The Tattersalls Somerville Sale has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2021 and on Wednesday, the sale broke new ground as the previous top price was bettered twice.
First-time Somerville Sale attendee Kerri Radcliffe delivered the top price of 190,000gns for Ballyphilip Stud’s Blue Point filly – the sole offering by the Kildangan Stud stallion.
“I love the filly,” Radcliffe reported. “The breeder, the pedigree, everything about her is just fabulous. I loved her when I first saw her, but I had to go back a second time just in case my eyes are deceiving me.
“She is for a syndicate of a few different owners, including Oliver Humphries, and will go to Richard Hannon.”
The filly’s class was the reason for choosing the Somerville Sale, consignor Paul McCartan explained. “I brought her here to stand out but she is a beautiful filly. I think the horse in Italy could be very good. Blue Point has had a top year and is a very lucky stallion for me.”
Ballyphilip previously enjoyed a memorable sale at Park Paddocks when their homebred half-brother to Battaash brought 1,500,000gns from Godolphin at Book 1. The same farm offer a full-brother next month.
The horse in Italy that McCartan referred to is Niente Scuse, the filly’s two-year-old brother by Churchill. Trained by Endo Botti for US owner Mike Repole, the colt won a listed race at San Siro in July.
Their dam never won herself but is now three from three as a broodmare, with two stakes performers to her name.
Sire on fire
A Sioux Nation filly from Luke Barry’s Manister House Stud was the first to break the Somerville Sale’s previous record when bringing 185,000gns from Mark McStay’s Avenue Bloodstock, who signed alongside Emeraldway and Parkland.
Unsold in November for €47,000, the grey daughter of Silberpfeil benefitted from an update when her two-year-old half-brother Varzi won his second start in good style for Karl Burke, though it’s Paddy Twomey who will train the filly for owners Steve Weston, Steve Rockwell and Patrick O'Brien.
Weston, Twomey and McStay have enjoyed listed success and Group 1 blacktype with another Sioux Nation filly this season in Velozee, who Manister House Stud bred with Grange Stud.
“She's a very straightforward looking filly, she really looks fast, and came well recommended by Luke [Barry],” McStay commented.
“Patrick O'Brien came up this morning, he liked her, and we were really happy to purchase her. She is a nice filly with a little bit of size and scope, she's got good hind quarters and is well made. Hopefully she'll be a racehorse!
“She will go now to Conor Hoban to be broken, and Paddy will put her into a system, and hopefully next March or April he might be able to tell us a few nice things about her. I am delighted to buy her, and there was plenty of competition, lots of different people got stuck in to try and buy her, and we're just very fortunate that luck came our way. That's a good sign, but it pushed the price up!”
Velozee was also integral to Barry getting involved in Wednesday’s highlight, the consignor later revealed. “This is going to sound corny now, but I sold a filly last year that I liked a lot. It was on the back of having her that I was so keen on this filly. When I saw her at the sales as a foal, she was a little bit immature in ways that allowed me to get involved.
“The breeder (William Kennedy) has remained part of the project, too. She’s had a perfect upbringing on a wonderful farm in Stanley Lodge, then onto us. We hope she’s very lucky. She’s by a stallion on fire and had a lovely pedigree update.”
Twelve months ago, Rabbah Bloodstock gave 160,000gns for the joint top lot and the same buyers gave the exact same sum for a filly by the same sire, Havana Grey, on Wednesday.
Sold by Houghton Bloodstock and bred by Cheveley Park Stud, the grey is a half-brother to Sake Nights (Ulysses), who fetched 140,000gns at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale and has yet to race for Donnacha O’Brien.
Chris Richardson of Cheveley Park Stud later commented: “We are thrilled and delighted. He is a smashing little horse, correct, with a great mind, walks really well, and he is from one of our foundation families.
“We brought him here in the hope that he would stand out, there was quite a bit of competition for the sale that he went to, but we decided that the Somerville Sale was the place for him. We are delighted that Houghton Bloodstock has had such a great result they have done an excellent job."
George Boughey delivered the winning bid on behalf of Rabbah Bloodstock, as he did for a Mehmas colt costing 150,000gns earlier in the day. On his priciest purchase, the trainer said: “It is similar to this morning; trying to find forward two-year-olds and he fitted the bill – it is the same price, the same owner, the same job, really as this morning [Lot 45].
“They were two colts who stood out for us and we are very lucky to get them both. They are both for Jaber Abdullah."
Tally-Ho Stud bred and sold the earlier highlight, a homebred half-brother to American Oaks heroine Lady Prancealot.
On that recruit, Boughey had said: “He is a nice colt, perfect for this sort of sale.
“He is forward, ready to rock on with early, and, hopefully, he can emulate his half-sister who did so well. He is pretty typical of the sire and behaved beautifully up here. We saw him a couple of times in the yard and we are delighted to get him.”
