Camilleri celebrates seven-figure yearling as Godolphin set year’s world record price
The Godolphin juggernaut has proved the headline act at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, with the Sheikh Mohammed-owned operation signing their name on the docket for six of the top ten highest-priced purchases through the ring across the opening two days of Book 1, including the second session’s sale topper and the most expensive yearling in the world this year – a 2.8 million guineas (approx. AU$5.13 million) son of champion sire Frankel (Galileo).
The world leading breeding operation also ended Tuesday’s opening session with the three highest-priced lots of the day, and it was courtesy of one of Australia’s most renowned and successful breeders that they secured the session’s most prized colt.
Striking as the sun set on Tuesday’s vibrant day of trade, Godolphin went to 1.5 million guineas (approx. AU$2.75 million) to secure the standout son of Dubawi (Dubai Millennium), who was bred by the man behind the matings of champion mare Winx (Street Cry) and Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Vancouver (Medaglia D’Oro), Australia’s John Camilleri.
“I’m absolutely thrilled. To have the session topper at Europe’s premier sale is pretty special,” Camilleri told ANZ Bloodstock News from Tattersalls’ Park Paddocks sales ground.
“Having said that, he was a really special colt. He’s by Dubawi, and what more can you say about him, out of a great European family. He was the right article, so he ticks the right boxes.”
Catalogued as Lot 167, the coveted colt was offered by Adrian and Phillipa O’Brien’s Hazelwood Bloodstock and is out of a Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) sister to dual Group 1 winner Hydrangea, two-time European Classic winner Hermosa and Ranvet Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) winner The United States.
He is the third foal from Ring The Bell, who has already produced the stakes-placed Voice Of Angels (Dark Angel) as well as Sounds Of Heaven (Kingman), a 650,000gns filly from last year’s October Book 1 sale.
The Dubawi colt is one of four Book 1 yearlings to be offered by Hazelwood Bloodstock on behalf of Camilleri, who yesterday sold another colt by Dubawi for 800,000gns, also through the Hazelwood Bloodstock draft, and again snapped up by the free-spending Godolphin, whose presence at this Book 1 sale has been formidable.
“He’s another beautiful colt for John with a magnificent page, and we’re very grateful to Godolphin and Sheikh Mohammed for their support,” Hazelwood Bloodstock’s Adrian O’Brien told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“John is an exceptional breeder of horses, both in Australia and here, and when they come to sale they command an enormous amount of respect.”
The Lot 278-offered colt is from another valuable family with influence from both hemispheres, with his dam, French winner Via Condotti (Galileo), a sister to Group 1 winners Highland Reel and Cape Of Good Hope, as well as Royal Ascot Group 2 winner Idaho and Group 3 winner Nobel Prize, while her half-sister Valdemoro (Encosta De Lago) was a runner-up in the Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
The colt’s Australian Group 1-winning third dam is Circles Of Gold (Marscay), herself the dam of Group 1-winning champions Elvstroem (Danehill) and Haradasun (Fusaichi Pegasus).
Camilleri, who is making a first visit to Tattersalls after a three-year, Covid-enforced hiatus, has focused on a small but boutique band of broodmares in both hemispheres.
“I keep less than ten mares here at any point in time, I don’t want any more than that. It’s a similar formula in Australia where I’ve got 25-odd mares,” Camilleri said.
“I love coming here, it’s a great old sale ground. I’ve sold some nice horses and the experience is always great.”
Frankel to the fore on day two
If Tuesday held Dubawi’s name up in lights, yesterday it was the turn of Juddmonte Stud’s imperious champion Frankel, who provided the world’s top-priced yearling so far.
Watership Down Stud’s Frankel colt out of Dubawi mare So Mi Dar bore more than a passing resemblance to his sire and marched into the Park Paddocks ring with an accordingly sizeable reputation on day two of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale.
The blue-blooded youngster lived up to his star-billing by drawing a bid of 2.8 million guineas from Godolphin, who had rather had the run of things at the head of the market during the opening session, with a 6.025 million guineas (approx. AU$11 million) spend including a hat-trick of seven-figure lots. However, Lane’s End Farm’s Bill Farish was determined not to let Sheikh Mohammed’s operation have everything their own way as some strong bidding tactics were deployed.
