By Emma Berry
MILAN, Italy—Even before it has started the SGA Select Yearling Sale is already up on last year in that the catalogue has almost doubled in size. For many sales companies in the current climate that would be a concern, but in Milan it is cause for cheer, with the number of yearlings sent to the country's main sale having fallen to just 98 in 2017.
That coincided with a change of venue to 'La Maura' trotting track next to San Siro racecourse and in its second year at new premises, which was once the training stables of Bruno Grizzetti, the sale has grown to 167 yearlings catalogued plus a wildcard (lot 112b).
“I'm really pleased to see that breeders have come back in numbers to support the sale,” said Massimo Parri, owner of Le.Gi Stud and in his first year as Chairman of Italy's Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (ANAC), which hosts the sale.
“Breeders are the base of out industry and in Italy there are lots of small breeders,” he continued. “I think another factor is that we now have the Grand Premio delle Aste [sales race] for Italian-bred graduates of last year's sale, and that will be run tomorrow night [Saturday] here at San Siro after the sale ends. There will also be a race next year for these yearlings.”
A filly by Zoffany (Ire) led proceedings last year at €85,000, where the 64 sold from the 85 that stood their ground returned an average price of €19,617 and a median of €12,000.
Figures this year could be boosted by a sizeable draft of 33 from the Botti family's Razza del Velino, breeder of one of the best fillies in Europe, the Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks winner Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). The Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) colt out of Sea Of Class's half-sister Mooney Ridge (Ire) (Indian Ridge {GB}) is sadly withdrawn but the draft does include a strapping Mastercraftsman (Ire) (lot 17) half-brother to the G3 Premio Dormello winner Sweet Gentle Kiss (Ire) (Henrythenavigator) and to Listed winner Sunset Key (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) out of a Group 3-placed half-sister to multiple Group winner Kaspersky (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who was second in the G2 Summer Mile after leaving Italy to join Jane Chapple-Hyam's Newmarket stable.
Stefano Luciani consigns the sole yearling by Invincible Spirit (Ire) in the sale (lot 50), a half-brother to the treble Group 1 winner Priore Philip (ITY) (Dane Friendly {GB}), as well as the only yearling by Irish National Stud freshman Free Eagle (Ire). That filly (lot 30) is a half-sister to listed Further Flight S. winner Fiulin (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
Kodiac (GB) is represented via lot 16, Azienda Agricolo Mariano's half-brother to another treble Group 1 winner and G2 Derby Italiano winner, Dylan Mouth (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}), who is now in training with Marco Botti in Newmarket.
Marco, one of six trainers in the Botti dynasty, has returned home for the sale with his wife Lucie, and was at the sales grounds on Friday with a number of other foreign visitors, including Nicolas Clement, Tina Rau, Crispin de Moubray and Stuart Boman. There's an unofficial rule in Europe that no sale is allowed to take place without Con Marnane present but the SGA organisers can breathe easy as Marnane and his wife Theresa were also pounding the yards on Friday in search of the next breeze-up star.
Razza del Sole topped the sale in 2012 with a €250,000 son of Sea The Stars (Ire) out of Group 3 winner Rosa Del Dubai (Ire) (Dubai Destination). The mare is now the dam of four black-type performers and her Bated Breath (GB) colt will be offered by breeders Isabella and Guido Bezzera as lot 76.
Kicking off at 10am today, the sale will be staged in two parts, with 'Book 1' running from lots 1 to 93 and 'Book 2' to follow directly through to lot 167.
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