THE strength and resilience of the yearling market continued as the marathon Tattersalls October Yearling Sale entered into the final couple of furlongs this week.
Book 3 of the sale on Thursday and Friday contained more than 600 lots catalogued, while today’s Book 4 will see some 100 lots potentially stride around the ring at Park Paddocks. More than 150 million guineas worth of yearlings will have changed hands at the close of play.
With a couple of hours still to go as this report is committed to print, the key metrics of Book 3 sees a continuation of the buoyant trade seen at Books 1 and 2, with significant rises in all the key indicators. The top price of 150,000gns on the first day of selling was the second highest at this sale ever. The highlight was a dreamlike pinhook.
Hegarty Bloodstock saw their 4,000gns Tattersalls December Foal Sale purchase turn into a 150,000gns windfall. The colt, a son of Ulysses out of the Pivotal mare Regal Heiress received a major catalogue update when his own-brother Gwan So was third in the Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes.
The purchaser was Stroud Coleman Bloodstock’s Matt Coleman, standing alongside Charlie Fellowes. “I bought him for Bill Mathis, an American client of Sean Clancy’s whom I also buy for. Bill was keen to try and buy a few yearlings. He bought a share in a couple of fillies, one in Book 1, and we tried to find a couple of colts. We found Book 2 very strong so I thought we’d keep going here,” said Coleman.
Happy couple
Hegarty Bloodstock is David and Geraldine Hegarty, and they were naturally delighted. “He has been very straightforward, he has never given us a problem,” said Geraldine. “My husband David chose him, he loves a really good-walking horse and his walk just said it all.”
The Hegartys are based just outside Newmarket, and Geraldine explained that they both work full-time too. She added: “We enjoy what we are doing and we just have the pinhooks. David works full-time at Genesis Green and I work in a school. At the moment this is just a hobby but it is something that we eventually want to take further.”
New Bay colt sells to Foley
The second lot to realise a six-figure sum during the opening session was a New Bay colt consigned by David Cox’s Baroda Stud on behalf of the breeder China Horse Club. The colt was knocked down to Joe Foley, alongside Federico Barberini, after they outlasted Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown.
Foley was delighted with his purchase, and said: “Federico and I loved him all day. He was the first horse I saw in Book 3. I went, ‘Jesus he is a good one.’ We went back to see him this morning, the two of us, and we loved him.
“There has been huge trade all season. It has been so heartening to see people making money, and it bodes well for the mare and foal sales. It is fantastic to see. This sale has been the cherry on the top. It has just been great trade; the best trade I have seen, all the way through, in years.”
Barberini strikes
The Burns family’s Lodge Park Stud sold their Havana Gold colt out of the Halling mare Storybook for 92,000 guineas to agent Federico Barberini. The dam, who is a half-sister to the Group 1 Dubai World Cup winner African Story, is already responsible for the Grade 2 placed Get On The Bus, and a couple of other blacktype performers.
“We bought Storybook in the US,” said Damian Burns. “She was a good racemare herself, who won two out of two for trainer Michael Jarvis before she went to the US. She has bred good horses. I went to Havana Gold because I thought he was a good physical match for the mare, and I thought he might have a good year coming up with his £15,000 covered runners. This is a very professional horse with a lovely temperament.”
Dutfield’s pinhook
Another successful pinhook on the opening day of Book 3 was the Havana Grey filly out of Frequent who was consigned by Harry Dutfield. Purchased last December for 25,000gns, she resold for 82,000gns to Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown.
I’m really pleased, I didn’t expect that! She has been very busy, but I don’t expect much!” said Dutfield. “I bought my own farm two months ago, I have bills everywhere! The planning alone cost £10,000. I work as a stud hand, and she cost basically an annual salary for a stud hand! So to come back here and do that, I am just relieved. The farm I have bought is 20 acres, just out by Thetford. I have sold my house here, I bought that with a pinhook, too. This sale will help a lot.” The filly will be trained by David Simcock.
Second day still going strong
THE second day of Book three was again showing substantial gains in average and median, and another excellent result for Time Test as his son of the Shamardal mare Purest sold for 95,000gns to Montgomery Motto, while the underbidder was Amanda Skiffington. The colt was bred by Nicky Welby at her farm in Sussex.
Motto, previously based in the US, moved to Europe a couple of years ago having previously owned and trained his own team of horses at Calder. He is putting together a small string of racehorses and admits it has taken some time to adjust his eye to looking at European yearlings. Having seen some of the Time Tests sell earlier this week, he focused his attention on the sire’s progeny.
“This is one of the best athletes I have seen here and he has a lovely temperament to match,” said Motto. “It’s hard to go wrong with a Shamardal mare. I went a bit higher than planned, but the money nearly always finds the horse. He will go to Richard Brabazon for breaking and we will make plans from there.”
O’Ryan buys
Robin O’Ryan, assistant to trainer Richard Fahey, spent 85,000gns for a son of Ardad. He is out of a winning half-sister to the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes and Haydock Sprint Cup winner Twilight Son, now a Cheveley Park Stud stallion.
O’Ryan’s interest in the Throckmorton Court Stud-consigned colt largely centred on the fact that Fahey is the trainer of Ardad’s son Perfect Power, a two-time Group 1 winning juvenile this year. This colt is going racing and will not be a breeze-up horse,” said new owner Steve Bradley, who was standing with O’Ryan and is an existing owner with Fahey.