Half-Brother To Melbourne Cup Winner Among BBAG Yearlings

After three days of trade in Doncaster, the European yearling sales entourage moves on to Iffezheim today for Germany's premier auction at BBAG from 10am.

Last year's sale was dominated by South Africa's Mayfair Speculators, who, acting through Peter and Ross Doyle, bought eight yearlings, including the top lot, a €500,000 daughter of Sea The Stars (Ire). The team's presence, along with other international buyers such as the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Australian Bloodstock, helped bring about a 31% improvement in turnover to €8,426,500 at an average price of €45,458.

This year, around 250 yearlings are set to go under the hammer after withdrawals and while 12 months ago much interest was drawn by the first crop of yearlings from Gestut Fahrhof's Maxios (GB), this year we can expect to see Lanwades Stud resident Sea The Moon (Ger) play a significant role. The 2014 German Derby winner has been strongly supported in his native country and has 15 members of his first crop for sale, five of which will be offered by his breeder, Gestut Gorlsdorf. Maxios, who is now the sire of three winning 2-year-olds, remains the best represented, with 25 of his second crop in the catalogue.

Jamie Railton, a long-term overseas consignor at BBAG, has a draft of nine, including lot 48, a Sea The Moon colt out of Listed winner Enjoy The Life (GB) (Medicean {GB}) whose son Enjoy Vijay (Ger) (Nathaniel {Ire}) was runner-up to Windstoss (Ger) (Shirocco {Ger}) in this year's G1 Deutsches Derby. Lot 48 is offered on behalf of his breeder Manfred Ostermann of Gestut Hof Ittlingen.

The veteran sprinting stallion Areion (Ger) currently leads the German sires' table with 46 winners this term and has six youngsters to sell today. Among them is lot 75, Gestut Park Wiedingen's half-brother to the dual Group 3 winner Wai Key Star (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}).

At the 2016 sale, Australian Bloodstock, which raced German-bred G1 Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), went to €220,000 to buy a Maxios colt named Wild Max (Ger) and it would be no surprise to see Jamie Lovett's operation–or other Australian interests–pay particular attention to lot 218, a Tertullian half-brother to the 2016 Melbourne Cup winner Almandin (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). The colt is offered by Ronald Rauscher on behalf of his breeder Gestut Schlenderhan, where Protectionist and Almandin were raised together in the same paddock.

There can be no ignoring the rise of Soldier Hollow (GB) in German racing and breeding following the death of supersire Monsun in 2012. The diminutive son of In The Wings (GB) has become a stalwart of BBAG Chairman Karl-Dieter Ellerbracke's Gestut Auenquelle and was the busiest stallion in Germany this season, covering just over 100 mares. Three of his sons filled the top four slots at last year's sale, changing hands at €300,000, €250,000 and €240,0000, and we can expect another bold show this time around. Sixteen Soldier Hollow yearlings are catalogued today and they include the full-brother to recent G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin winner Dschingis Secret (Ger), who is lot 182 in the Gestut Park Wiedingen draft.

Kodiac (GB) has been all over the sales news this week after another successful week in Doncaster but his name is a less familiar one in German sales catalogues. However, Philipp and Marion Stauffenberg, who regularly consign a draft of broad international appeal under their Stauffenberg Bloodstock banner, will offer the sole yearling by the Tally-Ho Stud stalwart in the catalogue. Lot 195 is a son of American juvenile winner Mine Inning (Mining), whose eight winning offspring include the GII Mac Diarmida H. winner Ramazutti (Honor Grades). The April-born colt was bought by Justin Casse for 50,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale.