Oak Tree Farm

Shaikh Duaij Al Khalifa's Arabian Dusk (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}--Lady Macduff {Ire}, by Iffraaj {GB}), who hit the board in last month's Listed Empress Stakes, entered Friday's G2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket with maiden status intact and made the breakthrough with a gritty performance in the six-furlong heat. The 525,000gns Craven Breeze-Up acquisition was sharply into stride from the stands' side stall and raced in a prominent third through halfway. Bustled along to launch her challenge passing the quarter-mile pole, the 12-1 chance gained an edge entering the...

The opening day of the Tattersalls Ireland 50th Derby Sale saw 10 lots sell for six-figure sums, with a top price of €175,000 given for the already-named Boedic (Fr) (lot 86). Tom Malone struck the opening bid for the No Risk At All (Fr) gelding at €100,000, but it was Harold Kirk, buying for Willie Mullins, who proved to be successful. "That was a bit of a shock!" said Kirk when referencing Malone's starting bid. "This horse was my number one for today. He is by one of my favourite sires...

Coolmore America stallion Justify continues to be popular at the Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale, and his colt out of Inchargeofme (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) was knocked down for €2.3 million to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin later in the day. Coolmore was the underbidder. Sold as lot 110 from the draft of Oak Tree Farm, the bay is from the family of GIII Futurity S. winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf third Nagirroc (Lea). His dam was third in the GIII Mint Julep H. Bred by Nursery Place,...

The fireworks continued at Arqana in the evening, as an Oak Tree Farm-consigned Dubawi (Ire) colt (lot 180) made €800,000 on the bid of Godolphin. The February-foaled bay is out of a Kingman (GB) half-sister to stakes winner and Group 1 producer Prudenzia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) and G3 Prix de Lutece heroine Pacifique (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Previously a €150,000 Arqana October Yearling Sale alum, the colt's relatives include Group 1-winning fillies Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G1 Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}).   Offered by Oak Tree...

Just a handful of lots from the end of the sale, a colt by last year's leading first-season sire Havana Grey (GB) brought 625,000gns from Anthony Stroud's Stroud Coleman Bloodstock to take what turned out to be joint-top honours at Park Paddocks as the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale wound down. Consigned by Glending Stables, the grey (lot 198) is a half-brother to four winners. Bred by Maywood Stud, the colt was picked up by Childwickbury Stud for 52,000gns out of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, and joined Glending Stables when...

It's that time of year again, the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale--where whispers of Royal Ascot horses and potential breeze-up sensations fills the air.  There's scarcely anything more exciting than the eve of a major sale and they don't come much bigger than the Craven.  This is where Classic winners Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}) were found and the roll of honour does not stop there. Everything is up for grabs at Tattersalls over the next two days and few people know this better...

Wednesday's G2 Queen's Vase was staged over 14 furlongs, but it took a pixel study for the judge to call it as TDN Rising Star Eldar Eldarov (GB) inched out Zechariah (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) to continue the fine week for Dubawi (Ire). KHK Racing's unbeaten colt had launched his season with a win over 10 furlongs on Newcastle's Tapeta May 24, but Roger Varian had plumped for this staying test of all the options here and ultimately was fully justified as the £480,000 Arqana Breeze Up graduate needed every yard...

KHK Racing's 2.7-million guineas October Book 1 purchase Akhu Najla (GB) (Kingman {GB}) ran second for Roger Varian in his Leicester unveiling Tuesday and the partnership was back in action with £480,000 Arqana@Doncaster Breeze-Up graduate Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who powered to 'TDN Rising Stardom' in the second division of Wednesday's British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden S. at Nottingham. The 13-8 favourite tanked forward from a slot in rear to track the leaders in fourth after the initial exchanges of this debut and crept closer once into the home...

It was a case of another G2 Superlative S., another win for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby as Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) managed to overhaul Dhabab (Ire) (No Nay Never) and hold on from Masekela (Ire) (El Kabeir) in a pulsating renewal of the seven-furlong Newmarket juvenile staging post on Saturday. Looking more of a stayer than the stable's prior three winners of this since 2016 when scoring by four lengths on debut over this trip at Sandown June 11, the 210,000gns Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up purchase needed excess stamina...

The breeze-ups can't seem to catch a break. Europe's 2-year-old sales suffered a nosedive in fortunes in 2018-a combination of polarization and oversubscription causing figures to plummet-but the market bounced back in 2019 in buoyant fashion. The breeze-up pinhookers, already surely some of the thickest-skinned players in the game, soldiered on, stocking up their barns at the yearling sales to take another shot in 2020, when the renaissance of the 2-year-old sales would surely continue. And then, along came a pandemic. "There is a lot of concern out there given...