'Best Breeder in the World' Supplies Leading Lots at Tattersalls

NEWMARKET, UK–While Godolphin hogged the headlines on the opening day, it was the turn of a couple of members of the Juddmonte draft to share the limelight during Wednesday's session of the Tattersalls July Sale. 

Sold consecutively as lots 558 and 559, the three-year-old fillies Anacapa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Calabria (GB) (Kingman {GB}) each brought the hammer down at 300,000gns. 

The former, an unraced sister to G3 Prix de Lieurey winner Fount (GB), was bought by Grant Pritchard-Gordon of Badgers Bloodstock for a “long-standing European client”. She is a daughter of Ventura (Chester House), a the four-time Grade I winner in North America.

“It is a family I have known for a long time,” said the agent, who worked for Juddmonte for 17 years. “I go back beyond [third dam] Roupala.”

Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock was the agent in pursuit of Calabria, an unraced daughter of Kingman and Romantica (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). A Group 1 winner herself, Romantica is a daughter of the brilliant Banks Hill (GB) (Danehill). McStay also signed for Even Out (GB), by Le Havre (Ire) out of the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Proportional (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}), just three lots earlier in the draft at 80,000gns.

“As we know, Juddmonte blood is very hard to come by; the farm is the best breeder in the world. They've both been bought for the same client and we were delighted to be able to get them,” he said. “We had to dig deep to get the filly from Banks Hill family but it is probably the best pedigree in the book – when you see Banks Hill, Dansili, Hasili, Champs Elysees on the page, it doesn't need much explanation as to why you had to dig so deep and why there was such stiff competition.”

There was plenty of competition throughout the range of horses on offer at Tattersalls on Wednesday and a clearance rate of 92% speaks to the demand from buyers both international and domestic, Flat and jumps. Trade bounced back to being roughly on par with last year's figures, with an average price of 25,202gns (+7%), median of 12,000gns (-8%) and an aggregate of 4,813,500gns (+19%) for 191 lots sold. 

Bur Dubai is Australia-Bound

The Australian wing of the micro-share syndicate My Racehorse, in partnership with Victorian trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent, struck for lot 631, Bur Dubai (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), at 250,000gns.

The three-year-old was bred by his owner Ahmad Al Shaikh and has been in training with Kevin Philippart de Foy, for whom he recently won a Chester handicap by nine and a half lengths. That decisive win saw his rating shoot up from 78 to 89.

After bidding over the phone via Tattersalls' marketing manager Jason Singh, Kent said, “He has got upside on upside on upside for us and has the perfect profile for Australia – he is fast, we love his sire, and he is the right type with bone, good feet and he vetted clean.

“We will give him six weeks and let him take advantage of your summer and warmer weather – he will then ship and can slot into our routine.

He added, “I worked in Newmarket and know Kevin – he is a lovely fella and is a great trainer who looks after his horse really well, that was a big positive for us, too.”

Bahrain beckons

The 87-rated sprinter City House (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) (lot 608) will be changing stables in Newmarket but there are wider horizons in the pipeline for the three-year-old  colt, who was bought for  180,000gns by agent Billy Jackson Stops and trainer George Scott.

That same duo had combined in the purchase last year of Scott's subsequent G2 Hardwicke Stakes winner Isle Of Jura (Ire) and the hope if for City House, who was previously trained by James Fanshawe for the Gredley family, to follow suit.

“We enjoyed our time in Bahrain and we were looking for a couple of sprinters, and all being well he will end up there,” Scott said. “City House looks a really robust horse – James Fanshawe has done a great job with him and there look to be plenty of miles left on the clock. 

“My client is new to me and he is based in London, but has some of his own clients in Bahrain and Dubai. He will be working over there a bit in the winter so he would like some action while he is there.”

He continiued, “We are looking to strengthen our Bahrain team this winter. The prize-money is great, it is very competitive, you need the right type of horse, they need to be durable.”

And also France and Dubai…

The Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Bad Desire (Fr) made a temporary visit to Newmarket from Joseph O'Brien's Irish stable and he will venture next to France then Dubai, if all goes to plan. The new owner of lot 573 is Omar Esmil Gharghar  from Libya, who recruited the three-year-old for for 150,000gns.

The next stage of Bad Desire's training career will be conducted at the stable of Italian-born Gianluca Bietolini, who trains in France, and he will eventually join Mehmet Yusuf Marangoz, who has plans to train in Dubai.

Lots of NH interest 

• Jumps trainer Syd Hosie picked up four well-bred individuals to send over hurdles, including two sons of Frankel. Hosie went to 150,000gns to secure Victory Shout (GB) (lot 505), a recent winner at Hamilton over a mile and a half for Karl Burke. Also heading to Hosie's Dorset yard is Rapid Mission (GB) (lot 464), a winner over the same trip last month for Joseph O'Brien. Both horses were previously owned by Yulong. 

• Star Runner (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), a half-brother to recent G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion), is another gelding off to try his hand at jumping. The three-year-old (lot 428), who was sold for 105,000gns, has been placed in three of his four starts for Andrew Balding and will join the stable of William Durkan, who has plans for a juvenile hurdling campaign. 

• Fergal O'Brien will take charge of the former Jim Bolger trainee and homebred Serious Challenge (Ire), who was bought by the jumps trainer with Cotswold Bloodstock for 85,000gns. Rated 102, lot 598 is a son of Fracas (Ire) and was a winner at two. He has been twice placed recently in Listed company at Limerick and Roscommon. 

The sale concludes on Thursday with two sessions before and after racing on the July Course.