Juddmonte Sets Gold Standard

NEWMARKET, UK—As an opening show, the first day of Tattersalls December Mares Sale boasted all the international elements that one has come to expect from this end-of-year extravaganza. A level of trade that bodes well for the next two days as the sale warms up saw figures down in comparison to last year's first session, which received an enormous boost with the 1.7 million gns sale of Group 1 winner Intricately (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), but with the same high clearance rate of 85%.

That was achieved through the sale of 215 fillies and mares at an average of 57,257gns (-29%) and median of 30,000gns (-17%). At 12,310,200gns, the day's turnover was down by 20% on 2017.

Act two of the Juddmonte draft will be played out tomorrow but a dramatic entrée was provided by three in-foal mares who dominated the session, selling to breeders from France, America and Ireland. Top of the tree was Aurora Gold (GB) (lot 1528), and to say that she's a daughter of Frankel (GB) and a half-sister to the outstanding Midday (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) really only tells half her story.

“We counted eight fillies under the first dam and that's only going to help,” said Bertrand Le Metayer after outbidding Stephen Hillen at 550,000gns on behalf of an unnamed new breeder from France.

Though unraced herself, the 4-year-old has plenty of close relatives who have excelled on the track. Along with four-time Group 1 winner Midday, Aurora Gold's half-siblings include G3 Nell Gwyn S. winner Hot Snap (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Australian listed winner Midsummer Sun (GB) (Monsun {Ger}), while her full-sister Sun Maiden (GB) was placed in the G2 Ribblesdale S. and remains in training with Sir Michael Stoute for next season. Her grandam Modena (Roberto) was also a prolific black-type producer, with Group 1 winners Reams Of Verse (Nureyev) and Elmaamul (Diesis) and G2 Yorkshire Cup winner Manifest (GB) (Rainbow Quest) the best of her seven stakes winners.

“We hope that the page will get even darker,” Le Metayer continued. “Her sister stays in training and the mare has been covered by the sire of the year. She has some scope, which is what we wanted.”

Juddmonte Factor Boosts Trade
The 11 Juddmonte mares sold on Monday put almost 2 million gns on the day's aggregate and the two lots immediately preceding Aurora Gold assisted in raising the level of trade by quite some way. Also offered in foal to Kingman was the unraced Fine Time (GB) (Dansili {GB}) (1527), a sister to Group 1 winner Passage Of Time (GB)—who has already produced the stallion Time Test (GB) (Dubawi {Ire})—and to G2 King Edward VII S. winner Father Time (GB). Yet another deep Juddmonte family, her relations include the mighty multiple top-level scorer and South African-based stallion Twice Over (GB) (Observatory).

Fine Time will now cross the Irish Sea to join Noel O'Callaghan's broodmare band at Mountarmstrong Stud after being knocked down to agent Matt Coleman on the breeder's behalf.

He said, “It is a phenomenal pedigree, one of the best in the book. She is also in foal to Kingman, who has had a great start.”

Michael Youngs, acting on behalf of Jane Lyon of Summer Wind Farm in Kentucky, was another bidder to outlast Stephen Hillen when securing Argumentative (GB) (Observatory) (1526) for 425,000gns. The 11-year-old, in foal to Frankel on a June 5 cover, produced a Group 1 winner with her first foal in Juddmonte's Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Epicuris (GB) (Rail Link {GB}). Her three subsequent foals are also winners and she has a yearling filly by Make Believe (GB).

“Jane Lyon has already bred a Group 1 winner by Frankel, Mozu Ascot in Japan, so she is delighted to have bought a Group 1 producer in foal to Frankel,” said Youngs. “She's a very nice mare from a family I know well and she will go to America. She has enough American blood that will transfer well.”

Bristol Bay Returns To Ireland
Strong French and Australian participation was noted throughout the day in Newmarket but both Ghislain Bozo and Stuart Stuckey had to give best to Timmy Hyde, who was intent on adding Bristol Bay (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) (1640) to his Camas Park Stud broodmare band and was pushed to 400,000gns in order to do so.

