Record Breaking Session at Tattersalls October Book 2
Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continued its record breaking pace on the second day with the highest grossing session in the history of the sale and six lots realising 500,000 guineas or more. Turnover surpassed 20,000,000 guineas for the second consecutive day, the average and median both realised double figure increases and the clearance rate was a remarkable 91%.
Appletree Stud Celebrate 600,000 Guineas Too Darn Hot Sale
The joint top lot on the second day of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale was the TOO DARN HOT filly out of the GALILEO mare LOLA PAIGE who sold for 600,000 guineas to the bid of agent Alex Elliott on behalf of Al Shaqab / Amo Racing. The sale reduced Robert "Choc" Thornton, stud manager at Paul Dunkley's Appletree Stud, to tears. It is the highest price achieved to date by the farm.
"Paul puts so much into the stud," said Thornton. "She is a queen, I thought she'd get 200,000 guineas or so, and then thought maybe 400,000 guineas, but to do that... She has been a star all the way through, and of course we were tempted to keep her, but the boss has put a lot of money in - he deserves to get some back.
"We have been with Too Darn Hot from the word go, and we have already produced a filly by him with another Galileo mare, she is in training with Roger [Varian] and has not run yet, but she is gorgeous. We sold a foal by him very well, and the sire has done us well."
Buyer Alex Elliott said: "She has been split between Al Shaqab and Amo. A trainer is yet to be decided, but we have a team of trainers who we are very happy with and she will go to one of those. Both sides gave her top marks, she is by Too Darn Hot who is a global stallion now, and she is out of a Galileo mare. She was always going to cost a lot of money."
Thoroughbred Racing Corporation Buy Sea The Stars Filly for 600,000 Guineas
The last lot into the ring equalled the session-topping price of 600,000 guineas when knocked down to Jane Mangan on behalf of the Thoroughbred Racing Corporation after seeing off a determined effort from American agent David Ingordo. The SEA THE STARS filly out of the SIYOUNI mare MONAAWARA was consigned to the sale by Philipp Stauffenberg on behalf of Meadow Farm Stud.
Jane Mangan, in charge of bidding, said: "The stallion is alright isn't he? We have been trying to buy the right type of filly for the last two weeks and we got two last week. This filly stood out, I thought she is the best filly in this book. She comes from a great farm, she is just very easy on the eye, there is no mystery here! She is the first foal out of a Siyouni mare, and we are very happy to get her."
Mangan continued: "We want to win Classics, middle-distance Classics. She fits that bill. She is by the right horse, she has a great damsire, she has got the scope to hopefully be good. I learned over the last two weeks that we all have a similar set of eyes, it doesn't matter what time of day a horse sells, people will go to the moon for the right horse."
Godolphin Secure Sea The Stars Colt from Folland-Bowen Bloodstock
Godolphin purchased their third son of SEA THE STARS at Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale when they secured the son of the SHAMARDAL mare KITCARINA for 550,000 guineas. He was consigned by Folland-Bowen Bloodstock and is easily the team's biggest result at Tattersalls. The colt was bred by the Kitcarina Partnership and Sunderland Holdings, and breeder Fiona Marner was at Tattersalls to see the colt sell.
"I bought her in training from Andre Fabre and then sent her to Andrew Balding and she did win a race," reported Marner of Windmill Stud. "We sent her to Sea The Stars for her first cover, a foal share kindly arranged by the late John Clarke, and went back to the sire again and produced this colt.
"He foaled with me and spent his time with us until going to Natalie and Matt to prep, they are based at Fonthill Stud and it is such a lovely farm, beautiful land. This colt has always been just such a lovely animal and individual, and I am so pleased for Natalie and Matt - it is so nice to see young people getting on."
KITCARINA is out of the Listed winning MONSUN mare KITCAT and is a half-sister to Listed winner KAPOUR and KITCARA, the dam of the multiple Group winner and Group 1 Coronation Cup runner up AL AASY, and hails from the family of Champion PENTIRE.
