Bated Breath Colt Heads Strong Start At Goffs UK

DONCASTER, UK–Bated Breath (GB) often plays second fiddle to Frankel (GB), who retired to Juddmonte's Banstead Manor Stud in the same year, but the former top-class sprinter has steadily been building an impressive record this season after a solid start with his first juveniles, and he had the spotlight all to himself at a red-hot opening session of the Goffs UK Premier Sale on Tuesday.

Lot 195 was a rare offering in Doncaster from James Hanly's Ballyhimikin Stud, but the Irish farm's change of strategy proved worthwhile when the homebred Bated Breath colt out of winning Night Shift mare Night Sphere (Ire) took the top spot on day one. For a while it seemed as though the half-brother to four winners would be joining Sheikh Hamdan's string, but Angus Gold eventually gave way to Joe Foley, bidding in company with Steve Parkin of Clipper Logistics, and making the final play at £270,000.

“Steve and I saw him on Sunday morning and he was a special colt,” Foley said. “He's a beautiful horse by an emerging sire and he comes from a great nursery.”

Hanly explained the colt's presence in the catalogue, adding, “Nick Nugent saw him earlier in the year and loved him so he asked me to bring him here. I've always loved Bated Breath and most of the foals out of this mare have been rated between 95 and 100. She's a beautiful mare and this colt has always been exceptional.”

A 91% clearance rate set the tone for a day of trade which boasted strength in depth. Only 19 of the 200 yearlings offered on the first day failed to find a buyer, pushing the day's turnover to £10,653,500–up from £8,751,000 on the same day last year–while the average rose 22.4% from £43,537 to £53,268, and the median climbed 4.3% from £35,000 to £36,500.

Early Strikes For HKJC…

There was plenty of early action in the ring as the sale started its two-day run. Mark Richards of Hong Kong Jockey Club was among those to make significant outlays within the first hour of the sale, going to £260,000 for lot 33, the Grove Stud-consigned son of Kodiac (GB) who justified his fairly lavish foal price of £75,000 to provide a nice return for John Cullinane and partners.

First foals have become increasingly sought after and this colt, bred by Con Marnane, is the first offspring of the lightly-raced Red Rocks (Ire) mare Folegandros Island (Fr), a half-sister to the Wokingham S. winner and Group 3-placed Dandy Boy (Ity) (Danetime {Ire}), who was trained by the breeder's brother David Marnane.

According to Richards his purchase was a no-brainer, and there are plenty who agree with him when it comes to Kodiac. The stallion's first-day average for nine sold was £156,889.

“I liked him from the moment I saw him and he was the one we really wanted so we were prepared to push the boat out a little,” Richards said.

Just seven lots earlier (26), the HKJC buyer had gone to £120,000 to buy Taroka Stud's speedily-bred colt by Equiano (GB), a 68,000gns foal purchase by Ghislain Bozo out of a daughter of the consistent multiple group-winning sprinter Millyant (GB) (Primo Dominie {GB}). His dam Fatal Attraction (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB})–a full-sister to another fast French group-race winner, Mirza–failed to win but was placed twice in six starts and has already produced three winners from three runners, including the Group 3 runner-up Take A Deep Breath (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}).

Richards also went to £125,000 for lot 182, Owenstown Stud's colt out of the GIII Long Island H. third Musical Rain (Ire) (Val Royal) by Holy Roman Emperor, whose reputation remains strong in Hong Kong racing.

Welcome To The Club…

A colt who should feature in sprint contests before too long is lot 27, the first foal of Listed Empress S. winner Fig Roll (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}) and by the proven sire Iffraaj (GB). He was bought for £190,000 by Mick Flanagan on behalf of China Horse Club, making its first purchase at Goffs UK.

“We're delighted to be here and through we probably won't buy a lot in Europe this year we thought we'd spread it out a bit to be at all the premier sales,” Flanagan said. “This colt is by a good stallion who seems to have a good season every year and he's the first foal of a good, precocious mare.”

Fig Roll, who was herself a first foal, did all her best work at two, as did her dam Cake (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), who won three races as a juvenile including the Listed St Hugh's S. Fig Roll's colt was consigned by Longview Stud on behalf of breeder Ed's Stud.

Another Darley stallion made his way into the top 10 later in the day when lot 161, a Teofilo (Ire) colt out of the juvenile winner Midget (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), raised a bid of £200,000 from Anthony Stroud, acting on behalf of Godolphin.

Teofilo has already worked well with this family, with Midget's half-sister by the sire, Amralah (Ire), having won the G2 Herbert Power S. in Australia for Lloyd Williams and Robert Hickmott. A bold pinhook by Luke Barry of Manister House Stud, the colt increased significantly in value from the €64,000 it took to buy him at Goffs last November.

Angel Soaring High Again…

At this sale in particular, the name Dark Angel (Ire) is rarely far from the leader board and so it proved again, with lot 125, a colt by the Yeomanstown sire offered by Guy O'Callaghan of Grangemore Stud, being bought by Ed Sackville on behalf of MV Magnier for 250,000gns.

