Archetype Tops Tattersalls Autumn HIT

The figures might be dwarfed by the October Yearling Sale, but the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale proved no less international with the top lot from Monday's opening session heading to Saudi Arabia for 335,000gns.

Archetype (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) was the horse in question, an Arqana Breeze-Up purchase by Highclere Thoroughbred Racing for just €60,000 in May 2016. Now four, he had been productive in two seasons running in the care of Simon Crisford with five victories in total and a Listed third at Longchamp. His credentials for transfer to the Middle East had clearly been enhanced when he scored at conditions level on the Polytrack at Chelmsford earlier this month.

“We liked him all the way round,” said a smiling Saad Bin Misref, representing Archetype's new connections. “He's a very nice looking, sound horse who will suit our distance and our surface. We were looking for a horse who acted over a mile to a mile and a quarter and hopefully we will do well with him. He'll go to Saudi Arabia in two weeks.”

Agent Ted Voute, sitting with the Saudi contingent just to the left of the rostrum and the signer of the docket for lot 276, elaborated that the colt would be joining the Red Stable fleet of HRH Prince Faisal Bin Khaled, who won last year's G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot with the Andre Fabre-trained Le Brivido (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}).

“The owner has done well from this sale in the past,” he said. “Jorvick (Mizzen Mast), a Juddmonte horse, won the Ministry Of Finance Cup in Saudi Arabia at the weekend and Barefoot Dancer (GB) (Dansili {GB}) has won the King's Cup. I would imagine those big races will be the target.”

Out of 306 lots offered, 256 horses found new homes for a clearance rate of 84%. The gross was 5,588,600gns, while the average was 21,830gns (-17%) and the median was 10,000gns (-29%). During the first day of the 2017 sale, Elizabeth Browning (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) brought 700,000gns.

Waller Heads Australian Interest

Chris Waller has dominated the headlines in world racing over recent days through the exploits of the incomparable Winx (Aus) (Street Cry) and his influence even spread to the other side of the planet.

The Sydney-based trainer's bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster signed for what proved to be the second top lot (lot 248) as former Jamie Osborne inmate Mr Reckless (Ire) (Reckless Abandon {GB}) reached the comparatively giddy heights of 240,000gns. A half-brother to The Queen's dual listed winner Set To Music (Ire) had scored twice himself this year, in minor handicaps at Wetherby and Windsor.

“I'm very happy to be able to get him, he's got form at around 10 furlongs and might stretch a little further. He's exactly the sort of horse we are looking for,” Mulcaster explained. “The prize-money has gone up in Sydney and hopefully we'll have some fun with him.”

Waller had also snapped up lot 108, three-times winner Shuhood (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), for 60,000gns.

There was a smattering of Antipodean interest throughout a session which produced eight six-figure lots. Jim Clarke, who has branched out as an agent on his own after an apprenticeship with Godolphin and James Harron Bloodstock, was active for another Australian-based Kiwi, trainer Trent Busuttin.

They took charge of lot 292 Jack Regan (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), a three-time winner for Ian Williams, who had bought him for 22,000gns 12 months ago and scooped a major return when turning him over for 180,000gns.

“Trent is a very good young trainer in Melbourne and hopefully he'll do well with him,” Clarke said.

Paul Moroney, whose brother Michael is another well-respected member of the Victorian training community, was positively thrilled to have picked up Buffalo River (Noble Mission {GB}) (lot 301) for the same price of 180,000gns.

The agent had monitored the juvenile's four runs for John Gosden, which had concluded with a decent recent novice win at Kempton.

“He was third at Doncaster behind Royal Marine, who won a Group 1 in France, and the runner-up (Turgenev) ran in the Vertem Futurity Trophy. My reading of the races was that his form was really good,” Moroney said. “I actually saw him as a yearling in the US and he made my final list then.

“He looks like a real Galileo to me and he'll go back to Australia and just chill out for six months as he's still quite babyish. Everyone's trying to buy a Melbourne Cup horse but we think he'll be a nice solid 10-furlong kind of horse.”

Another winner for Gosden to be offered was Cheveley Park's Whitlock (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) as lot 298, but he will remain at Clarehaven Stables under new ownership with a 200,000gns price tag.

“He'll have options on the Flat and maybe jumping further down the line and hopefully he'll give his owners some fun,” said Will Douglass of Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock.

Red Baron Flying High

Some good fortune from a particular sale will always encourage buyers to return and this has been the case with Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal. Jed Cohen's California-based operation took River Boyne (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) home this time last year and were rewarded when the Jeff Mullins-trained colt picked up prizes including the GIII La Jolla H.

Cohen's son Tim was attracted by Eagle Song (Ire) (lot 218), a son of star freshman No Nay Never, who had been placed by Joseph O'Brien to snare two handicaps at Dundalk within the last month.

“We'll see how he handles the firm ground, which I think he should,” said Tim Cohen, who expects to be clawing back some of his 160,000gns outlay soon. “In California you're allowed to run in a first conditional allowance race if you haven't earned over $10,000 in any one race. What's nice about this horse is that he'll get to run against horses that have just broken their maiden, obviously he's a multiple winner and there's a little advantage there. He's been picking up recently and hopefully will develop into a 3-year-old.”

Cohen said he would work out which of their handful of trainers would be the recipient of Eagle Song once the sale was over. “Of the horses we bought last year, they've done the spectrum. River Boy has done phenomenally well but Eldritch (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) has been a bit of a disappointment. But it's a good place to buy and we keep coming back.”

Kirk Following Well-trodden Path

Harold Kirk has made some astute dual-purpose purchases for Willie Mullins' pre-eminent Irish stable at this sale and he views the strapping-looking dappled grey M C Muldoon (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) (lot 243) in a similar mould.

The lightly-raced 3-year-old, who changed hands for 100,000gns, had made a bright start for Peter Chapple-Hyam this season, breaking his duck on debut at Nottingham and taking runner-up in listed company at Longchamp only for his form to tail off.

“It's been a lucky sale for me,” the agent explained. “I bought Low Sun (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) here, who won the Cesarewitch, and also Stratum (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who won a big handicap at Newbury for Tony Bloom. He's a gorgeous horse who is bred to stay. He'll go jumping first and then go back on the Flat.”

Rebel Racing Supporting Rajasinghe

Buyers seemed keener to enjoy the shafts of autumn sunlight than enter the ring during a sleepy morning, with the arrival of lot 91 providing the only serious excitement early in the sale.

Rebel Surge (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), an admirably consistent mare, had put herself in the shop window a fortnight ago by taking third in the Listed Boadicea S. just down the road on the Rowley Mile. She attracted interest from Matt Coleman, among others, before being knocked down to Bobby O'Ryan for 72,000gns.

O'Ryan is involved in the set-up with Rebel Surge's connections, Phil Cunningham's Rebel Racing and trainer Richard Spencer, and is keen to espouse the virtues of their retired stable star Rajasinghe (Ire) (Choisir {Ire}), who is standing at the National Stud.

“She's been bought and she's booked for Rajasinghe,” O'Ryan explained. “She has got some black-type and hopefully she might get some more as we might put her back in training.”

Cook on His Travels

Visitors from every continent, perhaps barring Antarctica, seemed to be sticking their hands up at one point or other but no horse might be heading to a more unusual destination than lot 207, James Cook (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The colt would have begun his racing career with a not unrealistic expectation of becoming a potentially significant Coolmore stallion, given that he is a full-brother to Found (Ire),  the 2016 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe S. heroine.

Although he beat the subsequent G1 Irish Derby S. winner Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in a Leopardstown maiden and was ridden by Ryan Moore in two Derby trials, he was essentially not within touching distance of that marvellous filly on the track in seven starts for Aidan O'Brien.

However his genes are still coveted and Andriy Ostapchuk, the Ukraine-born agent who worked for Coolmore before setting up Imperial Bloodstock, was prepared to go to 42,000gns for him.

“He has been bought as a potential stallion prospect by an existing client in Uzbekistan,” he said before explaining a little more about one of the lesser-known racing jurisdictions. “Obviously he has got the breeding and he was ok racing, he was rated 97. I came here looking for a horse like this and maybe a few mares. I was in Uzbekistan earlier in the year and they are improving the racing over there–there's only one track but they are redeveloping it.”

The second of four days of this sale commences at 9:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday.