Galileo sister to Japan becomes world’s most expensive yearling at 3,400,000gns
Coolmore returned to familiar territory on the final day of the Book 1 Yearling Sale at Tattersalls on Thursday as MV Magnier got the better of a dramatic three-way tussle to secure the Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) full-sister to Japan and Mogul, Lot 436, at 3,400,000gns (approx. AU$6,200,000) the highest price paid for a yearling the world over this year.
Auctioneer Edmond Mahony described the chance to buy into one of the best and most active families in the stud book as a “rare opportunity” before he scanned the ring and said: “I don’t think I’m out of place in asking for two million.”
An opening offer of 500,000gns seemed hopelessly optimistic but, after a rapid-fire series of 50,000gns increases, proceedings rested between the key protagonists. Oliver St Lawrence, who secured the 2,700,000gns (approx. AU$4,900,000) Kingman (Invincible Spirit) colt for Bahraini interests on day one, was again in position by the rope and was among those to head into seven-figure territory.
Magnier, with Georg von Opel and other members of the Coolmore team, stood just a few paces behind St Lawrence and matched his every increase with a succession of six-figure raises. St Lawrence bid 2,500,000gns, at which point Qatar Racing’s David Redvers, standing with Sheikh Fahad and Oisin Murphy, joined in with a 100,000gns increase of his own.
Then came a big statement of intent from Magnier when he upped the ante to 3,000,000gns, raising the stakes by 400,000gns in one fell swoop. St Lawrence’s race was run but Redvers picked up the baton with another 100,000gns delivered to Tattersalls’ Matt Prior, stationed on the bid spotter’s podium by the parade ring.
However, when Magnier gave the nod to a bid of 3,400,000gns the Qatar Racing camp had no further response. The filly is, of course, out of Newsells Park Stud’s Shastye (Danehill), whose yearling receipts at Tattersalls now total a jaw-dropping 14,200,000gns.
“First of all, Andreas [Jacobs, owner of Newsells Park] and his family have been great supporters of Coolmore for a very long time, so I’m delighted for them to get a good price for a very nice filly,” said Magnier, who confirmed his purchase was made in partnership with Von Opel’s Westerberg operation.
“We’ve been very lucky with this family with Japan and Mogul. They were always very good-looking horses, the mare produces great-looking stock and great racehorses. Let’s hope that continues and that this is a good filly.”
Despite the filly’s headline-grabbing price tag, she is not the most expensive of Shastye’s progeny, with that honour belonging to the Group 3-winning Sir Isaac Newton (Galileo), who fetched 3,600,000gns (approx AU$6,500,000) from Magnier in 2013.
The Danehill (Danzig) mare has now produced five seven-figure yearlings since she joined the Newsells broodmare band at a cost of 625,000gns (approx AU$1,200,000) in 2005.
Magnier confirmed that Mogul stays in training at four but said it was too early to say whether Japan would join his brother at Ballydoyle next year or retire to stud. “The two of them were supposed to run in the Arc but there’s still Hong Kong, the Breeders’ Cup and Japan as possible targets,” he added of the pair.
Newsells Park’s general manager Julian Dollar gave an update on Shastye, saying: “Sadly she was barren to Galileo last year and didn’t conceive from two goes this year so we brought her home and she’s now in foal to Dubawi. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed we get a few more foals out of her before we have to retire her.
“She looks well and is in great form. She’s done more to establish Newsells as a successful commercial stud farm than any other mare. She’s kept me and the team here in a job, so we’re very grateful to her.”
Magnier secures relation to Mohaather
Magnier also had to see off Redvers earlier in the session when he went to 2,800,000gns (approx AU$5,100,000) for the Galileo filly out of Mohaather’s sister Prize Exhibit (Showcasing), Lot 374.
Mahony was also on the rostrum for that lot and took an opening offer of 500,000gns before a sales ring arm wrestle between Magnier, standing in the bidders’ area with Von Opel, and Tammy O’Brien, sitting with Demi O’Byrne on the stairs to the right of the rostrum, soon pushed the price into seven-figure territory.
When Magnier bid 1,900,000gns it seemed as though he had done enough to seal the deal, but no sooner had he seen off the rivals on the opposite side of the Park Paddocks auditorium than bid spotter Richard Botterill, standing on the podium by the parade ring, called out with a play of 2,000,000gns.
