WHEN it comes to bloodstock sales, record prices seem to have lost their meaning lately. With the strength at the top of the market, be it a foal, yearling, breeze-up or horses in training sale, records are almost expected to be broken, and thankfully for Tattersalls, this week’s July Sale continued the trend.
On Wednesday, Juddmonte blueblood Orchid Bouquet became the highest-priced horse in the sale’s history at 550,000gns, but she only lasted approximately 24 hours in the record books, as Wathnan Racing’s talent scout Richard Brown gave 775,000gns for Royal Ascot winner Quai De Bethune the following day.
For me, though, the price that really demonstrated the current market was the 210,000gns given for General Admission, a seven-race maiden with an official rating of 73. Offered by Andrew Balding, like the sales topper, the thrice-placed three-year-old was bought by Ali A Aneizi, on behalf of the Libyan-based racing club Al Watan Club.
Stuart Williams put it best after landing Tuesday’s top lot, Andrew Balding’s improving three-year-old Humam, for 190,000gns. When asked if he expected the pay that amount, the trainer replied: “Whoever buys the horse is the maddest person on the day because you’re the one who bid the most!”
Al Watan Club finished fifth in the buyers’ table, in which Libyan bloodstock agent Ramzi Alghul filled seventh position with a spend of 274,000gns. Qatari trainer Gassim Ghazali was runner-up to Blandford Bloodstock, whose 775,000gns buy accounted for just over half of their total spend.
With the third-highest spend, Zhang Yuesheng also had a notable effect on the final figures, purchasing as Ace Stud, a rebrand of Dullingham Park Stud bought from Steve Parkin earlier this year.
Seller’s market
The figures suggested there was plenty of depth to the market, with the median coming in at 15,000gns, a record set in 2022. Stephen Thorne, who is a regular at Tattersalls’ horses-in-training sales, both in his previous role with Ado McGuinness and now out on his own, confirmed that buying was challenging this week.
Next level
“It has been tough week to try and buy what we wanted,” he said after buying Sir Les Patterson for 155,000gns on Thursday. “We were beaten on a couple yesterday. We have to pay plenty for these horses, but we need them on our side so we can get the yard to the next level.”
Gassim Ghazali, who spent 879,000gns across the three days, shared a similar view. After stretching to 220,000gns for the highly-rated Basalt, he said: “He was too expensive! However, the competition is strong now in Qatar and throughout the region, and we have to spend this sort of money.”
Tattersalls were rewarded with a total turnover of 16,984,555gns, just 1,445gns short of 2023’s record figure. The average price of 30,015gns was also the second highest in the sale’s history. 88% of the 639 horses offered found a buyer, down from 90% last year.
QUAI De Bethune was an obvious highlight of the catalogue after getting up to win the Golden Gate Stakes at Royal Ascot, an unenjoyable race for Wathnan Racing to watch, given that their recent private purchase Best Secret met trouble before finishing strongly in third.
If you can’t beat them, join them, appears to be Wathnan’s motto, and they duly added Andrew Balding’s progressive three-year-old to their string with a record-breaking bid of 775,000gns.
After seeing off Dr Khaled Salami and an online bidder for the now 100-rated colt, Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown commented: “It is rare for a Royal Ascot winner to come onto the market, and he is still relatively lightly raced.
“The plan looks like he is going to go back to Andrew [Balding] with potentially a Middle Eastern campaign ahead, but we will give him a break now.”
On the price, the agent reflected: “It was a stronger price than I thought – it is just quite rare for a Royal Ascot winner to come to auction straight after, and it was never going to be easy.”
The French-bred three-year-old hails from the first crop of Persian King and was bought by Richard Venn and owner Gary Gillies at BBAG for €75,000. Team Valor joined ownership after his debut third and the bay has progressed since then, winning a Kempton maiden and placing in the London Gold Cup, before triumphing at the Royal meeting off a rating of 93.
Qatar Derby hopes
Wildcard entry Green Storm was another expected to hit the headlines and didn’t disappoint, bringing 380,000gns from Gassim Ghazali. “I am very lucky to have been able to buy this horse,” the trainer said of his most expensive purchase.
“He will fit into the programme, travelling to Qatar shortly with a plan to run in the Qatar Derby and then, hopefully, the big races in the region through the spring.
“Buying at the July Sales gives enough time for the horses to acclimatise before the winter season. He could be a horse to run back in Europe – I have done that before and I am keen to do that again.”
