Two Top Million on Opening Day of Tattersalls October Book 1
A colt by GHAIYYATH topped the opening day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, one of two lots to sell for one million guineas or more. The average and median were both up on the corresponding session last year whilst the turnover was narrowly down.
Ghaiyyath Half-Brother to Victoria Road Sells for 1,050,000 Guineas
The GHAIYYATH half-brother to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner VICTORIA ROAD was one of two lots to top seven figures on the opening day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The son of first crop sire GHAIYYATH is out of the Group 3 winner TICKLED PINK and was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin for 1,050,000 guineas, despite a determined effort by underbidder MV Magnier.
The sale produced a battle between the two European powerhouses with the Coolmore battalion taking on Sheikh Mohammed's operation for the son of the young Darley stallion, with both teams standing outside the ring, but it was Anthony Stroud who was successful at the seven-figure sum.
Breeder Trevor Stewart was understandably all smiles at TICKLED PINK, who is a daughter of the Group 2 King's Stand Stakes winner CASSANDRA GO and a half-sister to the Classic winner HALFWAY TO HEAVEN, the dam of the Group 1/Classic winners MAGICAL and RHODODENDRON, once again keeping the family's name in the headlines.
Stewart bought the wonderful CASSANDRA GO for 200,000 guineas as a yearling at the Tattersalls Houghton Yearling Sale in 1997.
"I am so lucky, it is the fourth over a million that I have got from the family. I did not expect it, but he was a gorgeous horse and it is wonderful that he is going to Godolphin," smiled Stewart. "The family seems to go on, we were very lucky with Victoria Road and I could not be more thrilled."
Of the choice of the young stallion for the mare Stewart outlined: "Some of Tickled Pink's progeny have been a little on the neat side, so we thought we need to get a bit more height and length into the foals. Ghaiyyath was obviously a great racehorse and it is risky going to a first season sire, but time will tell. And then she produced this cracking colt..."
Stewart reflected: "It is a wonderful figure and I hate to say it, but after number four I am getting used to it, at least the bank manager will be happy again, for a little while! I have been so lucky - two of the daughters of Cassandra Go sold for over a million and I have two others - one has just gone to stud and there is another two-year-old, hopefully there are plenty more to come along."
Of TICKLED PINK he updated: "She has an outstanding Saxon Warrior colt foal, he is actually like a twin of Victoria Road, his markings are exactly the same. She is in foal to Saxon Warrior, hopefully carrying a filly but I don't know. We decided not to scan her - there is always a slight risk - it will be a surprise and I will pray!"
The successful purchaser Anthony Stroud said: "He is an extremely nice horse from Ballyhimikin Stud that has produced so many good horses, and this family is second to none. We also feel very strongly as to how good a stallion Ghaiyyath is."
Shastye’s Final Foal Bought by Godolphin for 1,000,000 Guineas
It was fitting that the first lot to realise one million guineas at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale was the last foal out of Newsells Park Stud’s remarkable mare SHASTYE, by DUBAWI. The dam of five previous millionaire lots sold at Tattersalls, three of whom fetched 3.4 million guineas or more, SHASTYE’s yearling sales in the Tattersalls ring before today totalled 14,200,000 guineas.
SHASTYE is the dam of the Group 1 winners JAPAN and MOGUL and the Oaks runner up SECRET GESTURE, the first named also Champion European three-year-old, and her DUBAWI yearling was purchased by Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin for 1,000,000 guineas.
"He is by Dubawi whom we have huge regard for, and out of an incredible mare," said Stroud. "She has produced so many great horses, and although he is out of a mare who was a bit older he looks incredibly well. We all looked at him and the boss looked at him, and we felt we had to go for it. He is a very good looking, very correct, good walking horse and very athletic, he fitted our criteria."
Julian Dollar, General Manager of Newsells, had mixed emotions regarding the sale which brought an end to an era for the farm:
"The money does not really matter, but the figure of a million is a nice bookend for the mare. She was such an amazing mare for Newsells, and for me really... jokingly I have said she kept me in a job for 15 years! But the fact that she produced such a good looking foal as her last one, he came here and Sheikh Mohammed has bought him for a million, it is really 'nice' for want of a better expression."