A string of 100,000gns raises were exchanged, but cracks began to appear in Redvers’ challenge when he changed tack with a 50,000gns increase to 2,750,000gns. After a brief discussion with Von Opel, Magnier gave a final nod of the head to signal a 50,000gns bid of his own.
Mahony looked towards the podium and said to the bid spotter: “How are you doing outside, Richard?”
But, as the elegant filly continued to make her way around the ring in near silence, it became clear matters had reached a conclusion and the gavel duly came down.
“She’s a very nice filly, Aidan [O’Brien] and all the lads really liked her,” said Magnier after signing the seven-figure ticket. “David Nagle [Barronstown Stud] has been saying how good a filly she is for a very long time and we’re just very lucky to be able to buy her with Michael [Tabor], Derrick [Smith] and Georg.”
The filly was bred and offered by David and Diane Nagle’s Barronstown Stud and is the first foal out of Prize Exhibit, a daughter of Showcasing (Oasis Dream) who won a brace of Grade 2 contests in the US. The mare joined the Barronstown broodmare band at a cost of 775,000gns (approx. AU$1,450,000) at Tattersalls in 2017.
The pedigree of Prize Exhibit, who was bred by Gaie Johnson Houghton, has undergone a major upgrade this year as she is a sister to none other than Mohaather, the winner of this year’s Sussex Stakes (Gr 1, 1m). The Shadwell-owned colt is set to begin his stallion career at Nunnery Stud next year. The pair are also siblings to Roodle (Xaar), dam of Accidental Agent (Delegator).
“She has a great page and comes from a very good nursery,” added Magnier. “Sheikh Hamdan’s horse is very good so it’s a very active pedigree. Those kinds of fillies are collectors’ items. With how Galileo is doing as a broodmare sire and with his racehorses, he’s just exceptional.”
Huge result for Gigginstown House Stud as Kingman filly fetches 1,450,000gns
Gigginstown House Stud is a name more closely associated with success at Aintree and Cheltenham but Michael O’Leary’s operation made an almighty impact at Book 1 on Thursday having bred the Kingman filly out of Sante (Dream Ahead), Lot 416, who became the session’s second seven-figure lot at 1,450,000gns (approx. AU$2,700,000).
There was a protracted three-way bidding battle for the well-related filly, with Anthony Stroud, acting for Godolphin, getting the better of Tammy O’Brien, sat with Demi O’Byrne, and the Coolmore team.
The filly, consigned by O’Leary’s brother Eddie of Lynn Lodge Stud, is the first foal out of Sante, a winning daughter of Dream Ahead (Diktat) who was third in a Baden-Baden Listed contest for trainer Jean-Pierre Carvalho.
She joined the Gigginstown broodmare band having been signed for by Mags O’Toole at 310,000gns at the 2018 Tattersalls December Sales, carrying the Kingman filly in utero.
Sante is one of six black-type performers out of Knocktoran Stud’s remarkable producer Zeiting (Zieten), whose brood includes the Group 2-winning Combat Zone (Refuse To Bend) and Group 3 scorers Royal Empire (Teofilo) and Scottish (Teofilo). Zeiting also bred Zut Alors (Pivotal), dam of Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (Gr 1, 1600m) heroine Precieuse (Pivotal), and Bikini Babe (Montjeu), dam of Godolphin’s unbeaten Group 3 winner La Barrosa (Lope De Vega).
“It was the physical and that great pedigree,” said a delighted Eddie O’Leary when asked what had appealed about Sante. “Those two things and the Kingman cover was what we wanted.
“This filly has been a star since the day she was born. She was always a queen and made a queen’s price. The mare has a Kodiac colt foal and is in foal to Invincible Spirit. I hope she’s very lucky for Sheikh Mohammed.”
Earlier in the session Godolphin went to 800,000gns (approx. AU$1,500,000) for the Dubawi colt out of Provenance (Galileo) offered by Cheveley Park Stud as Lot 376. The youngster is bred on the same cross as Ghaiyyath (Dubawi), as his dam is a daughter of Galileo and the Group 1-winning Echelon (Danehill).
“He’s a smashing horse, one of the best I’ve ever brought here as a physical,” said Cheveley Park’s managing director Chris Richardson. “He ticked all the boxes and I’m delighted Sheikh Mohammed managed to secure him.
“It’s nice that Mr and Mrs Thompson [Cheveley Park Stud owners] have been rewarded; we’d have loved to have raced him but the policy is to offer the colts. It’s a foundation family for the Thompsons and one that keeps evolving.
