Galileo Fillies Kickstart July Week at Tattersalls

Newmarket, UK—British racing's headquarters may not quite have a race meeting to rival Royal Ascot but Newmarket's 'July Week' sees the town spring to life with parties aplenty. Kicking off the week's more serious business Wednesday ahead of three days of top-class racing is a bumper edition of the Tattersalls July Sale.

Following a rise in the number catalogued last year which in part led to a record-breaking aggregate of 14,691,700gns, this year's edition also has more than 900 horses in the book, though, as ever, there have been plenty of withdrawals through the last few days—224 at the time of writing. Potential purchasers trying to get a head start on Tuesday will have been grateful for the fact that the fierce temperatures that have become the norm in England over the last few weeks had abated slightly to allow for more comfortable viewing conditions.

Much of the interest today will focus on a trio of Galileo (Ire) yearlings offered by The Castlebridge Consignment after three of the original sextet by the champion sire to be catalogued have been withdrawn.

The remaining three consist of lot 189, the first foal of Timbuktu (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), a half-sister to listed winners Tha'ir (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and Flashing Colour (Ger) (Pivotal {GB}). The descendant of Meon Valley Stud's great foundation mare Reprocolor (GB) has revisited Galileo repeatedly in the last two seasons.

Following her into the ring is lot 190, a March-foaled daughter of Grade I winner Luas Line (Ire) (Danehill) and a full-sister to Impulsive Moment (Ire), a seven-time winner who was runner-up in the G2 Sandown Classic Trial. Finally, lot 191 is a full-sister to G3 Munster Oaks winner Pretty Perfect (Ire) whose Group-winning dam Milanova (Aus) (Danehill) is herself a sister to Holy Roman Emperor (Ire).

“They are three nice fillies with outstanding pedigrees and we're very excited about the sale. Hopefully it will be a good week,” said Castlesbridge's Bill Dwan.

With 86 lots catalogued and the recently announced wild card Understate (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) (lot 430A), The Castlebridge Consignment has by far the biggest draft at Park Paddocks, which also incudes the once-raced 3-year-old Galileo filly C'est Ca (Ire) (lot 219) who was bought in the same ring as a yearling by MV Magnier and the Mayfair Speculators for 750,000gns.

“We've started selling a lot more horses in training. It's good for the trainers as it helps them out when they are busy at home. That's a side of the business that is growing for us and hopefully it will continue to grow,” Dwan added.

The international influence of the July Sale is exemplified on the back cover of the catalogue which features major stakes winners in South Africa, America, Japan and Italy whose dams were all purchased at this auction for prices ranging from 17,000gns to 62,000gns.

Among the young broodmare prospects of note is Godolphin's Blue Hue (Ire), a daughter of Shamardal from the former Kilfrush Stud family of Arctique Royale (GB) slated to sell as lot 181, while the Dubawi (Ire) mares Lovers' Vows (GB), a granddaughter of Park Appeal (GB) (Ahonoora {GB}), will be offered by Baroda & Colbinstown Studs with her Cable Bay (Ire) colt. Selling as lot 113, the 6-year-old is back in foal to the Highclere Stud stallion.

Breeders in town in the market for an in-foal mare will find a number carrying to first-season sires, including Party Animal (GB) (Makfi {GB}), offered by Jamie Railton as lot 210. The 5-year-old daughter of listed winner Party (Ire) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) and half-sister to Australian Group 3 winner Observational (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) was one of 140 mares covered by Haras d'Etreham's exciting young stallion Almanzor (Fr).

Yeomanstown Stud's son of Scat Daddy, El Kabeir, is the covering sire of two young mares in the book, including lot 73, Plage Depampelonne (GB), a daughter of Redoute's Choice (Aus) from the family of Coronet (GB) and Aussie Rules consigned by Stratford Place Stud.

The first chance to buy mare in foal to Darley's multiple Group 1 winner Postponed (GB) comes via the Minster Stud offering Weigelia (GB) (Raven's Pass) (lot 93), a daughter of the G3 Prix Cleopatre winner Spring Oak (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}) from a family heavily laden with black-type.

Another Group 1-winning son of Dubawi to have retired to stud this year is the Aga Khan's Zarak (Fr), who is the covering sire for lot 136, Belle Above All (GB), Philippa Cooper's unraced daughter of New Approach (GB) and Lupe S. winner Foodbroker Fancy (Ire) (Halling).

As ever the catalogue features a vast horses-in-training section and among the as yet unraced individuals offered is lot 555, Perpetual (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a 3-year-old brother to National Stud stallion Time Test (GB) out of the Group 1 winner Passage Of Time (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in a batch of 35 horses consigned by Juddmonte.

Fresh from winning Sunday's G1 Deutsches Derby for the second year running, Gestut Rottgen is consigning Degas (Ger) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), the recent Group 3-winning miler and runner-up in the G2 Mehl-Mulhens Rennen who is trained by Markus Klug and features as wild card lot 579A. The 3-year-old gelding is a grandson of German 1000 Guineas winner Diacada (Ger) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) from a well established Rottgen family which also includes Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}).

Just as Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has resigned this week from his cabinet post, the other Foreign Secretary (Ire), by Galileo out of dual Guineas heroine Finsceal Beo (Ire) (Mr. Greeley), is also a withdrawal from the sale leaving the unraced Foreign Legion (Ire) (Declaration Of War) (lot 420) as the sole remaining member of what had been a draft of seven from Ballydoyle.

Following a day-long session which begins today at 9:30 a.m., Thursday and Friday both feature split sessions before and after racing on the July Course.