'Saturday Horses' Seize The Day

NEWMARKET, UK–For an auction largely trading in very modest material, the March Sale could hardly have found a more resonant register at Tattersalls on Wednesday. For one thing, the fact that it was staged at all was a tribute to the improvisation and resilience demanded of the bloodstock industry, no less than any other walk of life, over the past year. And two of its three principal dividends, albeit infinitesimal on the scale of the investment they represented, caused those involved to reflect afresh on the recent loss of two of its most significant modern achievers.

The sale, introduced to meet residual demand after the February Sale had been severely constricted by Covid regulations, welcomed back horses and horsemen to Park Paddocks within the kind of protocols that had permitted far more important business to proceed here in 2020. If an 89% clearance rate was the familiar double-edged sword of the pandemic market–yes, there is wholesome demand; but very possibly reserves are unambitious–then it was certainly a worthwhile exercise. If nothing else, the sale could be viewed as an encouraging pilot for the forthcoming breeze-up circuit, and perhaps also as a symbol of the broader hope accompanying the vaccination rollout in Britain.

The top price for the Tattersalls March Sale-with the Tattersalls Cheltenham March Sale that immediately followed it producing seven six-figure lots from 25 sales–was achieved by Bugle Major (Mizzen Mast), a product of the Juddmonte programme whose founder, Prince Khalid Abdullah, died in January. Lot 140 was certainly an unusual proposition, his proven stakes calibre being balanced by his age as a 6-year-old gelding, but Richard Hughes made a very cogent case for persevering to 90,000gns.

“He's for existing owners who have put together a syndicate and wanted a Saturday horse,” the trainer explained. “We were thinking about coming to the breeze-ups, but then we found this horse. To buy a [top] horse at the breeze-ups will cost a lot of money, with no guarantees. This is a Saturday horse ready for the lads to have some fun with. There's a lot of horses just lately winning Group 1s as 8- or 9-year-olds. There's no stopping them; remember jump horses only come on when they are seven.”

Hughes is a big supporter of the breeze-ups and will assuredly be back for those sales, too, but in a way this horse was an extreme extension of the same logic, as a ready-made starter. Mizzen Mast is known for versatile stock that continue to thrive, and Bugle Major already has excellent form in France with proven group horses. Indeed, on the grey's last start for Pascal Bary he had chased home subsequent G1 Dubai World Cup third Magny Cours (Medaglia d'Oro) at Chantilly.

“I could have done without that happening,” said Hughes with a grin. “We had this horse marked out some time ago, and I'd say that last Saturday added 20,000gns onto his price.”

Hughes had a spell as retained jockey to the Prince during his riding days, and while professing that he never really got beyond the self-effacing reserve of his late patron, he retains fond memories of the whole Juddmonte organisation.

“It's brilliant, what he did,” he said. “And just look at the horses they bring to these sales: they always bring money, because they all have those pedigrees behind them. His people are always very transparent, too; you always know what you're getting. I got a good history of this horse, he's had his issues but he has been minded and their hard work has paid off.”

If not from the most prolific Juddmonte family, Bugle Major's dam was Group 1-placed and the line does go back to two of the most important mares in the modern breed. Bugle Major's fourth dam is none other than Razyana (His Majesty), who gave us Danehill and was of course a grand-daughter of the great Natalma (Native Dancer).

Another Empire, Another Great Legacy

It is only a few days since another great bloodstock empire, Shadwell, lost its founder and it was duly poignant to see even some of its lesser animals recycled here. The most attractive proved to be Huraiz (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}), a 4-year-old gelding who disappointed at Wolverhampton last month but had previously advanced his rating to 95 for Mark Johnston. Presented as lot 134, he realized 60,000gns from local trainer Stuart Williams, who had come with a very similar brief to Hughes.

“He has been bought for Opulence Thoroughbreds, a syndicate that has four horses with me,” he explained. “They wanted a horse to have a bit of fun with on Saturdays and the bigger meetings, and he fitted the profile. He's a nice horse, who's been running well without getting his head in front, and maybe a change of scenery might perk him up a bit.”

Williams spoke for many when he expressed his gratitude for the provision of this additional sale.

