A daughter of the outstanding racemare Banks Hill (GB) (Danehill) from Juddmonte's great Hasili (Ire) family was the standout of the third session of the December Mares' Sale at Tattersalls, selling for 775,000gns to Amanda Skiffington.
Replete (GB) (Makfi {GB}) (lot 2133) may be unraced but, hailing from a dynasty interwoven with bold black type, she has plenty to recommend her, not least her high-flying mother, whose siblings include Intercontinental (GB), Cacique (Ire), Champs Elysees (GB), Dansili (GB) and half-sister Heat Haze (GB). Meanwhile Replete's half-sister Romantica (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) is a Group 1 winner and half-brother, the Group 2-placed Listed winner Ideal World (Kingmambo), an emerging sire in South Africa.
“She was the nicest horse of the day with a fantastic pedigree and she's a real beauty,” said Skiffington, who was standing with Timmy Hyde and David Wachman as she saw off attempts to secure the 3-year-old filly from Greg Goodman of Mt Brilliant Farm in Kentucky and John Freyer and Paul Messara of Australia's Arrowfield Stud.
She added, “She'd suit Galileo really well.”
The transaction which saw Replete top the session was not only the highest price paid for a Juddmonte-bred at the December Sale but also nudged Tattersalls' annual turnover into record territory, passing the high mark of 263.4 million gns set in 2014.
The day-three aggregate was up on last year by 8% at 7,159,200gns from 184 horses sold of the 238 offered. This meant a four-point drop in clearance to 77% and an 11% decline in the median to 18,000gns, but the average improved to 38,909gns, a rise of 16%.
A Juddmonte Beauty For Al Kazeem
As usual on the Wednesday of the mares' sale, the Juddmonte draft provided an after-dark highlight. Al Kazeem (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) has experienced a chequered start to his stud career but those yearlings that made it to market were certainly well received and he will be joined at John Deer's Oakgrove Stud by a glamorous young Juddmonte partner in lot 2125, the unraced Marlingford (GB) (Oasis Dream). The 3-year-old is a half-sister to G1 Grand Prix de Paris winner Zambezi Sun (GB) (Dansili {GB}) from a family of stakes performers or producers associated with her grand-dam Interval (GB) (Habitat).
“It's a great family, as they all are at Juddmonte, with a good bit of speed at the bottom,” said Oakgrove's Tim Lane. “But she's also a very nice physical, very athletic, and we're massive fans of Oasis Dream mares.”
The next filly through the ring, lot 2126 had a similar profile, being the unraced 3-year-old Megaron (GB) (Dansili {GB}). She will join Rabbah for 200,000gns, being out of a daughter of the top-class All At Sea (Riverman) from the family of Twice Over (GB) (Observatory), Passage Of Time (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and company. “She's a lovely filly, beautifully bred, and we hope she'll make a good broodmare,” observed Rabbah's Jono Mills. “Her mating is to be decided, Sheikh Juma will make his own decision in time.”
Sandstone And Birdwood Stay At Home
Anthony Penfold's Bugley Stud will be the recipient of lot 2135, Sandstone (GB) (Dansili {GB}), yet another well-related Juddmonte 3-year-old, who was bought for 155,000gns.
Sandstone is a daughter of G3 Prix d'Aumale winner Helleborine (GB) (Observatory), whose Group 1-winning full-sister African Rose (GB) has already produced a notable runner in Fair Eva (GB), who became Frankel's first stakes winner when landing the G3 Juddmonte Princess Margaret S.
“Sandstone is the first foal of a wonderful mare and there are lots of possible updates and improvements to come in the family,” said Penfold's representative. “She'll be well mated and her relatives will be well mated. She'll go back to Bugley Stud and will probably remain in the UK.”
An eye-catching 3¾-length victory for debutante Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) on Monday persuaded the Newsells Park Stud team to be bold in their bidding when going to 150,000gns to snare the filly's half-sister Birdwood (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) from Juddmonte.
“It was the update really,” said Julian Dollar of his 3-year-old purchase (lot 2110). “The trainer thinks she's pretty useful and Juddmonte think she's pretty useful and we think this filly will suit Nathaniel. We're very keen to continue to support him.”
He quipped of Enable, “It's quite spicy, sending a Sadler's Wells mare to Nathaniel but it's practically an outcross now!”
Concentric (GB) (Sadler's Wells), the Listed-winning dam of Birdwood and Enable, is a full-sister to Dance Routine (GB), the dam of Juddmonte's globetrotting star Flintshire (GB), who will stand at Hill 'n' Dale Farm in Kentucky in 2017.
When the hammer came down on the final Juddmonte filly through the ring, 49 of the draft had been sold for a total of 3,895,500gns.
Light Fantastic For Breeder Boocock
A torpid post-luncheon session, pending the Juddmonte draft, was suddenly illuminated by lot 2085 the 3-year-old Light Up Our World (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire})––a Listed winner, with multiple Group placings, for Richard Hannon. BBA Ireland seemed to have won the day until a single bid of 420,000gns from Luke Lillingston proved sufficient to end their interest, a price cognisant of the fact that her dam Shine Like A Star (GB) (Fantastic Light) is a half-sister to G1 Coronation S. winner Fallen For You (GB) (Dansili {GB}).
The filly was consigned by Overbury Stud, where Shine Like A Star is boarded by her owner Derek Boocock. “He sold the half-sister Light Up My Life (Ire) (Zamindar) here three years ago for 425,000gns,” recalled Overbury's Simon Sweeting. “So the mare's obviously been very lucky for him. But then the whole family has done nothing but improve since he bought her.”
