Three Grade 1 Victories for Tattersalls at Breeders' Cup
It was a day to remember for Tattersalls graduates on the second day of the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita with Grade 1 victories for October Book 1 yearling HIGHLAND REEL, Autumn Horses in Training purchase OBVIOUSLY and DREFONG, whose dam was purchased at the December Mare Sale.
Leading the way in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf was Aidan O’Brien’s grand four-year-old colt HIGHLAND REEL who defeated favourite FLINTSHIRE and Arc de Triomphe heroine FOUND after a brilliant front-running ride from Seamie Heffernan. It was the fourth victory at the highest level for the son of GALILEO who also won the Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot during the summer. HIGHLAND REEL was purchased at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale by John Warren Bloodstock for 460,000 guineas from the draft of Camas Park Stud. HIGHLAND REEL is out of the DANEHILL mare HVEGER, a sister to the Group 1 winners ELVSTROEM and HARADASUN and also the dam of the Group 2 Great Voltigeur winner IDAHO.
The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale is the largest of it’s kind in the world and a consistent source of winners at the highest level, but there can be few better advertisements for the sale in recent years than the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner OBVIOUSLY. The son of CHOISIR was purchased as a two-time winning three-year-old at the 2011 renewal of the sale by Boomer Bloodstock’s Craig Rounsefell and Jamie Lloyd for 130,000 guineas. OBVIOUSLY has been a model of consistency for his owners Anthony Fanticola and Joseph Scardino, winning nine Graded races over the last five years including three Grade 1s.
OBVIOUSLY’s victory capped a memorable day for the sale, following the victory of FRANCIS OF ASSISI (42,000 gns) in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington and that of GROWL (38,000 gns) in the Listed Wentworth Stakes at Doncaster which followed his Group 1 British Champions Sprint second.
The third Grade 1 success for Tattersalls came via DREFONG’s win in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, maintaining his unbeaten record. His victory was a timely reminder of the value to be found at the Tattersalls December Breeding Stock Sale, with his dam ELTIMAAS purchased there in 2010 for just 20,000 guineas. The daughter of GHOSTZAPPER is a half-sister to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner ACTION THIS DAY and was purchased by Gary Mudgway Bloodstock from the draft of Shadwell Stud. The Thetford nursery have a consignment of twelve at this year’s renewal of Europe’s premier breeding stock sale.
The Tattersalls December Sale takes place from November 21 to December 1, with the December Yearling Sale kicking off proceedings on November 21, the December Foal Sale taking place from November 23 – 26 and the December Breeding Stock Sale taking place from November 28 – December 1. Catalogues are out now and available from Tattersalls and Tattersalls representatives and online at www.tattersalls.com.