Darn Hot Day At Tattersalls

NEWMARKET, UK–Watership Down Stud's Dubawi colt out of the multiple Group 1-winner and budding blue hen mare Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) (lot 325) was widely expected to be the star attraction on the second day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket on Wednesday, and the handsome bay made good on that promise, fetching the top price of the sale thus far when knocked down to David Redvers at 3.5-million gns. As could be expected from a physically striking colt from one of the best current families in Europe-and probably the world-the April foal drew an international cast of bidders, with those that put their hands up also including Sheikh Hamdan's Racing Manager Angus Gold, Jamie McCalmont, and Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida. In the end, Redvers ensured the valuable colt would remain in Europe and, if all goes to plan, one day follow the likes of Roaring Lion, Lightning Spear (GB) and Zoustar (Aus) to Tweenhills.

A record single yearling session at Tattersalls, in which the aggregate passed 40-million gns for the first time, was boosted by seven millionaire-plus yearlings. The day one clearance rate of 85% had been encouraging enough but that shot up to an impressive 91% on Wednesday when 129 yearlings sold from the 142 on offer.

Accordingly, figures in all other sectors also improved. Turnover of 40,944,000gns represented a rise of 21%, while the median rose from 160,000gns to 190,000gns (+19%) and the average was up by 7% at 317,395gns.

A Stallion In The Making…

“We're all trying to make stallions,” Redvers said after signing the ticket and receiving thanks from Watership Down Stud Manager Simon Marsh. He admitted that the excitement generated by this year's G1 Coral-Eclipse, G1 Juddmonte International and G1 Irish Champion S. winner and the hugely valuable Roaring Lion (Kitten's Joy) had spurred the team at Sheikh Fahad's Qatar Bloodstock into finding more like him.

“That's the future of our operation, finding these horses that are good enough to be the most commercial and most exciting stallions,” he said. “To have one of the very best-bred Dubawis is very hard to put a value on. You've seen horses this week make 600,000gns, 800,000gns, 1-million gns; they're nice horses, but they're not the very best. We just have to hope now that he gets to the racecourse and does what his pedigree, genetics and physique suggests he should. These horses don't come up very often, and if he's as good as his full-brother he's a very cheap horse today.”

That full-brother is of course 'TDN Rising Star' Too Darn Hot, who has greatly enhanced his stock since the catalogue was printed, going unbeaten in three starts including the G3 Solario S. and G2 Champagne S. He could increase his little brother's value further in just three days' time after an expected outing in Saturday's G1 Dewhurst S.

After producing the multiple group-placed De Treville (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in her first season at stud, Dar Re Mi has visited Dubawi exclusively in the following seven seasons bar one tryst with Frankel (GB). De Treville had cost Charlie Gordon-Watson 850,000gns at this sale and that resulting Frankel colt, Erdogan (GB), had been a 750,000gns buy by Al Shaqab, but the remainder of Dar Re Mi's progeny, until now, had been retained by Watership Down owners Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber. Those were, namely, the fillies So Mi Dar and Lah Ti Dar, both 'TDN Rising Stars'. Lah Ti Dar has also done her part to enhance the page since it hit the press, having finished second in the G1 St Leger. Too Darn Hot, Lah Ti Dar and So Mi Dar are all trained by John Gosden, as was Dar Re Mi, and as is Roaring Lion. Redvers said, “You can draw your own conclusions as to where he's likely to be trained.”

Dar Re Mi's progeny just scratches the surface of the riches on the page. The Pretty Polly, Yorkshire Oaks and Dubai Sheema Classic winner is herself a half-sister to Group 1 winners Rewilding (GB) (Tiger Hill {Ire}), Diaghilev (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and Darazari (Ire) (Sadler's Wells).

“The mare is quite extraordinary and the stallion is quite extraordinary,” he added. “Sheikh Fahad and his brothers want the very best and they want to compete with the very best. We've had a major taste of what its like this year with Roaring Lion, which has been wonderful.”