Provenance’s first foal, the Dutch Art (Medicean) gelding Cruyff Turn, did his bit to upgrade the pedigree by shedding his maiden tag in a Redcar maiden last month.
Mike Ryan lands Dream Of Dreams sibling
US-based agent Mike Ryan was also among the most prolific purchasers across the three-day auction and saved his biggest involvement for late in the final session, going to 1,400,000gns (approx. AU$2,600,000) for the Galileo half-sister to Dream Of Dreams (Dream Ahead) offered as Lot 510 by Old Mill Stud.
“She’s an exceptional filly by an exceptional sire and out of a terrific family,” said Ryan from his position on the back stairs. “She was absolutely gorgeous and looks like a runner.
“I knew she was going to be expensive, you know what it takes to buy Galileos, but I’m delighted we got her as I waited all day. How many more years are we going to be seeing Galileo’s progeny? He’s the greatest sire of my lifetime, and probably anyone’s lifetime for that matter.
“She’ll go back to the States, have some time out and we’ll then break her in. She’ll be on a flight to Florida in ten days’ time.”
The filly is out of Vasilia (Dansili) and boasted a Group 1 update to her pedigree after Dream Of Dreams won the Haydock Sprint Cup (Gr 1, 6f) last month. She was bred by Vefa Ibrahim Araci after Rob Speers secured the dam for 160,000gns (approx. AU$300,000) in 2015.
The daughter of Dansili is a sibling to the high-class Airwave (Air Express), granddam of Churchill (Galileo), and Jwala (Oasis Dream), and has bred five winners herself.
Ryan, who spent 4,340,000gns on 16 yearlings across the entirety of Book 1, added: “I’ve been runner-up to Shadwell, Godolphin and Roger Varian, we’ve run hard on some horses and we’ve bought some very nice yearlings.”
Change of fortune for Redvers
Having underbid the two priciest lots, Qatar Racing’s David Redvers eventually got on the scoresheet when giving 825,000gns (approx. AU$1,500,000) for the Lope De Vega (Shamardal) colt out of Starlet (Sea The Stars) offered as Lot 460 by Highclere Stud.
Bred by the Earl of Halifax, the colt is a half-brother to the Group 3 scorer Love Locket (No Nay Never) and the Listed-winning Raakib Alhawa (Kingman).
Starlet raced in the colours of the late Marguerite Weld and the mare’s early progeny were bred by the Weld family’s Springbank Way Stud, but the daughter of Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) was bought through John and Jake Warren for 160,000gns (approx. AU$300,000) in 2017.
“This colt has a stallion’s pedigree and the mare has a 100 per cent record of breeding stakes horses, so he’s exactly the sort of thing we’re looking to add to the team,” said Redvers.
“We’ve a lot of homebreds going into training this year and we’ve been trying to add to the broodmare band too. It’s been a frustrating day but full credit to Tattersalls for putting on a show and the market for being as resilient as it is for the top-end stock.”
Frankel half-brother to Marsha sold to Juddmonte in private deal for 850,000gns
Elite Racing Club’s Frankel (Galileo) half-brother to champion sprinter Marsha (Acclamation) has been sold to Juddmonte Farms for 850,000gns (approx. AU$1,600,000) after being bought back as Lot 295 for 1,000,000gns at Park Paddocks on Wednesday.
The final foal out of the wonderful producer Marlinka (Marju), who sadly died in March after a bout of colic, the son of Banstead Manor Stud resident Frankel went unsold in the ring after bidding finalised at the one million reserve mark.
Elite Racing’s Dan Downey confirmed the sale to Juddmonte, and said on Thursday: “We obviously really liked him but it’s a strange time to be selling yearlings and we had to think long and hard as to what he was worth.
“We spoke to Juddmonte this morning and made the decision. They loved the colt and I wasn’t surprised to see them back a few times. They’re a great company to deal with and we’re delighted he’s going there.”
The Furnace Mill Stud-consigned colt comes from a prominent family, being a half-brother to classy sprinter Judicial, winner of the Group 3 Coral Charge and Chipchase Stakes, as well as champion mare Soviet Song, the winner of nine races including the Falmouth, Sussex Stakes and Fillies’ Mile in a brilliant career.
