DAY two of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale again produced very encouraging figures for a racing and bloodstock industry which has been craving signs of positivity in recent months.

By 8pm on Tuesday, with just 40 lots remaining in the session, 184 of the 212 yearlings offered had been sold, a clearance rate of 87% which was one tick up on the corresponding day last year.

The average price of 85,207gns was running 2% ahead of last year’s second day, though the median price of 51,000gns was 22% down on last year’s session.

Once again Godolphin signed for the day’s top lot, this time spending 675,000gns on a Lope De Vega colt from Newsells Park Stud. He is out of the Galileo mare Loch Ma Naire and was bred by St Albans Bloodstock.

Agent Anthony Stroud said: “He is bred on a successful cross – Lope De Vega ex Galileo – he is an attractive horse and beautifully bred and Lope De Vega has done incredibly well.”

Julian Dollar of Newsells Park said: “The team did a great job prepping him but we have only had him for eight or nine weeks, that must go to Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock that bred him and the farm that raised him.

“In this climate we did not think it would be at all easy, but the sale seems to have taken off something incredible this week. I keep thinking there was value last week, but I am not complaining it is fantastic, thanks to all the people prepared to take their hands out of their pockets and spend big money on racehorses, long may it continue.”

Godolphin has only bought three horses so far in Book 2, all in the top lots, for a total spend of 1,375,000gns. The leading purchaser so far is Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Estate Company, which, as of late on Tuesday, had spent almost three million guineas on 23 horses. These purchases will have been warmly welcomed by consignors, as there was speculation in recent weeks that Sheikh Hamdan was considering cutting back significantly.

FOZZY STACK

There was great news for Tipperary trainer Fozzy Stack who was revealed as the trainer of a 460,000gns daughter of Frankel. Sold by Norelands Stud, the filly is out of the Love Is Blindness. She was bred by John Camillieri, breeder of Winx who tragically lost her first foal today.

After completing the purchase, bloodstock agent Hubie de Burgh said: “She has been bought for Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farms to go into training with Fozzy Stack. We tried all week through Book 1 and could not get anything.

"This filly is by one of the great sires of the modern era and there are classics winners in her page, she could be Guineas or Oaks filly. "On top of that she is a beautiful looking filly from a top farm where I keep a lot of stock, and I've known her since she was foaled.

"I watched her and every time I have seen her she gets better and better and better. As you can see she is a queen. Now keep our fingers crossed and hope she is going to be as good as we think she is going to be!”

Of the buyer Craig Bernick, De Burgh added: "Craig is a great lover of the horse industry and going to be a great breeder, he has got some wonderful stock in Europe already. He wants to collect this quality of bloodstock because he is thinking 20 years ahead, hopefully she will be one of the foundation mares in the broodmare band. Craig is developing an Australian operation, European and American, it is very exciting.”

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