TATTERSALLS’ decision to revert the Somerville Sale to a one-day format reaped dividends on Tuesday, as a 42% slimmer catalogue produced a clearance rate of 89% and a record average price of 34,254gns.
Ten six-figure sales were another career-best in the sale’s five-year history, the previous high being seven, while three reached the 100,000gns mark last year. The median price of 25,000gns marked a 14% increase from last year.
The signs were there from early in the day, with the top price coming courtesy of Lot 39. The Havana Grey filly was an obvious highlight on paper, as a half-sister to listed winner Francisco’s Piece and Italian Group 3 winner Campione, her appeal improving by Norris Bloodstock selling Havana Hurricane at last year’s renewal.
The March-born bay was knocked down to Rabbah Bloodstock’s Jono Mills, who said: “She is a very nice horse, by a very exciting stallion, reared by a great farm and near the pick of the fillies today. She is a balanced, attractive horse, and we are hopeful she will be a proper two-year-old.”
Consignor Jenny Norris reported: “She has been extremely busy, we have had plenty of vets, which gives you confidence, and she vetted clean. We did not expect her to make quite that much, but we had targeted this sale to be a standout.
“It is lovely for [breeder] Lord Margadale; he was not going to give her away, he has had the whole family and it is close to his heart, but I said we could be brave as she has been very popular. The pedigree is strong enough to go later, but the pedigree has done so well here that we’d keep that trend going.”
The filly becomes the highest-priced produce of her dam, Josefa Goya, who was bought back for small sums on three occasions, including for 800gns when carrying a subsequent Group 3 winner.
REBEL Racing’ Phil Cunningham and Highflyer Bloodstock’s Anthony Bromley topped the buyers’ table at last week’s Goffs Premier Yearling Sale and took the same title at the Somerville Sale, spending 677,000gns on seven yearlings.
Within the space of an hour, the pair went to 160,000gns for a Dark Angel filly, followed by 135,000gns for a colt by Too Darn Hot, and remained strong late into the day, parting with 100,000gns for a Mehmas colt and the same for a Cotai Glory filly, both from Tally-Ho Stud.
The joint sales-topper was bred by consignor Grangemore Stud with Cavalier Bloodstock, and is the first foal out of dual listed winner and Group 1 third Measure Of Magic, who was retained for 350,000gns when last offered in November 2021.
Cunningham revealed hopes that the bay’s January 3rd birthday will lead to early success on the track, with trainer Richard Spencer adding: “He looks an early fast sort, he is from a fast family, we have had luck with the sire, and hopefully we can get him out early.”
On his current buying policy, Cunningham commented: “We have got some more expensive horses, and more precocious types to crack on with and it seems to be going well – as long as they keep winning, we will keep buying!”
Bromley and Cunningham’s later outlay of 135,000gns was for a colt out of a half-sister to champion two-year-old filly Seazun. Offered by Plantation Stud, the son of Too Darn Hot is a half-brother to group performer Flash Gordon (Kodiac). Michael O’Leary’s breeding operation enjoyed a profitable day, later selling a Palace Pier filly to Durcan Bloodstock for 135,000gns.
Anthony Bromley has enjoyed great success at the Somerville Sale, his buys led by Bradsell, Relief Rally and Havana Hurricane, and he has a good chance of adding to his honour roll, as he was busy buying for other clients this week. Highflyer Bloodstock appeared alongside 27 lots at the close of business, including 10 with Havana Hurricane’s trainer Eve Johnson Houghton.
Sire power
Dark Angel’s custodians, Yeomanstown Stud, later celebrated their own six-figure sale by their star resident when selling an own-sister to two stakes horses for 120,000gns. Nat Barnett Bloodstock signed for the daughter of Balanchine Stakes runner-up Seafront, who was bought carrying her first blacktype produce for 260,000gns.
Barnett reported that the grey was bought for Will Sangwin and would go into training with Karl Burke. “We have all of our horses so far together in France, and we’ve had a lot of luck out there,” he explained. “Will’s based up in Yorkshire [near Beverley] and was keen to have a horse over here.
“I had a two-year-old with Karl [Burke] last year called Antonin Dvorak, he was the only yearling for our syndicate and he won a couple and then sold very well here (bought for 16,000gns via Tattersalls Online and resold for 220,000gns). That prompted the decision to go back to Karl here.”
THOSE who took a chance on Blue Point in his fourth season at stud are now highly likely to be repaid handsomely, having paid a career-low fee of €35,000 for the Kildangan Stud sire who now commands €100,000. Breeder Richard Frayne was one of the brave, advised by Jake Scott Campbell, and celebrated a terrific outcome when the resulting filly sold for 130,000gns.
Scott Campbell had further reason to celebrate as she was the first horse consigned by his Lanark Bloodstock, which he operates alongside working for bloodstock agent Alex Elliott. The Kildare-based consignor reported: “She is a lovely filly, I prepped her and I enjoyed working with her.
“I’d like to thank Richard for his support and also my mum Tara, she has been very helpful. I grew up prepping yearlings with her and this is our first one back together, and she offered lots of assistance. Pat Beirne has also been very supportive and let me use his stables and facilities.
“We decided to come to this sale rather than Book 2 so she would stand out. There are holes there, and I think people would have exploited that in Book 2. This is a massive result for Richard, too, he is looking to expand. I think I made the right call coming here, and I hope Richard is happy – I will go and call him now!”
Plucky pinhook
With the top of the breeze-up market booming this year, it is likely that many pinhookers will focus on quality over quantity, and Powerstown Stud’s Tom Whitehead could be among those practicing the ‘spend big to win big’ motto, if his latest recruit is anything to go by.
The breeze-up consignor went to 145,000gns for Tally-Ho Stud’s Starman colt from the family of July Cup winner Frizzante, and later commented: “The stallion is flying and this is a nice horse. I’ll probably bring him back here [for the Craven] if the wheels stay on the wagon. Hopefully, he’ll be lucky. The market seems to be strong here today.”
The February-born bay offered further proof of Tally-Ho’s shrewd eye for a broodmare, as well as for a sire prospect, as he was the first foal out of their 17,000gns buy Pooky. Well-beaten in three starts, the daughter of Twilight Son is a half-sister to two stakes horses.