July Sale Roars Back To Business

NEWMARKET, UK–Comparisons from year to year can be tricky in an ever-changing sales programme but to put the first day of trade at Park Paddocks into some sort of context, an 11,000gns median bounced back almost to the pre-Covid level of 2019, with the average of 25,114gns surpassing that year's tally.

Fears early in the pandemic that bloodstock sales would suffer have been largely unfounded. It is true that most have suffered from disruption over the last 15 months but not from lack of participation, as a 93% clearance rate on the opening day of the Tattersalls July Sale continued to illustrate. Of 254 horses put through the ring on Wednesday, only 17 left without a buyer, bringing turnover of 5,952,000gns.

Broodmares were the key driver of trade on Wednesday, with a number of Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin draft populating the leader board. Lot 125, Aureum (Medaglia d'Oro), a winning sister to the G3 City Of York S. winner and G1 Coronation S. runner-up Nemoralia, clinched the top spot when offered in foal for the first time to Invincible Spirit (Ire). The 4-year-old's sole win in five starts for John Gosden came at Chelmsford in March, and she was covered in Ireland a month later before being brought to Tattersalls. 

Tom Goff of Blandford Bloodstock placed the final bid of 220,000gns and, in common with a number of those who signed for the day's leading lots, was unable to divulge for whom the mare had been bought. Bred by Newtown Anner Stud, Aureum had previously been sold at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $800,000.

Goff said, “She has been bought for an established owner/breeder client. She has a fantastic page, and she made a lot of money as a yearling. She is a lovely mare, the sister was top-class over here and she is in foal to a great stallion.”

Another of Goff's Godolphin picks was the once-placed Siyouni (Fr) filly French Rose (Fr), who is out of a full-sister to the Jim Bolger-bred G1 Dewhurst S. winner Parish Hall (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). The 3-year-old, sold as lot 266, fetched 125,000gns.

The agent also signed for Royal Eloquence (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), who was consigned as lot 107 by the National Stud for breeder Joseph Tabet with her Night Of Thunder (Ire) colt foal at foot and in foal to Ribchester (Ire). The half-sister to Lordship Stud's good broodmare Swiss Lake (Indian Ridge {Ire}), the dam of stakes winners Swiss Spirit (GB), Swiss Diva (GB) and Swiss Dream (GB), was bought on behalf of an Irish client for 130,000gns. 

International involvement 

Two other members of the Godolphin draft were bought by American and Australian breeders respectively. Matt Houldsworth signed for lot 124, the unraced 4-year-old Birdwatcher, a daughter of Uncle Mo in foal to young Darley stallion Blue Point (Ire). Her own lack of racing prowess was counterbalanced by her pedigree: Birdwatcher's dam Bizzy Caroline (Afleet Alex) was a dual Grade III winner herself and is a half-sister to the top-class racemare Lady Eli (Divine Park). Birdwatcher was another expensive Keeneland September purchase by Godolphin at $1.1 million.

“I thought she was a very good physical and obviously she cost a lot of money as a yearling,” Houldsworth said. “She's got a good covering, too. I'm a big fan of Blue Point, and it's a lovely, deep family. She's heading to America.”

On her way to Highclere Stud is the Teofilo (Ire) mare Subella (Ire) (lot 121) who was bought by Jake Warren for an undisclosed breeder. The unraced 4-year-old is a half-sister to the dam of 1000 Guineas runner-up Cloak Of Spirits (Ire), a daughter of Invincible Spirit, who is also the stallion Subella was covered by on March 28. More pertinently, Subella's dam Suba (Seeking The Gold) is a three-parts-sister to Darley's flagship sire Dubawi (Ire), who is the most illustrious of five black-type performers for grandam Zomaradah (GB) (Deploy {GB}).

After bidding 150,000gns for the young mare, Warren said, “She is for an Australian client. We are thrilled to buy her as she is a beautiful mare, she has a lovely cover and a pedigree that needs no explanation. She will come back to Highclere and we will decide on plans when we get her home and see what the foal is like.”

John Dance also added a Godolphin filly to his broodmare band at Manor House Stud–one of three online purchases by the owner/breeder–when going to 150,000gns for lot 265, Desert Star (GB), a once-raced 3-year-old daughter of Dubawi (Ire) and sister to listed winner Duneflower (Ire).

Mehmas momentum

Breaking up the Godolphin stronghold at the top of the leaderboard was Excellent View (GB), who presented a three-for-one deal as the 10-year-old Shamardal mare (lot 214) was offered alongside her filly foal by one of the hottest young sires of the moment, Mehmas (Ire), and she is back in foal to the same stallion.

Buyer Charlie Gordon-Watson is certainly a fan of the Tally-Ho Stud resident. He said, “She has a very nice foal at foot. I love Mehmas. He can do it anywhere, with any trainer, and he has a couple of really good horses in America at the moment.”

It is of course not just the sire of the foal who appealed to the agent as Excellent View has already produced the black-type performer and four-time winner Mutaraffa (Ire) by Mehmas's sire Acclamation (GB) and, though she was a modest performer herself, her first three dams are all stakes winners. 

“She has been bought for an English owner/breeder and it is good to see that she has produced a foal like that and she is back in foal to the stallion, who looks the real deal,” added Gordon-Watson, who was also the purchaser of Mehmas's dual-winning juvenile Lusail (Ire), who is declared for Thursday's G2 Tattersalls July S.

Two lots earlier (212), Barton Sales had also consigned another mare in foal to Mehmas: Tianadargent (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), an unraced sister to Restiadargent (Fr), who chased home Black Caviar (Aus) and Moonlight Cloud (GB) to be a close third in an all-female trifecta in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. of 2012.

Cormac McCormack was the busiest buyer of the session, signing for seven fillies and mares, including Dubai Fashion (Ire) (lot 42). The daughter of Dubawi (Ire) has the great Shadwell mare Height Of Fashion (Fr) as her great grandam and was sold in foal to Blue Point (Ire) for 140,000gns.

Last orders

As most people's attention had already turned to England's match against Denmark in the semi-final of the European Football Championship, the Group 1-winning sprinter and young stallion Garswood (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) paraded through the ring as the final lot of the day.

The 11-year-old started his stallion career at Cheveley Park Stud where he was born and has recently stood two seasons at Haras de la Huderie in France. He will continue his stud duties in Saudi Arabia after being bought for 40,000gns by agent Ted Durcan on behalf of Ahmad Alabdullatif.

“He's off to Saudi Arabia and his progeny should be well suited by the racing there,” Durcan said of lot 340. “It's a lovely stud and he will be well looked after.”