IF any explanation was needed as to why Sheikh Fahad has focussed on trading horses, rather than racing them in Europe, then Tuesday provided the answers, as Gladius, a three-year-old he owned in partnership, brought 950,000gns from Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown.
Trained by Andrew Balding for Qatar Bloodstock, China Horse Club and David Howden, the Night Of Thunder colt gained an important update when finishing second to Damysus in the Group 3 Darley Stakes, for which he was sent off favourite. Offered by Jamie Railton with a rating of 111, he may not have been an obvious type to near the million mark, but his price speaks to the regard in which Damysus is held, as it was his owners Wathnan Racing that Brown acted on behalf of.
After relegating Johnny McKeever and Claudia Fitzgerald to the role of underbidder, with Stuart Boman also among strong players, Brown commented: “We have followed this horse through the year with interest, and we have Damysus, who we hold in high regard and we thought this horse ran very well in behind him in the Group 3 Darley Stakes. It is a form line we know about.
“Gladius will go back to Andrew Balding and we will target the Qatar Derby with him. He is what we are looking for - he is a progressive, still unexposed, colt who can go to Qatar and then go on to be an international horse for us as well.”
Another hoping that Gladius can progress is the Irish National Stud, whose mare syndicate bred the bay out of listed winner Persona Grata. The farm sold him at Goffs as a foal for €280,000 to Philip Stauffenberg, who resold him for 250,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1.
Blandford, take two
Blandford Bloodstock also appeared alongside Grade 1 winner New Century, but it was the agency’s Stuart Boman who provided the winning bid, while sitting alongside Johnno Mills.
“We got there in the end, it took a little while,” Boman said after outbidding Matt Houldsworth and an online bidder. “It is rare you get to buy a Grade 1 winner at auction and he has run very well in that company since; he was a horse talked as a classic prospect.
“He vetted immaculately, and for a horse who has trained in the US, and come back again.... Royal Patronage did the same thing and he has a similar profile; he is a year younger.
“We are happy to get him, he is for an existing client and he is will be going for the Dubai for the Carnival.”
New Century was a talking point earlier in the year when Andrew Balding revealed that Sheikh Fahad had removed the Summer Stakes victor from his yard, with Qatar Racing explaining that Sheikh Fahad was focussing his racing operation in the US due to prize money levels.
Sent to Brendan Walsh, the homebred son of Kameko placed in the Grade 1 American Turf Stakes in May but had been out of luck since.
Blandford, take three
Stuart Boman acted on behalf of Annabel and Rob Archibald Racing when securing St Leger third Stay True for 360,000gns. By Galileo and out of blacktype sprinter Bounce, Aidan O’Brien’s charge was well beaten last time out in the Long Distance Cup.
Explaining the three-year-old’s appeal, Boman stated: “He is a perfect Cup horse, he is already Melbourne Cup qualified, he has got the rating to get in, he finished third in the St Leger and he is from Galileo's final crop. He ran a top race in the Great Voltigeur when fourth, and he has a great pedigree.”
Boman was joined by Annabel Neasham, who added: “He is ultimately for a Melbourne Cup / Caulfield Cup campaign. We have not got definite plans as yet, but we might fly him out in March and run him off the plane in something like the Tancred Stakes.
“He is on spec at the moment, but I have few owners who want a Cup horse, he will be easy enough to sell, he has just run third in the Leger. He is just the horse you come to buy, but it is difficult to land on them.”
It speaks to the health of Australian racing that a trainer can buy a single horse on spec for 360,000gns, though their appeal is helped by the success of the specific sale’s graduates Down Under this year.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott know all about it, as two of their Group 1 winners this year were sourced at the Autumn Horse In Training Sale, so it came as little surprise that their bloodstock manager Claudia Fitzgerald and agent Johnny McKeever were strong in the ring on Tuesday.
They underbid 950,000gns top lot Gladius, but gained compensation with three buys totalling 780,000gns, two of whom were from the Coolmore consignment from which they sourced Sir Delius.
At 320,000gns, their most expensive recruit was Gallinule Stakes victor Thrice. By Wootton Bassett and out of a Galileo mare, the Coolmore homebred shares his page with Australian Group 1 performer Amenable.
