LORD and Lady Lloyd-Webber’s Watership Down Stud smashed through the seven-figure barrier as its home-bred yearling son of So Mi Dar was sold for 1.2 million guineas on the second day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

The first seven-figure yearling at the three-day auction, the Sea The Stars colt was bought by Charlie Gordon-Watson on behalf of Will Farish's Woodford Racing and is expected to be trained in England.

So Mi Dar, a daughter of Dubawi and Lord Lloyd-Webber’s Yorkshire Oaks and Sheema Classic heroine Dar Re Mi, won the 2016 Musidora Stakes in her own right.

She is a full sister to both Group 2 winner Lah Ti Dar and champion two-year-old and prolific Group 1 scorer Too Darn Hot – all bred and owned by the Lloyd-Webbers.

After Wednesday’s sale, Lady Lloyd-Webber said: “We never expected to break the million guineas barrier, because no one ever does.

“It is very difficult to do that. The Dar Re Mi family is carrying on, and that is what it’s all about from a foundation mare. We are now in the third generation – it is wonderful to see this family keep going.

“He is a beautiful horse – hopefully he will win the Guineas and carry on winning Group 1s like the rest of the family.”

Lord Lloyd-Webber arrived at the Newmarket sale while bidding was ongoing.

He said: “I got here just in time in a taxi, just walked in at the 600,000gns mark!”

KINGMAN COLT

A little later in the session, a good old-fashioned bidding war between Godolphin and Coolmore for a colt by Kingman ended with the latter prevailing at 1.1 million guineas.

The colt was sold by Corduff Stud, and is the first foal out of the Fastnet Rock's mare Turret Rocks. He was bred by Farmleigh Bloodstock. David Egan of Corduff said: "He is a magnificent horse, he really is. I am delighted they bought him, I was not sure they were on him, but they stood up and bought him. It is great.

"This horse was all about John Corcoran and he bred the dam with Jim Bolger, and then bought her out in training. John had a vision of what he wanted to do with the horse, he had a plan, and we own the dam with his children, Andrew and Roseanne O'Grady Walshe, through Farmleigh Bloodstock.

"She is a beautiful mare, she is by Fastnet Rock, she is big, she is robust, she is strong. She was so honest on the track and John, who unfortunately is not with us, but he was very involved in the mating. He chose Kingman, it is great.

"It is a great start for the mare – she has got a very nice Too Darn Hot colt at home and we bred her back to Kingman. The bidding took a long time, but it got more enjoyable as we went on!"

Turret Rocks won once at Group 2 level and twice was successful in Group 3s. She was runner-up in the Prix Marcel Boussac, third in the Pretty Polly Stakes and fourth in the Irish Oaks.

The sale concludes on Thursday.

DAY TWO STATISTICS

Current Year Previous Year Change %

Catalogued 167 182 -8%

Withdrawn 18 28 -36%

Offered 149 154 -3%

Unsold 19 35 -46%

Sold 130 119 +9%

Aggregate 30,116,000gns 21,377,000gns +41%

Median 160,000 125,000gns +28%

Average 231,662 179,639gns +29%

% sold 87% 77% +13%