Intello Colt Heads Intense Craven Trade

Lot 26, the session-topping son of Intello | Tattersalls

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The tone was set from the first horse into the ring on Tuesday evening, as six-figure lots peppered the bid-board during a frenetic first session of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale.

Just shy of 7 million gns was traded for 49 horses in three hours, a near doubling in turnover from the corresponding session of 12 months ago when only 37 lots found buyers. If Wednesday's trade continues in similar vein, the sale is well on target for a record average, with the first day's figure rocketing by 48% to 141,939gns, and the median up 83% at 60,000gns. As ever, the market at this level was selective, and the clearance rate remained virtually unchanged from last year at 74%.

A new name was out in front after the dust had settled with Intello (Ger), who has split the first few years of his new career between Cheveley Park Stud and Haras du Quesnay, passing a solid test in the commercially-driven arena of 2-year-old sales when his first-crop son of the Listed winner Marika (GB) (Marju {Ire}) elicited a bid of 575,000gns from John Ferguson. The Godolphin chief was chased to the line for lot 26 by the husband-and-wife team of Jeremy Noseda and Kerri Radcliffe.

With a physique that suggests Derby over early juvenile races, the long-striding chestnut has half-siblings who have won Listed races in France and Australia, and hails from the further family of Godolphin's G1 Prix d'Ispahan winner and Derby fourth Best Of The Bests (Ire) (Machiavellian). He failed to find a buyer in the same ring during Book 1 of the October Sale, bought back by breeder Shutford Stud at 100,000gns.

“He's beautifully athletic,” said Ferguson of the colt who was prepared for the breeze by one of the stand-out consignors in his field, Brendan Holland.

“For a horse with as much scope as he has to have breezed the way he did is a major plus. These sales are proven to produce some really good racehorses. The team all really liked this one and Sheikh Mohammed was keen to have him.”

Ten lots later, Ferguson returned to the chute to buy a Kyllachy half-brother to Del Mar Grade III winner Belvoir Bay (GB) (Equiano {GB}) from the Mocklershill draft (lot 36) for 230,000gns.

Another stallion with his first runners this year made a splash at Park Paddocks when lot 53 became another high-priced 2-year-old for Adena Springs' Point Of Entry. Following the $675,000 sale of a colt at the OBS March Sale, the son of Dynaformer struck again, with Angus Gold of Shadwell going to 390,000gns for another of Point Of Entry's sons who won't turn two until May 5.

Sheikh Hamdan has already enjoyed success with the family as he owns his half-brother Taareef (Kitten's Joy), winner last year of the G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein and G3 Prix Daphnis, but who is unfortunately one of the horses currently in quarantine following an EHV-1 outbreak at Jean-Claude Rouget's stable. The colt was bought under the name of Wycombe House at Keeneland September for $140,000 and consigned at Tattersalls by Malcolm Bastard.

The proven names of Darley stud-mates Exceed And Excel (Aus) and Shamardal provided another two of the most expensive individuals of the evening. Blandford Bloodstock agent Richard Brown was pushed to 370,000gns for lot 40, the Exceed And Excel son of G2 Cherry Hinton S. winner Please Sing (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}). It is a family he knows well and which also includes the Kyllachy colt bought earlier in the evening by Godolphin, who is out of Please Sing's half-sister Path Of Peace (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}).

“I bought the dam for the Wates family of Langton Stud so I've known him since he was a foal,” said Brown, who couldn't name his client. The April-born colt was bought by Geoffrey Howson and Matt Houldsworth for 48,000gns for Thomond O'Mara, who consigned him in his six-strong Knockanglass Stables draft.

Brown added, “The fact that I know he's had no issues all the way through was a major plus and Thomond has had a lovely touch here. Exceed And Excel's record speaks for itself, this is a good fast cross and he's a mature individual. But, look, it's a breeze-up sale and he went out there and did a phenomenal breeze.”

Mocklershill's Shamardal filly (lot 18) out of a Barathea (Ire) half-sister to French Group 1 winners Mandaean (GB) (Manduro {Ger}) and Wavering (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}) ended the session as the top-priced distaffer, with jockey John Egan outlasting Ibrahim Araci on behalf of Alliance Bloodstock at 320,000gns.

“I've ridden her in Ireland and she breezed very well,” said Egan, who added that the filly would likely be trained in England for his Middle East-based clients.

After the first lot in the ring, Lynn Lodge Stud's first-crop son of Declaration Of War, had been knocked down at 180,000gns to Jamie McCalmont for Michael Tabor, he was swiftly followed by a 300,000-guinea son of popular WinStar veteran Distorted Humor (lot 3). Dr Johnny Hon is the colt's new owner, with Charlie Gordon-Watson bidding on his behalf.

“He'll go to Ed Dunlop,” confirmed the agent. “He's a very nice horse who did a very good breeze and he looks like one you could really get on with nice and early.”

The $120,000 short yearling at Keeneland January, who failed to sell in September, was bought in Kentucky by Marco Bozzi and consigned through Tally-Ho Stud. He's the first foal of winning 3-year-old In Bloom (Discreet Cat), a grand-daughter of Listed Chou Croute S. winner Gracious Granny.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club continued its rare breeze-up spending, which started last week in Doncaster, with the purchase of a colt from the debut crop of dual Derby winner Camelot (GB) (lot 12) for 250,000gns. The first foal of provincial French winner Kiss Me Goodbye (GB) (Raven's Pass), herself a daughter of the G3 Prix Chloe winner Khumba Mela (Ire) (Hero's Honor), was pinhooked by Willie Browne for 125,000gns at Tattersalls last October.

Browne's Mocklershill operation, which ended the evening as leading vendor with five sold for 1,073,000gns, was also responsible for lot 14, a Dark Angel (Ire) filly who is closely related to the high-earner Sovereign Debt (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), winner this year of the ITM Cup in Doha and the All-Weather Mile Championships on Good Friday to bring his tally of victories to 12 for £658,345. Alastair Donald purchased the daughter of Lady Duxyana (GB) (Most Welcome {GB}), a full-sister to Sovereign Debt's dam Kelsey Rose (GB), who will be trained by Andrew Balding for an undisclosed client.

Buying through both Peter and Ross Doyle and Nicolas de Watrigant, Al Shaqab Racing added three juveniles to its string, including two bought for 220,000gns. Lot 60, Brown Island Stables' daughter of Kitten's Joy––a sister to GII Mrs Revere S. winner Emotional Kitten––represented another good pinhook for the vendor of G3 Acomb S. winner Syphax (Arch), Johnny Collins, who bought the filly privately when she failed to sell at $45,000 at Keeneland.

Al Shaqab also bought the most expensive Epaulette (Aus) 2-year-old of the sale, lot 37, a half-sister to two multiple winners from the family of decent juvenile Presto Vento (GB) (Air Express {Ire}), who was bought by Anthony Bromley of Highflyer Bloodstock for €32,000 at Goffs and sold through Tally-Ho Stud for 220,000gns. Three youngsters by the Darley freshman sold in the session for an average of 128,333gns.

Less than a week ago at Goffs UK the star pinhook badge went to Jim McCartan, who turned a $5,000 More Than Ready yearling into a £200,000 juvenile. So far this week the badge can be worn by John Kilbride, who also uncovered an incredible bargain at Keeneland when buying a first-crop son of Violence for $7,000 on behalf of Star Bloodstock. That team's preparation transformed the son of the unraced half-sister to Elusive Quality and Rossini (lot 46) into a 210,000gns breezer. Stephen Hillen was the buyer and the half-brother to Horse Fly (Mineshaft) will be trained by Kevin Ryan.

 

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