A series of 100,000gns increases were delivered with sharp nods of the head and each time Godolphin responded Farish fired back almost immediately. But when a bid of 2.8 million guineas was signalled by the spotter next to the parade ring, Farish took a long, despondent look at the bid board over his left shoulder. After a brief exchange with bloodstock agent David Ingordo there was a clear shake of the head and the hammer came down.
“Obviously he’s got a stallion’s pedigree as he’s by Frankel out of a very good Dubawi mare,” said Anthony Stroud after signing for Godolphin’s fourth seven-figure purchase of the sale. “This is one of Watership Down’s best families so he was the jewel in the crown. Needless to say, he’s an extremely nice horse.”
Godolphin have been involved with the family before as not only does Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) now stand at Dalham Hall Stud but Dar Re Mi (Singspiel) is out of Watership Down’s foundation mare Darara (Top Ville), making her a half-sister to the star-crossed Rewilding (Tiger Hill), who won the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f) and Dubai Sheema Classic (Gr 1, 2000m) for Godolphin.
Darara, a Prix Vermeille (Gr 1, 1600m)-winning half-sister to Darshaan (Shirley Heights), joined the Lloyd Webber’s broodmare band at a cost of IR470,000gns in 1994.
“It’s an extraordinary thing when you have a horse like that and he fulfils everything you want from him,” said Simon Marsh, general manager of Watership Down. “He’s been an exceptional individual all his life, but these things don’t happen by accident.
“There are an enormous amount of people involved in getting him here, from Terry [Doherty, stud manager], who’s been with us for 30 years, to Conor, who led the horse up, and Donna [Vowles], who is our manager in Ireland, and the feed people and the farriers.
“All these people have to come together to be able to get the horse here today. For him to do what he’s done is amazing and we’re all absolutely delighted. It’s an incredible family and we’ve been incredibly lucky.”
Coolmore clean up with Broome sibling
It took 2.4 million guineas (approx. AU$ 4.39 million) for Coolmore to outmuscle Godolphin a few lots later when Croom House Stud offered the three-parts sibling to Broome (Australia) and Point Lonsdale (Australia).
Another by Frankel, the colt is out of Denis Brosnan’s superb producer Sweepstake (Acclamation), whose five winners are headed by Broome, who struck in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Gr 1, 2400m), and Futurity Stakes (Gr 2, 7f) winner Point Lonsdale.
MV Magnier, who signed alongside Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm, said: “Denis Brosnan is a very good breeder and we’ve had a lot of luck buying horses off him in the past. Everybody knows how well Frankel is doing at the moment and we’ve had the two brothers before and they’re two very good horses, so let’s hope this lad is as good.
“To be fair to Sweepstake she’s always bred very good-looking horses and the three of them are all pretty flashy animals and they’re all fairly similar types. With those sons of Galileo it’s not just Frankel, Churchill has gone to a new level as well, Australia is flying and Gleneagles too.”
Sweepstake won two races during her time on the track with Richard Hannon, most notably the National Stakes (Listed, 5f), before she made the switch to America. She joined the broodmare band of Brosnan’s Epona Bloodstock in 2011, when she was sourced at the Keeneland November Sale at a cost of US$280,000. Her yearlings have now brought 4.25 million guineas in Tattersalls yearling receipts.
Harron and De Burgh strike for Siyouni filly
Australian agent James Harron was on the board at Tattersalls yesterday, as he joined with Hubie De Burgh to purchase a filly by Siyouni (Pivotal) for 680,000gns (approx. AU$1.59 million)
Catalogued as Lot 264, the filly is the fourth foal out of Galileo mare Truth, herself a sister to Mackinnon Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Magic Wand and a half-sister to to stakes winners, including Irish Oaks (Gr 1, 1m 4f) winner Chicquita (Montjeu).
Vibrant trade sees figures soar
Tuesday’s opening session grossed 31.993 million guineas (approx. AU$58.56 million)
, a 27 per cent increase on the corresponding day 12 months ago. The average value rose by ten per cent year-on-year to 230,165gns (approx. AU$421,330), while the median was up five per cent at 160,000gns (approx. AU$292,890). The clearance rate was 86 per cent, up from 78 per cent in 2021, as 139 of 162 offered lots found a buyer.
The final session of Book 1 begins today.