Galileo Filly Tops Vibrant Foal Trade

NEWMARKET, UK—Only three foals have previously surpassed the million-guinea mark in the ring at Tattersalls and it took a Galileo (Ire) sister to a multiple Group 1 winner to push the bar that high on Friday. The price of 1.7 million gns bid by Tony Nerses for the sibling to Blue Diamond Stud's star performer Decorated Knight (GB) may seem eye-watering but buyer Imad Al Sagar will only have to find half that amount as he is also the filly's co-breeder, with Saleh Al Homaizi, whom be bought out to retain the filly at Blue Diamond Stud.

Nerses had plenty of opposition from potential buyers attempting to prise the coveted filly (lot 1010) from the sales ring, including a determined stand from Julian Dollar of Newsells Park Stud, who had bought Blue Diamond's Group 2 winner Aljazzi (GB) (Shamardal) for a Horses-in-Training Sale record for 1 million gns last month. Tom Goff was another frustrated bidder and Hugo Lascelles threw in one last hopeful wave of his catalogue at 1.6 million gns, but Nerses, on the phone to Al Sagar, had the final say from the gangway.

“Saleh is moving away from some of the horses, not all of them, and Imad was keen to retain this filly,” Nerses explained.

The weanling Sea The Stars (Ire) filly (1009) out of Group 3 winner Princess Noor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), who, like the Galileo filly was offered through New England Stud, is also now owned solely by Al Sagar after Nerses had bid 600,000gns on his behalf just moments earlier.

As part of a stock reduction, the Blue Diamond Stud partners have offered an array of horses of varying ages through different consigners this autumn, and a number of yearlings have been bought back by the duo to race.

Lot 1064, a Fastnet Rock (Aus) half-sister to the G2 Gimcrack S. winner Ajaya (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) was another to be signed over to Blue Diamond Stud later in the session at 400,000gns.

The million-dollar baby played her part in helping the aggregate to a 24% increase during the sale's premier session, with 21,136,500gns traded for 172 foals at a clearance rate of 79%, just a point off last year's mark. The average also shot up by 22% to 122,887gns, while the median was up 8% at 70,000gns.

Frankel Out In Force
It is almost two years since owner-breeder and former top amateur rider Bob McCreery died but his influence is still very much felt at Tattersalls, where Stowell Hill Stud, run by his wife Jeanette, sold a Frankel (GB) filly from one of the farm's well established families for 700,000gns.

Lot 1014, who was bought by Hugo Lascelles on behalf of xxxx, is a daughter of the Group 3-winning Fantastic Light mare Middle Club (GB), who is now owned by a five-strong partnership known as the Middle Club Team.

“The mare was bred at Stowell and raced by my late husband Bob. We sold her at the December Mares Sale to race in America, and she visited Distorted Humor and Medaglia D'Oro in the states but then she came up for sale and Bob bought her back so we put together a group of people to own her.”

Middle Club hails from a family which has been very much in the news of late. Her half-sister Anna Nerium (GB) has won a Group 3 in each of the last two seasons, while another half-sister Coplow (GB) (Manduro {Ger}) provided this year's QIPCO 1,000 Guineas winner Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}). The family could yet provide more ripples in the ring at Tattersalls next week when Billesdon Brook's listed-winning half-sister Billesdon Bess (GB) (Dick Turpin {Ire}) is sold as lot 1896.

Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge stepped in to sign for lot 1030, a Frankel daughter of the G3 Ballyogan S. winner Divine (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) from the family of G1 Prix de la Foret winner Caradak (Ire), at 700,000gns.

“She will be a lovely addition to come back to the farm eventually,” he said. “She is out of a fast six-furlong mare and we are looking to go down the Galileo route a little with Frankel by sending him some speedy mares.”

A mare with much more stamina on her side is Bobby Flay's Auld Alliance (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), a half-sister to 2000 Guineas winner Golan (Ire) (Spectrum {Ire}) who was bought from Ballymacoll Stud for 550,000gns in 2013. Her Frankel filly (1061) led the first part of the Flay Dispersal when selling for 325,000gns to Peter and Ross Doyle.

Tom Goff was another to spring for a Frankel when buying lot 989, the daughter of G1 Preis der Diana winner Penelopa (GB) (Giant's Causeway) for 450,000gns from Britton House Stud.

“She's been bought for an owner and she won't be coming back to the ring just yet,” said Goff. “I knew the mare well and this filly is beautifully put together and was very well presented.”

Two For One
One Agency signed for just two weanlings during the session but they kept things simple by going to an even 500,000gns for each filly. First was the standout from James Wigan's West Blagdon Stud draft (lot 992), a Lope De Vega (Ire) first foal out of the winning Galileo mare Tesoro (Ire), a half-sister to this season's G2 Qatar Richmond S. winner Land Force (Ire) (No Nay Never) and grand-daughter of the top-class sprinter and broodmare Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {GB}).

“Lope De Vega has had a terrific season with some seriously impressive maiden winners along with his black-type winners,” said Ben Harris as his brother Tom signed the ticket. “This is a wonderful family going back and of course Land Force is an exciting colt, so hopefully we'll get a nice update there. She was a stunning individual.”

The Harrises later signed for a Frankel filly out of the Zamindar mare Household Name (lot 1040). The half-sister to listed winner Gobi Desert (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) was consigned by New England Stud on behalf of her breeder Countess De La Warr, the mother of bloodstock agent Ed Sackville.

Dubawi Double
Stroud Coleman Bloodstock made a significant impact during the October Sales when signing for a raft of expensive yearlings on behalf of Godolphin and the agency's purchases on Friday for an “existing client” included the only two Dubawi (Ire) weanlings on offer after withdrawals.

