Denmark bound for Australia
The winner of one race for Aidan O’Brien, the colt was last seen finishing eighth in the St Leger Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 6.5f), having previously finished second in the Melrose Handicap (1m 6f) in August and third in a handicap over a mile and six furlongs at Haydock in September.
“He is lightly raced, he fits our bill, we will put him into the system like the rest and we are delighted to get him at that sort of money,” said Mulcaster.
Bred by Dayton Investments, Denmark was purchased by his Mandore Agency and Coolmore’s MV Magnier for €440,000 at the Arqana October Yearling Sale in 2021 and was offered yesterday with an official BHA Rating of 102.
He is out of the Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Board Meeting (Anabaa), the dam of the Listed winner and Group 3-placed Big Blue (Galileo).
Board Meeting herself is a half-sister to Bright Sky (Wolfhound), the European champion three-year-old filly of 2002, and winner of the Prix de Diane (Gr 1, 2100m) and the Prix de l’Opera (Gr 1, 2000m).
Australian Bloodstock strike for Saxon King
Luke Murrell arrived in Newmarket on the hunt for horses for his and Jamie Lovett’s Australian Bloodstock syndicate and, having made his presence felt late in the day on Monday, he struck again during the second session when he paid 90,000gns (approx. AU$172,900) for Saxon King, a colt from the first northern hemisphere-bred crop of reverse shuttler Zoustar (Northern Meteor).
The colt was offered by trainer Charlie Hills, for whom he won three times from 11 starts, with his most recent victory coming over seven-and-a-half furlongs at Chester in June. He sold with an official BHA rating of 88.
“I’ve done a lot of homework on the ratings and I think he is at least a Saturday horse, whether that is in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, he gets to Australia with a pretty sexy rating. He will be one that will sell real quick, because people will identify that they can get their money back pretty quickly,” Murrell, who teamed up with Ronald Rauscher to buy the colt, told ANZ Bloodstock News.
While they don’t have any issues selling horses sourced at this sale, Murrell described the fact he is by Widden Stud-based sire Zoustar as a ‘bonus’.
“That is one thing we are quite fortunate with, we don’t struggle to sell them, so the fact it is a Zoustar, is a bonus more than anything else, we don’t go looking for them, but you know they work down there, so that’s half the battle. He was a nice clean horse and vetted out perfectly – so an easy one to target,” he said.
A few lots later, the pair teamed up again, paying 38,000gns (approx. AU$73,000) for Starlight Nation (Sioux Nation), who was offered by Clive Cox.
With an official BHA rating of 73, the three-year-old gelding’s only victory came in June when he scored over seven furlongs at Leicester.
Later on during the second session, Australian Bloodstock and Rauscher got their name on the sheet once again, this time combining with Victorian-based trainer Mick Price to secure Alhambra Palace (Le Havre) for 120,000gns (approx. AU$229,900).
Offered by William Haggas, the gelding won at Ascot over a mile and four furlongs in July, before adding to his record the following month when he landed a mile and six–furlong handicap at Sandown. He went under the hammer with an official BHA rating of 81.
The gelding is out of Listed-placed Lady Francesca (Montjeu), making him a half-brother to Group 3 scorer Laulne (Starspangledbanner) and Bartholomeu Dias (Mount Nelson), who won at Listed level for Annabel Neasham at Flemington in 2022.
Late on the first day, Murrell and Rauscher combined to buy Chillaxing, a one-time raced son of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), paying Baroda 22,000gns (approx. AU$42,200) for the three-year-old colt.
Out of the unraced Danetime (Danehill) mare Danetime Out, he is a half-brother to Group 1 winner Toormore (Arakan) and Group 2 scorer Estidhkaar (Dark Angel).
Vega Magnifico sells to Boman and Neasham
Annabel Neasham and Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman made their third purchase of the week yesterday when they secured stakes–placed Vega Magnifico (Lope De Vega) for 45,000gns (approx. AU$86,500).
Offered by The Castlebridge Consignment, the Joseph O’Brien-trained son of Lope De Vega (Shamardal) broke his maiden over a mile and two furlongs as a two-year-old, before placing in Listed company at Leopardstown on his third start this season. He was most recently seen winning over seven furlongs at Laytown on September 12 and was offered with an official BHA rating of 98.
The gelding was purchased by O’Brien for 260,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and is out of unraced mare Hit The Sky (Cozzene), making him a half-brother to Group 2 scorer Royal Bench (Whipper), Group 3-winning pair Memphis Tennessee (Hurricane Run) and Mayhem (Whipper), the dam of Listed-winning duo Sky Angel (Dark Angel) and Sea Theme (Sea The Stars).
This purchase comes after Boman and Neasham teamed up with Bennett Racing late on Monday night to buy New Business, a one-time winning son of Sea The Stars (Cape Cross), for 60,000gns (approx. AU$115,300).