By Emma Berry
The 2-year-old roadshow returns to Newmarket today when Tattersalls stages its 170-lot Guineas Breeze-Up Sale, which is preceded by around 80 horses-in-training set to sell from 10 a.m. at Park Paddocks.
A brace of Group 1 winners on either side of the world advertised the sale's merits in 2015, with the Ed Dunlop-trained Trip To Paris (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}) going from strength-to- strength to land the G1 Ascot Gold Cup and Godolphin's Contributer (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) triumphing in the G1 Ranvet S. in Sydney.
Clutches of hardy spotters braved the cold east wind to pepper the Rowley Mile for Thursday's breeze session in search of the next big star. With Helmet (Aus) currently leading the freshman race in Europe, plenty of eyes will have been on the three colts and three fillies by the Darley sire.
The six catalogued by Helmet include lot 206, Oak Tree Farm's half-brother to the G1 Nunthorpe S. winner Margot Did (GB), herself a 10,000gns breeze-up purchase and a daughter of Helmet's sire Exceed And Excel (Aus).
The offspring of first-season sires are always of interest, but also being put to the test at Tattersalls this week are a couple of first-time consignors. Representing Spain is EAM Bloodstock, the agency run by Alex Mahony, nephew of Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony. With a range of experience on studs across Europe, including Haras de Monceaux and Watership Down Stud, as well as stints with French trainer Nicolas Bertran de Balanda and American consignor Kip Elser, Mahony started working as a bloodstock agent in October 2013 and pinhooked five yearlings last season to form his first breeze-up consignment.
“We've only brought three here to Tattersalls as we've already managed to sell two of them to trainers in Spain, and one is favourite for the first 2-year-old race in Madrid on Sunday,” said
Mahony, who was born and raised in Spain and works in partnership with his father, Dominic, and brother, Marcus.
He added, “Marcus is my right-hand man and my assistant trainer in Spain, but he's also still in university, which is why he's not here with me this week.”
The equine trio, which arrived in England a fortnight ago from the much sunnier climes of Dos Hermanas racecourse in Seville, are colts by Spain's leading sire Caradak (Ire) (lot 131) and French-based Shakespearean (Ire) (lot 251), and a filly by Cheveley Park Stud's first-season sire Mayson (GB).
“I have two very quick horses. They are particularly quick on good ground, which is what we've been training on at home. They've never felt temperatures of less than 12C all winter,” said Mahony. “I brought a jockey over with us, Carlos Salgera, who is an amateur rider in Spain, and he's done a really good job with the horses.”
Another new name among the consignors is FEP Ltd, which offers four fillies from its Newmarket base and is run by
Lithuanian couple Linus Baliunas and Geidre Povilaviciute. Baliunas, who previously trained in his native country before coming to Newmarket to work for Sir Michael Stoute, has his quartet in good order, with each member of the draft performing a professional breeze on Thursday morning. They include a Kyllachy (GB) filly (lot 228) from the family of Group 1 winners Most Improved (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) and Ectot (GB) (Hurricane Run {Ire}).
The final crop of the late High Chaparral (Ire) comes under the hammer at this autumn's yearling sales, and two members of his penultimate crop will take a turn in the ring Friday. Lot 102, offered by Star Bloodstock, is a filly out of a half-sister to the listed winner and G1 Pretty Polly S. runner-up Beach Bunny (Ire), who is also by High Chaparral, while the second filly catalogued (lot 172) is a grand-daughter of the Oaks winner Lady Carla (GB) (Caerleon) from the Gilbinstown Stud draft.
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