DESPITE presenting the two highest-priced yearlings in the world this year, Tuesday’s opening session of the Tattersalls Book 1 Sale failed to match up to the corresponding day at last year’s record-breaking edition.
Trade was strong at the very top, with Amo Racing’s Kia Joorabchian stating his intentions early in the day, going to 3,600,000gns for a Frankel colt within the first hour, but that bid wasn’t enough to secure a close relation to Crystal Ocean, which was knocked down to Godolphin at 3,700,000gns.
Five horses sold for a million or more – one more than last year – but further down the pecking order, demand failed to match up to 2024. The offering increased by 22% year on year, but turnover fell, leading to an 11% drop in the average price to 323,352gns. The median, which is generally considered the best reflection of market strength, fell by 19% to 210,000gns.
However, the statistics say more about the strength of last year’s sale, as the average and median are higher than any other renewal in the sale’s history, when compared to final figures. There is a possibility that memories inflated vendor’s expectations as last year’s impressive clearance rate of 90% fell by 11 points on Tuesday.
Last year’s leading buyer, Godolphin, reproduced a spend on par with last year, parting with 9,300,000gns for 10 yearlings. Their priciest purchase was a Sea The Stars colt from Longview Stud at 3,700,000gns.
Godolphin’s talent scout, Anthony Stroud, commented: “He is from a very good stud farm. He is by Sea The Stars and from a great Rothschild family that goes well with sire. This colt is majestic - the way he moves and walks - he is a lovely horse.
“He stood out for us and is the one we really wanted. You have to pay for the ones you really want, and he was that horse. You always have to pay more than you want!”
Bred to be special
Stroud is particularly familiar with the colt’s pedigree, having bought his dam “on behalf of a long-established client” for 775,000gns as part of the Southcourt Stud dispersal in 2022. A listed winner by Dubawi, Crystal Zvezda was subsequently sent to the sire of her Group 1-winning half-brother, Crystal Ocean. Listed third Crystal Caprice (Frankel) is the best of her three winners, from three runners, to date.
Five lots later, Godolphin gave 1,000,000gns for Airlie Stud’s half-brother to top two-year-old Skitter Scatter. The son of Too Darn Hot is brother to four group/graded performers in total, including the dam of Grade 1 scorer Aspen Grove, and his popularity bodes well for Skitter Scatter’s Sea The Stars filly catalogued on Thursday.
On Tuesday’s price, Airlie’s Anthony Rogers reflected: “It is a great price; he is a lovely horse. You can never believe that you are going to get a million for a horse. Dane Street has been an amazing mare for us, and we failed to sell her here about 15 years go! She is still breeding, but she has had a rest this year.”
The first of Godolphin’s millionaires was a colt by Blue Point from James Hanly’s Ballyhimikin Stud. A half-brother to three stakes horses, including Group 2 scorer San Donato, the 1,000,000gns yearling becomes the highest priced produce of Boston Rocker, a multiple stakes-placed sprinter for Lady O’Reilly, Aileen Lynam and Edward Lynam.
On the April-born bay, James Hanly said: “He is a super horse, he never turned a hair all week. He travelled very well, he settled in well here, he showed so many times. A week ago, he was out in a field, without a rug, rolling in mud and covered in mud! We like to keep them out as much as possible.”
TUESDAY’S early highlight brought a sense of déjà vu to Park Paddocks, as a full-brother to last year’s 4,400,000gns top lot was knocked down to his sister’s buyers, Amo Racing, at 3,600,000gns
After outbidding Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier from the outside ring, a delighted Kia Joorabchian commented: “The boys loved him, we could not let him go. We want to keep the family tight and see how the family works out – obviously if he becomes a good horse, he is going to be a stallion.”
Joorabchian added that the prized yearling would “probably” go into training with Kevin Philippart De Foy, who is also in charge of the full-sister, who remains unraced but has been named Partying.
“Obviously, we like the filly, though she has not run yet,” Joorabchian continued. “This is a different project – if she does not run, she still has a huge residual value as a broodmare, and we have five stallions; if he does not, then it is a different kettle of fish. We paid more than expecting, then we are up against Coolmore and it is five [partners] against one. It is an early strike!”
Newsells off to a flier
The colt’s dam, Aljazzi, has yet to have a runner, but is already proving quite the success story for Newsells Park Stud, who stretched to a million guineas for the dual group winner back in 2018.
Tuesday’s result exceeded connections expectations, according to Newsells General Manager, Julian Dollar, who said: “Honestly, when I did the budget in December, I put a 'measly' half a million to him; he was a big raw Frankel, but he has really come together through the year, especially in his prep.
“Coming in here, I thought there was a chance he might make seven figures, it was a bit like the filly last year. But, when two big hitters lock horns, there is always a chance they can make unbelievable amounts, which that was.”
A COLT by Night Of Thunder wrote the latest chapter in the success story of Lodge Park Stud’s bluehen, Park Express, when knocked down to the Juddmonte team for 1,000,000gns.
The Burns family’s champion two and three-year-old filly is the third dam of the colt in question, the page laden with blacktype courtesy of the likes of New Approach, Alfred Nobel and Was. The February-born bay is the first foal out of the Dark Angel mare Express Way, who won her sole start in a Dundalk maiden for Paddy Twomey.
Training plans remain fluid for her first produce, according to Juddmonte’s Simon Mockridge, who said: “He is just a super horse, a lovely horse and that is what you have to pay, it is very expensive in there [the sale ring]. He is a very good mover, easy going, and showed well all week. It is an amazing family, it is a wonderful page, and the stallion has been fantastic this year. We are delighted to buy him; he looks a fast horse.”
Reflecting on the price, Lodge Park Stud’s Jamie Burns commented: “That has exceeded expectations greatly. He is a lovely moving horse, and he is going to a great home, he will get every opportunity there. We went to Night Of Thunder as we were trying to get Galileo back into the pedigree. We are trying to keep the generations going – it is up to us to keep it going.”