Already the dam of the listed winner and Group 2-placed Bay Of Poets (Ire), the 10-year-old mare was offered back in foal to that horse's sire Lope De Vega. She was sold through Ballylinch Stud on behalf of her breeder Gestut Ammerland, who also bred and raced the dual Classic winner Lope De Vega.

Out of a sister to Dietrich Von Boetticher's former champion racemare and Deutsches Derby winner Borgia (Ger) (Acatenango {Ger}), Bristol Bay's full-sister Burning Heights (Ger), who was withdrawn from the sale, has also produced a group winner by Lope De Vega in the G3 Killavullan S. victrix Blue De Vega (Ger).

Bristol Bay also has an as-yet unraced 2-year-old by the same stallion named Bay Light (Ire), as well as a yearling filly by Power (Ire) and colt foal by New Bay (GB).

Hyde said, “She's a lovely mare and very well covered. We'll know if this is the right decision when we see her foal.”

Rose Of The Ring
Making her fifth appearance in the ring at Tattersalls and her fourth at this particular sale, The Miniver Rose (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) (1605), in foal to Dubawi (Ire), was bought with just one bid of 300,000gns by Peter Hensey, acting on behalf of the Chinese-owned Rifa Mustang Europe.

Originally a 100,000gns yearling, she returned at three with a Group 2 victory to her name for owner Julie Wood to sell for 340,000gns before being exported to Australia. Following an unsuccessful stint Down Under, The Miniver Rose was repatriated and was later sold in foal to Kingman (GB) for 270,000gns in 2015. Godolphin has subsequently offered her twice, and she was marked as sold for 550,000gns two years ago when also carrying to Dubawi. The foal she was carrying at the time was sold through Highclere Stud at the recent October Sale for 400,000gns to John and Jake Warren.

Lucrative Exchange
The unraced Exchange Rate mare Cash In The Hand (1590) proved to be well named after selling for 260,000gns to Mick Flanagan on behalf of an Irish client. The 3-year-old was offered in foal to Siyouni (Fr) and the hope is for her to visit another red-hot sire next year.

“She'll go over to Ireland and hopefully she will get into No Nay Never,” said the agent of the half-sister to three-time Group winner Lord Admiral (El Prado {Ire}) and to the dam of GI Canadian International S. winner Cannock Chase (Lemon Drop Kid).

Flanagan had earlier gone to 210,000gns for Strumming (Ire) (1572), an unraced Camelot (GB) half-sister to the GI Garden City Breeders' Cup S. winner Magnificent Song (Unbridled's Song) and three other stakes performers. It's been a profitable year in the sales ring for the offspring of her 22-year-old dam A Song To Remember (Storm Cat), whose yearling filly by Frankel was bought for $500,000 by Oliver St Lawrence at Keeneland.

Only You For Yulong
The international variety continued with lot 1553, the Galileo (Ire) mare You Only You (Ire), who was offered in foal to first-crop covering sire Caravaggio. A winner in France, the 4-year-old is out of the Group 2-placed Devoted To You (Ire), who has been mated exclusively with the champion sire since 2012.

Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong Investments, active a fortnight ago at Goffs and again buying through the BBA Ireland agent Michael Donohoe, is the new owner of the young mare whose further family includes the Irish Derby and Oaks winner Balanchine (Storm Bird) and, more recently, Godolphin's multiple Group 1 winner Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}).

Another three mares in foal to Coolmore's young son of Scat Daddy sold during the opening session of the sale for 110,000gns, 92,000gns and 75,000gns respectively.

Bound For France
The speedily-bred Kodyanna (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) was an expensive yearling when sold for £180,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Sale to the Cool Silk Partnership and with two victories plus a runner-up finish to her credit in the G3 Prix de Cabourg for Richard Fahey, the juvenile returned to the ring to be bought as a broodmare prospect for Haras de la Perelle.