German breeder Gerhard Schoeningh has had horses in training in Newmarket with Sir Henry Cecil, Hugo Palmer and Luca Cumani and he has entrusted his listed-winning High Chaparral (Ire) mare Baisse (GB) to the care of the Cumanis' Fittocks Stud, which consigned her Dubawi filly at Tattersalls as lot 1022.

The 10-year-old mare has already produced the Gr Juddmonte Royal Lodge S. winner Best Of Days (GB) (Azamour {Ire}), who was raced by Schoeningh, the owner of Hoppegarten racecourse, until he was sold privately to Godolphin, and the Dubawi filly could well follow the same path after being signed for by Anthony Stroud at 725,000gns.

“This filly has never put a foot wrong, she has just been so straightforward,” said Sara Cumani, who added that Baisse is now in foal to Nathaniel (Ire) and will return to Dubawi next year.

The Dubawi colt out of Irish 1000 Guineas winner Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {GB}) (1006), offered through the Castlebridge Consigment on behalf of the Wekd family's Springbank Way Stud, was signed for by Matt Coleman at 700,000gns. Not only a brilliant racemare, Galileo's first Classic winner has also proved to be an adept broodmare, producing Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who was trained by Dermot Weld to win the GI Man o'War S., and the weanling colt's full-brother Ghaiyyath (Ire), who is a dual Group 3 winner for Godolphin.

Pinhooking Stars
Bold pinhookers Eugene Daly and Gerry Dilger played a strong hand in pursuit of Newtown Stud's Sea The Stars (Ire) colt (lot 865) to provide one of the early highlights of the Friday morning session when going to 400,000gns, outbidding Anthony Stroud.

Bred on the same Monsun (Ger) cross as the highly promising young stallion Sea The Moon (Ger), the late April colt is the first foal of listed winner Lopera (Ger), who hails from Gestut Hof Itlingen's family of six-time Group 1 winner Lando (Ger).

“He's been a spectacular colt from the day he was born and the mare is a real beauty,” said Cathy Grassick of Newtown Stud, which consigned the colt on behalf of his breeder Manfred Ostermann.

“Mr Ostermann was an old friend of my father and he's been such a supporter of ours. He boards all his mares with us when they come to Ireland and this mare is still with us at the moment. It's a wonderful result for him. This is his really good family. He bred Lando and stood him at Gestut Hof Itlingen.”

Daly is renowned for spending substantial sums on foals and last year he and Dilger, of Kentucky's Dromoland Farm, teamed up to buy a Sea The Stars for €330,000 at the Goffs November Sale. The son of Chicago Dancer (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) returned to the ring at Tattersalls under Daly's Longview Stud consignment, selling for 1 million gns to Godolphin.

It was a cracking day for the Aga Khan Studs stallion Sea The Stars, who was also in the spotlight via Oghill House Stud's colt out of the Danehill Dancer (Ire) mare Emreliya (Ire) (932), the dam so far of two stakes-placed winners. Oneliner Stables went to 330,000gns to secure the colt, who was another expensive pinhooking prospect.

“He had everything and let's hope he has everything back here next autumn. We just loved everything about him,” said buyer Michelle Motherway from Tipperary, who operates in partnership with her brother Gerard Lowry.

Indigo Lady In The Pink Again
Derek Veitch's Ringfort Stud has had a good foal sale so far, selling 12 weanlings for an average of 93,125gns to put the farm in third spot on the consignors' table behind the bigger operators New England Stud and Castlebridge Consignment. Leading the draft was a Lope De Vega colt out of the listed winner Indigo Lady (Ire) (lot 1055) who sold for 500,000gns to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock. The Sir Percy (GB) mare has had just three foals to date and all have been darlings of the sales ring. The first, now a winner for Bill and Tim Gredley named Expensive Liaison (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), was sold for 155,000gns while last year the 8-year-old's Dark Angel (Ire) filly was bought by Capital Bloodstock for 600,000gns.

Big Shout For Shalaa
The big-name established sires dominate the foal sale leader board, with Sea The Stars and Frankel leading the charge but a new name to sneak into the top ten is that of Haras de Bouquetot's Shalaa (Ire), who is the leading freshman with 11 sold for an average of 97,545gns.

Top of his five six-figure foals is Petches Farm's colt out of the Teofilo (Ire) mare Summer Collection (Ire) from the family of champion miler Spinning World. Bought by Laurent Benoit of Broadhurst Agency for 240,000gns, the colt had been the subject of positive discussion the previous evening between Al Shaqab's Benoit Jeffroy, who sees Shalaa on a regular basis during the course of his work at Bouquetot, and Liam Norris, who bought the dual Group 1 winner as a foal at Tattersalls back in 2013. Both men agreed that Summer Collection's first foal by Shalaa was the image of his father.

Redvers Honoured With FBA Award
Ahead of the start of trade on Friday, David Redvers was awarded the accolade of Bloodstock Agent of the Year by his colleagues in the Federation of Bloodstock Agents (FBA).

“This is essentially for David having bought the champion 3-year-old Roaring Lion for $160,000, and also the champion older miler, Lightning Spear (GB),” said Geoffrey Howson of the FBA.

“I must give credit to the buying team of Hannah Wall and Peter Molony,” said Redvers. “Hannah loved Roaring Lion and said he was the best walking son of Kitten's Joy she'd seen. If he hadn't stayed on Hannah's list we wouldn't have bought him.”

Both Roaring Lion and Lightning Spear have retired to Tweenhills Stud for the 2019 season, and they are available for viewing throughout the weekend and on Monday at Longholes Stud just outside Newmarket (shuttle buses available from Tattersalls).