Record Turnover Headed By Australian-Bound Go Daddy On Day One At Tattersalls 

Australian trainer Ciaron Maher will be hoping to have unearthed the latest Group 1 scorer to go Down Under from the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale after spending 490,000gns on two highly-rated runners through the stable's head of bloodstock Will Bourne and bloodstock agent Billy Jackson-Stops. 

That opening session outlay was headed by German St Leger third Go Daddy (Ire) (Smooth Daddy) at 350,000gns. Maher also struck earlier in the session for Jareth (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), a wide-margin winner of a Thurles maiden on just his second start for trainer John O'Donoghue. 

Speaking about Go Daddy, the most expensive horse through the ring at Tattersalls on Monday, Bourne said, “He profiles perfectly for Australia and I was chatting to Ciaron and he loved him and how consistent he was. The plan is to keep him in work here with Harry [Eustace] then he'll go down on the horses-in-training flight and we'll target the Manion Cup, which William Haggas has done really well in with Favourite Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) and Post Impressionist (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). We'll aim to run him off the plane during the Sydney Carnival.”

He added, “We usually buy in our spring and then bring them out, but Harry has prepared horses like Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) for us to win a Cox Plate, so Ciaron has full faith in Harry and they work very well together. Our max was 400,000gns and I'd have been thrilled to get him for 250,000gns, so anywhere between is pretty much bang on. He has that perfect profile for Australia so I don't think he was missed by anyone.”

Go Daddy highlighted a memorable day for Muir and Grassick, who also sold the 88-rated juvenile Fearless Freddy (GB) (Territories {Ire}) for 280,000gns to Busuttin Racing and JP Bloodstock.

Muir said, “Go Daddy and Freddy will go on, and Spaceport was cheap at 100,000gns-he has got so much to come. All three of those horses do. They are really nice horses with big potential.”

Muir, who will forever be associated with dual Group 1-winning star Pyledriver (GB), went on to explain that selling eight horses for a grand total of 802,000gns on Monday was necessary to clear the way for some of the younger talent coming through at Linkslade Stables.

He added, “I bought 12 yearlings last week so we did get around and picked up a few. Hopefully the clients who sold today will reinvest.”

The 9,168,700gns turnover, up 2,895,200 on last year, represented a record-breaking trade for the opening session of the Autumn Horses-In-Training Sale. The median was up 19% at 19,000gns while the average climbed a massive 46% to 39,016gns. As for the clearance rate, it settled at 80%, which was down 5% on last year. 

Talking points

Few horses arrived at Park Paddocks in better form than Rebel Diamond (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), a winner of his past three starts for Natalia Lupini, most recently in the Listed Blenheim Stakes. His talent didn't go underrated by Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown, who secured the colt for 300,000gns.

That wasn't the only big result for the Lupini stable on the day as recent Curragh maiden scorer Thebelmontgangster (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}) was similarly well-received when selling to Badgers Bloodstock and Freedman Racing for 200,000gns. Thebelmontgangster is very much a triumph of perseverance for his owner Eoin McDonagh. The prominent breeze-up handler, who trades under Shanaville Stables, failed to sell the colt at 10,000gns at the Somerville Sale last year. Not only that, but the colt was not accepted for any breeze-up sale, which is why McDonagh had to get the silks out. He said, “It's a brilliant result for us and a great day for Natalia and her partner Craig [Bryson], who sold two horses for 500,000gns combined. Somebody said to me that I should consider racing everything but I wouldn't go that far! Breezing is our game but this lad was probably a bit too big and backward for that job. That's why we sent him to Natalia and Craig. They're brilliant at what they do.”

Richard Brown is building up quite the relationship with classy sprinter Garfield Shadow (Ire) (James Garfield {Ire}). The agent sourced the 96-rated three-year-old on behalf of Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale for €155,000. Fast forward a-year-and-a-half, nine starts, four wins and close to £80,000 in prize-money, Brown went to 310,000gns to secure the Richard Fahey-trained runner on behalf of a different client. 

