2010 Autumn Horses in Training Sale Day 1 Press Release

The St James’s Palace Stakes placed HEARTS OF FIRE lit up the Tattersalls sale ring late in the evening when selling for 550,000 guineas, the second highest price for a horse at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale. The opening day of the sale saw 224 lots sell for 4,429,500 guineas, at an average of 19,775 guineas and a median of 8,750 guineas.

The bidding for the Pat Eddery trained HEARTS OF FIRE, a Group 1 winner at two and an unlucky third to CANFORD CLIFFS in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, proved to be a truly International affair, with bidders from eight separate counties represented. Grove Stud’s Brendan Holland and trainer David Nicholls made the early running along with agent Dermot Farrington, seated alongside Hong Kong based owner Richard See and trainer Andreas Schutz. Anthony Stroud, standing alongside David Loder, and the Californian trainer Ben Cecil also staked bids along with New Zealand agent and trainer Paul Moroney. Moroney looked to have seen off allcomers at 450,000 guineas before Form Bloodstock’s Jehan Malherbe, bidding by telephone, bid 500,000 guineas. Just when the South African agent looked to have landed the three-year-old colt rated 120 by ‘Timeform’ Qatari trainer Ibrahim Al-Malki secured the colt with a single bid of 550,000 guineas.

Al-Malki said of the son of FIREBREAK; "We were looking for a good horse and he was obviously the best one in the sale. He's been bought for Hassan Ali Abdul Malik and will be based in Qatar for now.”

Seated with breeze-up specialist Armando Duarte and Abdul Malik’s Racing Manager Conrad Allen, Al-Malki continued; “He might run in Dubai at the carnival before coming back to race in Europe next year although his trainer in Europe is undecided at the moment."

The sale brought back memories of 2001 when HEARTS OF FIRE’s sire FIREBREAK topped proceeding’s at this sale for 525,000 guineas, a record at the time and not broken until 2008.

Californian trainer Jim Cassidy secured the DUBAWI colt SURREY STAR for 200,000 guineas. The Roger Teal trained two-year-old carried a 'Timeform' rating of 101 following his second in the Group 3 Somerville Tattersalls Stakes at Newmarket and Cassidy, who was bidding alongside agent Gordion Troeller, commented; "I was surprised to get him so cheaply. He's a lovely horse and has been bought for Tom Arndt of Class Racing and may make his debut in the Grade 3 Generous Stakes at Hollywood Park."

Anthony Stroud, standing alongside David Loder, secured the DANEHILL DANCER colt LOST IN THE MOMENT for 130,000 guineas. Consigned from Jeremy Noseda's Shalfleet Stables, the three-year-old won a handicap at Newbury impressively last Saturday and Stroud indicated that he was bought for the Dubai Carnival after seeing off the efforts of Irish jumps trainer Paul Nolan.

Stroud commented; "He was our pick of the day and a nice progressive three-year-old and very reasonable at that price."