Tulloch Lodge, Maher and David Eustace acquire at Goffs London Sale
Monday’s Goffs London Sale triggered the true beginning of Royal Ascot week, with Australians on the ground in their numbers, including Gai Waterhouse who again came away with a successful purchase at the sale when landing Asian Daze (Frontiersman) for £200,000 (approx. AU$383,360).
A three-year-old daughter of Frontiersman (Dubawi), Asian Daze has run ten times for Johnny Murtagh, recording three wins and a further three placings, including when a last-start runner-up in the Kooyonga Stakes (Listed, 1m) at Navan on June 8. That effort landed the filly an official rating of 97.
The filly is only foal out of the Danehill Dancer (Danehill) mare Heartasia and is by Overbury Stud’s Frontiersman, who is out of the multiple Group 1 winner Ouija Board (Cape Cross).
“In all fairness, she was an opportunistic bid,” Johnny McKeever, who purchased the filly on Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s behalf, told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“She’s placed at Listed level and is a granddaughter of the great Dubawi, so for us she looked to have residual value as a broodmare down in Australia where they are harder to come by.
“Gai has an owner in the stable who wanted to have a horse that might be able to run in Listed races in Australia, while we’re also going to have a runner on Friday, but apart from that it was an opportunistic bid at a price we felt was very reasonable.”
Asian Daze is entered in Friday’s Sandringham Stakes (1m) at Royal Ascot, where she is set to take on the likes of the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Kitty Rose (Invincible Army).
Maher teams up with Richard Ryan for 400,000 buy New Bay colt
Although not on the ground at Monday’s boutique sale, Ciaron Maher was still active, purchasing New Bay (Dubawi) colt Pentle Bay for £400,000 (approx. AU$766,720) in conjunction with Richard Ryan.
Trained by Newmarket-based George Boughey, Pentle Bay has made just the one start to date when winning on debut in a six-furlong maiden at Leicester on June 6, scoring by a head over a more experienced rival.
A €55,000 purchase for Boughey at May’s Arqana May Two-Year-Old Breeze-Up Sale, the colt is the seventh foal out of the winning Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare My Wish, making him closely related to winner Japarana (Makfi) and a half-brother to three further winners.
Pentle Bay has an entry in Saturday’s Chesham Stakes (Listed, 7f) at Ascot where he is set to be ridden by Jamie Spencer.
“By New Bay out of a Galileo mare and Ciaron just felt he overachieved on his first start, doing his best work late,” Will Bourne, Maher’s bloodstock manager, told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“He definitely looks a horse that will be much better over a further distance, and we plan to run him in Saturday’s Chesham before then bringing him over to Australia. He’s a nice horse.”
Cool Dividend off to Hong Kong and Eustace
Hong Kong-based trainer David Eustace has added progressive three-year-old Cool Dividend (Profitable) to his stable after JS Bloodstock and Charles Gordon-Watson Bloodstock landed the gelding for £250,000 (approx. AU$479,200) at Monday’s sale.
Officially rated 88 by the UK handicapper, Cool Dividend has won and finished second in both of his handicap starts to date after having three promising runs as a juvenile, with two of those efforts wielding runner-up finishes.
Cool Dividend, who is the third foal out of So Funny (Distorted Humor), herself a sister to Grade 3 scorer Colizeo, was last seen scoring by two lengths in a six-furlong Class 4 handicap at Haydock on June 6. The gelding has no entries for this week’s royal meeting.
“He’s a progressive three-year-old horse, very good looking type, bought for Dave Eustace in partnership with Billy Jackson Stocks,” Will Douglass of Charles Gordon-Watson Bloodstock told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“He’s a horse we both liked and he has the right profile for Hong Kong. He looks like a big sound horse, and we felt at that price he was a very nice buy.”
Douglass admitted it was nice to purchase a horse at Monday’s sale for Eustace, who is about to commence training in Hong Kong.
“It’s great to support Dave [Eustace], Billy and I have been helping him a lot so fingers crossed he gets off to a flyer. I think he’s got all the attributes to be a real success over there and he’s in the most unique position where he knows both the southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere incredibly well, so he can adjust himself both buying and training these horses to hopefully take himself right to the top.”