While Coolmore failed to find a buyer for Group 3 winner Hans Anderson (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who was bought back at 425,000gns, it proved to be a successful afternoon for the outfit with 12 horses selling for 914,500gns. The clearout was headed by the 109-rated Kingman (GB) colt Monumental (Ire), a winner and placed in Group 2 and Group 3 company, who was knocked down to Omar Esmail Ghrhar for 325,000gns. Libyan-based Ghrghar said, “He will be trained either in France or Dubai–plans are open at the moment. He was a standout for us today and has been Group 2-placed and trained by Aidan O'Brien. He is a perfect fit for us and if he goes to Dubai he will be trained by Bhupat Seemar.”

A quick scan at the top five horses through the ring on Monday serves to remind that a good horse can come from anywhere. Go Daddy's sire Smooth Daddy is now in Italy, James Garfield, the sire of Garfield Shadow, stands in India while Captain Gerrard, sire of Desperate Hero, ended his stud career in Iran. Meanwhile, the sixth most expensive horse through the ring on Monday, Fearless Freddy, is by Territories, who was recently sold to continue his career in India. 

Dubai Beckons For Desperate Hero

Stuart Boman had to fight off a persistent Jack Channon as he fought desperately hard to keep progressive Group-class sprinter Desperate Hero (GB) (Captain Gerrard {Ire}) who went the way of the Blandford Bloodstock agent at 300,000gns. 

A campaign in Dubai beckons for the four-year-old, who was last seen finishing just under three lengths behind Markova (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) in the Prix de l'Abbaye at ParisLongchamp. 

Boman said, “He is one of those horses who, when I went through the replays and form, is hard not to like. He has great action, a powerful stride, he has roared through the handicap and turned into a Group 1 horse. I just wanted to get him and loved him from the moment I started researching him and following him.”

Channon was visibly dejected after trying hard and failing to keep Desperate Hero. After his last bid of 290,000gns was quickly met with a 300,000gns bid from Boman, the handler dropped his head in defeat. Alas, an even stronger tussle would have been in vain, according to Boman, who admitted to valuing Desperate Hero a little more than the 300,000gns he parted with to secure him.

“He is going to Dubai for the Carnival. Godolphin mainly has horses in the mile and over distance range, so there is a good series for sprinters and, hopefully, he is one for the Al Quoz Sprint and will be there on World Cup night,” Boman explained.

“I thought he might have made a bit more with his rating-he has been fourth in a Group 1 and was not beaten far in the Flying Five before that. He is a horse who keeps showing up, runs his race, is an enthusiastic horse, and he has a clean vetting.”

Buy of the day

Bravo Zulu (Ire) (National Defense {GB}) might not jump off the page as being the best value buy of day one given he's a 65-rated three-year-old on a losing run that extends almost a year, but this is a horse who looked initially promising and, at 12,000gns, Dave Loughnane can do little wrong. A very good-looking horse, Bravo Zulu was picked up by Dan and Claire Kubler for €28,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale a couple of years ago. That outlay looked very shrewd when he won second time up at Kempton before making it two from three in a 7f Southwell novice at odds of 4-7. Okay, the wheels have fallen off since and the Kublers are up there with the best in the game when it comes with maximising the potential of their horses, but if a change of scenery happens to get Bravo Zulu back on track, he could have a very well-handicapped horse on his hands. Best case scenario, Bravo Zulu could be the type to aim back at something like the AW Championship Final at Lingfield. At the very least, he should win races off his current mark for his new connections. 

Thought for the day

With the yearling sales fresh in the memory, it seems a good time to remind vendors that all is not lost when a horse doesn't sell in the ring. Take Fearless Freddy (GB) (Territories {Ire}) as an example. He was led out unsold at 8,000gns during Book 3 almost exactly a year ago. His owner-breeders, Mondial Racing, had little choice but to put the colt in training and the decision to stick by the horse that nobody else wanted paid off in spades when he rattled up three wins from six starts and achieved a rating of 88 in training with William Muir and Chris Grassick. The cherry on top of that brave piece of campaigning came when the juvenile sold for 280,000gns. We all know that this is a game of reality and pipedreams do not pay the bills but Fearless Freddy should be put forward as an example that the market does not always get it right at the yearling and foal sales. There is always another way.