“It's a big help, after losing the February Sale to online,” he said. “I had two or three owners who didn't want to lose the benefit of actually being able to see the horse. Tattersalls did a brilliant job, facilitating videos and so on, but it's not the same as seeing them.”

Offered the suggestion that this is an especially valuable opportunity with horses in training, in order to see “any bits that may have fallen off,” Williams joked, “Yes–and to see the bits that need to come off.”

As it happens, Huraiz does not represent a long-term Shadwell project, his unraced dam having been bought as a yearling half-sister to the prolific sprinter Kingsgate Native (Ire) (Mujadil). But the third dam is a half-sister to Classic winner Las Meninas (Ire) (Glenstal) and it will be interesting to see what the shrewd Williams might yet draw out.

In the same vein as Hughes, with Juddmonte, Williams thanked Shadwell for their reliably honest briefings. And he added his own tribute to Sheikh Hamdan. “I never worked for him, but everyone I know who did only had good things to say about him,” he said. “He was obviously a very loyal man and has been a hugely important supporter of the sport, and of Arab racing too.”

What A Difference A Month Makes

Nobody can have been better pleased by the introduction of this auction than the clients of Joseph Tuite who bought back their 4-year-old gelding Attracted (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) for just 5,000 gns at the February Sale. A fortnight later he won by 12 lengths at Lingfield, and he has meanwhile followed up in a handicap at Wolverhampton. Returned here as lot 179, he catapulted his value to 82,000gns.

He was acquired remotely by Reda Al-Khalaf in Saudi Arabia. “He has been bought for our stable by Mr. Al-Turaif,” Al-Khalaf explained. “He will be aimed at bigger races in Saudi. Mr. Al-Turaif liked the fact that the horse is by New Approach and is lightly raced so there should be more to come.”

If this was the ultimate vindication for the sale, no fewer than 109 of 123 lots into the ring found a new home for an aggregate 1,273,300gns. That equated to an average of 11,682gns and a median of 8,000gns. Needless to say, there can be no year-on-year comparisons.

“The Tattersalls March Sale was added to our 2021 calendar in response to the COVID-related disruption to the February Sale,” said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony. “And it has generated solid international trade, with a good crowd in attendance as well as the now customary prolific amount of live internet bidding.

“It has been great to have been able to host a live sale again at Park Paddocks and we are looking forward to welcoming registered participants to both the Tattersalls Craven and Guineas Breeze-Up Sales in the coming weeks, both of which will be conducted with similar COVID protocols in place.”

Unsurprisingly, there was rather more buoyant trade during a boutique catalogue of elite National Hunt prospects, transferred from Cheltenham and staged immediately after this sale. The top two dockets featured a couple of signatures that generated many headlines, for very different reasons, before and after the recent Cheltenham Festival: one for 220,000gns was signed by Bective Stud/Gordon Elliott; and one for 195,000gns, by Henry de Bromhead. The former, the top price of the day, was the 4-year-old gelding Au Fleuron (Fr) (Crillon {Fr}) (lot 219), the winner of a National Hunt flat race on debut at Tipperary on Mar. 24. The latter, the 5-year-old Ballybough Native (Ire) (Shirocco {Ger}) (lot 227), likewise won on debut on the same card by 13 lengths.

Sun Power To Charge Holland's New Dawn

At a time when so many people are eager for a fresh start, one of the most intriguing stories of the new season will be Darryll Holland's debut as a trainer from Harraton Court Stables at nearby Exning, with a still more accomplished ex-jockey as assistant in Kieren Fallon.

Holland gave 45,000gns to recruit Sun Power (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) from Jane Chapple-Hyam Racing as lot 138. Fourth in the Listed Chesham S. at Royal Ascot in his younger days, Sun Power left Richard Hannon for 10,000gns in this ring at the Horses-in-Training Sale in October and, after winning at Wolverhampton in December, was recently beaten only a head round the same circuit.

“Hopefully we will be able to send him to Dubai,” Holland said. “I will have a word with Jane and get a run-down, he has obviously been well looked after and has good recent form.

“All's going well at the moment, we are really pleased. The plans is to be back up here in a couple of weeks, as we have orders for the breeze-up sales.”