5,000,000 Gns World Record At Tattersalls

The World record for a yearling filly at auction was smashed at Tattersalls on the second day of the October Yearling Sale Book 1 when Qatar’s Sheikh Joaan bought the GALILEO sister to the Oaks winner WAS for 5,000,000 guineas. The sale also represents the highest price in European auction history, beating the 4.6m guineas that MAGICAL ROMANCE realised at the 2006 Tattersalls December Mare Sale. The sale price of 5,000,000 guineas is equivalent to $8.4m and Euros 6.2m.

Trade on the second day continued in record-breaking fashion, with a total of 110  lots selling for 24,916,000 guineas. The average rose 27% to 226,509 guineas whilst the median rose 24% to 140,000 guineas.

Much of the talk prior to the start of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale was about the GALILEO filly out of the GREEN DESERT mare ALLURING PARK. The sister to the Oaks winner WAS and last year’s 1.5m guineas yearling filly was consigned to the sale by the Burns Family’s Lodge Park Stud. ALLURING PARK is a daughter of the Champion Irish filly PARK EXPRESS and a sister to the Derby winner and exciting young sire NEW APPROACH.

Turkish owner/breeder Ibrahim Araci opened up the bidding on the filly at 500,000 guineas and went head-to-head with Charlie Gordon-Watson to 2,000,000 guineas when John Magnier and Nicholas de Watrigant took up the running. Magnier, who signed for yesterday’s 3.6m gns colt was not willing to increase his bid above 5,000,000 guineas, leaving Mandore International’s Nicholas de Watrigant to sign the docket for the filly on behalf of Sheikh Joaan’s Al Shaqab Racing.

"She is a magnificent specimen," said de Watrigant. "We bought her sister last year and we think she could be special, we didn't want to miss this one - let's hope she is the next Treve!

"We didn't expect to pay that sort of price, but Al Shaqab Racing is keen to invest. She goes into training with Monsieur (Andre) Fabre."

Earlier in the day Shadwell Estates’ Angus Gold broke the million guinea barrier for the second at the sale when he signed for the full-brother to the Group 1 Prix Morny winner ARCANO. Consigned from James & David Egan’s Corduff Stud, the son of OASIS DREAM out of the DAYLAMI mare TARIYSHA was the subject of a three-way battle between Gold, Coolmore’s MV Magnier and Badgers Bloodstock’s Grant Pritchard-Gordon, seated with Russian owner Alexander Nezhenets. As the bidding passed the seven figures mark, it was Gold who proved triumphant at 1,100,000 guineas.

"It is a family we know very well, and one Sheikh Hamdan has always followed as he selected the full-brother Arcano himself after he won the July Stakes," said Angus Gold.

"Arcano was a very good two-year-old who unfortunately got hurt, the Medicean half-brother was better than the page shows and the sister is a beautiful filly.

"Sons of Oasis Dream are already looking very good, let's hope this one can run a bit. This is a tough market, we were underbidder five times yesterday, but we wanted this colt."

Whilst Sheikh Joaan has been the leading purchaser by turnover, Sheikh Mohammed’s bloodstock advisor John Ferguson has been the most prolific, with 32 purchases after two days of the sale. The highest priced of these on the second day was the OASIS DREAM colt out of the SADLER’S WELLS mare BRIOLETTE which was sold to Ferguson for 650,000 guineas after he saw off the efforts of MV Magnier. The colt, who was consigned from David and Diane Nagle’s Barronstown Stud, is out of a Listed winning sister to PILSUDSKI, the multiple Group 1 winner and Champion older horse in Europe in 1997.

Commenting on the record-breaking GALILEO filly Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said;

“Regally bred and the most outstanding individual, she is a filly who has absolutely everything. The Burns family have sold so many magnificent yearlings at Tattersalls and she is the ultimate tribute to three generations of outstanding horsemanship. We are delighted for the whole Lodge Park team and the filly’s new owner Sheikh Joaan.”

Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues at midday on Thursday, October 10.