Seven Six-Figure Lots On Opening Day of Tattersalls October Book 3

Seven lots sold for six-figure sums on the opening day of Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, over double the number in 2024, headed by a son of BLUE POINT at 165,000 guineas. Consistently strong trade saw the median and average rise 33% and 19% from the equivalent session last year.

Blue Point Colt Bought for the Breeze-Ups at 165,000 Guineas

The best really was saved until last on the opening day of Book 3 with the session topped by Ballyhimikin Stud’s BLUE POINT colt, the very last lot in the ring. The popular colt realised 165,000 guineas to MADR Bloodstock, with Rodrigo Goncalves the successful bidder having seen off a persistent challenge from trainer John Butler.

“He has been bought to go breezing, hopefully we will get him into one of the better sales,” commented Rodrigo Goncalves. “He is a lovely big strong horse and is by a sire I like very much. Myself and a couple of friends have gathered up a little syndicate to breeze a couple of horses, he was my pick of the day. I left it late to strike but I am happy to get him!

“I had to give it a push, but when you like a horse of that calibre you have to stretch out a bit more. I am delighted, hopefully in a couple of months we will be lucky.”

He added: “Ballyhimikin produces the best of the best, they seem to do no wrong. The farm’s horses do it on the track too, so I am very excited to see what happens.”

The colt was bred by Ballyhimikin and Skymarc Farm out of the Listed winning VERGLAS mare WRONG ANSWER, the dam of the multiple Group placed filly INTERNATIONALANGEL. His second dam is the Group 2 Pretty Polly Stakes runner up WRONG KEY.

Whitsbury Manor Stud’s Havana Grey to the Fore Again

Whitsbury Manor Stud topped Book 3 in 2024 with a filly by their super sire HAVANA GREY and looked set to repeat the feat in 2025, until the session’s very last lot surpassed the 160,000 guineas realised by their colt to bloodstock agent Alex Elliott.

A Who’s Who of breeze up consignors made the early running for the April-foaled colt with Katie Walsh, sitting alongside Norman Williamson on the stairs, showing considerable stamina but it was Elliott who lasted longest to secure the April 28th foaled colt.

“He has been bought in partnership between Amo Racing / Valmont,” revealed Elliott. “I thought he is the nicest horse here today. He goes to David Simcock who trained Dream Ahead to sprint honours. Hopefully this colt will be a bit of fun for everyone – Valmont won the Book 3 sales race this year with Jel Pepper, this lad might do the same.”

Bred by Whitsbury Manor Stud, the colt is a half-brother to Group 3 runner up and dual Listed placed filly ADAAY TO REMEMBER out of the SAKHEE’S SECRET mare CROSS MY HEART, a half-sister to multiple Group winning and Group 1 placed sprinter STEPPER POINT.

Whitsbury Manor’s Ed Harper said: “We make sure we put Book 2 horses in Book 3, we are not trying to do anything clever, we are just ensuring we spread out the stallions and Havana Grey is very hot.

“We can’t sell them all in Book 2 and if we get a reputation for selling good yearlings in Book 3, people are going to stay for Book 3. Not only are we helping ourselves and our stallions but we are helping British breeders, because it is sale with a higher percentage of British breeders – we need to get the best buyers staying for Book 3 and they are, it is working and it is great.

“I don’t know whether it is fluke or happenstance, but Havana Grey over a Sakhee’s Secret mare is an amazing cross – there are five runners rated over 100 from only about eight runners, as well as four Stakes winners.”

Elliott Secures Nathaniel Filly for 150,000 Guineas

Bloodstock agent Alex Elliott has reason to like the progeny of multiple Classic producing sire NATHANIEL having purchased his Irish Oaks winning daughter YOU GOT TO ME for 200,000 guineas at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale in 2022, and Book 3’s leading purchaser made a third six-figure purchase of the day when securing the NATHANIEL filly consigned by Jamie Railton for 150,000 guineas.

“She had a place in Book 2 but the owner was keen to stand out here, and he was right,” revealed Jamie Railton, who offered her on behalf of Drumroy Ltd.

“She is a lovely filly. It’s nice to be involved with those type of horses. I think it’s been fantastic to see the appetite and lovely to see it follow on to Book 3. It’s important that we have buyers at every level, not just at the top. The pyramid only works if there’s a solid base to it.”

Elliott commented: “I have half bought her on spec. I am putting a partnership together and a few people have already spoken to me, and someone stopped me in the chute to see if I had sold her, so it is all kind of fluid at the moment! She is gorgeous and a good one to get.

“I have had some luck with Nathaniel fillies, obviously You Got To Me. This filly is very strong, she is out of a Pivotal mare, who is a great broodmare sire, and is a sister to a Group 3 winner. Even if she only gets a little bit of black type she will be worth a lot of money – her march around the back was very special and I am very pleased to have her.”

The daughter of NATHANIEL is out of the PIVOTAL mare NANCY O, third in the Grade 2 Natalma Stakes in Canada and the dam of Group 3 Geoffrey Freer Stakes winner ZECHARIAH. Her second dam is the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks and Grade 1 E P Taylor Stakes winner ARRAVALE.

Yeomanstown Strike for Havana Grey Filly at 135,000 Guineas

The potent combination of HAVANA GREY and Whitsbury Manor Stud supplied another of the day’s highlights with their well-related filly another to attract significant interest in the sales ring, eventually realising 135,000 guineas to Yeomanstown Stud as a breeze-up prospect.

“Hopefully she’ll come back here in April for the Craven,” said Yeomanstown’s Rob O’Callaghan. “She is a lovely filly with great quality and a great mover. We looked at a handful of horses today – her and the other Havana Grey from Whitsbury who made 160,000 guineas were the two picks.

“We tried hard on him and thankfully we were able to get this one. Fingers crossed she’ll be fast, the brother was fast – he won the Palace Of Holyrood at Royal Ascot. It’s a good fast family going back.”

With two of the day’s four highest priced lots for both stud and sire, Whitsbury Manor’s Ed Harper was delighted and said:

“The colt was impressive for his age, and the filly was born the day after. She is a full-sister to Pilgrim, a Royal Ascot winner who won the Palace Of Holyrood for David Barron. She is lovely, was a late foal and there will be bags of improvement, which I think people spotted. I think when you bring a full-sister to a Royal Ascot winner to Book 3, people are going to have a look.

“Both mares we raced with Hot To Trot. Hot Secret was the first filly we had with them, she won a couple of races for Andrew Balding. It is great to lease them to the group, win with them, then they come back to the broodmare band, everyone is a winner.”

He added: “Havana Grey is phenomenal and both those two had amazing sales temperaments. I always get nervous when you have a busy horse before it goes into the ring, but they were pulled out however many times, and they did not bat an eye.

“The Havana Greys seem to thrive on hard work whether it is at a sale, at a breeze-up, or in training. When they first get to a sale, the first half day that they are not doing anything is the day they don’t like, then come the day of showing they thrive.”

Another bred on the excellent HAVANA GREY/SAKHEE’S SECRET cross, the filly’s dam is a half-sister to Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes winner TEMPLE MEADS and to the dams of Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes winning young sire EL CABALLO, by HAVANA GREY’s sire HAVANA GOLD, and the Group 1 placed sprinter DILIGENT HARRY.

Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues on Friday, 17th October at 9.30am.