That was in this same ring at the 2009 sale, for just 25,000gns. “Derek has kept the 2-year-old by Fastnet Rock (Aus) and there's also a Rip Van Winkle (Ire) foal, while the mare's now in foal to No Nay Never,” Sweeting added.
Lillingston was acting on behalf of John Moore's and Charles Noell's Merriebelle Ireland. “Plans are open,” he said. “She might go to America to continue racing over there: she seems to go on all ground and gets a mile and an eighth. But she's bought as a broodmare prospect, sooner or later. She vetted well, she's good-looking – and it's great to back into the family. I was underbidder on the second dam many years ago, to Philippa Cooper, and have been cursing my luck ever since! And of course I like Zoffany too, I believe we bought his first stakes winner.”
Light Up Our World's second dam, Fallen Star (GB) (Brief Truce), has been good to Philippa Cooper's Normandie Stud. Her daughter Fallen For You (GB) (Dansili {GB}) won the G1 Coronation S. and provided the co-top lot at Book 1 of this year's October Sale with her Dubawi (Ire) colt, who sold for 2.6 million gns.
Flying Fairies Races On For Oxx
A cluster of fillies-in-training towards the end of the session included an attractive prospect in lot 2149 Flying Fairies (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) who will be joining John Oxx after he signed a 280,000gns docket. Winner of a 10f Listed race at Leopardstown on her final start for Joseph Murphy, the 3-year-old is out of a half-sister to two Derby trial winners in Twist And Turn (GB) (Groom Dancer) and Meath (Ire) (Sadler's Wells)––who respectively won the Chester Vase and Gallinule S.––but Oxx hopes that she can enhance the page herself before going to the paddocks.
“She's been improved steadily and her last run was her best, when stretched out in distance on the last day of our turf season,” he said. “She's for an Irish client and while she'll go to stud eventually she should give them a bit of fun on the track for another year first. She's had a long season so we'll give her a break and look for something in the spring.”
Lot 2102, Fine Blend (Ire) (Sakhee's Secret {GB}), was picked up by trainer William Muir for just €10,000 as a 2-year-old at the Goffs February Sale and 20 months later she was knocked down at 180,000gns to David Redvers. Her hike in price came about thanks primarily to her Listed success in the Criterium de Vitesse at Chantilly last October, and earlier this year she was second to another flying filly, the subsequent Group 1 winner Marsha (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), in the Listed Land O'Burns Fillies' S.
Wigan Unearths A Treasure
It's hard to argue with the 145,000gns paid by James Wigan for lot 1963––not least when you consider the further embellishment of her page since Tesoro (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was bought at the Craven Breeze-up here last year for 200,000gns. A maiden winner for Dean Ivory in the meantime, her pedigree looks better than ever following the emergence this season of Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the outstanding winner of the G1 Fillies' Mile, who is out of triple Group 1 winner Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB})––herself a half-sister to this filly's dam, the Group 3 winner Theann (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}). Theann has already produced a dual Group 1-winning sister to Tesoro in Photo Call (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and is a daughter of the top-class sprinter Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {GB}). “Obviously it's just a beautiful pedigree, the outstanding one in the book,” Wigan reasoned. “And if she's on the small side, she's certainly an acceptable model.”
Ivory's Harper Lodge Stables had also registered a six-figure sale with the preceding lot 1962, the Listed-placed Rosie's Premiere (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}). She is on her way to Haras du Mezeray, whose manager Philippe Brosset explained: “It is such a tough, running family, the filly herself ran 25 times. She was fast as well, reaching a rating of 93 and picking up black-type. We want to get some earlier types in our broodmare band to go with what the market wants.”
Sure enough, she could visit Dark Angel––as has her mother, of late, in consecutive seasons. “It's a young family with plenty going on,” Brosset added. “Her 2-year-old half-brother Golden Goal (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was bought by John Ferguson.”
Mason's Need For Speed
Speed was the key enticement for Charlie Mason when it came to paying 135,000gns for Lulla (GB) (lot 1996). As a daughter of G1 July Cup winner Oasis Dream (GB) and G2 King's Stand S. heroine Dominica (GB) (Alhaarth {Ire}), Lulla's page certainly has a strong sprinting feel to it, and she was offered by Lordship Stud in foal to another July Cup winner Lethal Force (Ire).
“This is a real speed family,” said Mason, “And you have to pay a bit more for mares like this. We'll offer her foal through Silfield Bloodstock next year.”
Lulla's first foal is the Group 2-placed juvenile Mr Scaramanga (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}) and she has yearling and foal daughters by the Lordship Stud homebred Swiss Spirit (GB) on the ground.
Camelot (GB) made such an impressive debut at the yearling sales that a Listed winner bearing one of his foals was bound to command attention. Sure enough, lot 2076 Accipiter (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), fetched 100,000gns from David Cunningham of Tullpark in Co Tipperary––a very respectable return on the 9,000gns she cost here as a yearling when bought by Nicky Murray, who reoffered her on Wednesday through her Whitwell Bloodstock operation.
Winner of the Harry Rosebery S as a juvenile for Chris Wall, the 4-year-old shares a grand-dam in stakes winner Viva Zapata (Affirmed) with Heshem (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who won the G2 Prix Eugene Adam this summter.
“We like that kind of thing going on under the second and third dams,” Cunningham explained. “And obviously it's great to have a Camelot cover, with his first lot of 2-year-olds on the way.”
Tullpark is best known as breeder of Venus De Milo (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), a triple G1 runner-up for Ballydoyle.
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