Frankel Colt Tops Tattersalls Foals

NEWMARKET, UK—For Sheikh Fahad Al Thani and his wife Melissa, this week has brought them not only a baby daughter, Najla, who was born on Wednesday, but also the outright ownership of a strapping Frankel (GB) colt out of the St Leger winner Simple Verse (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), who topped the Tattersalls December Foal Sale at 600,000gns.

Sheikh Fahad bought out his partners in the colt, which include his brother Sheikh Suhaim, with successful Canadian owner-breeder John Gunther stepping in to do the bidding on his behalf. The sheikh's racing and bloodstock manager David Redvers explained, “Simple Verse was our first domestic Classic winner and she also won on Champions Day so she is a wonderful mare to have around. The arrangement between the partners who own her is that the foals come to the sale and Sheikh Fahad was very keen to retain this colt. He and his wife Melissa had a baby girl on Wednesday so he temporarily left mother and baby to come to the sale to see the foal.”

Lot 1025 is the first foal of his outstanding mother who won six of her 15 starts for Qatar Racing and Ralph Beckett, earning prize-money just shy of £1 million. He was one of two Frankel weanlings to sell from the Tweenhills draft, with the filly out of Bella Nouf (GB) (Dansili {GB}) (1024) preceding him in the ring and being knocked down to pinhooker Ger Lowry of Oneliner Stables for 350,000gns. The dual winer Bella Nouf, from the family of G2 Duke of Cambridge S. winner Aljazzi (GB) (Shamardal), was bought by Qatar Bloodstock from the dispersal of Blue Diamond Stud for 325,000gns last December.

Completing a good day for Frankel was lot 1006, the daughter of listed winner Sivoliere (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), sold by European Sales Management to Watership Down Stud for 360,000gns.

“She has been bought to race. We wanted some new blood for the farm,” said manager Simon Marsh. “We tried on yearling fillies in the autumn, but couldn't get anything so decided to look at foals.”

Sivoliere is a half-sister to G3 Prix Chloe winner Suphala (Fr), who is also a daughter of Frankel, and boasts the top class Serena's Song as her fourth dam.

Following a record-breaking foal sale last December, trade for this third and liveliest session of the week returned to levels close to those set two and three years ago. The clearance rate was up slightly at 81%, with 171 foals sold for 17,102,000gns (-11%). The average just nudged into six figures at 100,012gns (-19%) and the median was 65,000gns (-7%).

Woodford Thoroughbreds Make A Splash
An increasing American presence at Tattersalls during the October Yearling Sale is part of the reason that John Sykes of Woodford Thoroughbreds felt emboldened to come to Newmarket to pinhook foals with transatlantic appeal. A colt by Lope De Vega (Ire) (864), the sire of GI Breeders's Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf winner Newspaperofrecord (Ire) was first on the list, and Sykes, buying through Lincoln Collins, soon added a filly by the same sire to the list (1021), as well as two of the three most expensive foals of the day.

Collins explained, “I work as an advisor for Woodford Thoroughbreds in America and John Sykes, who owns the business, is very keen on diversifying internationally. He's bought a couple of mares here in the past but he's done a lot of pinhooking in various guises in the United States and he wanted to come here for several reasons, but principally because there are two markets for horses like this these days. The foals will go to Mount Coote Stud in Ireland and we can decide next year where they will be sold.”

Sykes ended up with five six-figure foals from the session for a total of 1.39 million gns. They included Bryanstown House Stud's Invincible Spirit (Ire) sister to the hardy G3 Sceptre S. winner Music Box (Ire) (1004), bought for 440,000gns, and a Dr Klaus Schulte-bred daughter of Sea The Stars (Ire) (1019) from the family of Melbourne Cup winner Almandin (Ger) bought from Castletown Stud for 400,000gns.

“The plans will be fluid but with fillies there are more options,” Collins said. “With pedigrees such as this there are broodmare considerations, and she has a pedigree that you would want for your broodmares.”

Father And Son To The Fore
Saeed Manana's multiple group winner Invincible Army (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) has recently been announced as a new recruit to Yeomanstown Stud and his full-brother (1033) offered by breeders Tinnakill House became one of the stars of Friday's session when bought by Mimi Wadham and Violet Hesketh of WH Bloodstock for 375,000gns.

It was also a good day for one of Invincible Spirit's most promising young sons, Kingman (GB). With a first-crop Classic winner, a huge hike in fee for 2020 and an October Book 1 yearling average of 382,655gns, it is little wonder that the few weanlings by the Juddmonte sire in the December Foal catalogue were in demand.

At the head of the list was Gestut Etzean's colt out of the Sholokhov (Ire) mare Monami (Ger), who has already had one decent black-type update since the catalogue was printed and could well be in for more of his half-sister Miss Yoda (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) continues her progressive march.

