WHILE the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale may lack the high-profile horses that hit headlines at recent breeze-up sales, Thursday’s renewals produced a number of feel-good stories. The top lot, a Calyx filly bought by Middleham Park Racing for 155,000gns, was one of those; a perfectly executed plan two years in the making.
As Donal Commins, whose family’s Albany Stud bred and consigned her, explained: “When this filly was a foal we decided to breeze her; we never entered in a foal or a yearling sale. The second she was born my father said she was fast! He fell in love with her and almost lived inside her stable.
“Everything has always been so easy for her; she has never come off the bridle at home. I really do think she is good and I have been saying all week she is an Ascot filly!”
The filly’s new owners have the same idea, according to the syndicate’s Tom Palin, who said: “We bought her from Albany Stud, let’s hope she wins the race of the same name in six weeks!
“She was an obvious one really, she has a lot of size and substance, timed well and ticked all the boxes. We had to stretch a bit more than we wanted, but this sales season has been very hard to get stuck in, so you have to be a bit punchy on the ones you want.”
Changing fortunes
The Calyx filly’s dam has history at this particular sale, having been sold by Gaybrook Lodge Stud to Shadwell for 215,000gns in 2014.
She later resold as a three-race maiden to Albany Stud at the venue’s July Sale for 3,2000gns.
Palin was kept busy as just two lots later, he secured a Havana Grey filly with David Easterby from Jerry Horan’s Ballynure Park Stud for 100,000gns. “She is another lovely sort,” Palin commented. “She clocked well and we have had a load of success with Havana Grey.”
It was the bay’s third and most successful sales appearance, having sold to JC Bloodstock as a foal for 40,000gns and was retained at Book 2 for 18,000gns. Eleven days after her yearling sales date, her half-brother Future History gained his second Group 3 win for Ciaron Maher.
KNOCKGRAFFON Stables topped the consignors’ table, having sold all four lots offered for a total of 362,000gns, and their good fortune was shared with breeder Michael Downey, for whom they sold a Ten Sovereigns colt to Rabbah Bloodstock for 150,000gns.
After selling the colt, Knockgraffon’s Stevie Byrne explained: “Michael Downey sent him to us in November and we broke him and prepped him for the sale, Michael has been a great client for us over the years.
“The horse was very straightforward and has taken everything here like a champ and did a savage breeze. We don’t clock them at home, but his work at home has always been very good and it was a pleasant surprise to see him go so well.”
Start as you mean to go on
Michael and Stevie Byrne’s first offering of the day made an impressive return on her Tattersalls Somerville Sale price of 8,000gns, reselling to Highflyer Bloodstock’s Tessa Greatrex for 92,000gns.
“She was brilliant over here, breezed great and is a queen,” Stephen Byrne said of the first-crop daughter of Lope Y Fernandez. “I am delighted Tessa Greatrex got her and hopefully she is lucky for them.”
On what appealed to him at the yearling sales, Bryne recalled: “She just had a good presence about her, she grew well through the autumn and became this beautiful filly.”
Knockgraffon Stables’ final offering, a Saxon Warrior colt bought for €17,000, was resold to Spanish trainer Guillermo Arizkorreta for 80,000gns.
MEHMAS’ popularity continued at the Guineas Sale, where a colt from Gary Halpin and Sean Davis’ GS Bloodstock sold to online bidders Omar Esmil Ghrghar and Global Equine for 145,000gns.
“He was bred by Noel O’Callaghan of Mountarmstrong Stud, who has been a massive supporter of us,” Davis later explained.
“He clocked a good time and did a very good breeze, but he has been doing that all winter. We are excited about him and I really hope he goes on and is lucky for his purchaser – I think they have bought a very nice horse.”
On the Tally-Ho Stud sire, Davis continued: “The Mehmas horses have great minds, they are professional and are athletes.”
Should the colt follow up on the track, the Browne Brothers could have cause for celebration, having purchased his dam for €4,500 in November. The half-sister to Cornwallis Stakes winner Good Vibes was originally purchased by BBA Ireland as a broodmare for 150,000gns.
