International Demand for Godolphin Mares

NEWMARKET, UK–The heavy rainfall that swept across Park Paddocks in the afternoon played its part in packing out the sale ring as people took cover, but so too did the Godolphin draft. The 23-strong consignment commanded plenty of attention and contributed 1,139,000gns to the day's overall tally of 5,107,700gns. 

With 188 lots sold, equal to the first day of last year's sale, the clearance rate dropped to 85%, with the average of 27,169gns and median of 10,000gns being 29% and 38% down from 12 months ago. 

Breeders from Ireland, England, France, Japan and Morocco swooped for breeding prospects from Godolphin, with Charles Shanahan signing for the day's top lot, Whispering Words (GB), at 280,000gns. Offered as lot 248, the four-year-old daughter of Dubawi (Ire) is in foal for the first time to Kingman (GB). A winner herself, the young mare's first four dams all earned black type, including granddam Discourse (Street Cry {Ire}), who won the G3 Sweet Solera Stakes. 

Newsells Park Stud added a mare to its breeding fund with the purchase of Art Of Magic (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) for 270,000gns. The four-year-old, who won three times and was runner-up in the Listed Prix Matchem, followed Whispering Words into the ring as lot 249 and had the extra attraction of being in foal to Blue Point (Ire) on an early cover. She joins the Group 2 winner Sibila Spain (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), bought last December for €2 million, and this season's Lingfield Oaks Trial winner You Got To Me (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) among the broodmares and fillies in training for the fund. 

“The idea is to give people an opportunity to get into breeding and to come with us in what we're doing,” said Newsells Park Stud manager Julian Dollar. “Some of the people who have been involved in the racing partnerships have got involved on the breeding side and they've really enjoyed being able to see that side of the business.”

Art Of Magic is a third-generation descendant of the Irish Oaks winner Helen Street (GB) (Troy {GB}), whose fame is heightened by her descendants, which include Street Cry, Shamardal and fellow young Darley sire and Group 1 winner Victor Ludorum (GB).

A little earlier, the unraced Hope Diamond (Ire) and her April-born No Nay Never filly had been led out of the ring unsold when offered by Baroda Stud. A private sale was later agreed at 250,000gns with Gestut Fahrhof, the breeder of Sunday's G1 Deutsches Derby winner Palladium (Ger) (Gleneagles {Ire}). It is not hard to see the appeal of the Galileo (Ire) mare to a leading German breeder as she is a half-sister to one of that country's greatest fillies of the modern era, the Arc and King George winner Danedream (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}). To gild the lily, Hope Diamond's full-brother Illinois (Ire) has won the G2 Queen's Vase since the publication of the catalogue. The foal at the mare's side was her first, and she is back in foal to No Nay Never.

Another mare with a recent update of the bold black type variety was lot 246, Godolphin's Menuetto (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), from the immediate family of recent Irish Derby winner Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). The granddaughter of Allez Les Trois was sold in foal to Teofilo (Ire) to Japan-based JS Company for 150,000gns.

Australasian involvement

The international flavour to the sale was apparent throughout the first day. A timely win on Friday evening provided a boost for three-year-old filly Topanga (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) who will eventually leave Andrew Balding's stable to join the broodmare band of Australian owner-breeder Gary Johnson.  She was bought on Johnson's behalf for 135,000gns by Johnny McKeever and will join the breeder's other European mares at New England Stud.

Bred by Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock in partnership with Luca and Sara Cumani's Fittocks Stud, Topanga (lot 138) has won two of her six starts and is rated 86 since her most recent triumph over seven furlongs. Out of the Invincible Spirit (Ire) mare Time Tunnel (GB), she is a granddaughter of the G1 Falmouth Stakes winner Timepiece (GB) (Zamindar) from the Juddmonte family which includes Time Test (GB). It is another son of Dubawi (Ire) whom Topanga is likely to meet in the near future as Johnson plans to cover her southern hemisphere time by Too Darn Hot (GB). The Darley stallion is the leading first-season sire in Australia this year where his winners include the champion juvenile-elect Broadsiding (Aus).

“Gary has seven broodmares in Europe because he likes our staying bloodlines,” McKeever said.

“We are gradually buying mares who we cover on southern-hemisphere time – they stay in England for a year or so, and then join Toby Liston of Three Bridges, and she will be covered by Too Darn Hot, although we might keep her in training for a few months just to see if there is a chance of grabbing a bit of black-type somewhere.”

He added, “[Too Darn Hot] looks as though he could be an absolute breeding-changing stallion. It is so unusual that a sire can operate in both hemispheres.”

Treble winner and 98-rated Davideo (GB) is off to New Zealand with a 130,000gns price tag around his neck having been selected by trainer Shaune Ritchie with Hubie de Burgh. A Galileo (Ire) half-brother to the Group 1 winners Time Warp (GB) and Glorious Forever (GB), both by Archipenko, the Lanwades-bred gelding (lot 157) has been in training with Ralph Beckett for Al Shaqab Racing and Valmont.

Ritchie has struck lucky in the past with a Tattersalls graduate, having purchased Mahrajaan (Kitten's Joy) at the Horses-in-Training Sale two years ago. Now a Group 2 winner in New Zealand, the six-year-old is being primed for the Melbourne Cup.

Ritchie said of his latest purchase, “He has a big frame to fill out and he looks as though he goes on all types of going and he has a pedigree to back it up. We will get him home and try take him down the same route as we did with Mahrajan – if he can successfully do that then we will take him to Australia as well, it is easy from over the ditch to get there.”

He added, “Mahrajaan has a strong chance of being the New Zealand Stayer of the Year, and it is really on the back of his success that we have been encouraged to come back.”

Buy of the Day

Lot 130, Wind Storm (GB) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire})
Buyer: HH Sheikh Sultan Aldeen MS Al Khalifa
Price: 6,500gns

One of a draft of 22 broodmares consigned by Dullingham Park, the nine-year-old Wind Storm looks well bought at that price considering that she is back in foal to Soldier's Call (GB), who is the sire of her recent Windsor juvenile maiden winner Storm Call (Ire). A half-sister to the G2 German 1,000 Guineas winner Electrelane (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Wind Storm also has a yearling colt by Sands Of Mali (Fr), who has made a promising start with his first runners this year.

The mare's half-siblings also include the stakes-placed Imperialistic Diva (GB) (Haafhd {GB}) who has in turn produced the Group 3 and Listed winner Queen Of Bermuda (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}). Wind Storm was one of three purchases on the day for Bahrain's HH Sheikh Sultan Aldeen MS Al Khalifa.