New Approach Colt Tops BBAG Sale

By Emma Berry

Initially led out of the ring unsold at €400,000, a private transaction at that price was later agreed for the sole yearling by New Approach (Ire) catalogued for the BBAG Sale in Iffezheim. Named Woodkid and offered for a syndicate by Gestut Brummerhof, the attractive bay colt was bought by Bertrand Le Metayer, who was the under-bidder when lot 147, the eventual sale-topper, took his turn in the ring. A first foal, he is out of the listed winner and Classic-placed Waldtraut (Ger) (Oasis Dream {GB}) from a family replete with black type and which includes G1 Deutsches Derby winner Waldpark (Ger) (Dubawi {Ire}) and G1 St. Leger winner Masked Marvel (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}). Relieved to have been able to secure the colt after negotiation, Le Metayer said, “It's pretty exceptional to see the first product of a stakes-winning mare by Oasis Dream who has as much size and scope. Physically, he was a great mix of the two and I thought his attitude was excellent.”

With only 152 horses sold of the 220 offered, compared to 178 sold last year, turnover dropped by 23% to €6,345,250 and the clearance rate was down three points at 69%. The average of €41,745 was down by 9.5% and the median held steady at €30,000. Commenting on the day's trade at the close of play, BBAG Assistant Manager Klaus Eulenberger said, “We had plenty of black type in the catalogue on the mares' side, but we lacked the number of lots by sexy sires that tend to top the sale, as they did this year again. We are pleased that the average stayed about €40,000 and by the larger variety of purchasers than usual. This includes a number from Italy, whom we have not seen for a while. It's also good that many of the horses will be staying to be trained in Germany.”

Yearlings from the first European crop of the three-time Australian champion sire Redoute's Choice (Aus) were well received at Deauville in August and that continued through to the BBAG Sale at Iffezheim, where his only yearling offered, lot 182, was knocked down for €210,000. The Gestut Fahrhof-bred colt is a son of the Singspiel mare La Salina – representing a very similar cross to freshman shuttler Helmet (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) – whose four runners are all winners, most notably the Group 3 victrix La Saldana (Ger), by another Australian Danehill-line stallion, Fastnet Rock (Aus). Leading German trainer Andreas Wohler, who bought the colt for owners within his stable, handled La Saldana's career, as well as that of her listed-placed half-sister La Dawa (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Furthermore, he owns another sibling, Night Party (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) as a broodmare. He commented, “I know the family very well. In fact, it's my family! The Redoute's Choice yearlings look very strong and this family has already worked with another Australian stallion.”

Though it's perhaps too early to refer to Gestut Auenquelle's multiple Group 1-winning sire Soldier Hollow (GB) (In The Wings {GB}) as the heir to Monsun, he is widely popular in Germany and his 15 yearlings to change hands at BBAG did so for the highly respectable average price of €81,300. The most expensive of these and the third-top price of the sale was lot 45, a full-brother to this year's German listed winner Nymeria (Ger), who was consigned by Gestut Park Wiedingen and knocked down to Horst Putwill for €200,000. Putwill, who has horses in training with Markus Klug, declined to comment on his purchase, which was his first of two on the day by the same sire after he gave €52,000 for lot 129, a brother to another listed winner in Shanjia (Ger) from the Gestut Harzburg draft. Soldier Hollow is also a sire on the list of the selective Hong Kong Jockey Club, with Mark Richards going to €180,000 to secure lot 94, named Cloud Atlas (Ger), and offered by Auenquelle. Richards bought treble Hong Kong 3-year-old winner Bullish Smart (Ger), another Soldier Hollow colt, for €140,000 in 2012 and felt emboldened to return to the well this time around. “We know Soldier Hollow works in Hong Kong and this colt comes from a speedy family. I thought it looked like there is plenty to come from him,” he said of the second son of the dual-winning Whipper mare C'est L'amour (Ger).

