Record Turnover at Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale
The Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale registered record turnover whilst a total of 11 lots realised 100,000 guineas or more in the ‘breeze up’ section of the sale, with the ‘horses in training’ section eclipsing previous figures with a record turnover, average and median and a clearance rate of 93%.
King of Change Filly to St Lawrence & Smart for 180,000 Guineas
The top lot at the Guineas Breeze Up Sale was Donovan Bloodstock’s daughter of first-season sire KING OF CHANGE who was knocked down to Oliver St Lawrence and trainer Bryan Smart for 180,000 guineas, having seen off the attentions of persistent underbidder Henry Lascelles. It was a superb pinhooking result for the young consignor who purchased her for £20,000.
“We liked the filly, she breezed really well - we will get her home and see where we go,” said Smart. “Everything we have seen by King of Change has breezed well. Her new owner was keen to have a filly and if she could get some blacktype then she will be a breeding prospect.”
Understandably Danny O'Donovan, standing alongside his ownership team of Adam Potts and Brian Sheerin, was all smiles after the sale: “It is incredible - I thought she might make about 130,000 guineas but to get to 180,000 guineas is incredible, it is life-changing money.”
“King of Change has been fantastic to me all year, I have had three of them and have got life-changing money for them. It is an incredible feeling, and it can help put things on the up.”
Potts added: “We knew she was very quick and we thought she would do a good time, we were hopeful that she would deliver and she did. We really liked her when we bought her, she did nothing but improve, get stronger and faster, and it was in March that we thought she might be quick.”
Donovan laughed: “The pressure is off now, I am just grateful that everything has come together this year, King of Change is my hero now!”
Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner and 2000 Guineas runner up KING OF CHANGE is by FARHH and stands at Michael Orlandi’s Starfield Stud at a fee of €5,000.
Lackendarra’s Mehmas Colt Realises 160,000 Guineas
The highest priced colt at the Guineas Breeze Up Sale was Lackendarra Stables’ son of MEHMAS with Billy Jackson-Stops emerging triumphant at 160,000 guineas on behalf of Opulence Thoroughbreds, following a protracted bidding duel with bloodstock agent Ross Doyle.
The result was another strong pinhooking result with Lackendarra Stables’ Eddie Linehan having purchased the colt for 55,000 guineas at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The February-foaled colt is out of the PIVOTAL mare RAINCALL, a daughter of Australian Group 1 winner LONE ROCK. The beaming consignor commented:
“He did a very good breeze, we gave a good throw for him in Book 2 but we targeted this sale specifically in the hope that he might stand out a bit. He is a very nice horse, looked the part and vetted well. The good ones are always easy to sell. He stood out all along for us, the day we bought him we thought we'd got a bit of value. We have been lucky with Mehmas before and we are delighted.”
Lackendarra Stables were the leading consignor at the Guineas Breeze Up Sale having sold four lots for a total of 347,000 guineas and Linehan added: “We bought four to the sale and sold all four, and all have sold for a bit more than expected. We are delighted.”
Successful purchaser Billy Jackson-Stops revealed: “He is for Andrew Balding and Opulence Thoroughbreds. He is by the right sire, he did a lovely breeze and a good time. We wanted to buy something that would be active this year and on that front he is everything that we wanted. We loved his attitude, know the consignor well and he always does a good job.”
Blandford Strike for Mehmas Colt at 150,000 Guineas
Blandford Bloodstock secured the next two joint highest priced colts of the Guineas Breeze Up Sale including Yeomanstown Stud’s son of MEHMAS who produced an impressive breeze on Wednesday and was knocked down for 150,000 guineas to Blandford’s Richard Brown, with bloodstock agent Edgar Byrne the underbidder.
“He has been bought for Sheikh Rashid and he goes to Richard Fahey, who has obviously been very successful for Sheikh Rashid - Pretty Crystal, the filly supplemented for the 1000 Guineas on Sunday, is out of a breeze up filly whom we purchased, so it is all coming around with progeny now starting to come forward.”
Brown added: “This horse did a very good breeze, he was very green and came across the track with his ears pricked. Watching it live I loved it, but he is going to have to sharpen his act up a bit as he was fairly babyish.
“I love the stallion - he is a very serious sire of two-year-olds. This horse looks a real two-year-old and I thought he has the sire's best attributes.”
The February-born colt is out of the REDOUTE’S CHOICE mare CAMISOLE, whose dam is a half-sister to the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes winner WAR OF WILL and to Irish Champion Two-Year-Old PATHFORK. He was bought by James O’Callaghan for 48,000 guineas at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale from Peter Nolan Bloodstock.
