Colts By Havana Grey and Blue Point Light Up Craven Sale

The best dishes were worth waiting for late on Wednesday night at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale with Anthony Stroud going to 625,000gns apiece for back-to-back lots (198 and 199) by young sires Havana Grey (GB) and Blue Point (Ire).

The Havana Grey colt was consigned by Roderick Kavanagh's Glending Stables while the Blue Point hailed from Norman Williamson's Oak Tree Farm and the latter will chart the same path as Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in joining Charlie Appleby for Godolphin

Williamson said, “There were a lot of people telling me all spring that these Blue Points could fly and I kept my powder dry because I knew I had one that really can fly. I bought him as a yearling off Tradewinds Stud privately and absolutely loved him. He obviously breezed really well but he's also a very good-looking horse. Blue Point is flying and this lad has size and scope and a good pedigree. Fingers crossed.”

Asked if he could envisage the colt rocking into the money that he did, Williamson responded, “Of course you hope that they will make something that you don't expect but, no, we're absolutely thrilled. This is what we do it for. We've had bad days in the past but we've had a great week here. It's been outstanding. We're delighted. The team at home does a great job.”

That sale ensured Williamson cleared 1,185,000gns in total sales across the two days after selling a Mehmas (Ire) colt (lot 2) for 220,000gns and a No Nay Never colt (lot 118) for 340,000gns.

Roderick Kavanagh of Glending Stables enjoyed a similarly productive sale and was visibly delighted after his Havana Grey, who was sourced for 42,000gns as a yearling, capped a memorable two days.

He said, “We hoped he'd do something like that because his homework had been great. The stars aligned with Havana Grey having the winner [Mammas Girl (GB)] of the Nell Gwyn today–and an impressive one at that. It's unbelievable. A great thrill. There were some great judges on him and I think Richard Brown was the underbidder.”

There were 23 lots sold for 150,000gns or more across the two days and the strong trade on Wednesday, along with the 24% increase in lots offered, contributed in the average rising by 5% and the aggregate by 29% to 15,357,500gns.

Lot 198 by Havana Grey | Laura Green/Tattersalls

Edmond Mahony said, “Two Craven Breeze-up Classic winners last year as well as more 2022 two-year-old group and listed performers than any other European 2-year-olds in training sale have been the perfect advertisements for the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale and this year's renewal has attracted leading international buyers in abundance, all of whom have contributed to notably strong demand, particularly at the higher end of the market and a record sale turnover in excess of 15 million guineas.”

He added, “There has been a significant rise in the number of lots of selling for 200,000gns or more and a number of participants new to the Craven Breeze-up Sale, all of which demonstrates the sale's international reputation as a consistent source of horses who go on to prove themselves at the highest level on the global stage. The largest Craven Breeze-up catalogue for more than 15 years, 25% larger than last year, may not quite have matched the impressive clearance rate of last year's sale, but the key indicators of average and median have both held up well and there has been no shortage of outstanding pinhooking triumphs with the obvious highlights being the 625,000 gns sale-topping colts by Havana Grey and Blue Point, consigned by Glending Stables and Oak Tree Farm respectively, and Grove Stud's 600,000 guineas filly who is the second-highest priced filly ever sold at the Craven Breeze Up.

“Year after year, the consignors support the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up with so many of the best breeze-up two-year-olds to be found in Europe and it is wonderful to see their professionalism and confidence in the sale rewarded as it has been over the past two days. Buyers, both domestic and international, have shown similar confidence in the sale and we look forward not only to seeing many of them rewarded with the lucrative Tattersalls bonuses which have proved so popular since their inception, but also to welcoming many of them back to the forthcoming Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale.”

Top Talking Points From Day Two

• It was a remarkable sale for Blue Point with eight lots selling for just shy of 2,000,000gns and four making the top 10.
• Mark Grant, who consigned Coventry S. winner Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) at this sale 12 months ago, built on a solid opening day's trade when selling his Blue Point colt (lot 110) to Jason Kelly Bloodstock for 250,000gns. Grant had initially broken his own record for his highest-priced sale on Tuesday when lot 1, a well-bred Invincible Spirit (Ire) colt who clocked well, sold to Satish Seemar for 180,000gns.
• Cormac Farrell's strike-rate was pretty hot on Wednesday. After enduring a frustrating start when failing to sell his Mitole filly (lot 79) on Tuesday, he sent out three juveniles to break the 100,000gns mark, headed by a Dark Angel (Ire) filly (lot 168) to Najd Stud for 230,000gns. Farrell also sold a Starspangledbanner (Aus) colt (lot 120) to SackvilleDonald for 160,000gns and a Kodiac (GB) filly (lot 121) to Gaelic Bloodstock for 120,000gns, bringing his total haul to 510,000gns.
• Najd Stud continued its support of the Craven Breeze Up Sale when snapping up a Blame colt (lot 109) from Gaybrook Lodge Stud for 220,000gns to go with the Dark Angel filly they secured from Farrell. The Blame colt is out of an unraced sister to the classy American performer Bombard (War Front) and was sourced by Joseph Burke for $80,000 at the Keeneland September Sale.
• Danny O'Donovan recorded his biggest pay day since branching out on his own last year when his Acclamation (GB) filly (lot 102), the first lot into the ring on day two, was knocked down to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock for 170,000gns. The filly was bought by O'Donovan and Adam Potts for 40,000gns at Tattersalls Book 2 in October.
• Calyx (GB) earned his first TDN Rising Star on Wednesday when Persian Dreamer scored at Newmarket for the Amo Racing team and, just a few hours later, the Coolmore-based sire achieved a good result in the ring when a colt (lot 107) of his sold for 140,000gns. Consigned by Thomond O'Mara's Knockanglass Stables, the Calyx colt was snapped up by Middleham Park Racing.