It marked back-to-back lots for the buying team, who went to 260,000gns for the three-year-old Wootton Bassett colt Swagman. The German-bred bay made a winning start to the season in the Group 3 Classic Trial over 10 furlongs at Sandown, but was out of the money on two starts since.
“We will take them straight to Oz and let them acclimatise,” Fitzgerald reported. “They are young horses and lightly raced, and have the exact profile of a horse that we come here to target. They are incredibly sound, they are lovely and fresh and we love progeny by Wootton Bassett."
McKeever added: “They are both Group winners, they are coming from a leading stable and we have done really well buying off Coolmore.
“Rob Waterhouse is the guru on what he feels form-wise and then Claudia and I are looking at them physically, and I always defer to what Claudia thinks she will be able to sell – I ask her if she will be able to sell to her clients.”
McKeever, Waterhouse and Bott first joined the buyers’ table this week when going to 200,000gns for Joseph O’Brien’s highly-rated three-year-old Tribal Nation. The Castlebridge Consignment offered the Wootton Bassett gelding, who was last seen finishing third in the Sovereign Path Handicap.
On their first buy, Fitzgerald commented: “He ran well in the Britannia which is a race we have had good success coming out from. He is a young horse, has lots to give and is relatively lightly raced. I actually thought this horse was super buying at 200,000gns.
“He has been running over shorter than perhaps we'd look for [seven furlongs and a mile], but he looks like a horse who will stretch out, especially when we get him to Australia and the sun on his back!”
CONNECTIONS’ decision to offer five-time group winner Geography as a wildcard entry was vindicated when the Peter Schiergen-trained gelding brought 570,000gns from BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe.
“He is really the one that we identified when the wildcards came out,” Donohoe said of the Holy Roman Emperor four-year-old, who finished fifth in the Prix de la Foret when last seen. “He is a horse we had been following, he has extremely consistent form, his run in the Foret was good, he is a very good physical, he vetted very well and he is versatile.
“He is for a client in the Middle East. He will suit the mile races in the region, and with his pedigree, he might be a horse who could go on the dirt in Saudi, too.
“We gave a bit more than we thought we would, but we are very happy to get him. If he can win a valuable race in the Middle East, he makes good sense from an investment view point.”
Victorious
Middle Eastern investment was once again apparent when Billy Jackson-Stops stretched to 420,000gns for Harry Charlton’s progressive three-year-old Wave Rider. The Belardo gelding was rated 83 when getting off the mark in a Sandown maiden this summer and was offered by Barton Sales with a rating of 94 following his second career success in a handicap at Pontefract.
After signing the docket, the agent revealed that his purchase was made on behalf of Victorious Racing, adding: “Sheikh Nasser has won his own Cup a couple of times and be great to try and win it again. He has the form, and the profile to be successful there.
“Bahrain as racecourse is on the up, we want to support that, send the right horses and ensure the quality of ability and competition remains high, and horses like this will do that.”
It marked a fine bit of business for Charlton’s Beckhampton Stables, who sourced Wave Rider as a yearling with Amanda Skiffington for 45,000gns.
WHITE Birch, who provided John Murphy with Group 1 glory in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, will continue his career with Jamie Osborne after the Lambourn trainer and Sam Haggas’ Hurworth Bloodstock gave 300,000gns for the lightly-raced five-year-old. Harold Kirk was the underbidder.
A five-time winner from 14 starts, the son of Ulysses missed most of last season and went close on return in the Mooresbridge Stakes. Fourth next time out in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, he went on to finish fifth in the Irish Champion Stakes and 12th in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Jamie Osborne explained: “His new owners are to be decided, we have a couple of options, I genuinely I need to have a conversation, but it is people in the yard already.”
“It is very rare to be able to buy a horse of his calibre, he is five but he has got plenty of life in him. He can go anywhere – he could be at Royal Ascot next year and run in something like the Wolferton, and would be one of the better horses in that race, or can go around the world for the next couple of years and give his new owners a lot of sport.”
Tuesday’s sale was a notable loss for John Murphy, whose son and assistant trainer George commented: “It is tough to see him go, for sure. He has been brilliant for us and we very thankful to have had him when we did and thankful to the owners too; they have been very great owners for us for many years.
“When he was a younger, he was full of life as could be seen in his races, but he matured into a lovely horse with a great mind. I am sure his new connections will have a great time with him and we wish them the best of luck.”