Continuing Allure…

The full-brother to Oaks winner Was (Ire) and European yearling sales record-holder Al Namaah (Ire) became the fifth (and sixth in total) Galileo (Ire) yearling in Book 1 to sell for more than 1-million gns on Wednesday afternoon when a repeat of last week's duels between Coolmore and Phoenix Thoroughbreds ended, this time, with MV Magnier having the final say at 1.3-million gns.

The beautifully prepared son of Lodge Park Stud's Alluring Park (Ire) (Green Desert), whose other stakes winners include another full-sibling, Douglas MacArthur (Ire), and half-brother Janood (Ire) (Medicean {GB}), was also the fifth offspring of the 19-year-old mare to sell for a seven-figure sum at Tattersalls.

Breeder Damian Burns of Lodge Park said of lot 217, “We have two yards at home and my brother Jamie had the privilege and the pressure of prepping this colt, so well done to him and to all the team at home, many of whom don't get to come to the sales.”

“The mare had no foal this year but she's in foal to Dark Angel. We still have her 3-year-old daughter [Park Bloom, also by Galileo] so hopefully we can continue to breed from the family.”

It certainly is a family which has enhanced Lodge Park Stud's reputation as a top-class nursery over the years. The colt's grandam Park Express (GB) (Ahonoora {GB}), bought by Damian's grandfather and father Paddy and Seamus Burns as a yearling, went on to be Ireland's champion filly at two and three, winning the G1 Phoenix Champion S. and G2 Nassau S. as well as finishing runner-up in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks. Her own exploits on the racecourse were exceeded by her son New Approach (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the European champion in two seasons with five Group 1 wins to his name, including the Derby.

Galileo Fillies In Demand…

Cheveley Park Stud has been known to put up a fight in the ring to secure top-end fillies to one day add to its elite broodmare band. Stud manager Chris Richardson, standing alongside owner Patricia Thompson, certainly had to work hard early in the session on Wednesday to see off a determined Simon Crisford for lot 189, Churchtown House Stud's Galileo (Ire) filly out of G3 Ballychorus S. winner Wannabe Better (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}). The hammer eventually fell in Richardson's favour at 1.2-million gns.

“She's lovely, isn't she?” said Thompson. “I thought I needed to be a bit daring once in my life.”

Thompson turned it over to Richardson to reflect on the filly's pedigree, which certainly warranted discussion: she is the second foal out of the mare, who is herself a three-quarter sister to G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Wannabe Grand (Ire) (Danehill) as well as two other stakes winners and three other stakes producers.

“It's a fantastic pedigree,” Richardson said. “It's a wonderful family and that's the sort of pedigree that we're looking for at the very top end. He's a phenomenal sire; you don't get many opportunities to have a daughter of Galileo.”

Richardson pointed out that the filly will have decent shoes to fill with the precedent set by a few of Cheveley Park's other Galileo mares.

“We have Criteria, who is a full-sister to Alice Springs who was just touched off in the Ribblesdale and her sister made €2-million last week [at Goffs Orby], and Allegretto, who won the G1 Prix Royal Oak from that wonderful Kirsten Rausing family,” Richardson said. “Let's hope she's better than them.”

Nine lots later, it was again a daughter of Galileo in the spotlight when MV Magnier went to 900,000gns to add the John Gunther-bred lot 198 to Coolmore's ranks. The May foal, consigned by Newsells Park, is out of the stakes-winning Wildwood Flower (Langfuhr), who has already proven her worth as a producer as the dam of GI Florida Derby winner Materiality (Afleet Alex) and GII Gazelle S. winner and GI Kentucky Oaks-second My Miss Sophia (Unbridled's Song). John and Tanya Gunther had enjoyed another good result during the sale's opening session on Tuesday when their Galileo colt out of Posset (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) was bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 1.1-million gns.

