TWO of the four Group 1 winners at the Curragh on Sunday were purchased for what can loosely be called affordable prices. The case of Zavateri, a juvenile son of Without Patrol (Frankel), is such a compelling one, and further proof of the talents of his trainer Eve Johnson Houghton. Together with Highflyer Bloodstock, they spent 35,000gns to buy the colt, through Newsells Park Stud, from John Gunther and Ttr Bloodstock.

Utilising Mark McStay’s Avenue Bloodstock, Gunther bought the colt’s dam Zeroua (Siyouni) as an unraced three-year-old for €90,000 at Arqana. Breeding and selling Zavateri will have yielded no profit, or made an indent into the original investment. That is set to change when the Group 1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes winner’s Ghaiyyath (Dubawi) half-sister comes up for sale in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale. Zeroua has a colt foal by Baaeed (Sea The Stars).