SINCE the flat season got underway, there has been talk of fewer deals being done privately, with global economic uncertainty, conflict in the Middle East and the weakness of certain currencies offered as reasons for the dip.

Whether these elements would affect the Tattersalls July Sale this week was up for debate, given that public auctions can offer credit to buyers. A reduced catalogue likely helped the average and median prices, as well as the clearance rate for the three-day sale, where demand for the choicest lots appeared particularly strong.

From 13% fewer horses offered, turnover fell by 18% to 13,837,500gns, which led to the average price dropping by 1% to 29,822gns. The median price, often regarded as the best measure of market strength, held steady at 15,000gns, but perhaps the most significant figure for vendors was the clearance rate of 91%, up from 88% the previous year.

As with all sales, whether they be breeding stock or racing prospects, demand was strong at the top, with the number of six-figure lots rising from 30 to 34, from 128 less horses offered.

The two highest prices of the week came at Tuesday’s opening session, with both fillies hailing from the Godolphin draft, which generated returns of 2,264,500gns - 46% of the day’s total turnover.

Ace Stud signed for both after bidding online, with Tally-Ho Stud filling the role of underbidder for 500,000gns top lot Renaissance Lady. The Pinatubo (Shamardal) filly is a sister to eight stakes horses, including Group 1 winners Triple Threat and Ajman Princess.

The latter is the dam of Inisherin (Shamardal), while another half-sister produced three-time Group 1 winner Rosallion (Blue Point, by Shamardal).

“Renaissance Lady really is something of a collector’s item as a sister to a stallion, and closely related to Rosallion and Inisherin, too,” Ace Stud’s Paul Curran said.

“Pedigrees like this are just so hard to buy and they don’t come onto the market very often. Physically she is a good stamp of a mare, too. She’s obviously out of training and so we’ll bring her back to the farm, let her down, give her some grass time and will make a decision for next year.”

Options open

While mating plans remain fluid for Renaissance Lady, Curran did not nominate Ace Stud resident Shaquille, saying: “She probably would suit a Godolphin stallion again, but there are no plans as yet.

“She is open to many options and looking through the pedigree you could go back to Frankel obviously or stay and go closer into the Shamardal line with a stallion such as Blue Point.”

Curran outlined similar plans for Ace Stud’s 400,000gns purchase Wild Angel, a Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) sister to three-time Group 1 winner and stallion Space Blues (Dubawi).

The now four-year-old placed on all her starts in the UK before getting off the mark in France and was offered as a carrying her first cover to Pinatubo. Her siblings also include group winner Shuruq, herself the dam of Grade 1 filly Antoinette.

“A pedigree like this is hard to get into as a three-part sister to Space Blues and a half to Shuruq, and it is a very good family outside of that,” Curran later commented.

“Too Darn Hot is looking as though he could shape up as a nice broodmare sire. Physically, she’s a lovely mare and she just suits exactly what we’re looking for. We’ll sit down and take a look at her, she could suit one of the Godolphin stallions again, something from the Shamardal line.”

Dubawi blood

While Too Darn Hot is yet to be tried as a broodmare sire, his own sire Dubawi is the damsire of 10 individual Group 1 winners. Five of the 11 fillies to fetch six-figures on Tuesday were daughters or granddaughters of Dubawi.

That includes Clacton Thoroughbreds’s 180,000gns purchase Enchanted Queen, an 80-rated maiden who placed on all three of her career starts as a juvenile, but was offered as a three-year-old out of training.

The Ghaiyyath filly’s two-year-old half-sister Avalon Queen placed in a Newbury maiden last week and has been given a rating of 80 after two starts. The pair are out of dual group winner Morgan Le Faye, a daughter of Shamardal who placed in the Prix Royal-Oak and Prix du Cadran – a race her granddam Molly Malone won.

Fellow Godolphin offering Verse Of Love fetched the same price of 180,000gns, with Ger Morrin of Pier House Stud signing as Kelly Equine. A dual winner with a rating of 92, the daughter of Siyouni was sent off favourite for the Nell Gwynn Stakes on her three-year-old return but failed to pick up blacktype.

That was key to her appeal, Morrin explained: “I remember when she was in training, she looked very promising. She was in the betting for the Guineas actually at one stage. I like to buy those ones who show a lot of promise, and if she had got blacktype, I wouldn’t have been able to afford her, but I think she had that ability.”

The four-year-old is out of a Shamardal sister to Prix du Jockey Club runner-up Saint Baudolino and Avilius, a three-time Group 1 winner in Australia.

