Like so many of his predecessors from Lodge Park Stud – and indeed this family – the Night Of Thunder colt who went through the ring as lot 134 proved a red-hot commodity during Tuesday's session at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, with the Juddmonte team making its first purchase of the sale in securing him for 1,000,000gns.
Juddmonte's Simon Mockridge said, “He is just a super horse, a lovely horse, and that is what you have to pay – it is very expensive in there [the sale ring]. He is a very good mover, easy going, and showed well all week.”
He added, “It is an amazing family, it is a wonderful page, and the stallion has been fantastic this year. We are delighted to buy him; he looks a fast horse.”
Descended from Lodge Park Stud's blue hen Park Express (Ahonoora), this colt is the first foal out of the winning Dark Angel mare Express Way who, in turn, is out of the multiple Listed-placed Alluring Park (Green Desert), the dam of nine other winners. They include the Oaks heroine Was, G2 Curragh Cup scorer Amhran Na Bhfiann, G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial winner Douglas Macarthur and G3 Prix Cleopatre runner-up Al Naamah, all by Galileo.
Al Naamah holds the record for the highest-priced yearling ever sold at Book 1 at 5,000,000gns, while another sibling, Park Bloom (Galileo), was responsible for Lodge Park Stud's Wootton Bassett colt who fetched 4,300,000gns last year, the record price for a colt offered at this sale. Since named Poker, he recently finished sixth on his debut at Haydock for Amo Racing and Karl Burke.
“That has exceeded expectations greatly,” Lodge Park Stud's Jamie Burns said of this colt's price tag. “He is a lovely moving horse and he is going to a great home – he will get every opportunity there. We went to Night Of Thunder as we were trying to get Galileo back into the pedigree. We are trying to keep the generations going – it is up to us to keep it going.”
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