the ring. The agent, who also bought the Lordship Stud matriarch Swiss Lake for the Harris family for $500,000 at Keeneland, said, “It's a long road when you buy a broodmare, waiting to see what they can do, but this mare is very special. I remember saying to Trevor when he bought Swiss Lake, 'you'll have to throw the kitchen sink at this', and he did and got his just reward. This mare is a little more obvious and she'll be going to Dubawi (Ire).”

George Washington's Frail Legacy
His stakes-placed daughter Date With Destiny (Ire) is the one and only conduit for the genetic legacy of the unforgettable George Washington—qualifying her own daughter Beautiful Morning (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) as a genuinely special offering from Newsells Park Stud as lot 1927.

The 5-year-old duly attracted strong interest from Northern Farm and still stronger from John O'Connor of Ballylinch, but it was Hugo Lascelles who gained the day at 1.4 million gns.

“I can't say the client but she's to stay in England, which is good, and I think we'll probably be looking to race out of her too,” the agent said. “Hopefully she'll go to Dubawi. In fact Julian Dollar [of Newsells Park] just told me that's the plan for the dam as well. It is very special, with the George Washington connection, but she was really lovely-looking too, a big scopey Galileo, and of course she's a Group winner herself.”

That was a status she earned by a nose success in the G3 Royal Whip S. for Jessica Harrington at the Curragh this summer, ultimately rendering her 650,000gns tag as a Book 1 yearling here money well spent.

Lascelles had also been able to perform a similar service with regard to lot 1805, The Wagon Wheel (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). Bought in for 75,000gns when presented here as a Book 1 yearling by Longview Stud, this time the same consignor was able to offer the 4-year-old as a dual stakes-placed sprinter for Richard Fahey and gained due reward from Lascelles at 650,000gns.

Though operating for different clients, Lascelles was again pleased to say that they are both British-based and likely to be end-users. He envisaged this mare injecting some dash into their operation and hopes that a Siyouni (Fr) covering may help kick-start that process.

“She's fast, and she's very good looking,” Lascelles said. “It's a tough, hard-knocking family and an outcross for Northern Dancer-line horses. She's a really good walking, lovely model who can put some speed into the clients' stud.”

As a daughter of Intikhab, the stakes-placed dam assists the remarkable Acclamation in the outcross cause, while her previous mating with the Rathbarry sire produced an even more accomplished animal in Tabarrak (Ire), a four-time listed winner who ended the current campaign for Richard Hannon Jr with a rating of 110.

Coolmore Takes Heart
The Coolmore team has hit upon a formula that works exceptionally well with its champion sire in drafting in very fast females and it duly came as no surprise to see Heartache (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}) knocked down to M.V. Magnier as lot 1897 for 1.3 million gns.

“She's a very fast filly,” Magnier said. “Pivotal [line sires] click so well with Galileo, so I'd say that's where she'll be headed. She's a lovely filly and she's been with a great nursery from day one.”

Though disappointing this year, Heartache had gladdened many hearts with her juvenile campaign, when leased by breeders Whitsbury Manor Stud to one of the Hot To Trot syndicates organised by Sam Hoskins and Luke Lillingston. As a result there were scenes of bedlam when she won the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, before confirming speed to be her forte with another Group 2 success in the Flying Childers S.

Restored to Whitsbury Manor, with this sale she put the icing on the cake for a farm that enjoyed a great run with Showcasing (GB) at the foal sale last week. True, there were mixed feelings: cherished contributors to the stud's rise appear across her page, not least her listed-winning dam who was homebred with Compton Place (GB).

“We know the family so well,” said Ed Harper. “She's the fifth generation back to a mare called Hollow Heart that Dad bought in the 1970s. We've raced every daughter since. So it's a testament to his stockmanship. We have changed our minds about ten times, as to whether to sell or keep her—but at the end of the day a stallion can cover 150 mares a year, and a mare can only be covered once.

“As precious as we think she is, we want to drive our company forward so if we have to join the financial dots together by selling her then we just have to do it. We're having a good time with the stallions at the moment and results like this are going to help push us as we bid to compete with the big boys.”

Erdenheim Revival Gathers Pace
The revival of the historic Erdenheim Farm in Pennsylvania as a Thoroughbred operation gained significant momentum when James Wigan, seated alongside Florida-based owners Peter and Bonnie McCausland, saw off Northern Farm at 1,200,000gns for Off Limits (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). Lot 1871, by the sire of another stellar filly in Alpha Centauri (Ire), was presented by European Sales Management on behalf of Martin Schwartz as the only elite winner to go under the hammer this week.

The 6-year-old is already an interesting tale, first sold as a foal at Goffs to Tom King for just €24,000. Entering training with David Wachman, she won a maiden and listed race before a private sale to Schwartz, who placed her with Chad Brown in the United States. After taking a while to find her feet, she got on a roll last year with two Grade 3 wins at Belmont before crowning her career in the GI Matriarch S. Off Limits is ultimately from the family of dual Grade I winner Awe Inspiring and the top-class miler Zilzal.

