Camacho Filly Leads the Way at Tattersalls

NEWMARKET, UK—Whether in situ or online, breeders from all over the world ensured that the Tattersalls December Mares' Sale got off to a promising start, with a 90% clearance rate helped by plenty of action from internet bidders.

The dispersal of Lady Rothschild's Waddesdon Stud had led to a buoyant session on this day last year, so markers were down 12 months on, but there was still a healthy level of activity, with 12,292,200gns traded for 243 fillies and mares. The median dipped by 14% at 30,000gns and the average of 50,585gns was down 31%.

With so many potential buyers prevented from travelling this year, confidence in online bidding has grown throughout the sales year, as has the quality of visual and veterinary information made available by vendors. On Monday, 614 bids were accepted over the internet on 164 horses, with 45 sold in that manner to 27 different buyers.

For the session's top lot, determined plays were made in person from a number of interested parties, and it was the promise of emerging talent that brought a final bid of 410,000gns. The juvenile filly Aunty Bridy (Ire) (Camacho {GB}), who has run just three times this season for a maiden win and a runner-up finish in the G3 Weld Park S. under the tutelage of Jim Bolger, may well continue her career on the other side of the Atlantic, having been bought for an American-based owner by Sam Haggas of Hurworth Bloodstock. The young agent had stiff competition from fellow bidders Michel Zerolo and Andreas Putsch before finally landing his catch.

“She could stay here or she may go to America, it's undecided as of yet,” said Haggas of lot 1453. “She's a good-looking filly and her form is good. She's by a prolific sire of fillies, so fingers crossed there's more to come.”

Bred by Karis Bloodstock and Rathbarry Stud, Aunty Bridy raced in the colours of David Granville this season, achieving a rating of 103. She is the best offspring to date of her winning dam Benedicte (Ire), a Galileo (Ire) half-sister to G1 Middle Park S. winner Amadeus Wolf (GB) (Mozart {Ire}).

Northern Front

Understandably, there are some notable international visitors missing from Park Paddocks this week but Shingo Hashimoto, manager of international affairs for Northern Farm, has made the trip from Japan and signed up a well-credentialed young mare for Katsumi Yoshida's operation from the first half of the Juddmonte draft.

Calming Effect is an unraced daughter of War Front and four-time Grade I winner Emollient, whose sire Empire Maker spent five seasons at the JBBA's Shizunai Stallion Station on Hokkaido. Sold as lot 1379 with a March cover to Frankel (GB), she leapt to the head of the table after Hashimoto was pushed to 400,000gns to secure the 4-year-old.

“She has very good conformation and she is in foal to Frankel, who is a champion for us. She will be a very good match for our stallions,” said Hashimoto.

Calming Effect's year-younger full-sister Peace Charter was third to Albigna (Ire) in last season's G2 Airlie Stud S. after winning her maiden on debut for Ger Lyons. Since 2017, their dam has visited Frankel in three consecutive seasons.

Frankel's first winner at the highest level was recorded in Japan when Soul Stirring (Jpn) won the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies in 2016. He has also been represented in the country by the G1 Yasuda Kinen winner Mozu Ascot.

There were further purchases by Japanese breeders made online, including from Big Red Farm, the buyer of Perfect Note (GB) (Shamardal)  (lot 1318), who is in foal to Frankel's son Cracksman (GB) and was bought for 85,000gns. JS Company signed up the beautifully bred Godolphin mare Blue Illusion (GB) (lot 1279), a 6-year-old daughter of Dubawi (Ire) and dual Classic winner Blue Bunting (Dynaformer). That's a lot of pedigree, plus an in-utero foal by Territories (Ire), for 55,000gns.

Juddmonte Jewels

We'll be hearing more about Juddmonte on Wednesday when the remainder of the draft sells, but its first batch of in-foal mares also provided some early highlights of the opening day when a Kingman (GB) mare in foal to Frankel (GB), followed by a Frankel mare in foal to Kingman brought two six-figure returns.

