TWENTY-TWO lots sold over the four days of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale for 200,000gns or more. Six of these were knocked down to the sale’s leading purchaser, Najd Stud in conjunction with Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock.

Tuesday’s and Thursday’s session toppers Grocer Jack and Laatansa are reported elsewhere. The remaining quartet was headed by Juddmonte’s best of the week, the multiple winning Dubawi three-year-old Boltaway. He sold for 400,000gns and was another session topper. Boltaway is out of Proviso, a four-time American Grade 1 winner.

Najd Stud is owned by Prince Faisal. His representative Saad bin Mishraf said: “We tried to buy this horse privately, but that wasn’t possible and so we waited for this sale. It’s proved to be one of the toughest markets I have ever seen for horses in training.

“He’s by Dubawi, whose offspring have succeeded in Saudi Arabia, and out of a Dansili mare, and they have done well in Saudi Arabia, so he had the right pedigree. He also had size and good feet for racing on dirt. He’s not been over-raced and he vetted 100%, which was one of the main reasons for trying to buy him.

“All the races in Saudi Arabia are on the up, with better prize money, sometimes increased by four or five times. There are races for locally-bred horses and imported horses, and while we don’t have many imported horses the ones we have are very good.”

Joining Boltaway on the flight to Saudi will be another multiple winner, Frankel’s four-year-old son My Frankel who was trained by Sir Michael Stoute. He sold for 310,000gns. Saad Bin Mishraf said: “Hopefully, he will suit our racing in Saudi Arabia very well. He might be one for the King’s Cup. He will ship straight away now. He will be trained by Saud Saad.”

Fundamental, a three-year-old son of Dark Angel out of the Group 1 winner Integral, was bred and raced from the Gosden’s Clarehaven Stables by Cheveley Park Stud. Twice a winner and runner-up in a listed race and in the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket, he sold for 240,000gns to Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock and Najd Stud.

This year’s Brocklesby Stakes, Listed Windsor Castle Stakes and Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy winner Chipotle sold for 210,000gns and was yet another for Najd Stud. The son of Havana Gold was bought as a yearling by trainer Eve Johnson-Houghton for 10,000gns at the Tattersalls Ascot Sale in September 2020 and his four wins netted some £140,000.

Great horse

Johnson-Houghton said: “I am a bit teary because he has been amazing, and for a 10 grand purchase to win the Brocklesby, win at Royal Ascot, at Redcar and then come here. I hope he does really well in Saudi; he has just been a great, great horse for us. I am thrilled with the price and good luck to the new owners.

“I was a bit concerned last year with Covid that I was not going to have any horses, so I bought three yearlings. I set up the syndicate The Woodway 20 with the rules that we had to sell the horses at the end of their two-year-old careers. It is a hell of a result and I am just very proud of him.”