He added: "We are all in this business because we love horses and for that reason it is a nice three-quarters end to the story - there is still 25 per cent to come when he races. For us it was a nice sign off and fitting for the mare because she did a lot for us."
Comparing this yearling to the mare's previous progeny, Dollar said: "He was a bit stronger, a bit deeper, a bit thicker through his middle and shoulder and quarters, like the Dubawis can be. But he had the same great temperament, the same class when he came to the sale and that same aura. She was just such a remarkable mare and nice to see Dubawi have a recent Group 1 winner out of a Danehill mare – so we know the cross works."
He concluded: "She was a superstar, and I will never find another one. I know that, I’m not that greedy, but I will treasure the days we had here and at the racecourse, she was a commercial stud farmer’s dream."
Owner Graham Smith-Bernal purchased Newsells Park Stud in 2021, with SHASTYE part of that purchase, and she died as a twenty one-year-old after producing this foal just one year after Smith-Bernal's acquisition of the farm.
"This colt was born early in the morning and I saw her in the paddock with this foal that morning," recalled Smith-Bernal. "She looked absolutely 100 per cent despite then not having foaled for two years. Unfortunately she subsequently haemorrhaged and died that night. Julian told me that evening and I went down and bottle fed this colt.
"She means so much to the team who have done an amazing job rearing this colt. He has taken everything in his stride, and he is not an old mare's foal. He is an absolute champ and it has been a pleasure, even though I have come late to be associated with this family."
Oakgrove’s Frankel Colt to Godophin for 900,000 Guineas
Another lot to go the way of Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin was the FRANKEL colt out of the Listed placed MEDICEAN mare POPLIN. Consigned by the Chepstow-based Oakgrove Stud, the chesnut colt was knocked down to Stroud after he saw off Juddmonte Farms’ Simon Mockridge at 900,000 guineas.
David Hilton, stud manager at Oakgrove, said: “It means a lot as he’s the most expensive horse the stud has ever sold. Obviously John puts a lot of investment in, and this horse was bred in partnership with Juddmonte so we have to say a massive thank you to them for doing that with us.
“I’ve always thought he’s a pretty special horse and he’s been very busy since we got here. He hasn’t missed a beat. You can never be confident when you come up to the ring, even with the horse having been popular. You can be hopeful, but never confident. Watching that was a bit mad really!
“It’s very rare to be in that position where people follow the horse through and you can just stand back and watch. It was amazing. John’s already been on the phone and he’s delighted. I’ve got to say well done to all our staff back at Oakgrove because they’ve done an amazing job.”
The Fittocks Stud-bred POPLIN is out of the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks winner PONGEE from the family of Group 1 winners MAGIC WAND and CHICQUITA. POPLIN was bought by Oakgrove at the 2013 Tattersalls December Mares Sale as a maiden mare for 320,000 guineas. She has produced five winners, headed by the Listed winning and Group 2 placed ALKANDORA.
Meon Valley’s Kingman Colt to Godolphin for 750,000 Guineas
The fourth highest price on the opening day was 750,000 guineas for Meon Valley Stud’s KINGMAN colt out of SHIROCCO STAR, who was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin. SHIROCCO STAR was a dual Group 1 runner up in the Epsom and Irish Oaks, and also finished third in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes and fourth in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks.
The daughter of SHIROCCO is the dam of three Group/Listed winners including AL SUHAIL, winner of the Group 2 Challenge Stakes and Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort and twice Group 1 placed in the Al Quoz Sprint and Jebel Hatta Stakes. She is also the dam of TELECASTER who won the Group 2 Dante Stakes and the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville, and the Australian Listed winner STARCASTER.
Recently this yearling's three-year-old half-sister MISTRAL STAR gained her first blacktype when second in the Listed Prix des Tourelles.
Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues at 11am on Wednesday, 4th October.