Sensational Start to Tattersalls October 1

Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale got off to a sensational start with 139 lots selling for 23,016,000 guineas – the highest recorded turnover on a single day since the inception of the sale in 2003. Turnover for up 27% on the opening session last year, whilst the average of 165,583 guineas was up 9% and the median of 110,000 guineas was up 10%. The top lot for the day was the RAVEN’S PASS colt that was knocked down to John Ferguson for 800,000 guineas on a day where eight lots sold for 500,000 guineas or more compared with nine over the three days of the sale last year.

The top lot for the day was the RAVEN’S PASS colt that was knocked down to John Ferguson for 800,000 guineas on a day where eight lots sold for 500,000 guineas or more compared with nine at the whole sale last year.

The top price for the day saw John Ferguson and John Magnier go head-to-head in a battle to secure the RAVEN’S PASS colt out of the Group 1 Irish 1,000 Guineas winner NIGHTIME. Catalogued as lot 161, the chesnut colt was consigned by The Castlebridge Consignment on behalf of his breeder Mrs Marguerite Weld. SackvilleDonald’s Ed Sackville made the early running before Magnier and Ferguson took up the running, with Ferguson successful at 800,000 guineas.

"Raven's Pass has obviously done very well and we are thrilled with Steeler," said John Ferguson. "But there are plenty more in the pipeline by Raven's Pass and they are all showing the right signs.

"But what is more, Mrs Weld, who bred this horse, has to be hugely congratulated. We have seen this horse as a foal and through to the spring and he has just thrived. When we saw him here we were not surprised to see such a lovely horse.

"So it is a fantastic combination: an outstanding individual from a leading breeder, out of a Guineas-winning mare and by a stallion we are excited about - it just makes sense."

Catalogued as lot 88, the MONTJEU colt out of the MACHIAVELLIAN mare LUCINA was a three-way battle between Californian owner Jon Kelly, London based agent Charlie Gordon-Watson and Coolmore supremo John Magnier. Consigned from Denis Brosnan’s Croom House Stud, the son of the ill-fated MONTJEU was knocked down to Magnier for 700,000 guineas. LUCINA is a half-sister to Group winner and Group 1 placed BLUE MONDAY and from the family of Group 1 winners LUSO and WARRSAN. Buying through Demi O’Byrne, the Coolmore team signed for 6 lots for a total of 2,215,000 guineas.

A few lots earlier, Shadwell Estates’ Angus Gold had the TEOFILO half-brother to Group winning DUNBOYNE EXPRESS and Andrew Balding’s exciting RACE AND STATUS knocked down to him for 600,000 guineas. Gold secured the horse on behalf of Sheikh Hamdan after seeing off the efforts of David Redvers, bidding on behalf of Qatar’s Sheikh Fahad.

"He is a lovely, athletic horse with a lot of presence, he is very much like his brother of last year, who can certainly gallop," said Angus Gold

"Last year's horse [Race And Status] was perhaps a bit more up in the air than this colt, but let's hope it is a dry next summer and the Teofilos can show what they can do on a faster surface."

The colt, whose dam LOVE EXCELLING is a half-sister to the Group 1 Oaks winner LOVE DIVINE, was consigned to the sale by Jacqueline Norris’ Jockey Hall Stud on behalf of John Connaughton.

The top priced lot by the World’s best stallion GALILEO was the filly catalogued as lot 63 out of the Listed winning OASIS DREAM mare LA SYLVIA which was knocked down form 570,000 guineas. The race to secure the filly was a head to head battle between Badgers Bloodstock’s Grant Pritchard-Gordon and the US based Mark Keller with the former successful.

"She has been bought for an existing client and will go into training with Ed Dunlop," said Pritchard-Gordon.

"The client was particularly looking for a filly and particularly one by Galileo. She is beautiful, and with a dam by Oasis Dream she might have a bit more speed and be a bit earlier than some. We would hope she will run as a two-year-old.

"Galileo is the most outstanding stallion in the world, and as good a stallion as I have seen. He is already developing into a leading broodmare sire and I advise all my clients to collect as many as possible and not hold back if they can."

Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues at 11am on Wednesday, October 10th.