“He's by a very good stallion and is already a full-brother to a stakes performer,” Sackville noted. “It's a good, fast family and this farm has already had plenty of success with Dark Angel as the breeder of [Group 2 winner] Birchwood (Ire).”

The February-born colt is the second foal of Last Bid (GB) (Vital Equine {Ire}), bought by O'Callaghan as a 2-year-old. Her first foal is the Listed Empress S. runner-up Maggies Angel (Ire).

Shadwell is an operation that has often reaped the benefits of Dark Angel's prowess, so unsurprisingly his name was also on the shopping list of Angus Gold, who bought lot 86, Glenvale Stud's colt out of the unraced Inca Trail (Royal Academy) for £240,000.

“We know the sire well and I felt he was one of the better individuals here,” Gold noted. “Needless to say, plenty of members of the training fraternity were keen on him. He's a powerful horse who seems to have a good mind.”

Dark Angel topped the Premier Sale last year with a colt out of the Lordship Stud mare Swiss Dream (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) who sold for £280,000. Now named Yafta (GB), the Richard Hannon trainee secured his first win in Sheikh Hamdan's colours last week at Bath.

Highclere To Highclere…

Highclere Thoroughbred Racing annually recruits a select band of yearlings for its elite syndicates and that process began early on Tuesday morning when lot 10, an Oasis Dream (GB) colt bred in the Lake District by Gary and Lesley Middlebrook, was bought by John Warren for £190,000.

The agent would have had plenty of chances to see the son of juvenile winner Eminently (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) as he was consigned by his wife, Lady Carolyn Warren, through Highclere Stud.

This is a family which has been good to the Middlebrooks, who own one of the most picturesque farms in Britain. The colt's second dam is the speedy multiple group winner Imperial Bailiwick (Ire) (Imperial Frontier), who has produced the dual Group 1-winning sprinter Reverence (GB) (Mark OF Esteem {Ire}) and Chesham S. winner Helm Bank (GB) (Wild Again) among her 10 winners.

Swann Keeps It In The Family…

Peter Swann of the Cool Silk Partnership has been a loyal client of the various sales at Goffs UK and was back in action on Tuesday when signing for a filly whose family is very familiar to the owner. Lot 95, a daughter of Kodiac bred and offered by Noel O'Callaghan's Mountarmstrong Stud, was the most expensive filly of the session at £180,000, but her appeal to Swann is that he currently races her half-sister Darkanna (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who was runner-up to Tantheem (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the G3 Prix de Cabourg last month. Furthermore, the fillies' dam Jadanna (Ire) (Mujadil), also raced for the Cool Silk Partnership, for whom she won twice and finished third in the G2 Cherry Hinton S.

“Obviously we know the family and Darkanna has been good to us this season. She really picked up in the soft ground to win at Haydock which is why we then sent her to France, hoping for softer ground. This filly is a bit bigger and stronger than her sister and she will also go to Richard Fahey.”

Swann has also had notable success when buying at the breeze-up sales. In 2016, he bought subsequent G2 Norfolk S. winner Prince Of Lir (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) from Goffs UK for £170,000. He is now resident at Ballyhane Stud but has been replaced in the Cool Silk racing string by another smart breeze-up purchase, this one a recruit from Tattersalls Ireland Ascot but also a Bansha House graduate, Sands Of Mali (Fr). The Panis (Fr) colt won Saturday's G2 Gimcrack S. at York and will be aimed next at the G1 Middle Park S. at Newmarket.

“Saturday was an amazing day,” Swann recalled. “We were patient with him and didn't push him to make Royal Ascot. I'm already working on my Gimcrack speech and it will be even better if Sands Of Mali wins the Middle Park.”

Notable Firsts…

The first yearling by Frankel to appear at Doncaster was lot 120, a daughter of multiple stakes winner Ladies Are Forever (GB) (Monsieur Bond {Ire}), who was consigned by CBS Breeding Ltd. Initially led out unsold at £160,000, a private sale was later agreed, with Dermot Farrington buying the chestnut filly at £180,000. Farrington was also the purchaser of Frankel's first-crop Group 2 winner Eminent (Ire), trained by his father-in-law Martyn Meade.

Among a number of freshman sires with their first yearlings on sale this week, Mickley Stud's Heeraat (Ire) made the biggest splash on the first day via the Yeomanstown Stud-consigned colt (lot 214) who was bought for £100,000 by Armando Duarte. Bred by Robert Percival and sold as a foal for 38,000gns, the colt is a son of Piranha (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), a dual winner at two whose dam Mosaique Beauty (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) is a sister to GI Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup H. winner Subtle Power (Ire).

Coolmore freshman War Command also made a good start, with lots 175 and 37 fetching £95,000 and £92,000, respectively. The former, Duhill Stud's half-brother to 10-time winner Safari Sunseeker (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}), was bought by Ollie Cole, while Blandford Bloodstock bought West Moor Stud's filly out of the dual winner Foreplay (Ire), whose five winners include the cheekily-named Anticipated (Ire), a son of Whipper.