Havana Grey Filly Headlines Book 3 As Momentum Continues At Tattersalls 

The action at Tattersalls continued apace on Thursday as Book 3 of the October Yearling Sale kicked off with a Whitsbury Manor Stud-offered Havana Grey (GB) filly fetching 200,000gns to Alex Elliott on behalf of Amo Racing.

That result matched the record price at Book 3 and became the most expensive filly ever sold at the sale. Overall, trade was good with the 6,451,000gns turnover down just 1% on last year. The average rose by 7% to 26,331gns, the median fell by 5% to 20,000 and the clearance rate was up by 1% to 88%.

The Havana Grey filly was reported to have compared favourably with the Group 1-placed Arabian Dusk (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) at the same stages in their development by Elliott. That filly was sourced by Mags O'Toole and Norman Williamson for 80,000gns at the Tattersalls Somerville Sale before being sold by Katie Walsh's Greenhills Farm for 525,000gns at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale earlier this year and she has very much flown the flag for the stallion in the juvenile ranks this year. 

Elliott, who was standing beside Williamson during the bidding, explained how that leading consignor was complimentary of his new acquisition. “She has been bought for Amo Racing and George Boughey will train her,” Elliott said. “She is a standout horse in Book 3. I knew the breeze-up guys would be in, and Anthony Stroud, who bought Arabian Dusk at the breeze-ups. I was standing beside Norman Williamson, who consigned Arabian Dusk, and it is good to hear that at the same time last year, he reported this filly was a better filly than Arabian Dusk. She was the main target today.”

Thursday's sale represented more good news for Havana Grey and Whitsbury Manor Stud, whose Ed Harper commented, “This is the last lower-priced crop by Havana Grey so there are some mixed pedigrees out there, as you would expect, and we wanted to make sure he had a real proper one.”

He added, “We always liked her at home, but she is a late April foal and she has done so well, we did not expect her to do as well as she has and she did not look like a late-season foal. Alex and Amo and the team have been big supporters of the sire from early on – they just want to buy the best, and we brought her here hoping she was going to be the best in the sale.”

Time Test Colt Lives Up To Billing 

The Time Test (GB) half-brother to the Group 1-placed juvenile Simmering (GB) was billed as one of the star acts at Book 3 and the WH Bloodstock-consigned colt did not disappoint when knocked down to Najd Stud for 110,000gns. 

Trained by Ollie Sangster, Simmering has emerged as a teak-tough juvenile this season, winning a Group 2 and Group 2 before chasing home Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes. 

Bloodstock agent Nico Archdale commented, “He is a half to a very smart horse this year in Simmering and by a sire who does very well in Saudi. He goes to Saudi from here, and I am delighted to purchase him for Prince Faisal and Najd Stud.”

On the business carried out on behalf of Najd Stud, he continued, “We bought another by Time Test in Book 1 [Lot 150], and seven yearlings in Book 2-they are all going to Saudi, apart from the Sea The Stars [Lot 748] colt who goes to Roger Varian.

“Time Test is doing very well out in Saudi, he is flying out there and has had a top rated two-year-old. It has been a very strong market here over the two weeks, there have been some lovely horses here.”

This colt is out of the Fastnet Rock (Aus) mare Cashla Bay (GB), the dam of two winners from three runners, bred by Lofts Hall Stud. Breeder Hugo Lascelles was at Tattersalls to see the sale and said, “Simmering has done us well this summer, she has been very well trained by Ollie Sangster. I am very pleased with that price, he is a very nice horse.”

Browne Reinvests Pinhooking Riches In Blue Point Colt

A number of leading breeze-up buyers struggled to get in on the action at any real significant level at Tattersalls during Book 1 and 2, but legend of the game Willie Browne was rewarded for sticking it out to the bitter end when going to 150,000gns to secure a Blue Point (Ire) colt from New England Stud.

“It was all breeze-up money on this colt, but I think he is a good horse,” Browne afterwards. “The sire is very good. I have had a good price for one by the sire before. For me this is the best horse here today-you are just trying to buy a quick horse if you can and I think he looks quick.”

Browne was reinvesting some of the riches earned at Park Paddocks on Wednesday, where a Territories (Ire) colt that he part-owned with Mark Dwyer sold to Sumbe for 750,000gns having been sourced for just 65,000gns.

Commenting on trade, Browne added, “It has been very tough to buy-this is the sixth I have managed to buy. The Territories is a gorgeous horse and it was a great result yesterday. That result was way above expectations-and the money has all been spent on this lad.”

Pinhooking Fortunes On Thursday

Of the 311 horses catalogued during Thursday's session, 71 were pinhooks, and after three withdrawals, 68 horses visited the ring. Nine lots did not meet their reserves and were buy-backs, leaving 59 yearlings marked as sold. Of the latter group, 14 lots made a profit ranging from 1,600gns to 35,908gns.

Winning the day with a profit of 35,908gns for his connections was lot 1461, a son of Coulsty (Ire) and the Art Connoisseur (Ire) mare Nora Batt (Ire). A €14,000 Goffs November foal when purchased by Rathasker Stud, the J. W. Nicholson-bred yearling was sent through the ring by that operation on Thursday and picked up for 60,000gns by Harrowgate Bloodstock. This is the family of Turkish stakes winner Another Batt (Ire) (Windsor Knot {Ire}).

Forty-five lots lost money. The 59 pinhooks marked as sold were acquired for 2,031,583gns as foals (plus costs) and made 1,529,000gns on Thursday representing a -24.7% return.

We have multiplied the price of the foal by 1.1 and added a running cost of 12,000gns (for foals bought in guineas) or €15,000 (for foals bought in euros) for keep, feed, veterinary, shoeing, sales prep and sales entry fees. Depending on whether someone has their own farm, or where they choose to board a horse, will obviously mean that costs for each individual can vary significantly.

It is worth noting that sometimes a horse can appear to be bought and sold by different names but have actually not changed ownership at all.

Golden Touch

It was at this sale 12 months ago that Luke Coen of 1-Cross Stables turned water into wine when Invincible Spirit (Ire) filly, who he sourced for €23,000, sold to Joseph O'Brien for 115,000gns. The young head on wise shoulders was back near the top of the table at Book 3 on Thursday when his Without Parole (GB) colt kept the consignor in profit. Bought for 21,000gns, the Without Parole went the way of Stuart Williams for 70,000gns.

Buy of the Day

You can't beat a pocket rocket and the Jack Channon-co-bought lot 1378, and A'Ali (Ire) filly consigned by Newsells Park Stud, was exactly that. She was bought by agent Armando Duarte and Channon for 15,000gns. She looks an early type and, given she is GBB 100%, could be capable of bagging plenty of prize-money and bonuses in the first couple of months of the season.