FIVE of the top nine lots at the opening session of Tattersalls February Sale, held online, came from the Godolphin draft. They sold 18 lots in all for an aggregate of 390,000gns.

Making the most significant contribution to that sum was the sale of Beautiful Illusion for 120,000gns to Avenue Bloodstock, and she ended the two-day sale as the top price. The dual winner, a daughter of Shamardal and the Group 3 winner Long Lashes, was the pick of Mark McStay. He said: “She is the daughter of a very good racemare, whom I remember from my time at Godolphin, and she is by a world-class sire in Shamardal. She had ability herself and achieved a good rating of 89.

“I saw her 10 days ago; Godolphin kindly facilitated a visit. She is a good-walking filly, and she was a stand-out today on paper and physically. She has been bought for an existing client and I am not sure of plans.”

The second-highest price on Thursday was also for a filly by Shamardal, though this was the non-winner Symbol Of Love. However, she was placed on both her starts. She sold for 65,000gns to Tony O’Callaghan of Tally-Ho Stud. He said afterwards: “Bidding was easy online, but that was the only bid we had. She is for Kodiac; she is by Shamardal and they go well together. She has a good page and she looks a nice filly.”

Symbol Of Love is a half-sister to stakes winner Firebird Song, and their Group 3-winning grandam Magna Graecia is also grandam of Territories, the winner of the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat.

Colin Murfitt’s Pantile Stud has the dam of Galileo Gold in its broodmare band, and now they can add a three-year-old daughter of Dubawi. The unraced Rustic Charm might attempt to win a race before she takes up breeding duties. Dubawi has already worked with the family as the filly’s dam Lacey’s Lane’s half-sister is Wuheida, the stallion’s Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup winning daughter.

Tally-Ho Stud purchased again from the Godolphin draft. The Co Westmeath farm paid 35,000gns for French Braid, a three-year-old Territories half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Breathtaking Look. .

Bill Dwan’s Consignment kept busy

BILL Dwan’s The Castlebridge Consignment had by far the largest entry over the two days, and ended as leading vendors. At the opening session they sold Lady Of Acclaim, an unraced Acclamation full-sister to the listed winner and Group 3-placed Kassia to Orange County Bloodstock for 42,000gns. She hails from the family of Lady In Silver, winner of the Group 1 Prix de Diane.

They did even better on Friday, their highlight being the sale of Clay who returns to his trainer Richard Hannon after realising 71,000gns. The lightly-raced, three-year-old son of Sixties Icon was sold today as part of the Waddesdon Stud dispersal. Hannon was buying on behalf of owner John Davies.

Frankel son

Stiletto, a three-year-old son of Frankel and the classic-placed High Heeled sold from The Castlebridge Consignment to Colm Sharkey for 67,000gns. The colt was placed once as a two-year-old last year for trainer John Gosden. Sharkey as agent, and with the Hunting Horn Syndicate, bought six horses over the two days.

The Meade’s Manton Park Racing spent 47,000gns on the Archie Watson-trained Variyann, and the five-year-old son of Shamardal recently took his winning tally to four with a win at Chelmsford. He was followed by three-time winner Dancing Feet and this Footstepsinthesand four-year-old brought a winning bid of 36,000gns from Reda Al-Khalaf.

Early on Friday the recently gelded Liberated Lad , a three-year-old son of Muhaarar who won over 10 furlongs on the all-weather at Lingfield for trainer by Sir Mark Todd and owner Andrew Lloyd-Webber, was sold from The Castlebridge Consignment to bloodstock agent Richard Ryan and trainer Ian Williams for 33,000gns.

Donohue hopes winning run continues

MICHAEL Donohue of BBA Ireland has been enjoying a great run of success in the USA with his purchases, and he will be hoping for more of the same from At Ease, sold as part of Juddmonte Farm’s draft. She made 70,000gns.

A winner over a mile last year at three, she is by the stud’s leading broodmare sire Oasis Dream and out of Jostle, winner of the Grade Alabama Stakes and Coaching Club American Oaks. Jostle is dam of eight winners, including two US stakes winners and a stakes performer.

Donohue, who didn’t see the filly in the flesh, said: “She is for a current client and she is going to race in the US. There are no plans regarding a trainer as yet. She is lightly-raced, has a US pedigree, and her siblings went on from three to four. She looks a good physical, too.”

New England

Peter Stanley’s New England Stud had a pair of 10-year-old broodmares among the best sellers on Thursday. Selling as consecutive lots, African Plains, a daughter of Oasis Dream, and Swiss Kiss, by Dansili, realised 35,000gns and 48,000gns respectively to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock and Pegasus.

African Plains is from a great Juddmonte family, being a daughter of the Group 1 winner African Rose, and therefore a half-sister to Frankel’s Group 3 winner Fair Eva. She was sold in foal to Bated Breath.

Swiss Kiss was offered on behalf of Lordship Stud, carrying to Acclamation, and is a daughter of the listed-winning sprinter Swiss Lake, the dam of three stakes winners including Group 3 winners Swiss Spirit and Swiss Diva.

Canice Farrell of Knockatrina Stud purchased Swiss Kiss and said: “It is a good pedigree, she is a good-walking mare, has a commercial cover and the only negative is that she is a bit late [covered May 22nd]. I hope to send her to either Invincible Spirit or Kodiac.”

Italy beckons for son of Mehmas

THE three-year-old colt Fayathaan, by last year’s first-season sire sensation Mehmas, realised 85,000gns to head Friday’s sale, and was bought by Marco Bozzi Bloodstock. A now three-time winner, including last month over seven furlongs at Wolverhampton, the Mark Loughnane-trained colt was a profitable sale for his trainer and his owner Kulbir Sohi.

The pair purchased the colt at the October Autumn Horses In Training Sale for 40,000gns and he has won twice since.

Arctic Vega, offered by Andrew Balding’s Park House Stables, sold for 60,000gns on Friday and was bought by Almohamediya Racing. Bloodstock agent Peter Harper said: “He has been bought for Sheikh Sultan and is going to Bahrain. He is a nice, big, strong type and should suit racing in Bahrain.” The son of Lope De Vega won his first start at three last February. Gelded in the autumn, he doubled his winning tally last month over a mile at Newcastle.

Simcock’s draft light up the screens

DAVID Simcock’s Trillium Place Stables sold a number of high-profile lots on Friday. Rovaniemi, a four-year-old son of Oasis Dream, was bought by Saudi-based owner Reda Al-Khalaf for 60,000gns, but is staying in training in Britain and with Simcock.

Al-Khalaf said from Saudi: “Hopefully, he will be lucky for us; he is the first horse we have in training in the UK. He looks a fast horse and has a good pedigree. “

Rovaniemi was preceded by Green Planet who was bought by Anthony Bromley’s Highflyer Bloodstock for 40,000gns. The son of Australia has a dual-purpose career ahead of him and will join Alan King.

Bromley said: “Green Planet has some room for manoeuvre off his handicap mark, and we will step him up in trip. He is a big, strapping horse at 16.3hh, and he has been patiently handled by David Simcock. I love his sire Australia, too.”

George Baker gave 45,000gns for another Simcock runner, the Sea The Moon four-year-old filly Tampere. The half-sister to a Group 2 winner has been placed four times in five outings and is closely related to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Lit De Justice.