Natalie Folland and Matt Bowen were slightly shell-shocked by the result: "It is our biggest sale ring result, we sold a Showcasing for Lord Margadale last December for 170,000 guineas," said Bowen. "It is still sinking in! I didn't think he'd go to that sort of level, but as the week went on we thought we'd be ok.
"We are very thankful for Fiona sending him to us, we have had him for ten weeks and it is all credit to Fiona's team, we just had to finish him up."
Folland added: "We sold the Zoustar out of Frangipanni today to Steven Hillen so another gone to a good judge, so we are really pleased. We prepped 20 yearlings this year, our biggest draft, and we have ten foals, tens mares and three yearlings for December. It is a busy year and we are delighted with how things are going."
Anthony Stroud said: "Sea The Stars speaks for himself and this is a powerful, strong horse. He’s a very good mover, comes from a very good farm and the pedigree goes back very well. It’s so important to try and get these horses that can stay a mile and a half. We’ve bought a number of horses but we could do with more of that type, and he fitted that criteria. Sea The Stars was a top class racehorse and is a top class stallion."
Jason Kelly Lands Sea The Stars Filly for 525,000 Guineas
Another filly to sell for over 500,000 guineas was the SEA THE STARS filly from consignor Harry Dutfield who realised 525,000 guineas to the bid of Jason Kelly. The filly is out of the FARHH mare MAKAWEE who was second in the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks and is a half-sister to the Group 1 Melbourne Cup runner up PRINCE OF ARRAN, from the family of Group 1 winners BEST OF THE BESTS and RAMATUELLE.
The filly was bred by the Turnbull family's Elwick Stud and Sunderland Holdings and consigned by Dutfield, who was understandably gleaming: "Wow! She had 200 shows, and she has been absolutely superb all the way through, she showed with the utmost grace and decorum, she is really feminine, really light on her feet, walked huge, and has a really sweet disposition."
He added: "I didn't expect that as I am used to 5,000 guineas pinhooks in Book 3, not Sea The Stars fillies in Book 2! This is my biggest result by a country mile! "I am so pleased to be working with a farm like Elwick. I can't lie - I am so glad it is over, talk to me tomorrow! It was a hectic few mins with the colt also selling [lot 931], he made 135,000 guineas - I think!"
The filly was bought by Jason Kelly Bloodstock, and he said after the purchase: "She goes to Ireland and to trainer Paddy Twomey, she is for an existing client of his. She is a beautiful filly, bred by the Turnbull family who I have had a history with. They are fantastic breeders and I am delighted to get a good price for them.
"I am delighted to have got her, she is a stunning filly with a lot of class. Sea The Stars speaks for himself, I know the broodmare - she was a tough racemare. He is a great broodmare sire so for a filly he makes a lot of sense, and with the strong market we knew we would have to push."
MV Magnier Lands Camelot Filly from Ballylinch Stud for 500,000 Guineas
Another lot to realise 500,000 guineas or more was the Ballylinch Stud consigned CAMELOT filly out of the LOPE DE VEGA mare FORT DEL ORO, who was knocked down to MV Magnier. The filly is a half-sister to the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes winner FAST ATTACK.
"Camelot has had an exceptional year, the lads liked the filly a lot and, in fairness to Ballylinch, the farm is a very good breeder. They sent a good mare to Camelot and were rewarded with a nice filly, and we are happy to have bought her," said MV Magnier.
She was bred and sold by Ballylinch Stud and manager John O'Connor said: "We are very happy with that price, we were pretty confident she would sell well. She is a beautiful filly with the best combination of Camelot and Lope De Vega. The mare was very quick, she has already bred a good one, so the pedigree is stacking up for everyone. Then her physical, her temperament and her ability to show is just exceptional, pretty well most of the big operations were interested."
The triple Listed winner FORT DEL ORO is out of the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes winner GILDED and hails from the family of four-time Group 1 winner and exciting young sire BLUE POINT.
Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues at 10am on Wednesday, 16th October with the third and final session.