Leading vendor
Tally-Ho Stud enjoyed a successful, and very busy day at Park Paddocks, selling 21 yearlings for a total of 976,000gns, which was almost three times the aggregate of their nearest rival in the consignors’ table.
Among the highlights were two fillies from the first crop of Good Guess that brought 72,000gns and 62,000gns from Peter and Ross Doyle, and Highflyer Bloodstock and Phil Cunningham respectively.
Highflyer and Cunningham also secured a filly from the first crop of Shaquille for 85,000gns. Norris Bloodstock consigned the 40,000gns pinhook, a half-sister to two blacktype fillies, out of Queen Mary third Newsletter.
“It was a shame she didn't have GB bonus, but it didn't seem to stop her selling in the ring,” Highflyer’s Anthony Bromley commented.
“She was an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous filly and a great advert for the stallion. She has a nice bit of blacktype in the pedigree and a huge walk – I know she was many peoples' pick of the fillies in the sale. We didn't want to leave without her, and we'd hoped to get her for a little bit less, but Dean Ivory came in late and took us for a bit longer.
“She is very racy, and wouldn't necessarily look an early, early sharp sort, but she is very athletic. I think she'll make up into a later summer two-year-old with a future as a nice three-year-old. I have seen a number of the Shaquilles and there are some nice models here.”
Six-figure siblings
Earlier in trade, Norris Bloodstock sold a Harry Angel filly for 100,000gns, with Tally-Ho Stud switching to the role of buyers for a sire they’ve enjoyed much luck with. This purchase was bought for the breeze-up sales and is bred to be precocious as a full-sister to blacktype juvenile Harry’s Girl.
Autumn Magic’s yearling filly was bred by Harry Angel’s trainer Clive Cox with his wife Tina and the former said: “It is a very proud moment, and has backed up the 160,000gns we got for the own-brother at last year's October Book 2 Sale. She is a gorgeous filly, and Jenny Norris and her team have done a wonderful job and the mare boards there. She is a very good producer.”
Norris, who also foaled the six-figure filly, added: “I’m just so thrilled for Clive and Tina as they’re such good clients. The filly's been an absolute superstar; she’s had 140-odd shows over the past few days but she just coped with it all so, so well.
“We were very realistic with the price, and I didn't think she'd make that much. The mare just produces very good-looking stock.
“I do think this filly is a little bit like Harry's Girl; they both have a nice bit of length. This filly is a little bit smaller than Harry's Girl. Last year's colt has gone down to Australia, he was stunning.”
Favourite sire
“If I can't find an owner for a Sands Of Mali then I am doing something wrong!” said Time For Sandals’ trainer Harry Eustace after buying a colt by Yeomanstown Stud’s recruit for 92,000gns.
The Culworth Grounds-consigned colt boasted more than just sire appeal, according to Eustace’s debrief with the press.
“We've obviously looked at plenty since her, and he's really the first one that we've really sort of thought fit the bill. We're pretty deep into where we thought we'd have to go but I'd rather buy the one that I remember from the whole sale than anything else. We haven't quite pin down ownership plans, but I hope it'll be popular.”
The trainer will be hoping to further advertise Sands Of Mali’s appeal when Time For Sandals lines up in the Flying Five Stakes next weekend following her unlucky fourth in the Nunthorpe Stakes.
His latest recruit was bred by the Cool Silk Partnership out of 15,000gns buy Setantii Girl, whose first foal Lion Of Mali has risen to a mark of 80 after winning five of his 13 starts to date.
Final figures
Despite strong competition for the choicest lots, the one-day sale wasn’t entirely straightforward for vendors, with the clearance rate dropping nine points to a still healthy 80%, while the average and median prices each fell by 8% to 31,543gns and 23,000gns respectively. From 5% more lots offered, turnover fell by 14% to 6,781,750gns.
Tattersalls managing director Matthew Prior commented: “The Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale took place for the first time in 2021 and, in its short history, has made significant progress, quickly establishing itself as a prolific source of top-class racehorses. These include the Group 1 winners Bradsell and Anisette, as well as this year’s Group 2 Railway Stakes winner, Celeron.
“The record price at the Somerville Yearling Sale was broken twice today, headlined by Ballyphilip Stud’s outstanding Blue Point filly, who realised 190,000gns, whilst the average and median prices were broadly in line with last year’s results. However, it must be acknowledged that trading conditions, particularly in the lower echelons of the bloodstock market, remain challenging for some, while cost pressures continue to rise.
“This must also be viewed against the backdrop of the current Government’s approach to gambling, including increased taxation across the wider gambling sector and the impact of affordability checks, alongside a growing tax burden on businesses, agriculture and high-net-worth individuals. The prospect of further tax increases only adds to these pressures, undermining business confidence and sentiment and doing little to encourage continued investment in British horseracing and the bloodstock industry.
“Despite these headwinds, we now look forward to Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Europe’s premier yearling sale, and to welcoming an international cast of buyers to Park Paddocks for one of the highlights of the global bloodstock calendar.”