Thunder Rolls Out Book 3 Finale

Tara Armstrong and the session-toppping Night Of Thunder colt | Tattersalls

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NEWMARKET, UK—One visitor to Tattersalls on Friday observed that it was like being in a popular holiday resort out of season. Certainly the atmosphere was less charged than that sustained during the buzz of Books 1 and 2, but a fresh crowd had arrived in Newmarket for the second half of the week and there was still plenty of activity around the sales ground, albeit at a more modified level.

Among the diehards who had weathered the full fortnight—and that required full waterproofs on many days, as the rash of race abandonments across England and a sloppy Champions Day will attest to—there were of course still most of the main breeze-up crew present along with a decent sprinkling of trainers.

Of the former, Johnny Hassett provided the day's financial highlight, when having the final wave of the catalogue at 75,000gns for lot 1739. Thunder rumbled loudly across the Newmarket sky during the afternoon, but Night Of Thunder (Ire) has been rumbling away all season long to amass an impressive array of first-crop winners, currently heading the European freshman list with 25 chalked up. Members of his next batch have been unsurprisingly popular throughout the yearling sale season and it was one of these which led the final session of Book 3.

A€15,000 pinhook at Fairyhouse by County Antrim-based Beechvale Stud, the son of the unraced Bahriya (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) brought a smile to the face of Tara Armstrong, who has nurtured him through the last ten months with her father Trevor and brother Chris and led him through the ring.

“Chris picked him out but he couldn't be here today as he works in the office at Ballydoyle—hopefully he was watching,” said Trevor Armstrong. “He was a nice, scopey foal and he has done well. Dalakhani is a top broodmare sire and Night Of Thunder has been on fire, too.”

Despite the popularity of the sire, it was the colt's damsire who was of particular appeal to Hassett, who said, “I've bought two yearlings out of Dalakhani mares before. One went from 30,000gns to 200,000gns and the other went from 29,000gns to 160,000gns, so Dalakhani mares were my own little niche, until Pinatubo came along.”

Bahriya may have no racing record of which to boast, and only one foal before this in her fledgling broodmare career but she has origins of some note in the Aga Khan Studs. Her dam Behkiyra (Ire) (Entrepreneur {GB}) was a listed winner in Ireland and is herself out of the champion racemare Behera (Ire) (Mill Reef).

Hassett added of his new colt, “He's by the right sire, too, and I just think he looks like a quick horse. He'll go to whichever sale fits in best with his preparation. I don't make those calls until just before the catalogues come out. I like to see how they're going first. It's been very difficult buying this week; the market is very strong, which is great. It's a solid and very discerning market.”

If you're looking for Joe Foley at Tattersalls, the chances are you'll find him in the chute, ringside, rarely taking his eye off the proceedings just beyond the rope. His diligent singularity has led him to unearth plenty of well-bought individuals for his principal patron Steve Parkin, and the duo will be hoping that another successful bearer of the all-grey Clipper Logistics silks next season will be lot 1693, the sole filly by Ajaya (GB) in Book 3.

Compromised by poor fertility, the 2015 Gimcrack S. winner served only one season at Rathbarry Stud, which consigned the filly, before time had to be called on his second career. He has around 60 yearlings on the ground to give him a chance that his name might be remembered a while yet.

After buying the filly for 55,000gns, Foley said, “I like the idea of Ajaya. He was a very fast horse and I was there the day he won the Gimcrack. We were an underbidder on the [session-topping] filly by Territories yesterday and they are both sons of Invincible Spirit, who has had such a good year as a sire of sires.

“We are big fans of Giant's Causeway mares, and this filly is from a fast family and has been very well prepared, as always, by Rathbarry. Both myself and Federico Barberini liked her.”

Paul Cashman bred the filly at Rathbarry Stud from Thousandfold, whose first foal Kazan (Shanghai Bobby) was runner-up in last year's GII Del Mar Derby, having been sold at October Book 2 as a yearling for 240,000gns.

“We bought the mare in-foal to Shanghai Bobby and she has done really well for us,” said Cashman. “She had a filly foal by Acclamation this spring and is in-foal to James Garfield. Ajaya's stock have been pleasing and this filly is a lovely model. It is such a shame he had issues with his fertility.”

Trimmed by about 50 lots this year, figures for Book 3 retained almost identical levels to those posted 12 months ago. The median was unmoved at 10,000gns, as was the 80% clearance rate. There was an upward flicker of difference in the average price of 16,147gns, while the 434 yearlings sold (38 fewer than last year) combined to bring a final count of 7,007,900gns (-8%).

After withdrawals, around 100 yearlings will be offered on Saturday morning by way of a truncated Book 4. They include lot 2059, The Glanvilles Stud's Sixties Icon (GB) half-sister to last weekend's G3 Oh So Sharp S. third Separate (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}).

The timing of this particular section of the sale will continue to be debated but in a packed autumn sales schedule in Europe, and with the October Sale being hedged in by major race meetings at Newmarket and Ascot, room for manoeuvre is scant. Furthermore, the demand for yearling sale places from breeders remains way beyond the current provision.

This low-key session will bring the curtain down on the October Sale, with the action switching to Deauville next week for Arqana's four-day October Sale, which begins on Tuesday.

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