Charlie Johnston trained Green Storm to finish second in both the Zetland Stakes and Criterium de Saint-Cloud last season and the Ahmad Al Shaikh-owned colt showed some return to form last time, when finishing well in fifth in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes.
While Johnston will be disappointed to lose the Circus Maximus colt, the result should attract future customers, considering his yearling price of €12,000. It also bodes well for Banimpire’s sole stakes performer, whose yearling filly by the same sire joined the Johnston’s for €26,000 last year.
Ghazali’s 220,000gns buy, Basalt, also rewarded connections with a generous return. Bought by Blandford Bloodstock from Katie Walsh Greenhills Farm at Arqana last year for €60,000, the Pinatubo colt went on to win a Newcastle novice race in good style, before placing at listed level.
He was offered with a rating of 93 after finishing fifth on his most recent start in the Golden Gate Stakes at Royal Ascot. Ghazali outlined a similar plan to Green Storm for Basalt, who was sold by The Castlebridge Consignment.
WHILE the bloodstock market may be victim to fleeting trends, and investors who come and go, the appeal of certain bloodlines remains timeless, as was the case on the second day of trade on Wednesday.
It’s what makes the Juddmonte draft a go-to for any breeder and Grant Pritchard-Gordon knows all about that, having served as racing manager to Prince Khalid Abdullah’s operation in the 1980sand early ‘90s.
Pritchard-Gordon set up Badgers Bloodstock in 2002 and now runs the agency with his son Tom, and that was the name on the docket for Orchid Bouquet, brief record-holder at 550,000gns. After securing the three-year-old own-sister to Calyx, Pritchard-Gordon senior commented: “I obviously love Juddmonte families. I knew the fifth dam, and that is the whole attraction, and my client does, too. The client has been very keen on Juddmonte families, and we both agree there. This filly stays in Europe.”
On whether he expected to pay that much for the unraced daughter of Kingman, the agent replied: “I did not think we would have to spend so much, but these Juddmonte fillies and mares always have a premium.
“It is one of the very top Juddmonte families, there is so much happening around it, and just keeps staying alive.”
Part of the appeal of Juddmonte pedigrees, as with many other leading owner/breeders, is the quality stallion coverings and high potential for updates. Orchid Bouquet is no different, as her Group 3-winning and Group 1-placed dam Helleborine has a yearling filly and colt foal by Kingman. The likes of Distant Music and Native Trail feature further down the page.
Before Orchid Bouquet graced the ring, fellow Juddmonte filly Fleeting Ember led trade after selling to Blandford Bloodstock’s Tom Goff for 300,000gns. The Frankel filly’s price is a far cry from the 9,000gns Ringfort Stud paid for her dam, Flare Of Firelight, 11 years ago.
From the top-class Niarchos family of Light Shift, Shiva and Ulysses, she was purchased privately by Juddmonte after producing high-class juvenile Threat.
As her daughter’s purchaser Tom Goff put it, “It’s a lovely Niarchos family that’s been added to by Juddmonte. What more could you want?”
Ace draw strong cards
On the day, Juddmonte sold 22 lots, seven of them for six-figure sums, and for a total of 2,003,000gns. Two of their six-figure fillies were knocked down Ace Stud, the new name for Dullingham Park Stud, following Zhang Yuesheng’s purchase of Steve Parkin’s property outside Newmarket in March.
At 375,000gns, Ace Stud’s most expensive recruit was Karl Burke’s offering Regal Agenda, a Pinatubo half-sister to two group winners.
Placed last season, the now three-year-old is out of Lancashire Oaks heroine Emirates Queen, herself a half-sister to the great Dubawi.
Explaining their plans, Yulong’s European representative Paul Curran said: “We have the two stallions on the farm, Shaquille and Soldier’s Call.
“We are keen to support the stallions, particularly Shaquille and to improve the quality of his book for next year. We have had a good level of support from breeders and we want to build on that.
“Regal Agenda fits the bill and it is a good start. She was one that we really wanted, and we are happy.”
Dual Group 1-winning sprinter Shaquille, a son of Charm Spirit, commanded £15,000 in his first two seasons at stud and those who supported him will be happy to hear that Yulong will be active at the foal and mare sales.
Curran reported: “Shaquille got 130 mares this year, which was really good, and we want to improve on that again.
“We are pleased with the foals, and we will support his foals at the December Sale. There will be plenty of quality mares to come in December, and we will be buying then, too.”