Galileo ended the day with three seven-figure fillies sold. Those also included:

Another Sales Queen For Newsells…

Newsells Park topped the sale on day one with their Galileo colt out of Shastye (Ire) (Danehill), a mare that has become a perennial sales queen for the operation. Newsells has another mare building a good sales ring reputation of her own, however, in Yummy Mummy (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}), whose Dubawi (Ire) colt (lot 202) was scooped up by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, with Anthony Stroud standing alongside Sheikh Mohammed, for 1.2-million gns. Yummy Mummy's first yearling offered for sale was a Danehill Dancer (Ire) filly that made 350,000gns from MV Magnier at this sale in 2013, and she went on to be the Guineas and three-time Group 1-winning Legatissimo (Ire). The year of Legatissimo's Classic exploits, MV Magnier had to go to 750,000gns for the mare's Redoute's Choice (Aus) filly later named Smoulder (GB), and Blandford Bloodstock spent 870,000gns on a Shamardal filly out of Yummy Mummy at this sale two years ago. Yummy Mummy produced another Dubawi colt this year and is back in foal to that sire.

Le Havre Filly To Gosden…

Le Havre (Ire) had just two yearlings catalogued for Book 1—a colt and a filly—and it was the latter who was one of the leading lights of Wednesday's session at Tattersalls when sold to John Gosden for 850,000gns.

Competition was fierce for the half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Home Of The Brave (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), a late scratching for The Everest, to be run at Randwick on Saturday for A$13-million. American agent Shawn Dugan was involved in the skirmishes along with the duo of John Camilleri and Hubie de Burgh, the eventual underbidders, but it was Gosden with the greater reserves, standing alongside Tom Goff of Blandford Bloodstock, who signed for the filly.

Harry McCalmont's Norelands Stud consigned lot 266 on behalf of her owner Bob Scarborough, who listened to the bidding via telephone from Australia.

“We're delighted with that. She's a beautiful filly and was very well-liked. There were four or five individual bidders on her past the half-million mark,” McCalmont said.

Adrian Nicoll, who had been on the phone to Scarborough throughout, added, “We bought the mare privately for Bob last year when she was in foal to Frankel and with this filly at foot. Sadly she lost the foal.”

The filly's dam Blissful Beat (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}), an unraced half-sister to Group 3 winner Suggestive (GB) (Reprimand {GB}), was bought at the Goffs November Mare Sale for €30,000 by Marc-Antoine Berghgracht on behalf of the Drions' Ecurie du Grand Chene. Her first foal Home Of The Brave was initially trained in Newmarket and was disqualified after winning the G3 Minstrel S. at two after failing a post-race drug test. He went on to claim two Group 3 wins at three and five, the second in Godolphin's colours, before being exported to Australia at the end of last year.

Ammerland Splits Duties…

Dietrich von Boetticher, owner of Germany's Gestut Ammerland and breeder of Lope De Vega (Ire) and Hurricane Run (Ire), is in Newmarket this week and has been involved on both sides of transactions.

Ammerland is co-breeder with Newsells Park of the G1 Grand Prix de Saint Cloud winner and recent Arc fourth Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Von Boetticher bought out his partner when purchasing his Kingman (GB) half-brother (lot 185) for 600,000gns through agent Crispin de Moubray.

Ammerland also bought Merry Fox Stud's Dubawi (Ire) half-sister to G1 Middle Park S. winner Charming Thought (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) (lot 229) for 400,000gns and later sold, through Ronald Rauscher, lot 279, a sister to the G3 Killavullan S. winner Blue De Vega (Ger) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) for 800,000gns.

The filly is a great grand-daughter of Von Boetticher's champion racemare Brittania (Ger) (Tarim {GB}), who later became the dam of his multiple Group 1 winners Borgia (Ger) (Acatenango {Ger}) and Boreal (Ger) (Java Gold).

A Kitten For Dugan…

Throughout this fortnight Ted Voute is consigning 12 yearlings by America's champion sire-elect Kitten's Joy on behalf of the stallion's owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey.

