Sottsass date beckons as Demi O’Byrne lands 360,000gns session-topper
Few offerings draw prospective purchasers to the Park Paddocks ring quite like the draft of Juddmonte fillies and those lots again took centre stage during another solid session of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale on Wednesday.
Khalid Abdullah’s operation offered 19 three-year-olds and a single juvenile and the draft duly brought an aggregate of 1,526,000gns (approx. AUD$2.9 million) and an average of 76,300gns (approx. AUD$145,000). The most in-demand member of the bunch was Cressida (Dansili), who was knocked down to Demi O’Byrne, seated to the right of the rostrum with Tammy O’Brien, at 360,000gns (approx. AUD$630,000).
The filly, who was signed for on behalf of Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm, will now form part of Sottsass’s (Siyouni) debut book as the owner’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) hero begins his second career at Coolmore.
“She’s a very nice physical and a great walker,” O’Byrne said of the daughter of Dansili (Danehill), whose looks are backed up by a deep Juddmonte pedigree. She is the fifth foal out of Modern Look (Zamindar), the dam of four winners from as many runners and the winner of the Prix de Sandringham (Gr 2, 1600m) herself.
Modern Look’s best performer is Grand Jete, a Dansili sister to Cressida who won the Eatontown Stakes (Gr 3, 8.5f) and finished runner-up to Dacita (Scat Daddy) in the Beverly D. Stakes (Gr 1, 9.5f) for Chad Brown.
In turn, Modern Look is out of Cheveley Park Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) heroine Prophecy (Warning), whose brood includes the likes of multiple Group 1 winner Foreteller (Dansili) and Arabesque (Zafonic), dam of stallion siblings Showcasing (Oasis Dream) and Camacho (Danehill).
Cressida won one of her three outings for Abdullah and John Gosden, with her Kempton novice stakes success coming on debut last July.
Brant is set to throw his considerable support behind Sottsass’s stallion career, with the son of Siyouni (Pivotal) and Starlet’s Sister (Galileo) also due to be visited by the likes of Unaided (Dansili), dam of the champion Uni (More Than Ready) who sold for US$4.1 million in November; Rosa Bonheur (Mr. Greeley), dam of Brant’s dual Grade 1 winner Raging Bull (Dark Angel); Albany Stakes (Gr 3, 6f) victress Different League (Dabirsim); and Azafata (Motivator), whose offspring include May Hill Stakes (Gr 2, 1m) scorer and Group 1 runner-up Fleeting (Zoffany).
Twomey gets his Girl
Paddy Twomey enjoyed a big result on day two of the sale when Sonaiyla (Dark Angel) was sold by his Athassel House Stud to Moyglare Stud for 900,000gns (approx. AUD$1.7 million). Nearly 24 hours later the trainer turned buyer when going to 310,000gns (approx. AUD$589,300) to add Stormy Girl (Night Of Thunder) to his string.
The daughter of Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) has developed into a high-class performer for Sedgefield-based trainer Rebecca Menzies and owners Stonegrave Thoroughbreds, as highlighted by her success in the Flying Fillies’ Stakes (Listed, 6f) at Pontefract in August.
“She’s a nice filly and she looks to have progressive form,” said Twomey. “She’s been unlucky the odd time in her races but hopefully, if the cards fall her way, another winter might help her improve again. Her dam’s half-sister bred a Group 1 winner this year so it’s a deep family and she has residual value as a broodmare. She’s been bought for an existing owner.”
The three-year-old’s value had appreciated markedly since her previous visit to the sales, as she fetched just €22,000 when bought by Compas Equine as a yearling. Her pedigree had also undergone an notable upgrade in that timeframe, as she is out of a half-sister to the dam of Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr 1, 1600m) hero Tiger Tanaka (Clodovil).
Menzies was on hand to offer new connections her congratulations, and after the docket had been signed she said: “She’s been absolutely amazing for us and she’s progressed as the year’s gone on. There’s loads more to come from her as a racemare and I’m sure she’ll be a brilliant broodmare in time.
“She was owned by Mike And Eileen Newbould, they’ve had more jumpers than Flat horses but they bought some yearlings a couple of years back and she’s been their flagship horse so it’s a brilliant result for them.
“Hopefully we can go back to the sales in future and find another like her. We’ve only got a small yard and she’ll leave a massive hole but I’m really looking forward to watching her. There probably aren’t many trainers who’d say that but I’ll get a lot of pleasure out of seeing her race on.”
Juddmonte action continues
Famed Juddmonte producer Clepsydra (Sadler’s Wells) has exerted a notable influence on proceedings at this year’s December Mares Sale, with no less than four of her daughters changing hands.
The priciest of those was Time Saver (Frankel), who went the way of Blandford Bloodstock at 850,000gns (approx. AUD$1.615million), while Gerrardstown House Stud gave 200,000gns (approx. AUD$380,000) for Mechanism (Zamindar) and Ted Durcan and the Heider family went to 160,000gns (approx. AUD$304,150) for Amser (Frankel).
On Wednesday the fourth daughter of Clepsydra sold when Marc-Antoine Berghgracht of MAB Agency went to 190,000gns (approx. AUD$361,200) for the three-year-old filly Brinjal (Kingman). The half-sister to Timepiece (Zamindar), Passage Of Time (Dansili), Father Time (Dansili) and Continuum (Dansili) is set to commence her breeding career in France.
“It’s just a lovely family and she’s been bought for French breeder Haras d’Haspel, which is based in Normandy,” explained Berghgracht. “The farm started in the last three years, mainly as a commercial breeder.
“The pedigree is very active with plenty of fillies breeding – you can expect the page to look different next year. We will think about what stallion we send her to. We might ask Juddmonte what would be their suggestion!”
Tom Goff also dipped into the Juddmonte draft when the Blandford Bloodstock man went to 170,000gns (approx. AUD$323,175) for Arabian Dream (Oasis Dream), an unplaced sister to Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) scorer and Whitsbury Manor Stud stallion Showcasing.
Being by Oasis Dream (Green Desert) and out of Arabesque (Twirling Candy) means the three-year-old filly is also a half-sister to Yeomanstown Stud sire Camacho, the Group 3-placed Tendu (Oasis Dream) and the stakes-placed Westerland (Frankel) and Bouvardia (Oasis Dream).
“I thought we had her at 65,000gns!” said Goff. “Oasis Dream is a fantastic broodmare sire and she’s going to go to Ireland and be a mummy straight away. The page speaks for itself.”
Godolphin queens in demand
The Godolphin draft also proved a major draw as 22 lots brought receipts totalling 686,800gns (approx. AUD$1.3 million). The pricest of those was Queen Kahlua (Kingman), who was knocked down to Stuart Thom of Galloway Stud in Woburn for 160,000gns (approx. AUD$304,150).
The three-year-old won two races for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid and Henri-Francois Devin, including a Bordeaux Le Bouscat conditions event by four lengths on her penultimate outing. She also compiled some classy form in defeat, most notably when fourth behind Earthlight (Shamardal) in the Prix Kistena (Listed, 1200m).
She will get the opportunity to further enhance her race record as Thom reported that her new owner would be sending her into training in Newmarket.
“She’s been bought to keep in training but she’ll probably come home for some rest first. Then she’ll go into training with this man,” said Thom, gesturing towards Stuart Williams. “She’s a lovely filly physically, we thought she moved very well, and the fact she was only beaten five lengths by Earthlight really caught our attention.
“Eventually she’ll come back to Galloway Stud and hopefully she’ll make a nice broodmare.”
Bred by Horizon Bloodstock, Queen Kahlua is a half-sister to six winners, most notably the Listed scorer Windhoek (Cape Cross). She was making her second appearance at public auction having been signed for by Devin and Stephen Hillen at 57,000gns at Book 1 in 2018.