230,000 Guineas Exchange Rate Colt Heads Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up & Horses In Training Sale
A son of EXCHANGE RATE lit up the sale ring at Tattersalls to top the Guineas Breeze Up & Horses in Training Sale at 230,000 guineas. The sale saw turnover increase 16% to a record 4,600,100 guineas and the median rise 13% to 18,000 guineas with the average down slightly at 26,745 guineas and a clearance rate of 79%. The horses in training section of the sale saw the turnover improve 22% to 836,200 guineas for the 52 lots sold, at an average of 16,081 guineas and a median of 6,250 guineas whilst the breeze up section saw turnover rise 15% to 3,763,900 guineas at an average of 31,366 guineas and a median of 23,500 guineas.
The star of the sale arrived late in the day, but the EXCHANGE RATE colt had a large audience awaiting him. James Delahooke, Richard Hannon, Peter Doyle, Dick O'Gorman, David Redvers and Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa were all involved in the bid to secure the colt and whilst Redvers looked to have secured him at 220,000 guineas, it was Charlie Gordon-Watson who saw the hammer drop after his bid of 230,000 guineas.
"He is a lovely individual, he has a great walk, has great strength, did a great breeze and is by Exchange Rate who is a very useful sire. It was worth the wait," commented Gordon-Watson.
Consignor Jim McCarten was understandably thrilled and it is the second year in succession that one from Gaybrook Lodge has topped the Guineas Breeze Up Sale.
"I loved the whole package of him," he said. "Exchange Rate has been a lucky sire for me and I just loved the way this horse moved, and his temperament. He was the one I really wanted to see when the lorry got to the farm last autumn with the US purchases.
"He is a horse that always wants to please, he has a lot of natural ability. He has been on the grass at home just a couple of times and he has just got it."
The second lot to break the six-figure barrier amongst the breeze ups was the QUALITY ROAD colt from Norman Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm. The son of the PLEASANT TAP mare MASADA was knocked down to agent Oliver St Lawrence for 115,000 guineas after he saw off trainer Mark Johnston.
"He's a quality Quality Road," said St Lawrence. "He's for Fawzi Nass & goes to George Peckham."
"He did a good breeze - he caught the eye and did a fast time.”
The top lot in the horses in training section of the sale was the once-raced Maiden winner CASTLELYONS who was a late ‘Wildcard‘ entry for trainer John Joseph Murphy. The son of PAPAL BULL, who was an impressive winner on debut at Cork was knocked down to agent Alex Elliot for 170,000 guineas after he saw off agents Stuart Boman and Armando Duarte.
"He's for trainer Robert Stephens and for a new syndicate. We bought Beltour together and worked together at Philip Hobbs's.
"This is a lovely horse, and could be anything. His maiden is already working out well and he did a hugely impressive time in that.
"All options are open - he could be a horse to travel with to Australia."
Mares in foal are not a common feature of the horses in training section of the sale, let alone those covered to southern-hemisphere time, but two such mares, part of the dispersal from the late Stefan Friborg’s broodmare band caught the attention of buyers.
The first of those was NEAMOUR, a daughter of OASIS DREAM in foal to ARCHIPENKO who was knocked down to Brook Stud’s Dwayne Woods for 72,000 guineas.
"She is for Brook Stud," he said. "She is a lovely mare, medium-sized and has a great walk. She has a good page.
"Her half-brother Postponed could be a Group 1 winner by the end of the year - I think he blew up a little at Sandown last week. "
AIDEN SEA was the next lot in the ring and was purchased by New Zealand agent Paul Moroney for 70,000 guineas. The half-sister to multiple Group 1-placed ARGENTINA was purchased for New Zealand owner and breeder Sir Owen Glenn.
It has been an exciting month for Glenn whose CRITERION won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick in April.
At the conclusion of the 2015 Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;
“Last year’s record-breaking Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up & Horses in Training Sale was always going to be a hard act to follow but this year’s renewal has all but matched the significant rises across the board achieved in 2014. A record top price and record turnover in the horses in training section of today’s sale have continued the upward progression in that sector of the Guineas Sale and again demonstrated the extra dimension it has brought to this fixture. The Breeze Up has recorded an increase in turnover and median and a very similar average and clearance rate to last year.
“While the combined turnover is a new record for the sale, and demand for quality two year olds which breezed well has been solid, we would have liked to see a little more depth to the overall trade today. This has been the largest number of horses ever catalogued for the Guineas Breeze Up and the greater numbers have contributed to a slightly more selective market than last year. Nevertheless, we have as ever welcomed buyers from throughout Europe and the Gulf region, all of whom have made a valuable contribution to the sale, and without doubt today’s sale will pay tribute to the professionalism of the consignors by producing its customary stream of quality racehorses."
The next sale at Tattersalls is the July Sale which takes place from July 7 – 10.