“Mr McCausland is setting up a bloodstock operation on a very old farm in Pennsylvania,” Wigan said. “There haven't been [Thoroughbred] horses on the farm for a long time, but it is now being brought back into equine use. These are the first mares going back onto the farm, and this one is the only Grade/Group 1 winner in the catalogue. We liked her as an individual, and she's from a lovely family with appeal in both America and Europe.”

Wigan also signed for lot 1896, the 4-year-old Billesdon Bess (GB) (Dick Turpin {Ire}), a listed winner for Richard Hannon Jr and a half-sister to the stable's shock 1000 Guineas winner Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}).

“It's a very current family, and not just with the Guineas winner,” reasoned Wigan. “There are a lot of fillies, and they'll all be going to good sires. For instance the Frankel filly foal out of [the dam's Group 3-winning half-sister] Middle Club (GB) (Fantastic Light) made 700,000gns here last week. You might argue that the sire is not very fashionable, but you could say that of Champs Elysees too, and this is a lovely, big, scopey filly, very correct.”

Also among three other Erdenheim purchases so far this week was lot 1887, listed winner Tilly's Chilli (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}), for 400,000gns. The aggregate spend to date is 2,860,000gns.

Erdenheim, acquired by the McCauslands in 2009, was founded on the banks of the Wissahickon Creek in 1765 and became home to Leamington, imported from England to become sire of the first American-bred winner of the Derby, Iroquois. For much of the 20^th Century it was the property of George D. Widener.

Northern Farm gained consolation for their unavailing attempt to land Off Limits when giving 700,000gns for lot 1916, Fadillah (GB) (Monsun {Ger}). The 4-year-old is out of a half-sister to multiple Group 1-winning brothers Schiaparelli (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) and Samum (Ger), as well as to the unraced dam of the very promising young sire Sea The Moon (Ger).

European Sales Management's select draft of eight fillies and mares sold for a total of 3,660,000gns, led by Off Limits and including Heuristique (Ire) (Shamardal), sold as lot 1878 in foal to Frankel for 675,000gns to Wertheimer & Frere, and Group 3 winner Vue Fantastique (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) (1872), who was bought by John and Jake Warren for 475,000gns.

Phoenix Investment Grows
Phoenix Thoroughbreds had an interesting afternoon, spending a total of 1,550,000gns on two consecutive lots before failing to find someone to fund anything approaching that level of investment through their offering of dual Group 2 winner Signora Cabello (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) as a wildcard, lot 1908A.

Pocketfullofdreams (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) went through this same ring in February—as part of a draft of animals co-owned by Markus Jooste—when signed for by Stephen Hillen at 475,000gns. The 4-year-old, twice placed in listed company for Aidan O'Brien last year, returned as lot 1865 in the Baroda & Colbinstown draft with the benefit of a covering by Galileo and moved her price up to 1,000,000gns as the first seven-figure transaction of this sale. Her half-sister The Juliet Rose (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}) is a dual Group 2 winner, also placed at Group 1 level, while their dam is a half-sister Group 2 winner Hanami (GB) (Hernando {Fr}).

The next animal into the ring, lot 1866 Ballet De La Reine (War Front), also raced for Coolmore interests, winning in France—and at 550,000gns gave her new owners a route into perhaps the very best family in the breed today: her unraced dam is out of a sister to Galileo (Ire) himself.

Tom Ludt, vice-president of Phoenix Thoroughbreds, reckons the organisation now has around 15 broodmares based in Europe, but the emphasis is all on quality.

“It's kind of tough to have to do it back to back,” he admitted after the second big-money docket in five minutes had been signed off. “But the first of them is in foal to Galileo, so straight off the bat you've saved a stud fee worth a few hundred thousand dollars, and she has everything you'd like to see in a family. And then with the next one we have a third dam that's just incredible [Urban Sea]. So we're looking at a couple of first foals and hoping that it's a filly! As everyone knows, we're trying to build a top-class broodmare band. We're trying to play at the top and unfortunately you have to pay at the top.”

As for Signora Cabello, Phoenix signed for her at 900,000gns. The investment fund had bought a 75% stake in the filly shortly before her success in the Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot, after which she proceeded to win the Prix Robert Papin and then to run an excellent second in the G1 Prix Morny. A feather in the cap, then, for Sean Quinn and Richard Knight, who had found her here in Book 3 for just 20,000gns.

Quinn's father John is duly looking forward to welcoming back a filly who only left his yard last weekend. “She is very quick and very tough,” the Malton trainer said. “We will have to discuss a campaign, but I would be thinking of the Commonwealth Cup or the King's Stand.”

Pending a call to an airborne partner, the Phoenix representatives were not yet in a position to clarify the filly's ownership henceforth.

