Record Trade on Opening Day of Tattersalls October Book 3

The extraordinary strength of trade that fuelled record breaking renewals of Books 1 and 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continued on the opening day of Book 3, with a record average and turnover and record equalling median for the session and eight yearlings selling for 100,000 guineas or more, eclipsing the previous record of four.

Gleneagles Colt to McCormack for 140,000 Guineas

The top price on the opening day of October Book 3 was 140,000 guineas for the GLENEAGLES colt consigned by Croom House Stud, who was knocked down to Cormac McCormack on behalf of MV Magnier. 

"He is for MV Magnier, trainer not decided!" said McCormack. "He is the nicest horse in the sale, he is a lovely horse - a great step, good delivery and a touch of class about him. Everyone says that Coolmore only buy expensive horses, but I think this is a nice horse. The colt was well placed in the sale by his owner who has been well paid."

Denis Brosnan, owner of Croom House Stud, was delighted with the sale of the colt and the stud’s results across the October Yearling Sale, and commented:

"It’s that typical cross of Galileo over Pivotal, which is the perfect cross really, and then the full-sister Mill Marin has gone on and produced three Group horses. He deserved to make that - Gleneagles has had his best season ever and I’m sure we won’t see that stud fee next year or for the next few years again. It’s a very strong market, the statistics say it all. Last week was a wonderful week for us and probably for everybody."

The colt is the second foal out of PIVOTAL mare SHANNOW, a full-sister to Listed winner MILL MARIN whose son MENDOCINO provided a fine update to the page with victory in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden ahead of last year’s Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner TORQUATOR TASSO. MILL MARIN is also the dam of Group 3 winner MARSHMALLOW and it is the family of Derby winner MILL REEF.

Havana Grey to the Fore Again with 125,000 Guineas Filly

First season sire HAVANA GREY has been a breakout star of both the racecourse and the sales ring this season, and the popularity of his yearlings showed no signs of waning with two of the top three lots sold on the opening day of Book 3. The highest priced of those was a filly bred and consigned by Peter & Michelle Morgan’s Carmel Stud who was knocked down for 125,000 guineas to Joe Foley, having seen off the attentions of Barry Lynch, Kelly Burke and persistent underbidder Charlie Gordon Watson. 

The filly is out of the KYLLACHY mare SO BRAVE, from the direct family of Prix Maurice de Gheest winner and 1000 Guineas placed INTERVAL.

"She is a lovely filly. We saw her yesterday and she was the first one we saw - she was recommended to us by the breeders and by Ed Harper from Whitsbury," commented Foley. "She is a really good-looking filly from a fast mare, who I remember when she was with Archie Watson, she was a real speedy fast two-year-old. This her first foal and importantly the breeders are mating the mare well - she has a foal by Showcasing and she has been to Pinatubo, which is encouraging for us."

Of the strength of the yearling trade, Foley added:

"It has been strong from the start and strong today, which is brilliant to see. It just shows the fortitude of this business, it is a great sport, a great business, and people get fun out of investing in racehorses. You can love football or cricket all you like, but you can't invest in them, you can love racing and you can invest in it - you get double the kick, gambling but also having the fun!

"It is a fun industry to invest in, you can't say that about many industries. Investing in stocks and shares, you don't get to go 'Yes!', enjoy a drink and have a bottle of champagne with your mates and say 'Yes, we won the Listed race!'"

Stroud Secures Havana Grey Filly for 115,000 Guineas

Whitsbury Manor Stud have the good fortune to stand HAVANA GREY and the two combined to provide one of the highlights of the session when their filly by the leading first season sire sold for 115,000 guineas to Anthony Stroud of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, who saw off determined underbidder Henry Spiller.

Whitsbury’s Ed Harper was all smiles by the entrance to the sales ring and said: "It’s been a year of updates for our mares. Mares that were in the twilight zone of our broodmare band are now mares that are zipping up the escalator and suddenly look exciting. When you get two stallions in your roster like Showcasing and Havana Grey they’re just constantly doing favours to the broodmare band. It’s just magic. It’s been a fantastic year and I’m scared that 2022 might end!"

He expanded: “We try and buy mares who suit all our stallions so they can just hop around the roster. There seems to be an uncanny nick between Sakhee’s Secret mares and Havana Grey as he’s had a Cornwallis winner, a St Hugh’s Stakes winner and an exciting-looking filly for Michael Dods from just three runners out of Sakhee’s Secret mares.

"Anyone with a Sakhee’s Secret filly seems to be ringing me up at the moment.” 

Unsuprisingly this filly is out of the SAKHEE’S SECRET mare SECRET ROMANCE and is a full-sister to high class two-year-old CUBAN MISTRESS, winner of the Listed St Hugh’s Stakes and runner-up in the Listed Dragon Stakes. SECRET ROMANCE is a half-sister to Group 2 Temple Stakes winner PEARL SECRET from the family of dual Group 1 winner and sire DUTCH ART.

Blandford Strike for Showcasing Filly at 115,000 Guineas

Not to be outdone by his young studmate, Whitsbury Manor’s stalwart SHOWCASING provided the stud with another excellent sales ring result when Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown secured their well-related filly with a successful bid of 115,000 guineas.

Brown revealed that she had been bought for familiar connections: "She has been bought for Sheikh Juma, for whom we bought Swingalong for last year. He was very keen to buy another Showcasing, we have been beaten on everything we wanted to buy! I saw this filly yesterday morning, I immediately called my vet and then called the Sheikh and said that I thought we'd found one.

"I am delighted to get her, she had a good update and she comes from a very good farm in Whitsbury. She will go to Karl Burke, who trains Swingalong. Funnily enough I was looking at her at quarter to eight this morning and Karl came into the yard, and I thought, 'I wonder where he will go?!' He came over and pulled her out, so we aligned and luckily Sheikh Juma was willing to have a crack."

He added: "If she is half as good as Swingalong we will be alright!"

Star two-year-old filly SWINGALONG was bought for 120,000 guineas by Blandford Bloodstock at Book 2 of the 2021 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and won this season’s Group 2 Lowther Stakes for the aforementioned combination of Karl Burke and Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum.

This filly had enjoyed a significant update when her half-brother SHOULDVEBEENARING, by none other than HAVANA GREY, won Ripon’s Listed Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy. 

Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues at 9.30am on Friday, 14th October.