At a time with such great uncertainty in the world, it seems more important than ever to stick with what you know, and for Richard Brown, that’s buying breeze-up horses from proven sources of success, and for his clients, it’s backing the man who’s steered them to success numerous times in the past.

The Blandford Bloodstock agent has bought the likes of Ardad, Dream Ahead and Perfect Power from Tally-Ho Stud, and he’s hoping Tuesday’s top lot at the opening session of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale, bought for 450,000gns, can continue the trend.

The agent also had some unfinished business with this particular Palace Pier colt, he later informed the press. “I actually loved him as a yearling and I didn’t have anyone for him, so I was interested to see how he breezed,” he explained down the back stairs. “I haven’t got the best memory but I remembered him, so I knew I really liked him.”

Brown couldn’t reveal his client or the colt’s future trainer, but did say it’s unlikely he’ll be seen on the Rowley Mile again. “He did a tremendous breeze,” he reported. He’s a very powerful galloper but I don’t think he enjoyed the course.

“He’d be one of the biggest colts in the sale. He was uneven into the start and then he definitely got lost in the dip, but when he hit the rising ground, he came up powerfully, and I always think that’s a good sign.

“He’s a horse that I think we can go forward with – it’s nice because I think we can try and get him to Ascot, but if he doesn’t make it, we’ve got a horse for the future.”

Bred by Shadwell out of South African Grade 1 winner Majmu, Tuesday’s top lot is a brother to two stakes horses and was picked up by Hamish Macauley as a yearling for 100,000gns. He hails from the second crop of Palace Pier, whose first juveniles included three group winners, from a total of eight blacktype performers.

In buying the Palace Pier colt, Brown beat the top price he himself paid for Kilminfoyle House Stud’s Lope De Vega colt earlier that evening. The agent went to 400,000gns for the bay, vindicating the €150,000 JC Bloodstock paid at the foal sales, and their decision to retain him 160,000gns 11 months later.

Unlike his later purchase, Brown doesn’t expect the Lope de Vega colt to run anytime soon, he said. “A lot of the time, we’re trying to buy horses for Royal Ascot but for me, this is a horse that needs time and he’s the sort of horse that you’ll see in a September maiden – he’ll get some time off now, and we’ll bring him back towards the back-end.

“He’s obviously bred to get a mile and a quarter plus, but he also showed plenty of speed in his breeze; very fluent action. It all adds up, just not necessarily to what you expect from a breeze-up horse, and not necessarily the type I usually buy, but I liked the style of the horse, his action, and the fact that he did show a lot of speed. I’ve always said that all good horses have speed, no matter the distance, and hopefully this will stand him in good stead.”

This time, Brown could reveal the identity of his client - “I bought him for Saeed Suhail; we’ve never first breeze-up horse for him before. We’ve also had got the brief from him to buy mile, mile plus horses – obviously, he’s won the Derby twice, it’s a race he loves.

“He had a great year last year. He’s got Never So Brave, he’s got More Thunder, he’s got a lot to look forward to this year, and he’s always game. I’m very lucky to have been able to phone him a couple of hours ago, and for him to back my judgement.”

Don’t stop Believing

It would be easy to imagine Brown mentioning the vendor to Suhail, too, as Fitzpatrick’s Kilminfoyle House Stud sold the last Group 1 winner to be sold at the Craven Sale – Al Quoz Sprint heroine.

Kilminfoyle’s Craven graduates also include dual group scorers Moviesta and Waady, so it’s unsurprising that the Co Laois farm was also well-paid for their Mehmas filly, for whom Anthony Stroud gave 380,000gns four lots earlier.

After seeing off the attentions of James Tate, stood just a few feet away, Stroud commented: “She’s for Victorious Forever. She did a very good breeze and we were all impressed by her. Sheikh Khalid particularly liked her. She could be the next Believing.”

Despite his success in the ring and on the track, Mick Fitzpatrick has never enjoyed the spotlight, but even he couldn’t ignore the press after selling two horses for a combined 780,000gns in the space of four lots.

On his expectations ahead of the first breeze-up sale of the year, he said: “All vendors are nervous here, and there’s no rhyme or reason, we probably just got lucky with the horses we had, and that they stayed sound. You need an awful lot of stars to align to get this sort of result.

“I do have to say a huge thank you to my staff – Pamela, Shannon and Gabriel. This means a lot to them.”

Unfortunately, Kilminfoyle was in the minority of cheerful consignors on Tuesday evening, as fears of a weak market were realised, no doubt influenced by conflict in the Middle East, a particularly important market for the breeze-up sales.

The clearance rate dropped from 84% to 77% in the space of 12 months, but even more worryingly, 27 of 91 lots catalogued were withdrawn. That is almost double the number of withdrawals in the same session last year, and many of the lots were withdrawn at short notice, suggesting that vendors felt at a complete loss.

A reduced number of lots offered helped the median increase by 8% to 98,000gns, but the 29% drop in turnover to 6,603,000gns and 9% drop in average price to 134,755gns was perhaps more representative of Tuesday’s trade.

The ‘feast or famine’ theme was clear throughout, with successful sales appreciated more than ever. Yeomanstown Stud withdrew two of their three catalogued lots on Tuesday, but their sole offering brought some compensation, selling to Stroud Coleman for 350,000gns.

The O’Callaghan family’s operation paid 135,000gns for the Havana Grey filly as a yearling and her pedigree has remained active since, with full-brother Pilgrim now rated 95 after winning the Scottish Sprint Cup on Easter weekend.

Stroud sourced Havana Grey’s best son, Vandeek, at this sale for Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s KHK Racing. Last summer, Shaikh Khlaid merged his operation with Victorious Racing, owned by his brother Shaikh Nasser bin Hamed Al Khalifa, to form Victorious Forever.

On his latest purchase, Stroud said: “This was one of Shaikh Khalid’s picks. He really liked her and he showed great determination to buy her. Obviously, she’s by Havana Grey, who’s had Vandeek and a huge amount of success.”

First test

The breeze-up sales present one of the first tests for freshman sires, and on Tuesday, it was Minzaal and Naval Crown who impressed buyers most. Willie Browne’s Mocklershill invested in Derrinstown Stud’s Minzaal and were rewarded when Alastair Donald gave 300,000gns for a colt that cost 130,000gns as a yearling.

Donald bid alongside Ed Walker, but later reported that it had yet to be decided whether his purchase, made on behalf of Hong Kong-based owner Mr Siu, would send the colt straight to Hong Kong or begin his career in the UK.

“Mr Siu has been very lucky at this sale and bought Stormy Antarctic here,” the agent reported. “He is a great physical, he has a great mind, he did a great breeze and has a lovely fast ground action. He is a May foal, so he will grow a bit, but he looks such a pro.”

Word has been promising on Minzaal’s first crop, as Donald relayed: “I have been super impressed by the sire, his stock are very much a type and a Hong Kong type – they cover a bit of ground and have that fast ground conformation and seem to have very good minds.”

Roderic Kavanagh’s Glendings Stables, who sold Vandeek at this sale, celebrated a smart return when selling a colt from the first crop of Naval Crown to Dean Ivory for 260,000gns. Bought as a yearling for €105,000, the promising bay is a half-brother to two group performers.