Kingman's dual winner Desirous (GB) (lot 1260) was another of the Juddmonte draft in foal to Frankel for the first time, and the daughter of G1 Matron S. winner Emulous (GB) (Dansili {GB}), is now in the ownership of a different Saudi Arabian breeder, having been bought for 220,000gns by Tom Blain of Barton Stud, who was acting on behalf of his client Faisal Bin Mishref Al Qahtani.

“She's from a great family and was a good race mare herself,” Blain said. “Faisal Mishref has been a loyal supporter of mine and of Barton Stud for a number of years now. We started off buying slightly lesser mares and we built it up through good sales at the yearling sales. Now it's time to buy a few proper ones and get him set up with a good broodmare band.”

He added, “She's by Kingman and in foal to Frankel and we paid just over the nomination fee. She was rated 88 and is a good physical. Personally I think it's a good buy so I am delighted for him.”

A few lots earlier (lot 1252), the roles were flipped when Frankel's daughter Amser (GB), a half-sister to Group 1 winners Passage Of Time (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and Timepiece (GB) (Zamindar), sold in foal to Kingman for 160,000gns.

The 6-year-old will be making her way to America after being bought for owner-breeder Scott Heider by agent Ted Durcan.

He said of the daughter of Clepsydra (GB) (Sadler's Wells, “She's a lovely walking mare from an unbelievable family. It's a hard family to buy into so we're all delighted. I liaised with Mr. Heider's racing manager Tony Lacy, and David Lanigan also was involved. She's the mare we all loved. Scott had her high up on his list.”

Job Done For Fahy

Another breeder to tap into some Juddmonte blood and take home another of Clepsydra's daughters was Irishman Frank Fahy of Gerrardstown House Stud, who purchased Mechanism (GB) (Zamindar), the full-sister to G1 Falmouth S. winner Timepiece (lot 1378). The 7-year-old was sold for 200,000gns in foal to Derby and Arc winner Golden Horn (GB).

Minutes later, Fahy went to 210,000gns for the sole mare in foal to Triple Crown winner Justify in the catalogue. The listed-placed Golconda (Fr) (lot 1386), a daughter of Planteur (Ire), raced in France and America and is carrying her first foal.

Her new owner said, “It's a rare cover this side of the world. We will be sending her to somebody local. We will get her home and settle her in and hope she has a nice Justify foal. After that it is in the lap of the gods.”

Fahy added, “We came over to buy two mares and we bought two on the first day, so we can go home now. The pressure is off.”

The Dream Continues

Oasis Dream (GB) has enjoyed a good season as a broodmare sire, notably through Twilight Payment (Ire) (Teofilo Ire}) and Miss Amulet (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}), and his 4-year-old daughter Firelight (GB) will be joining the select broodmare band of Graham Smith-Bernal after being bought on his behalf by Jill Lamb for 330,000gns.

Sold as lot 1334 with a first covering to former European champion 3-year-old Almanzor (Fr), the 100-rated dual winner was bred by George Strawbridge. Her dam Freedom's Light (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) won the Listed Pontefract Castle S. and is out of a half-sister to the influential Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}).

“She ticked a lot of boxes: she was a good race filly, a beautiful looker, and she is in foal to Almanzor, and I really liked his yearlings, they were good, solid horses,” said Lamb.

Smith-Bernal, who now has four mares which board at Newsells Park Stud, has already enjoyed some commercial success with a daughter of Oasis Dream bred on the same cross after selling a Sea The Stars colt out of Nadia Glory (GB) last week for 170,000gns.

“Maybe we'll look to go down that route again, if they will have us,” the agent added.

Magic Touch

It's Magic (Ire) (lot 1311) was consigned by Baroda Stud for Coolmore and she will return to David Cox's farm after being bought by a Middle East breeder for 260,000gns through BBA Ireland. The unraced Galileo (Ire) half-sister to Mukhadram (GB) (Shamardal) is in foal for the first time at the age of three to Ten Sovereigns (Ire).

