By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin
A memorable Book 2 session of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale that instilled some much-needed confidence in the bloodstock business culminated with Anthony Stroud going to 1 million gns to secure a colt by Tweenhills stallion Kameko on behalf of Godolphin.
The 2,000 Guineas winner Kameko has enjoyed a hugely respectable start at stud with nine individual winners and 12 wins all told in Britain and Ireland. The top lot of the entire Book 2 session hails from a family Godolphin knows well, being a half-brother to the 111-rated Passion And Glory (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) as well as being a full-brother to Qatar Racing's own Grade I-winning juvenile New Century (GB).
Tweenhills boss David Redvers said, “He's actually more like his dad than his brother [New Century]. His brother looks a proper two-year-old but this horse, I can see him being a bit scopier really. The thing that is common with all of them though is they have this incredible temperament, which is why the brother was able to go across to Canada and come back and go on to America. He takes it all so well.”
He added, “The mare died foaling this lad in Ireland. It was one of those cruel twists of fate but she has left quite a parting gift.”
The only seven-figure lot of Book 2 was confirmed to be heading the way of Godolphin by Stroud, who spent over 11.5 million gns at Tattersalls this week.
Stroud, who outbid New Century's trainer Andrew Balding among other interested parties, said, “He's a very nice, quality horse who is a full-brother to a Group 1 winner. Kameko has had a very good start; he's a beautiful colt who will go to Moulton Paddocks.”
The momentum from the record-breaking Book 1 session carried over into Park Paddocks this week, where turnover climbed 27% to 68,517,000gns, the median rose 13%to 70,000gns and the average increased by 26% to 108,413gns. Meanwhile, a 91% clearance rate [up 7%] was also posted, as 632 yearlings found new homes from 697 offered.
Commenting on trade, Tattersalls chief Edmond Mahony said, “The results from Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale last week were pretty remarkable and certainly instilled some confidence leading into Book 2, but yet again the level of trade has outstripped the most optimistic of pre-sale expectations.
“The extraordinary success of Book 1 has been well and truly replicated in Book 2 and again it is the outstanding quality of the yearlings and the sale's reputation for consistently producing racehorses of the very highest calibre which have brought the buyers to Tattersalls in overwhelming numbers. Every year British and Irish breeders and consignors place enormous faith in the two weeks of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and the unrelenting demand throughout Book 2 shows that their confidence has been fully justified.”
He added, “Turnover and average have both reached new heights by considerable margins and the 1,000,000 guineas sale topping Kameko yearling is the highest price ever for a colt at Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale, but it is the clearance rate above 90% and the sheer volume of horses selling for 200,000 guineas or more that have been truly incredible. The demand for quality yearlings from buyers from throughout the world, most notably America, Australia, Hong Kong and throughout the Gulf region, has resulted in 93 yearlings selling for 200,000 guineas or more; a number far in excess of any other European yearling sale except October Book 1 and a huge increase on the previous October Book 2 record of 58. Also noteworthy has been the significant year on year rise in the median demonstrating a market with real depth, driven not only by overseas demand, but also by a strong showing from the domestic British and Irish buyers for whom Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale is always an unmissable event.
“Above all, however, we can reflect on another Tattersalls yearling sale which has exceeded expectations at a time when confidence has sometimes understandably been in short supply. It has not all been plain sailing in recent years, but we work hard to bring as many buyers as possible to Tattersalls for the October Yearling Sale and as we move on to Books 3 and 4 we can look forward with a little more optimism and look back on another Tattersalls sale which has brought a collective smile to the face of the British and Irish thoroughbred breeding industry.”
Rarefied Territory
There are loss-making pinhooks, profitable pinhooks, and then there is the occasional eye-popper and jaw-dropper. A good number have fallen into the latter category at a Book 2 which carried on in a similarly ebullient manner to Book 1, but the leader in that category on the final day had to be the Territories (Ire) colt bought as a foal for 65,000gns by Mark Dwyer, Jim McCartan and Willie Browne and sold on through Dwyer's Oaks Farm Stables for 750,000gns to Nurlan's Bizakov of Sumbe.
Bizakov has every reason to like the offspring of the Darley stallion as he races the homebred Lazzat (Fr), winner this year of the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and now in Sydney ahead of the A$10m Golden Eagle on November 2. This latest purchase is likely to join the stable of Lazzat's trainer Jerome Reynier in the south of France.
Sumbe manager Tony Fry conducted the bidding on Bizakov's behalf and entertained the assembled press by producing a multiple-choice list of answers to all the usual questions (see page 2). Jokes and cliches aside, Fry is a man who keeps his feet on the ground, even when bidding six-figure sums, and admitted that even though Sumbe has enjoyed a good year with Group 1 winners Charyn (Ire) and Lazzat, as well as the three-time Group winner Ramadan (Fr), he berates himself for the horses who have not fared so well on the track.
“I'm very fortunate that I have a boss who has the patience and has the ambition still,” he said. “We've had a great year. We have 60 horses in training and three very good ones, but that means there's a lot that aren't good. So I'm always winding it back and thinking, 'Why did we breed that mare, why did we buy that foal?' I take it very personally when they don't do it. You buy a horse hoping that he's going to be a champion, so everything that we buy or breed I think 'This might win the Guineas'. But the reality is they probably won't.
“We are buying hopes, dreams and wishes and normally all three of those fail, so I always look back to ask why.”
