Euro Foals

Over eight days of selling during the last two weeks at Goffs and Tattersalls, a total of 1,521 weanlings have changed hands, for gross revenues of $87,348,860 when converted to U.S. dollars, and an average of $57,428. About 30% of those sales were from the first crops of 19 stallions which each had 10 or more weanlings catalogued over the two weeks. So that's a pretty substantial slice of the marketplace.

The Frankel fireworks rather fizzled, as only three of the 10 originally catalogued over the two weeks were listed sales. Three were scratched, and another four bought back. He did have the €1.8-million Finsceal Beo filly at Goffs, which gives him an average of $1,024,167. Though there weren't the fireworks anticipated, it's probably not very significant. There is an elite commercial class right now, which consists of the half-brothers Galileo (the world's leading sire) and Sea The Stars (the only racehorse in modern times in Frankel's class, and of course a very promising young sire); Dubawi, in whom the Maktoum family has bought every single yearling or foal which has come on the market in Europe this year; and the top American sires, Tapit and War Front. Frankel makes six, and those six are now the North American and European commercial elite.

I'm always saying that assessing form is the most important staring place for trying to achieve a broad perspective about the commercial thoroughbred world, and Frankel's form makes compelling reading. Two horses which had plenty of form with Frankel were a clear second and third among European first-year sires of foals the last couple of weeks. Newsells Park's Nathaniel, like Frankel from Galileo's 2008 crop, has been very well received at the sales, with 18 sold for an average equivalent to $146,562 (about £93,000), and a median very close to if not above his average–always a good sign, because it means he's throwing consistently good individuals. Coolmore's Excelebration (Exceed And Excel), who proved himself a first-class miler both by chasing Frankel numerous times, but also by trouncing other Group 1 milers when Frankel stepped up to 10 furlongs, had 10 foals sell over the two sales, for an average of $94,540, placing him a clear third among European F2014 first-crop sires.

Darley's Sepoy, a crack Australian sprinter by Elusive Quality, ranks fourth on average, with 19 sold so far (several of these also have foals at Arqana) for an average of $73,425. In fifth is Sea The Stars' half-brother Born To Sea (Invincible Spirit), who's had 33 weanlings average $70,446. Juddmonte's Bated Breath, one of four sons of Dansili among the 19 European first-crop sires with 10+ catalogued at the two sales, has had 32 sell, for an average of $66,451, which ranks him sixth, ahead of Darley's Helmet, another Australian-bred and, like Excelebration, a son of Exceed And Excel.

Helmet has had 23 foals sell, for an average equivalent to $63,615. Rounding out the European top 10, and also topping the $50,000 mark, are: Tweenhills' Harbour Watch, an unbeaten son of Acclamation ($53,998); Cheveley Park's Mayson, another good sprinting son of Invincible Spirit ($52,985); and Darley Kildangan's Casamento, a Group 1-winning 2-year-old by Shamardal who leads all European F2014 sires with 48 weanlings sold so far, for an average of $50,459.

Five stallions which stood their first seasons in 2014 have more than 10 mares catalogued in the Tattersalls >Mares etc.' book this coming week, though as we mentioned in our column previewing the first-year covering sires a couple of weeks ago, there aren't the huge numbers in foal to first-year sires we might have seen in the past. Cheveley Park's Lethal Force (Dark Angel) has 21 mares catalogued in foal. Tweenhills' Havana Gold (Teofilo) has 18. The Coolmore pair of Declaration of War (War Front; now at Ashford in Kentucky) and Camelot (Montjeu) have 16 and 14 catalogued, respectively; and Whitsbury Manor's Swiss Spirit (Invincible Spirit) also has 14.

Though he only has four in-foal mares catalogued at Tattersalls (another 11 are catalogued at Arqana the following week), the team at Germany's Gestut Fahrhof, captained by stud manager Stefan Ullrich, made the bold decision to bring over Maxios (Monsun), and borrowed a barn at the National Stud where a few stallions are being shown this week, including the popular Nathaniel, from Fahrhof's sister operation, Newsells Park. Fahrhof PR guru and master bratwurst chef Daniel Krueger is feeding the hungry, but it looked to us yesterday like Maxios is selling himself in any case.

He's a handsome dude with a great pedigree and– they are hoping–the natural successor to his illustrious sire, Monsun. A lot of the new stallions around town are being shown at the various studs, too, including Kingman (Invincible Spirit) at Juddmonte, Sea The Moon (Sea The Stars) at Lanwades, Toronado (High Chaparral) and Gregorian (Clodovil) at the National Stud, Garswood (Dutch Art) at Cheveley Park, and Charm Spirit (another top 3-year-old this year by Invincible Spirit), who I believe has been brought over to Longholes Stud from Tweenhills.

NEXT COLUMN: Saturday, December 6, after the Mare Sale, which finishes on Thursday. Bill Oppenheim may be contacted at bopp@erb.com (please cc TDN management at suefinley@thoroughbreddailynews.com). Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/billoppenheim.