“We all know what Galileo can do as a sire and he is just as good as a broodmare sire. It's a very tough family and she's a nice mare with an attractive cover,” said BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe.

“He's been bought for a client in the Middle East who boards a few mares at Baroda Stud, so she will be going back there. We'll foal her down and maybe think about sending her to Siyouni. That's been a cross that has worked well this year.”

Along with Mukhadram, It's Magic has his fellow Group 1 winners Mastery (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}) and Kirklees (Ire) (Jade Robbery) close up in her familiy as half-siblings to her dam Magic Tree (UAE) (Timber Country). Her full-sister Just So (Ire) was sold for 160,000gns at last year's December Sale, and the yearling filly and colt foal out of Magic Tree are also both by Galileo.

Lush Life To Lynn Lodge

Lush Life (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), a four-time winner and half-sister to the dam of the brilliant dual Guineas winner Winter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), will join the broodmare band of Eddie O'Leary's Lynn Lodge Stud after Mags O'Toole went to 230,000gns for the grey mare (lot 1396).

Now five, she is in foal for the first time to Churchill (Ire). Her dam Break Of Day (Favorite Trick), a granddaughter of G1 Prix Morny winner Ancient Regime (Olden Times), has produced six winners, the best of them being the Wokingham S. winner Laddies Poker Two (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}). Along with Winter, Laddies Poker Two is also the dam of listed winner and Group 2 runner-up Lovelier (Ire), another daughter of Galileo. Winter has herself spent some time in Japan since her retirement from racing with four Group 1 victories to her name, and she has a yearling filly from the final crop of Deep Impact (Jpn) and a filly foal by Lord Kanaloa (Jpn).

Hayes Returns To Familiar Line

With 52 lots sold on Monday for just over 2 million gns, Godolphin was the dominant vendor and its draft was headed by Donnybrook (Ire) (lot 1430), a 3-year-old daughter of Invincible Spirit (Ire)  who won on her second start for John Gosden last year.

Brendan Hayes of Knocktoran Stud was the successful bidder, on behalf of his son Jonathan, at 240,000gns, and it is a family they know well. Donnybrook's dam Mayhem was bred at Kilfrush Stud and raced in the French Classic-winning colours of Anne-Marie Hayes before being sent to stud under the ownership of the Mayhem Syndicate, which bred Donnybrook and sold her to Godolphin at Arqana's August Sale for €900,000. The following year her half-sister Sky Angel (Ire), by Dark Angel (Ire), was also sold at Arqana to Godolphin for €800,000 and she has been placed twice in four starts this year for Charlie Appleby.

Drafts from the big owner-breeder operations give a chance to breeders to invest at all levels of the market and Greg Saveall-Green, an owner with Marco Botti, made his first solo foray into breeding with the purchase of the Cape Cross (Ire) mare Cape Liberty (Ire) from Godolphin for 1,000gns.

Sold as lot 1281, the 5-year-old, who was a winner at three for Simon Crisford and rated 78, already has a colt foal by Teofilo (Ire) on the ground but did not get in foal to Ribchester (Ire) this year. From an active family which includes dual Group 1 winner Poet's Word (Ire) (Poet's Voice {GB}), Cape Liberty will board with James and Amelia Gray at Elusive Bloodstock in Lincolnshire.

“I've had bits of mares before but this is my first purchase on my own,” said Saveall-Green.

“I've been following bloodstock for many years, especially the December Sales, but never really had the nerve to go it alone. The bloodstock world is a daunting place at times, but with the recent move towards more information being available online—the videos, reports etc.—it's easier to research everything from home.”

Regarding Cape Liberty's likely partner for next year, he added, “I haven't made a final decision yet but she may go to Aclaim (Ire).”

The final lot through the ring on Monday was the 2017 Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) (lot 1504), who exited unsold at 95,000gns.