Book 1

Longview Stud's Dubawi (Ire) colt (lot 530) caught the eye of Godolphin and was duly knocked down for 1.6m gns at Park Paddocks on the third and final day of Book 1. The bay is out of a full-sister to the exemplary multiple Group 1 winner Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Group 1 winners Tuesday (Ire) and Empress Josephine (Ire) and the Group 3 winner Kissed By Angels (Ire). Bred by Highview Bloodstock, his half-sister by Lope De Vega (Ire) was picked up by the same connections for 475,000gns at this...

Within two lots and just 40 minutes into the final Book 1 session of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale two colts by Frankel (GB) sold for 1.9 millions gns and 2 million gns, respectively. The first, lot 379 from Luca and Sara Cumani's Fittocks Stud, is out of the winning Pivotal (GB) mare Blue Waltz (GB) from the family of champion 2-year-old filly Blue Duster (Danzig) and was bought by MV Magnier of Coolmore.   . # This colt by Frankel @JuddmonteFarms was consigned by @saracumani and the winning bidder was M...

NEWMARKET, UK--A marker in bloodstock history was plunged firmly into the ground at Tattersalls on Wednesday, when those present at Park Paddocks bore witness to the highest-grossing day of horse trade that has ever taken place in Europe. An eye-watering sum of 49,545,000gns was spent on 144 yearlings throughout the eight-hour session, including the most expensive yearling in the world this year--a colt by Frankel (GB) sold for 2.8 million gns. He was one of eight bought for seven-figure sums, bringing the number of million-plus youngsters from the first two...

Lot 301 became the sixth seven-figure lot during Wednesday's Book 1 session at Tattersalls when selling for 1.6 million to Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi. Yet another son of Dubawi (Ire), the colt is a half-brother to GI Turf Classic S. hero Digital Age (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), and the duo are out of the unraced Lemon Drop Kid mare Willow View. Also, a half-brother to G3 Prix La Rochette heroine Acer Alley (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), he was bred by Merry Fox Stud and consigned by Fittocks Stud. Under the second...

A robust start to the second day's trade at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale soon featured a yearling to match the previous day's top price of 1.5 million gns when lot 201, Newsells Park Stud's filly by Frankel (GB) out of Shambolic (Ire), was sold to Coolmore. Interested parties included Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge and agent Richard Knight, but it was MV Magnier who made the final bid from outside the auditorium. A first foal, the filly was bred by Newsells Park Stud in partnership with Craig Bennett's...

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin NEWMARKET, UK--Sales can often start with more of a whimper than a bang, but with only the second horse in the ring at Tattersalls the October Yearling Sale roared into life as the first Dubawi (Ire) yearling to be offered ensured that seven figures were lit across the bid board. That was repeated twice during the day, both times by offspring of Darley's elite sire, with top honours eventually falling to Hazelwood Bloodstock's colt out of Ring The Bell (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was...

Dubawi (Ire)'s son of Persuasive (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) (lot 127) became the second seven-figure lot at Tattersalls on Tuesday when selling for 1 million gns to Anthony Stroud acting on behalf of Godolphin. Consigned by breeder Cheveley Park Stud, the March-foaled bay is from the extended family of Group 1 winner Creative Force (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), while his dam landed the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. and was placed several more times at the highest level.   ,, # This colt is by Dubawi @DarleyEurope and is out of...

With only the second yearling in the ring the seven-figure barrier was breached at Tattersalls as lot 3, the Dubawi (Ire) filly out of the G2 Prix de la Nonette winner Jazzi Top (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), was sold to Godolphin for 1,300,000gns. Bred by the Weinfeld family's Meon Valley Stud, the filly is a grand-daughter of G1 Prix de l'Opera winner Zee Zee Top (GB) (Zafonic) from one of the Hampshire nursery's signature families of Reprocolor (GB).   well that didn't take long! . # A filly by Dubawi...

NEWMARKET, UK-It is going to require a Herculean effort to plunder the best of what is on offer at Tattersalls, according to leading bloodstock agent Alex Elliott who, on the eve of the eagerly-anticipated Book 1 session, described the stock on offer as being "the cream of the crop".  With Sheikh Mohommad, Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum, Aidan O'Brien, John Gosden, Yoshito Tahagi, Chad Brown and a host of American and foreign buyers in attendance at Newmarket on Monday, Elliott is expecting more mayhem in the sales ring this week. ...

NEWMARKET, UK--There may be some pretty important racing going on across the Channel, but Sunday morning at Park Paddocks was all business as buyers from across the world assembled to assess the potential stars of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Tense though these last few days of inspections can be, one man who can permit himself a small smile of satisfaction is Adrian O'Brien of Hazelwood Bloodstock. The back cover of the Tattersalls catalogue traditionally features photographs of some of the sale's key recent graduates, and of...

The makers of the popular BBC programme Country File could easily film a riveting episode just within the 700 acres of Nottinghamshire countryside that is Whatton Manor Stud. The farm is home to Longhorn cattle and rare breeds such as Wensleydale sheep and Suffolk Punch horses. But its main business is of course the breeding and rearing of thoroughbreds, something the Player family has done increasingly well in the 40 years since Peter Player inherited the farm from his aunt. An inheritance of a plot of such rich land deep...

There are undoubtedly many good reasons to have a rounded life with interests beyond the breeding, training, buying and selling of a supreme equine athlete who can run faster than his contemporaries. Those of us whose waking hours are mostly consumed by one or more of these bloodstock industry pursuits can rightly be accused of not getting out more, particularly at this time of year. But when the daily non-racing headlines revolve around the British economy in freefall, hurricanes and floods decimating parts of the world, and President Putin looming...