A Jewel For Watership Down
There are plenty of American buyers at Park Paddocks this week but one visitor from the U.S. in the role of vendor is Craig Bernick. The Glen Hill Farm owner boards several mares in Ireland and one in England and offered Earring (Dansili {GB}) (1870) through Norelands Stud. The 5-year-old with stakes form on both sides of the Atlantic was sold carrying her first foal by Lope De Vega (Ire) for 925,000gns to Charlie Gordon-Watson on behalf of Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber of Watership Down Stud.

“We like the market here and we like turf breeding,” Bernick said. “For a few years now European stock has been really popular in the US and vice versa but we felt that it's important to sell where they belong. She's going to a great farm and we're really happy.”

Having started her racing career for the Coolmore partners with Aidan O'Brien, the daughter of Galileo's Grade I-winning daughter Together (Ire) switched to the stable of Thomas Proctor to race for a partnership including Heider Family Stables and Hill 'n' Dale before ending up in the sole ownership of Glen Hill.

Watership Down Stud has had a banner year on the track courtesy of the unbeaten Group 1 winner Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and hasn't done too badly in the sale ring either. At October Book 1 the farm sold Too Darn Hot's yearling brother for a sale-topping 3.5 million gns.

Stud manager Simon Marsh said, “This is a family we are really pleased to get into. She is out of a young mare, was a good racehorse and is very good looking. She is also bred on a fantastic cross.”

New Partners For Luminate
Sandwiched between Pearling and her daughter Ambrosia was another of the best offerings in the catalogue in lot 1919, Luminate (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}). Trained by Freddy Head for Highclere, the 3-year-old is a dual Group 3 winner out of a half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Turf winner Kalanisi (Ire) (Doyoun {GB}).

She was knocked down for 900,000gns to John Warren and Gary Hadden, on behalf of a partnership between Newsells Park Stud and Craig Bennett of Merry Fox Farm. Warren has followed her all the way through, having bought her with son Jake for Highclere as a Goffs Orby yearling for €85,000.

“We felt her form was probably a lot better than it read,” Warren said. “In fact she should probably have been a Group 1 winner at two, as she was second-favourite when we had 27 owners going over to France only for the race to be cancelled because of a strike!”

Julian Dollar of Newsells Park was thrilled to land Luminate. “I had my heart set on her but with the market so hot I thought we wouldn't be able to get anywhere near her,” he said. “I absolutely love her, she's the most beautiful filly here. And I'm delighted as well to be able to do something with Craig, we've wanted to for a while but just hadn't found the right opportunity.”

I'm So Fancy Takes Flight
Another chapter in the remarkable tale of Rajj (Ire) (Danehill) was completed by the 500,000gns given by Sam Haggas of Avenue Bloodstock, alongside Amanda Skiffington, for his 4-year-old daughter I'm So Fancy (Ire), winner of two listed races and a Group 3 prize for Jessica Harrington in the silks of Mrs James Nicholson this season.

Rajj is an unraced son of Danehill standing for Homer Scott at Lisheen Stud in Co Kildare. Scott, who had a couple of Cheltenham Festival winners in his early years as a trainer, had to make the horse's name with a handful of mares owned by family and friends. He remained at pains to prioritise quality over quantity, but demand would seem sure to rise now. For the success of I'm So Fancy complements that of Insayshable (Ire), who won two races in Scott's colours last year before being sold to continue his career—and very productively—in Hong Kong.

I'm So Fancy, consigned by Baroda & Colbinstown Studs as lot 1838, will likewise spread the word far and wide as she will remain in training for her new owners in the U.S.

“She's going to race over there for Lael Stable,” says Haggas, whose father William has done so well for its owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson. “There's a very good programme for females of her profile over there, she's very tough and consistent, so fingers crossed she can keep going.”

Hawthorne On Quest For Galileo Blood
Dean Hawthorne notched a quickfire double on when signing for consecutive lots Puppetshow (Ire) (Galileo {Ire)) and Wonderland (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) for 380,000gns and 130,000gns respectively.

The New Zealander, acting on behalf of the Australian-based GSA Bloodstock, said of his first purchase of the pair (1832), a winning half-sister to the listed winner and G2 Norfolk S. runner-up Coach House (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), “We were particularly looking for Galileo blood. We bought a Galileo mare here last year and she's had a lovely foal. The stallion is flying worldwide, including in Australia, and he works very well with the likes of Fastnet Rock (Aus) and other Danehill-line stallions.”

The 4-year-old mare is carrying a member of the first crop of Caravaggio on an early cover, making it feasible for the mare to foal in the UK and be exported after weaning in time for the southern hemisphere breeding season. The same is also true of Hawthorne's second signing, the unraced 3-year-old Wonderland (lot 1833), who is in foal to Kodiac (GB) and was covered the same day as Puppetshow on Feb. 21.

The agent continued, “Lope De Vega has had some really good sprinters in Australia but they are hard to find there. She's a big, strong mare who should work well with Australian stallions.”

Wonderland's Group 2-winning half-sister Manieree (Ire) (Medicean {GB}) is already the sire of stakes winner Drumfad Bay (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) and is out of a Caerleon half-sister to the Derby winner Oath (Ire) (Fairy King).