Offered by Whatton Manor Stud as lot 1570, the sister to listed winner Darkanna (Ire) was signed for by Ghislain Bozo of Meridian International.

Also en route to France eventually will be Lastroseofsummer (Ire) (Haafhd {GB}) (1577) and Imagery (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) (1551). Both mares were purchased by Francisco Bernal of Outsider Bloodstock on behalf of a new Spanish breeder to the thoroughbred world who is establishing a broodmare band in France. Bernal bought the top lot at the Goffs Foal Sale, a filly by Kingman (GB) for €350,000, and also a mare from the Aga Khan Studs draft for €210,000 who will board at Haras du Quesnay. Joining her there after being bought on Monday for 230,000gns is the five-time winner Lastroseofsummer, who is already a black-type producer via her French Group 3 winner Melesina (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and G3 Craven S. runner-up White Mocha (Lope De Vega {Ire}). The 12-year-old was sold with a May cover to Speightstown through the Castlebridge Consignment.

Bernal also bought the only mare in foal to the useful German-based stallion Adlerflug (Ger) for 95,000gns. The 9-year-old Imagery, a listed winner herself and half-sister to three stakes winners, is the dam of the listed-placed Instigator (Ger) (Nayef) and this year's winning 3-year-old Imaginary Mover (Ger) (Wiener Walzer {Ger}).

Australasian Breeders Active
Heading farther afield later next year will be the young Dark Angel (Ire) mare Tobacco Bay (Ire), who is carrying her first foal by Coolmore's four-time Group 1 winner and freshman sire Churchill (Ire).

Bought for 220,000gns by John Berry on behalf of an Asian breeder with a broodmare band in Australia, the winning half-sister to the Group 3 winners Glamorous Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Just Glamorous (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}) will remain in the UK until her foal is weaned next summer before heading to the Southern Hemisphere.

“Dark Angel has already had some success as a broodmare sire but he has never shuttled so there won't be too many of his daughters in Australia,” said Berry. “She's from a fast family which should suit Australia and she should be relatively easy to mate there. Her broodmare sire Air Express (Ire) shuttled to Queensland for one year and then died young but he did well with the mares he covered there.”

Tobacco Bay's deeper family, through her fourth dam Glaneuse (Fr), includes the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Gold River (Fr) (Riverman) and her celebrated great grand-daughter Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa).

Among the other buyers with Australasian connections who were active during the first day of the sale was New Zealand's Cambridge Stud, which bought three mares for 197,000gns, while Rosemont Stud bought two for 115,000gns and Antony Thompson of Widden Stud signed for Spiced (GB) (1587), a 3-year-old daughter of Dansili (GB) and the speedy champion juvenile Superstar Leo (Ire) (College Chapel {GB}) for 100,000gns.

Another mare with plenty of pace in her pedigree is Goleta (Ire), a Royal Applause (GB) half-sister to the King's Stand S. winner Chineur (Fr) (Fasliyev), who has already proved her worth at stud, throwing a Group 3 winner as her first foal—the Prix du Petit Couvert winner Dibajj (Fr) (Iffraaj {GB})—followed three seasons later by last year's listed Prix Francois Mathet winner Black Sea (Fr) (Dubai Destination). Offered back in foal to Darley's Iffraaj, the 13-year-old mare (1533), who was raced by her breeder Cyril Humphris and was offered through Barton Stud, fetched 210,000gns to a bid from Richard Knight.

Humphris currently has the mare's 3-year-old filly, the twice-placed L'Age D'Or (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) in training in Newmarket with Robert Cowell, and she has a 2-year-old by the same sire named Leah Hannah (Fr) still to race. Shadwell bought Goleta's yearling filly by Oasis Dream (GB) for 280,000gns at the October Sale.