Proven formula
Peter and Ross Doyle were the highest spenders on the day, purchasing five lots for 374,000gns, the most expensive of which was a Havana Grey colt from Eddie Linehan’s Lackendarra Stables.
The agents have enjoyed considerable success with the sire, purchasing dual stakes winner and Group 1 second Shouldvebeenaring, Nell Gwyn Stakes heroine Mammas Girl and Round Tower Stakes third Coralillo (also sold by Lackendarra) from his first crop.
“He is a lovely horse, and he reminded us a lot of Shouldvebeenaring,” Ross Doyle said of their latest purchase. “This lad is a bit bigger height-wise, but he has the same attitude, the same movement. He comes from a very good home, and the sire needs no introduction. I showed Richard [Hannon] six or seven, and this was Richard’s pick.”
The same buyer and consignor accounted for a Nando Parrado filly on Tuesday, her price rising from £16,000 as a yearling to 75,000gns this week.
ILSON and Anderson Correa of Anderson Bloodstock celebrated an impressive result at last year’s sale, when a King Of Change filly bought for €8,000 resold for 120,000gns. They kept their reinvestments modest and were rewarded again this week when a €3,000 yearling brought 115,000gns from Stroud Coleman.
The Coulsty filly was bought at the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale, where she required some imagination, with no blacktype under her first two dams. On her appeal, Anderson Correa commented: “She is a nice filly, she walks well, she has a lovely outlook and head.”
As for the outcome, the Mullingar-based Correa reported: “We are very happy. We will be reinvesting – each year we try and improve!”
Final figures
At the end of trade, the median price, which is considered a reliable marker for trade across the board, rose 11% to 30,000gns, but the average price dropped 6% to 39,488gns. From a 1% drop in horses offered, turnover increased by the same percentage, and when including private sales, the clearance rate improved from 76% to 80%.
Tattersalls reported that a record 42 lots realised 50,000gns or more, which is three more than last year. However, Thursday’s sale produced three fewer six-figure lots than last year.
TWO of the three highest-priced lots in the Guineas Horses In Training Sale will return to Karl Burke after their trainer secured them for new owners. Bidding online, Burke provided the session’s top price of 155,000gns for Veblen Good, a progressive sprinter rated 90 after going close on his three-year-old return.
Withdrawn as a yearling and at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale, the close relation to Anthem Alexander had previously raced for breeders Noel, Paul and Charles O’Callaghan, but Burke didn’t divulge as to his new owners.
“He ran great on his last start and is a real progressive sort,” Burke said of the gelding. “Hopefully, he can step up to some black-type and the plan is to go to Newbury in a couple of weeks for a listed race.”
The Starspangledbanner gelding had won his second start in a five-furlong novice stakes at Wolverhampton, while his debut second was boosted when the winner subsequently placed in a Group 3.
One door closes
Burke is among the trainers to lose ammunition due to Steve Parkin’s drastic downsizing, but saw enough in Close Envoy to secure him in a private deal for 65,000gns, the same price Barton Sales vendored the three-year-old for. It came six days after the Lope De Vega gelding debuted at Doncaster, where he was beaten two and a quarter lengths into fourth, at a price of 33/1.
“He ran a great race on his first start,” Burke said on Thursday. “It was a really hot maiden with four previous winners ahead of him and two behind him. He is by a great sire and we trained the dam [Living In The Past] to win the Lowther Stakes. He is from a great family and he will run in the Middleham Park colours.”
Cast Party will be travelling further afield after bringing 90,000gns from Tattersalls’ Jason Singh, who was taking instructions over the phone and signed as Kendrick Racing/Howson & Houldsworth. Stuart Kendrick trains on Australia’s Sunshine Coast.
It was difficult to compare the horse in training session’s figures to those of last year, when the catalogue included the John Dance dispersal.
If compared to 2023, when there were 10 fewer horses catalogued, the average fell by 6.5% to 16,776gns and the median dropped by 27% to 8,750gns. However, the clearance rate of 91% suggested that trade was strong for the stock presented.