There are, however, some hopes, dreams and wishes left for this season. Charyn looks set to line up as favourite on Saturday for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on British Champions Day, while Lazzat could yet enhance his record in Australia.
Fry said, “Lazzat is in Australia now. This [yearling] is a similar type of horse and whether lightning will strike twice, I don't know. He is a nice horse, and we can make a case for him, but it is a lot of money. We've got blown out on some others.”
Of the champion miler-elect Charyn, who will retire to Sumbe for the 2025 season, he added, “He's a versatile horse and he'll possibly be going to Japan after that before he retires to stud. He's a class horse. We saw him the other day and he looks fantastic. He should be popular with breeders.”
The Territories colt (lot 993) is out of the winning New Approach (Ire) mare Never Change (Ire), meaning that he is bred on a similar cross to Lazzat, whose dam is by Australia (GB). He was bred by Ciaran Paterson and is a full-brother to the four-time winner and G3 Marble Hill Stakes runner-up Masseto (GB), who was also fourth in the G2 Coventry Stakes.
Catherine Dwyer of Oaks Farm Stables said, “I was shaking and smiling during the bidding, but I turned around and Peter Molony said 'You need to have your poker face on!' It was electric in there and the bids were flying from all directions. Everyone wanted to bid on him.
Reflecting on the colt as a foal, she added, “Willie, Jim and Dad all had their eyes on him. The walk is generally a big thing for them and he had a nice page with his full-brother being a good horse. The walk and conformation are the biggest things though.
“He went back over to Ireland and Jim McCartan through the winter then came to us in Yorkshire about three months ago. We prepped him at home and he hasn't put a foot wrong. He's turned from a boy to a man during prep.”
Talking Points
After a Book 1 bonanza, Anthony Stroud did not pause for breath at Book 2. Outside of Godolphin, the leading agent has major owners like KHK Racing, Peter Harris and more to look after. Through Godolphin and Stroud Coleman, he ended the sale as the top buyer with over 13.5 million gns spent. To put that into perspective, that business accounted for 17% of the turnover posted during Book 2.
Study Of Man (Ire) is fast becoming one of the best value sires in Europe. But that fee of £12,500 is surely set to get bumped up in the coming months. On a day where the Lanwades-based sire enjoyed another winner, with Revoir (GB), a half-sister to Remarquee (GB) winning stylishly at Nottingham, Study Of Man had more success in the ring with Federico Barberini going to 220,000gns to secure a colt by the sire. Five of the eight yearlings drafted by Study Of Man cleared six figures at Book 2 with Anthony Stroud, Alex Elliott and Joseph O'Brien also featuring on the buyers' sheet. A 136,375gns average for those eight yearlings is pretty impressive to say the least.
One thing that has been refreshing at Park Paddocks throughout the past two weeks is the amount of different stallions whose progeny sold for 500,000gns or more. There were seven different stallions who cleared 500,000gns during Book 2.
It was a memorable Book 2 for Matt Bowen and Natalie Foland. Just 24 hours after selling a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt for 550,000gns to Anthony Stroud, the couple's week was sugarcoated when Stroud returned to buy the outfit's Too Darn Hot filly for 460,000 gns. “It has been a very good Book 2–we don't want this sale to finish,” joked Bowen. “This filly was bred by a fantastic client Elaine Chivers, who has supported us from the outset,” Folland continued. “The mare was bought for just €4,000, but she has produced a really good filly for Elaine. The mare is at home with us and is the star broodmare on the farm.”
There were 93 horses who made €200,000 or more during Book 2 compared to the previous best of 58 in 2022. On top of that, a total of 42 horses made €300,000 or more compared to the previous best of 34 in 2022.
Golden Touch
Paul McCartan just makes it look easy sometimes. After a memorable Book 1 session last week, where the master of Ballyphilip Stud enjoyed big profits with a filly and a colt by Blue Point, the County Limerick operator was back in profit with lot 1101, a colt by first-season sire Mohaather (GB). Bought for just €33,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale, the colt left plenty of profit on the table when selling to Harry Charlton for 140,000gns. The previous lot through the ring should probably be mentioned as well as Luke Lillingston got things pretty right with his Hello Youmzain (Fr) filly. Bought for just 45,000gns here in December, she was very popular and went the way of Dan Hayden Bloodstock at 130,000gns.
Buy of the Day
Even at 320,000gns, the case can be made that Ben McElroy got value on the Norelands-drafted Night Of Thunder (Ire) filly bought on behalf of Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables. The dam, Sea Empress (Ire), won twice for William Haggas and achieved a rating of 97 for her owner Mrs Tsui. Her first foal caught the attention of many of the big-name buyers and it's fair to say she wouldn't have been out of place in Book 1. Considering the strength of the market at Park Paddocks the past two weeks, the Night Of Thunder filly looks very well bought.
Thought for the Day
At a time when some of the middle- to lower-tier breeders and pinhookers are struggling, is it really good enough that one leading consignor was not showing the Book 3 horses to potential buyers until Wednesday afternoon at the earliest? These are the horses that need every chance they can possibly get before going through the ring on Thursday. If the answer to not showing until that time is a lack of staff, well then surely that begs the question whether some consignments have become too big for their own good. On that note, it's pretty much unfathomable as to why every lot catalogued does not have a video uploaded to the Tattersalls website. It's borderline impossible for buyers to get around to see the majority of the animals in the sale without sharing the workload and videos should be the very minimum a seller can do to aid the process.
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