Added bonus

Donnacha O’Brien’s blacktype three-year-old Aegina topped Wednesday’s session, bringing 240,000gns from Geoff and Sandra Turnbull’s Elwick Stud. The Castlebridge Consignment offered the daughter of Havana Grey with a rating of 93, earned for her three-and-a-half length maiden win when last seen at Dundalk last October.

The Skara Glen Stables-owned grey picked up blacktype in the Listed Legacy Stakes three weeks prior and placed on both her previous starts in Curragh and Naas maidens. The half-sister to highly-rated juvenile Green Sovereign is likely to return to the track for her new owners, it’s just a question of when, according to stud manager Gary Moore.

“She’s a lovely filly,” he said. “She was the only one we wanted to buy and she’ll come back to us for a rest before we make any plans. She’s got a bit of a quarter crack (in her hoof) so we’ll fix that and see what she’s like.

“We’ll do what’s best by her, we don’t want to do anything daft, but we’ll aim to send her back into training, whether that’s this year or next year. Hopefully she can pick up some more blacktype. We bought her to be a broodmare really; the racing bit is an added bonus to be honest.”

Expanding on the selection process, Moore continued: “Nick [Turnbull] picked her out, I loved her straight away. She’s not over big but she’s strong, she’s a real strong filly. He’ll want to see her himself before he decides anything like who might train her. We’re always trying to upgrade our mares though and she looked like an ideal candidate.”

Sharkey strikes

Blacktype is the goal for Guardian Of Realm, who will return to Ireland after selling to Colm Sharkey for 210,000gns. After outbidding Fernando Laffon Lomba, the agent reported: “We had a mark of 200,000gns on her, and were not going to lose her for a bid.

“We will be looking for some blacktype; she is a progressive sort and comes recommended. She has been bought for an Irish client and goes into training in Ireland.”

Formerly trained by Ger Lyons for Juddmonte, the Kingman half-sister to Group 3 winner Flight Leader placed on her first three starts and made an impressive step up to 10 furlongs when striding six lengths clear in a Fairyhouse maiden last month.

The 88-rated filly is out of multiple listed winner and Nassau Stakes third Principal Role, herself a half-sister to Grade 1 scorer Midships and to the dam of German Group 1 winner Temida. Like all Juddmonte homebreds, Guardian Of Realm is open to plenty of updates, with Frankel siblings waiting in the wings.

SEVEN of the top 10 lots were fillies or mares with futures in the breeding shed, with the option of racing on before then,

However, racing is the sole appeal for new owner Raj Singh who shelled out 215,000gns for the gelding Capall Rasa.

Given a rating of 80 following his maiden victory in October, the Footstepsinthesand gelding has risen to 93 following his subsequent win and two fine runs in defeat, most recently finishing fifth in the Britannia Stakes.

Ed Bethell, who is set to train the former Tom Dascombe inmate for Singh, commented: “He looks a fun horse and ran a big race in the Britannia. He is really very progressive, and he’s got a nice profile.

“His new owner Mr Singh is new to the game and wants some horses to take him to the good days – fingers crossed he’s that type.”

Earlier in the day, Singh gave 90,000gns for Juddmonte’s promising three-year-old Kingman colt Firefall. A total spend of 305,000gns saw the new owner take the fourth spot in the buyers’ table, where there were some notable changes from last year.

Leading buyers

Blandford Bloodstock spent just 120,000gns over the three days, having taken the top spot last year at 1,522,000gns. Given that one of their highest-spending clients, Wathnan Racing, have bought plenty privately, it’s hardly a surprise nor a cause for concern.

More worrying, even if expected, was the drop in spending by Middle Eastern buyers. Qatari trainer and Tattersalls regular Gassim Ghazali spent 312,000gns, down from 879,000gns 12 months ago, while the Saudi-based Al Watan Club, who spent 429,000gns last year, were absent this week.

One buyer who did make significant headway in the standings was Will Douglass, who sat second with an outlay of 446,000gns, having spent just 81,000gns last year. At 200,000gns, his most expensive purchase was Regal Ulixes, who had initially been led out unsold at 190,000gns.

Like Capall Rasa, Regal Ulixes was offered off the back of a smart run at Royal Ascot, having finished third in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes for Andrew Balding. A three-time winner over a mile to 10 furlongs, the Ulysses gelding previous placed in the All-Weather Finals at Newcastle.

Yaupon De Replay holds a similar rating of 97 after her narrow defeat in a rated race at Naas last week. The Joseph O-Brien-trained three-year-old is set to continue her career in the US, where she was bred, after being knocked down to Charlie Swan for 200,000gns, with BBA Ireland appearing on the docket for the Castlebridge Consignment offering.