300,000 Guineas Top Price At Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up And Horses In Training Sale

There was strong trade at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training as a total of eight lots broke the 100,000 guineas barrier, a record at this sale since it’s inception ten years ago. The trade for the ‘breeze up’ section of the sale saw a total of 114 lots sell for 3,658,300 guineas, at an average of 32,090 guineas and a median of 20,000 guineas.

The sale-topping colt by LE HAVRE out of the CAPE CROSS mare BARMAID was knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock’s Tom Goff for 300,000 guineas – the highest price at this sale since 2008. Consigned by Mary Reynolds’ Ardglas Stables, Goff secured the colt after seeing of agent Charlie Gordon-Watson to provide his owners with a stunning pinhooking success, having purchased him for just 12,000 Euros as a yearling last year.

Ardglas Stables’ Ambrose O'Mullane said: "We went to France to buy him, and he just slipped through the net. He is by a top class sire and he is a good type of individual."

Mary Reynolds, partner of O'Mullane, added: "We only have nine stables and we just do breeze ups. We like the challenge and the satisfaction of producing young racehorses."

The purchaser Tom Goff said: "He is by a very good stallion and he did an exceptional breeze, particularly as the horse will be more of a mile and a quarter plus type three-year-old.

"He is out of a Cape Cross broodmare, which we love, he has a great attitude and is a superb mover."

The second-highest price for the day and the fifth highest at this fixture since the inaugural sale in 2007 was the ACCLAMATION filly out of MALASPINA who was knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown for 260,000 guineas.

Interest in the filly came from all sides of the sale ring and included Simon Crisford and Charlie Gordon-Watson, but Brown, acting on behalf of John Gosden, had the final say. She was sold by Derryconnor Stud's Katie McGivern, daughter of former lady jockey and trainer Joanna Morgan.

"This is our biggest sale yet," said McGivern. "She has a lovely pedigree and as a yearling did not make the money her breeder Peter Kavanagh of Kildaragh Stud thought the pedigree deserved. She has been a straight-forward, uncomplicated filly and ticked all the boxes.

"Nothing bothers her, and she does herself so well that she's like a colt!"

Another vendor who was celebrating was Oak Tree Farm’s Norman Williamson whose ZOFFANY colt RIGOLETTO sold for 170,000 guineas to the bid of Charlie Gordon-Watson. The colt, who is out of the DASHING BLADE mare RUMINA, was bought by Elliot Bloodstock Services for 40,000 Euros last year. Gordon-Watson indicated that the colt was purchased on behalf of a new client and would go to Newmarket-based trainer Luca Cumani.

Consignor Norman Williamson commented;

“It was a pleasing sale and we are happy that he has gone to Luca Cumani as he’ll give him plenty of time and it’s results on the racecourse that we are looking for.”

The sale of Sherbourne Lodge’s MAYSON filly for 140,000 guineas  must rank towards the top of pinhooking triumphs this year. The daughter of the STRAVINSKY mare MILLINSKY was purchased for just £9,000 as a yearling last September by Sherbourne Lodge’s Ger Kennedy. The filly is from the first crop of Group 1 July Cup winner MAYSON and the sale was the young sire’s second-highest priced lot to sell in a sale ring so far.

The grand-daughter of the Group 2 Prix du Gros-Chene winner MILLYANT was another purchase for Blandford Bloodstock who were the leading purchaser at the Guineas Breeze Up Sale, buying seven lots for 1,054,000 guineas, including six of the eight lots that sold for 100,000 guineas or more.

Another pinhooking success and another purchase by Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown was the colt by first-season stallion ELZAAM out of the SWAIN mare EXTRAORDINARY. Consigned from Michael Fitzpatrick’s Kilminfoyle House Stud, the strong colt was knocked down to Brown for 120,000 guineas after he saw off agent Charlie Gordon-Watson. The colt was bought for just £15,000 last autumn.

"He is a strong colt and did a very good breeze yesterday. Redoute's Choice is a good sire of sires and Elzaam was a good two-year-old himself," said Brown, who indicated that the colt was bought on behalf of John Gosden.

The horses in training section of the sale saw 50 lots sell for 549,600 guineas, at an average of 10,992 and a median of 6,750 guineas, with the clearance rate at 86%. Leading proceedings was the once-raced DUBAWI colt NEOCLASSICAL who sold to agent Will Douglass for 47,000 guineas.

Following the purchase, Douglass commented;

“Mr Gosden said the horse is very straight-forward, but it will suit the horse to be gelded. Neoclassical has been bought for a private Qatar-based client, who particularly likes horses by Dubawi.”

At the conclusion of the 2016 Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;

‘The feature of our recent Craven Breeze Up Sale was the strength of demand at the top of the market and today’s Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale has very much followed suit. The 300,000 guineas sale topping LE HAVRE colt is the third highest price ever at this sale and the highest price since 2008. In addition, eight lots sold for 100,000 guineas or more, breaking the previous record set in 2009. There has been plenty of competition for quality two year olds which breezed well, and there have been some spectacular pinhooking successes, as ever reflecting the professionalism and judgement of the consignors.

‘As well as strong demand at the top of the market, the significant number of overseas buyers, particularly from Greece, Italy, Scandinavia and Spain, has been another positive to take from today’s sale. It would be wrong to ignore the fact that the market has been selective at times, but we should also recognise that overseas buyers have made a significant contribution to the sale and have been active at all levels of the market for both horses in training and the breeze up two year olds. The horses in training section was a little short of last year’s quality, but it has again added an extra dimension to the Guineas Sale and is a popular and valuable component to the sale.'

The next sale at Tattersalls is the July Sale that takes place from July 5 – 8. Entries are open now and close on May 20.