Australian buyers create fireworks at Tattersalls
Australian investment accounted for six of the top ten lots at the second session of the Tattersalls’ Autumn Horses in Training Sale, a list headed by the record-breaking Delius (Frankel) at 1,300,000gns (approx. AU$2,702,200).
Agents Guy Mulcaster and Alastair Donald cut out the early running but once matters rumbled into seven-figure territory it was between an online bidder and a huddle to the right of the rostrum comprising Johnny McKeever, Claudia Fitzgerald, bloodstock manager to the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable, and Hubie de Burgh.
After a long hold, the online player nudged the price to 1,250,000gns. But the 50,000gns increase was swiftly matched in the ring, with De Burgh’s raise enough to bring the gavel down on the most expensive lot ever sold at the Autumn Horses in Training Sale. An enthusiastic round of applause broke out before the colt had exited the ring.
The previous record-holder was the 1,000,000gns paid for Aljazzi (Shamardal), whose yearling filly by Frankel (Galileo) topped the recent renewal of Book 1 when Amo Racing bid a jaw-dropping 4,400,000gns for Newsells Park Stud’s youngster.
“He was the horse of the sale for us,” Fitzgerald told ANZ Bloodstock News. “He was a lovely addition to the sale as a wildcard, by an incredible stallion in Frankel. We have followed this horse for a while now and as fate would have it, he was here and we were ready to go. We are so fortunate to have the support of Sir Owen Glenn, who has taken the majority of this horse.
“He is a beautiful physical, he has a real stayer physique and the options for him are endless. To get a horse of this calibre in the stable is very exciting, these are the horses we dream of training. We were prepared to be strong on him and were delighted to land the final bid.
“He has had six starts, has not many miles on the clock and he is incredibly well performed.”
A couple of lots earlier, McKeever and Waterhouse forked out 250,000gns (approx. AU$518,700) for Listed winner The Euphrates (Frankel).
A frantic end to the session was kickstarted when Guy Mulcaster went to 460,000gns (approx. AU$957,100) for the upwardly mobile Hutchence (Frankel). Valmont’s three-year-old has come a long way in a short space of time, winning three of his last four starts, and Mulcaster is anticipating that Chris Waller can coax further progress from the son of Frankel (Sadler’s Wells).
“He came highly recommended from the Ralph Beckett stable and we liked the horse,” said Mulcaster. “He’s probably done it all on one preparation so far, so we thought there was still a little bit of juice left in the lemon. We’ll take him home and poke along and see how we go.
“We’re not in any mad rush with a horse that’s done it all in such a short space of time. I think he’ll keep furnishing and when he does we’ll be really happy with what we’ve got. I thought that was the sort of price we’d have to spend because some of the lesser-performed horses have been making pretty good money this week. It’s been hard to buy. This sale has been good to us but you’ve got to keep digging and finding the next one.”
Hutchence, a 310,000gns Book 1 purchase by Alex Elliott, landed handicaps at Salisbury, Newbury and Ascot. The latter of those successes came over two miles and was allotted an Racing Post Rating of 98. He is out of the Listed-winning High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) mare Baisse, who has already bred a Group 1 winner in Australia in Godolphin’s Kennedy Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) scorer Best Of Days (Azamour).
The very next lot into the ring was Mr Monaco, who was knocked down to Ciaron Maher’s head of bloodstock Will Bourne, sitting beside Jamie Spencer, at 410,000gns (approx. AU$852,200).
The three-year-old son of Territories (Invincible Spirit) has shown sustained improvement for the Beckett stable, winning a Leicester novice stakes and a ten-furlong Sandown handicap. He was last seen running to a personal best RPR of 104 for finishing second, beaten just a nose in a 0-95 at Pontefract.
On Wednesday, Waller and Mulcaster continued to spend, paying Jamie Railton 210,000gns (approx. AU$435,800) for Tazima (Awtaad), a three-year-old colt, who has now run twice, winning on his second start at Redcar over 1m 2f for Beckett.
Ellis extends international buying reach
Te Akau supremo David Ellis made his first purchase at the Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale on Tuesday evening when he snapped up Listed winner Bright Stripes (Starspangledbanner) for 145,000gns (approx. AU$301,400).
Offered by trainer Andy Oliver’s Stragrane House Stables, the colt’s two victories are headed by his win in this year’s Tetrarch Stakes (Listed, 1m), while he also finished second to Atlantic Coast (Kodiac), who was purchased by Henry Dwyer earlier in the day, in the Killavullan Stakes (Gr 3, 7f) at the Curragh as a two-year-old last season. The colt went through the ring with a BHA rating of 107.
Bright Stripes will continue his racing career under the care of Te Akau trainer Mark Walker who said: “We put a lot of time and effort into the sale and were delighted to be able to purchase him online.
“We were looking for a prospect that could run from a mile [1600m] to a mile and a half [2400m] in Australia, and to target some really good races there.
“His form is very, very good, and strong form has come from the races he’s been in and among the opposition he’s been against.
“We asked a few form experts in the UK to assess him for us and we were actually pleased to get him for under our budgeted price.
“He vetted extremely well, which was important to us, and we vetted him to the highest Hong Kong international standards.
“We think he’s a really exciting prospect for the Australian stable, and the plan is now for him to be gelded in England, and then he’ll come out to Australia.
“Gelding him straight away will give him the best chance of acclimatising to Australian conditions, where we’ll give him a light autumn preparation before concentrating on some nice spring races next season.
“We’re thrilled to be able to purchase a stakes winner from the UK, and think he’s an exciting prospect.”
Te Akau entered the market again on Wednesday, teaming up with Hurworth Bloodstock to buy one-time winner Eagle Angel (Gleneagles) for 80,000gns (approx. AU$166,000). Bred and raced by George Strawbridge, the colt was offered by the Castlebridge Consignment with a BHA rating of 87.
Having made his first purchase earlier on Tuesday, Henry Dwyer didn’t wait long to etch his name on the buyers’ sheet for the second time, combining with Hurworth Bloodstock’s Sam Haggas, to purchase Qatar Racing’s one-time winner Palace Green (Sea The Moon) for 110,000gns (approx. AU$228,600).
Offered as part of Jamie Railton’s consignment, the gelding has won one of his nine career starts for Richard Hughes, opening his account on his seasonal debut this year when scoring over 1m 2f at Kempton in April. The three-year-old went under the hammer with a BHA rating of 85, but had been rated as high as 90.