The Elite Racing Club-bred Marsha was sold for 6,000,000gns (approx. AU$10,900,000) to MV Magnier at the 2017 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, becoming the highest-priced horse sold at a European auction in the process. The top-class daughter of Acclamation (Royal Applause), winner of the Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) and Prix de l’Abbaye (Gr 1, 1000m) for Sir Mark Prescott, produced her first foal, by Coolmore’s perennial champion sire Galileo, earlier this year.
Godolphin were the sale’s leading buyers with 16,430,000gns spent
There were challenges and triumphs at this year’s sale, with both soaring highs at the top of the market as well as more sobering realities further down the pecking order.
On the upside, the three-day auction supplied the year’s most expensive yearling in the shape of the Galileo filly out of Shastye and on the flip side, key market metrics showed year-on-year declines that reflect the downturn seen not only across the bloodstock industry but the wider financial landscape.
The three-day auction generated a clearance rate of 79 per cent as 369 of 466 offered yearlings found a buyer. The same metric was 82 per cent 12 months ago. Turnover was down by 20 per cent year-on-year at 82,385,000gns, while the average and median price both fell by 13 per cent, the former to 223,265gns and the latter to 130,000gns.
Godolphin was by some way the most active buyer, with Sheikh Mohammed’s operation securing 22 lots for a total spend of 16,430,000gns – a figure that amounts to 20 per cent of whole-sale turnover. Coolmore’s MV Magnier also made a sizeable impact with his 14 purchases, among which were the top two lots, costing 9,780,000gns. Newsells Park Stud, breeder of the 3,400,000gns top lot, was the leading consignor by aggregate sales, with their 15 sold lots generating receipts of 6,942,000gns.
At the conclusion of trade, Tattersall chairman Edmond Mahony said: “First and foremost we would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who has participated at Book 1 of this year’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, in whatever capacity.
“Since the early part of this year every walk of life has been thrown into turmoil and the global bloodstock industry is no exception. The scale of the disruption which everyone has faced is best illustrated by the fact that this week’s sale has been the first 2020 British, Irish or French yearling sale to have taken place at both its originally intended location and date.
“Nevertheless, since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic we have worked collaboratively alongside Goffs and Arqana to explore every possible means by which to stage sales and to ensure that trade continues to take place as normally as possible.
“Everyone must take enormous credit for the way they have reacted to the difficult circumstances and responded to all the rules and regulations under which we have had to operate in order to provide the safest possible working environment for all concerned.
“In terms of the market, none of us can pretend that all is plain sailing and a slightly lower clearance rate reflects prevailing commercial realities from which none of us are immune, but we can also reflect on a resilience and sustained demand for quality yearlings in spite of the wider challenges.
“Book 1 of the 2020 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale has yet again produced the highest price for a yearling sold in Europe and North America, as well as the highest-priced yearling filly in the world and three of the ten highest prices ever at this fixture.
“Inevitably the market is down, in broad terms to around the levels of 2015 after a sustained period of growth, but the global appetite for our sport remains intact and buyers from throughout the world, albeit in reduced numbers, have made a huge contribution to Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale, as have the British and Irish buyers who continue to recognise this particular yearling sale as the key fixture in the European yearling sales calendar.
“Success-fuelled demand from American and Australian buyers has been very evident from start to finish and the support and commitment from throughout the Gulf region, in particular Dubai, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, continues to be hugely influential and massively appreciated by the whole industry.”
He continued: “The significance of the lucrative October Book 1 Bonus, arguably greater than ever, has also been a feature of the sale and having distributed almost £5.5 million in bonus prize-money to date, it has been rewarding to see so many owners, trainers and syndicates actively pursuing future bonus winners.
“Opportunities to win significant prize-money have never been more crucial and the importance of incentives such as the £20,000 Book 1 Bonus, as well as the Great British Bonus, should not be underestimated in the current climate.
“Equally significant has been the outstanding quality of the yearlings on offer this week. This was without doubt the cream of the European yearling crop; a true showcase for so many of the best yearlings to be found anywhere in the world and we must pay tribute to the breeders and consignors.
“The market may not fully reflect the quality of the horses at Park Paddocks this week, but everybody should be applauded for what they have achieved in the face of extraordinary challenges and we will now turn our attention to Books 2, 3 and 4 of the October Yearling Sale, which are catalogues with all the ingredients to appeal to buyers at all levels of the market.”
Click here for full results. https://www.tattersalls.com/sales/october-yearling-sale-book-1/4DCGI/Sale/OC1%2020/Main