Sir Percy (GB) has a very capable representative in Germany, the dual Group 3 winner Wake Forest (Ger) who was recently sixth in the GI Arlington Million, and another Sir Percy colt, named Wildfasan (GB), lot 76, and from the same black-type-strewn family of Wake Forest found favor when selling for €150,000 to Stall Mandarin. Offered by Ronald Rauscher for his breeder Johann Delius of Gestut Ravensberg, the April-foaled bay is a son of the Black Sam Bellamy (Ire) mare Wurfkette, a half-sister to the Group winner and classic producer Wurftaube (Ger) Acatenango {Ger}), the dam of G1 Deutsches Derby winner Waldpark (Ger) (Dubawi {Ire}). “It's been a really good family for us and there are seven members here in the sale today,” said Delius, who confirmed that Wurfkette has a colt foal by Kheleyf and is in foal to Maxios (GB). “Waldpark won the German Derby for us before being sold to Australia. Wildfasan will be trained in Germany for Stall Mandarin by Yasmin Almenrader.

Within minutes of each other, two Soldier Hollow fillies from Janet Leve Ostermann's Gestut Haus Itlingen – consigning under its own name for the first time – hit the jackpot when selling for €160,000 and €120,000 respectively. Both were bought for an unnamed owner/breeder by John McCormack, who confirmed that they will be raced in Europe. Lot 158, named Clear For Take Off (GB), was the more expensive of the pair and is a half-sister to the G3 Hamburger Meile winner Calyxa (Ger) Pivotal {GB}). Her dam, the listed winner Chantra (Ger), is a daughter of successful German stallion Lando (Ger) , who was raced by Leve Ostermann. The same cross was employed in the breeding of Dallas Affair (GB), who, as lot thetdn.com161 was another to breach the six-figure mark. Her dam, Daytona (Ger), is a three-time listed winner and is the dam of Group 3 winner Daytona Bay (GB) (Motivator {GB}).

Another high-profile international buying team in action in Baden-Baden was Brookdale Farm's Fred and Freddy Seitz, who swooped to buy lot 70 , a colt by Shamardal (Giants Causeway) from Danehill's daughter Tenderly (Fr). The 16-year-old mare is already the GII Baldwin S. winner Ten Meropa in the U.S. and her yearling colt is set for a trans-Atlantic trip. “He'll be going to the U.S.,” said Freddy after signing the docket at €140,000. “Of course Shamardal is by Giant's Causeway and I saw a lot of Giant's Causeway in this colt.” Paying his third visit to the BBAG Sale, Seitz commented: “I love the way they raise horses here. They're tough horses and the breeders tend to do things the old-fashioned way which I really like.”

Newsells Park Stud stepped in to buy a good-boned colt lot 179 from the first crop of their Royston-based stallion Nathaniel (GB) at €140,000. Around the time the colt was passing through the ring, his half-brother Keep In Line (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}), a dual winner this year for Godolphin, added another placed-finish to his race record when third at Ascot. Another sibling, Kassiano (Ger), also by Soldier Hollow, has won eight times and has finished runner-up in the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan.

An early leader in the sale was lot 53 , from the final crop of the late High Chaparral (Ire), who is joining the successful Middleham Park Racing syndicate after being bought on their behalf for €130,000 by Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock. Middleham Park's Tom Palin said of the son of the dual-winning Peintre Celebre mare Paulaya (Ger), “We'll be sending him to Richard Hannon and hoping he could be the next Toronado. Richard has done well with High Chaparral and we've always liked the sire but of course there won't be many more to come by him. We thought he was a great mover and the nicest colt in the sale.”

The two freshman sires with the largest number of yearlings in the catalogue were Campanologist (Kingmambo) and Jukebox Jury (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) with 15 apiece. Both horses won Group 1 races from the Yorkshire stable of Mark Johnston, who was in Baden-Baden with Jukebox Jury's former owner Alan Spence. Johnston, who signed for three yearlings by Jukebox Jury and one by Campanologist, said: “Both stallions are looking good. Campanologist has had an extremely good first book of mares by the look of things, which is impressive. I hope I'll have two or three by Jukebox Jury to train this year. They don't look like early types but he was a good-looking horse himself and he is throwing good-looking horses for the Montjeu line.” Eleven yearlings by Campanologist sold throughout the day for €32,273, while Jukebox Jury's average, also for 11 sold, was €30,545.