Maher snaps up Kings Valley for 140,000gns
As is always the case at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale, Australian buyers were out in force at Park Paddocks busy sourcing suitable stock to continue their careers Down Under.
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace’s head of bloodstock, Will Bourne, a familiar face in Newmarket at this time of year, struck early during the opening session, going to 140,000gns (approx. AU$283,400) to secure Kings Valley (Territories) from the Jamie Railton draft.
The juvenile ran four times for Ollie Sangster, finishing third over seven furlongs on debut at Sandown in July, before finishing second over the same course and distance two starts later. He was most recently seen finishing sixth over seven furlongs at Kempton on October 16.
“The plan is to send him to Harry Eustace for now and then ship him straight off to Australia,” Bourne told ANZ Bloodstock News. “He has run some really good races, he has been unlucky, he is still a maiden, but he is a lightly raced two-year-old.
“He is a progressive type and, going from two to three, we think he will get out over further. He is sound, clean-limbed, good feet, and he ticks a lot of boxes for Ciaron. He trotted up extremely sound, which is what Ciaron was impressed with most in the video.
“It is attractive, the horse still being a maiden – in Sydney now we have the Super Maidens and they are worth $100,000 and so, hopefully, [a win] would pay for the plane ride and we also have a horse who can go through the grades.
“He is a very good-looking animal, who is very light on his feet and very athletic.”
The colt, who was bought by Sangster for 65,000gns at Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2022, is out of placed Dansili (Danehill) mare Crystal Etoile and she is also the dam of Crystal Pegasus (Australia), a 190,000gns purchase for Chris Waller from this sale in 2020.
The son of Australia (Galileo) has subsequently gone on to score at Listed level on two occasions since arriving in Australia.
Further back, the colt hails from the same family as the late Sir Evelyn de Rothschild’s long-developed pedigree of the European champion older horse of 2019 Crystal Ocean (Sea The Stars).
Halla Dubai bound for Australia
Later on in the afternoon, Johnny McKeever, Hurworth Bloodstock’s Sam Haggas, and Dom Sutton teamed up to buy one-time winner Halla Dubai (Expert Eye) for 125,000gns (approx. AU$241,000).
McKeever told ANZ Bloodstock News that the team were working to buy a few tried horses for British-born Dom Sutton, who is currently serving as assistant to Leon and Troy Corstens, but is set to take out his own licence in Australia.
“He has been bought for Dominic Sutton, the son of a great friend of mine, Nick Sutton, who is English, but Dominic has been assistant trainer to Troy Corstens for the last few years and he is setting up as a trainer in Victoria,” said McKeever. “His dad is helping knock together a few horses so he can kick on. I am working at this in partnership with Sam Haggas of Hurworth Bloodstock.
“We bought a couple of yearlings at the Easter Sale last year and they are in training with Troy Corstens at the moment, so it is building up a little collection of horses so when he does make a start he has a few horses to get going.”
Offered by his former trainer Owen Burrows, the colt broke his maiden at the fourth time of asking at Windsor in August and leaves British shores with an official BHA rating of 86.
Out of winning mare Soft Ice (Kingmambo), who is herself a sister to the Group 1 winner and champion juvenile Okawango, Halla Dubai is a half-brother to five winners, including the Listed-placed Iceberg (Shamardal).
“This one was in the right price bracket for what he was, and the fact he is not an out-and-out stayer is actually what we wanted,” he continued.
“We were told he needs gelding and if he is gelded and performs up to the standard he has shown here, he will make a nice mid-week or Saturday horse for Dominic when he starts training.”
Boman and Neasham team up
Annabel Neasham and Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman returned to the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale yesterday, the scene of their greatest buying triumph, when they purchased Akkadian Emperor (Churchill) early on day one for 70,000gns (approx. AU$141,840) from the draft of Baroda Stud.
Trained by Joseph O’Brien, Akkadian Emperor was most recently seen finishing seventh of 23 in the Goffs Million (7f) at the Curragh, a performance that saw him earn an official rating of 86.
Bred by Summerseat Stables, the colt was bought by his owners, Stride Racing, for €50,000 from the Camas Park draft at the Goffs Orby Sale last year. The two-year-old is out of the unraced mare Summerseat Flyer (Excelebration), herself a half-sister to Listed-winning duo Laguna Salada (Invincible Spirit) and Montsarrat (Poet’s Voice).
Neasham and Boman have enjoyed great success sourcing tried horses at the sale, most notably having purchased subsequent multiple Group 1 winner Zaaki (Leroidesanimaux) for 150,000gns in 2020, while 12 months ago they took home four, headed by Fancy Man (Pride Of Dubai), paying 675,000gns for the gelding.
The son of Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry) opened his Australian account on his last-start in the Queensland Cup (Listed, 2400m) earlier in the month and will be given the chance to back that up in tomorrow’s Geelong Cup (Gr 3, 2400m).
Darby and De Burgh strike for Farnborough
Darby Racing and Hubie De Burgh have reaped the rewards from the horses they have teamed up to buy at the Tattersalls Sale and they returned to that lucrative well yesterday, snapping up dual winner Farnborough (Galileo) for 75,000gns (approx. AU$151,800).
Offered by Coolmore, the three-year-old son of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) was a one-time winner when the catalogue was produced, but the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt added to his record on Sunday when he soared to a five-length win in a handicap over 1600 metres at Leopardstown.
Out of the Listed winner and Group 3-placed mare Sing Softly (Hennessy), the colt has a flat rating of 84, which will undoubtedly improve off the back of his latest triumph.
Sing Softly herself is a sister to US Grade 2 scorer India, the dam of Japanese Grade 1 winner Mozu Ascot (Frankel) and US stakes winner Kareena (Medaglia D’Oro).
Darby Racing and De Burgh’s past purchases at the sale include Spirit Ridge (Nathaniel), who they bought at the 2019 edition the sale for 100,000gns and he went on to win a brace of Group 3s and a Listed race for the syndicators. At the sale that year, they also paid 60,000gns for Harpo Marx (Galileo) and he went on to win the Premier’s Cup (Gr 3, 2000m) at Kembla Grange in 2021.