Night To Remember For Holland

Night Of Thunder (Ire) came up with the goods once again when a filly by the Kildangan Stud resident sold to Kerri Radcliffe for 600,000gns.

That made lot 162, who was consigned by Brendan Holland's Grove Stud, the second most expensive filly to ever go through the ring at the Craven Breeze-up Sale.

The half-sister to G3 Molecomb S. winner Rumble Inthejungle (Ire) had been sourced at the Goffs Orby Sale by Holland for 90,000gns the previous autumn.

Holland said, “It is a great result for the farm. I Ioved her when I bought her as a yearling and Night Of Thunder is a top-class sire–she is from a really fast family. It is very hard to buy something with speed all the way through the page–which she has–and one by such a good sire.”

He added, “I did not dream that we could get a result like that today but we did think at the farm that she was the best filly that we have had since Rosdhu Queen (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

“Her ability all spring was very evident. Even though she is a May filly, and she has to win her maiden, there is a chance she could end up at Ascot–it is big shout for an unraced two-year-old filly but she looks an Ascot horse.

“She has always been able to run–the running bit has been easy for her. On reflection, she was a very good yearling buy, but giving €90,000 to pinhook any yearling is no small price.”

⚡️@Ker_Radcliffe sees off Najd Stud to secure this athletic daughter of Night of Thunder at the #tattscraven Breeze Up Sale.

Lot 162 is a half-sister to G3 winner Rumble Inthejungle. She was consigned by @grovestud and is the sale's new top lot at 600,000gns. pic.twitter.com/otFHPPEszl

— TDN (@theTDN) April 19, 2023

Patience Pays Off For Richard Brown

Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock backed his opinion that the better horses were placed in day two of this year's sale and snapped up an Acclamation (GB) filly (lot 102) and a No Nay Never colt (lot 118) for a combined 510,000gns early doors.

The Acclamation filly represented Donovon Bloodstock's best result in the ring to date at 140,000gns while the No Nay Never colt consigned by Norman Williamson's Oak Tree Farm made 340,000gns after being sourced by Mags O'Toole for €87,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale.

After signing for the No Nay Never colt, Brown said, “I'm delighted because I didn't buy a horse last night. We felt that the better horses were tonight and it's always brave doing that.

“He's a big horse and he'll need some time–he's not even two yet so, to breeze the way he did, I thought it was pretty sensational. He's a big-striding horse and seemed to have a great attitude and came from a very good hotel. Keen to get him.”

The Acclamation filly represented an important result to O'Donovan, who operates just outside Monasterevin in County Kildare, and sourced the majority of his stock alongside Adam Potts last year.

He said, “It's nice to get a result like that in just my second year trading on my own under Donovan Bloodstock. I'm delighted that Richard Brown bought her and I hope she's lucky.”

Brown finished the sale as strong as he started and picked up a Blue Point (Ire) filly (lot172) for 350,000gns from Kilminfoyle House Stud.

He commented, “Blue Point has made a tremendous start, hasn't he? She is gorgeous and obviously did a good breeze. None of the horses we bought are absolute blitzers–she just did it in a really good style. She had a low action and is from a good Juddmonte family.”

Hoban Adds Breeze-up Arm To Operation

Conor Hoban may be best known for running a top-notch breaking and pre-training operation, with Classic winners Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Sonnyboyliston (Ire) (Power {GB}) having passed through his hands, but he enjoyed a major result in the ring when his Night Of Thunder colt (lot 133) was knocked down to Alex Elliott for 180,000gns.

Hoban said, “We have been pre-training since 2018 and we are slowly developing a breeze-up and consigning arm to run alongside it. We are relatively new to this and were sent this well-bred colt to sell by a client.

“He is a May foal so we think he is just going to get better and better. He has developed a lot in the last few months and we are looking forward to following his progress.”

The Night Of Thunder colt is a half-brother to Barnane Stud's Royal Ascot winner Candleford (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) out of Dorcas Lane (GB) (Norse Dancer {Ire}).