Hello Youmzain Colt to Blandford for 150,000 Guineas
The other colt to realise 150,000 guineas was Longways Stables’ son of HELLO YOUMZAIN and it was Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown who struck again for the March-born colt with bloodstock agents Oliver St Lawrence, Ed Sackville and Ross Doyle, accompanied by the Middleham Park Racing team, among those thwarted.
“I seem to be cornering the market in Hello Youmzains, that is the third one I have bought this breeze-up season," laughed Brown.
“I guess I like his stock, I have bought him for Sheikh Juma and he was particularly keen on him from the start. I put a list together, and when this horse was there the Sheikh seemed fairly excited about him. This horse looks a lovely sort, did a very good breeze and the sire has the credentials to be a good stallion."
When asked to compare his three HELLO YOUMZAINs, Brown said: "They all have great muscle and balance, and have got a bit of class and style about them. I'll be honest, at the yearling sales he was not on my radar at all, but he has stepped up here to be very much on my radar.”
The colt will reportedly go into training with James Tate. He is out of the two-year-old winner DREAM DREAMER and was a good pinhooking result for Longways’ Mick Murphy having been bought at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for 35,000 guineas.
Supreme Beauty Tops Guineas Horses in Training Session at 130,000 Guineas
The second session of the Guineas Horses in Training Sale continued in robust fashion and was headed by the three-year-old filly SUPREME BEAUTY, who was one of five lots to realise in excess of 100,000 guineas. The daughter of NO NAY NEVER fetched 130,000 guineas to the bid of owner Jeremy Young after a protracted bidding duel with persistent underbidder Jamie Piggott.
SUPREME BEAUTY was offered by the Castlebridge Consignment on behalf of Coverdale Stud and had made one start for her previous connections when a promising third at Beverley. Successful purchaser Young has horses in training with Michael Appleby who was sat alongside him in the gods, and the trainer revealed:
“We haven’t made a plan yet but we’ll probably put her into training and see how she goes. If we don’t think she’s going to be top class then we’ll probably just breed from her. She’s a nice filly, though, and the owners will breed from her eventually either way.”
The Lodge Park Stud bred three-year-old boasts a superb pedigree as a daughter of the winning GALILEO mare PARK BLOOM, an own-sister to Oaks winner WAS and the Epsom Derby third AMHRAN NA BHFIANN. The third dam PARK EXPRESS was Champion Two-Year-Old Filly in Ireland and bred the dual European Champion and Derby winner NEW APPROACH and the Irish 1000 Guineas placed DAZZLING PARK.
The Guineas Horses in Training Sale concluded with a record turnover of 3,015,500 guineas, just shy of double 2023’s record aggregate, and a record average and median of 22,845 guineas and 15,000 guineas respectively, increases of 27% and 25% on the previous year’s figures. The clearance rate was an impressive 93%.
Chairman’s Statement
At the conclusion of the 2024 Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;
“Demand in the Horses in Training section of the 2024 Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale has without doubt exceeded expectations, with domestic British and Irish buyers competing strongly with their international counterparts to produce record breaking trade comfortably surpassing the previous records for turnover, average and median as well as the number of lots selling for 100,000 guineas or more. The clearance rate for the horses in training was a remarkable 93%, yet again demonstrating the sustained global appetite for British and Irish horses in training sold at Tattersalls, and the horses belonging to Coverdale Stud and Titanium Racing were particularly sought after with buyers from throughout Europe, the Gulf region and Australia all making their presence felt.
"Nevertheless, the strong and diverse demand that produced the wide margin record breaking Guineas Horses in Training Sale was not matched in the Breeze Up section of the sale and while the combined turnover for the Breeze Up and Horses in Training is a record, and the Breeze Up average and median prices have held up well in relation to last year’s record breaking sale, the clearance rate has been well below par.
“In the months leading up to both the Tattersalls Craven and Guineas Breeze Up Sales members of the Tattersalls team have made promotional visits to a host of international markets including America, Australia, Bahrain, Dubai, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Sweden and the two sales continue to attract considerable numbers of overseas buyers, but as has been noted at the earlier Breeze Up Sales, there is a selectivity to the market which has been reflected in clearance rates that have not matched the impressive levels achieved last year. It is clear that there are challenges in the current marketplace, challenges which reflect wider economic realities, but it should also be recognised that competition for quality British and Irish bloodstock remains robust and diverse. The Breeze Up consignors have as ever done an outstanding job, there have been some spectacular pinhooking successes today and there is no doubt that this year’s renewal of the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale will further enhance the sale’s reputation as a consistent source of Group 1 horses."