The filly with the most eye-catching pedigree—lot 295, a sister to G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner and Lanwades Stud sire Bobby's Kitten, and also to multiple graded stakes winner Camelot Kitten—became the most expensive Kitten's Joy yearling to be sold in Europe when the hammer was brought down in favour of Shawn Dugan at 700,000gns. Angus Gold of Shadwell was also in pursuit, as was underbidder Teddy Grimthorpe.

“We knew she was the best we had brought here,” said Voute. “It was good to see Juddmonte involved, I actually thought that Shadwell were going to buy her.”

The consignor also offered that the Ramseys sent 10 mares to Newmarket to be covered by Bobby's Kitten, who will have a selection of his first foals for sale this winter.

Strike One For WH Bloodstock…

Mimi Wadham and Violet Hesketh of WH Bloodstock had a draft of one this week, a Showcasing colt (lot 316) who was their first Book 1 yearling. The son of Crystal Gal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), offered on behalf of his breeders Victoria and Anthony Pakenham, is certainly not a horse they will forget in a hurry after he sold for 650,000gns to Phoenix Thoroughbreds, who outbid MV Magnier.

“We're over the moon,” said Victoria Pakenham. “Lucy Wadham trained Crystal Gal so we wanted to give him to Mimi and Violet to do, as we hoped it would give them a good opportunity in their first year consigning. They've had such good training and have been planning this for ages and, my God, what a great job they've done.”

Crystal Gal, a grand-daughter of G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Classic Park (GB), was bought by the Pakenhams for 150,000gns and later won the Listed Dick Hern Fillies' S. She is two-for-two with her runners to date, both winning fillies by the Pakenhams' 2006 Derby winner Sir Percy (GB), including the listed-placed Galmarley (GB). The mare has another filly foal by Sir Percy on the ground and is in foal to Muhaarar (GB).

“I was almost in tears even before he went in,” said Mimi Wadham, “and then as the price kept going up it was just amazing. We had such faith in him and it was heartening to see so many good people believe in him like we did.”

Phoenix Thoroughbreds, who bought four yearlings through the session, returned quickly to secure lot 323 for 500,000gns. Bred by Jimmy Murphy at Redpender Stud, the Dark Angel colt is a brother to G2 Champagne S. winner and young Tara Stud sire Estidhkaar (Ire) and a half-brother to the former champion 2-year-old Toormore (Ire) (Arakan) from the unraced Danetime (Ire) mare Danetime Out (Ire).

Many Happy Returns For Lord Derby…

All breeding operations are built on dreams and since Peter Stanley purchased A Huge Dream (Ire) for €280,000 in Deauville five years ago, the 9-year-old Refuse To Bend (Ire) mare has largely lived up to her hopeful name, delivering a stakes winner via her first foal Mrs Gallagher (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and now a 750,000gns sales-ring return courtesy of her third foal, a chestnut filly by Starspangledbanner (Aus) (lot 205).

Stanley, who owns New England Stud, bought the mare for a partnership which included his brother Lord Derby—breeder of the outstanding Ouija Board (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and her dual Derby-winning son Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire})—and Chris and Carol Kilroy.

“I completely fell in love with the mare in Deauville and she was the only one I bid on,” said Stanley of the half-sister to dual Group 1-winning miler and young stallion Xtension (Ire) (Xaar {GB}). “I bought her because she is so good-looking and she has a great step. She seems to be passing that on to her offspring, which is a help.”

It's not only A Huge Dream's first daughter who has improved the page since purchase. The mare's half-sister Beatrix Potter (Ire) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) is now the dam of Godolphin's top-class sprinter Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and it is Godolphin who will race his relative after Simon Crisford outbid Teddy Grimthorpe.

Stanley added, “William Jarvis did a great job training Mrs Gallagher to be a stakes winner and she is actually returning to the stud even though we don't own her.”

The transaction, which was the highest price paid for a Starspangledbanner yearling in the Northern Hemisphere, brought extra cheer for Lord Derby, who was celebrating his 56th birthday on Wednesday.