At 340,000gns, lot 972 was a bold pinhook for Baroda Stud, but it certainly made the long trip from Germany worthwhile for his breeder and consignor Ralf Kredel of Etzean.

“This is the place to bring a special horse,” he said. “Kingman is flying and we are very hopeful for Miss Yoda for next year.”

Miss Yoda, owned by Georg Von Opel and trained in Newmarket by John Gosden, has already provided the breeder with a decent return when she topped the BBAG Yearling Sale at €280,000 last year. Since she embarked on her British racing career on Aug. 5 she has won twice and finished runner-up in the G3 Zetland S.

Spanish Investment Continues
Kingman had already done a handsome favour to a breeder earlier in the day when the colt out of Patsy Boyne (Ire), a Galileo (Ire) three-parts-sister to High Chaparral (Ire) had sold for 300,000gns to a partnership from Spain headed by the Spanish Jockey Club president Jose Hormaeche. Lot 928 was the second of two select consecutive offerings by Norris Bloodstock, who consigned the colt on behalf of Hong Kong-based breeder Eric Chen, who keeps mares in Australia.

“We are delighted to have bought him,” said Hormaeche, who owns Torre Duero Stud. “He will come back to us in Spain and then we will decided on a plan. He could come back here for Book 1 or we may race him.”

Chen bought two mares at last year's December Sale through John Berry with the intention of exporting them to Australia. One has already travelled south after foaling a filly by Churchill (Ire) and Patsy Boyne was covered by Kingman at Banstead Manor Stud to southern hemisphere time and will depart shortly for Australia.

“When this foal was born it was a no-brainer to go back to Kingman,” said Berry. “This foal was a cracker from day one. The two mares boarded with Liam and Jenny Norris and he has turned up here looking terrific and so well prepared. Kingman is doing so well and he is from a good family so in theory he ought to have sold well but it doesn't always work out that way but this is wonderful. It's a tribute to how well Liam and Jenny have looked after the mare and foal and it is just a lovely result for Mr Chen.”

Norris Bloodstock sold just two foals on Friday in quick succession with a colt from the first crop of Postponed preceding the Kingman and becoming the most expensive by his sire at 280,000gns. The half-brother to Classic prospect Tropbeau (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) (927), was bought by Godolphin and bred by Lord Margadale from Frangipanni (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), a daughter of the G1 July Cup winner Frizzante (GB) (Efisio {GB}).

He said, “I bought the mare and her first foal died as a yearling. Then she had Tropbeau, who is now a Group 2 winner. She's not in foal at the moment so she can be covered early next year.”

He continued, “This is the first time I have sold foals. We sold a Bated Breath colt yesterday for 67,000gns and we were over the moon with him but this is extraordinary.”

Daly Continues Quest For Stars
Eugene Daly's Longview Stud has enjoyed notable success with the offspring of Sea The Stars (Ire) and the pinhooker signed for another this time around when going to 310,000gns for lot 1018 from Barton Stud. The well-grown filly was bred by Jeffrey and Phoebe Hobby of Brightwalton Stud and is the first foal of Counterweight (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), a Ballymacoll Stud-bred sister to G2 Blandford S. winner Eleanora Duse (Ire).

Signing under various names, Daly also took home lot 1032 by the same stallion for 350,000gns. Bred by Branton Court Stud with Sunderland Holdings, the filly is the second foal of Golden Reign (Ire), a Champs Elysees half-sister to Golden Horn (GB), who shares his sire Cape Cross (Ire) with Sea The Stars.

The sole Dubawi (Ire) weanling in the sale (997) was another on Daly's list and eventually sold for 300,000gns. The filly out of the German Group 3 winner Daytona Bay (GB) (Motivator {GB}), was offered for breeder Gestut Hof Ittlingen through Newsells Park Stud. Manager Julian Dollar said, “We can't take any of the credit. She was bred by Manfred Ostermann of Ittlingen and she came here eight weeks ago from the Royal Studs in fantastic condition. It was an honour and pleasure to sell her.”

Early Birds
During a session which grew in intensity as the day wore on, an early-morning flurry of activity came via consecutive lots 833 and 834. The first, from Nelius Hayes's Knockainey Stud, was a robust Kodiac (GB) half-sister to the G3 Prix du Calvados winner Great Page (Ire) (Roderic O'Connor {Ire}) bought by Stephen Collins of Shadwell for 220,000gns. She was followed by the sole weanling in the catalogue consigned by Amy Marnane, a colt from the first crop of Caravaggio out of the Green Tune mare Dora De Green (Ire).

The mare, a half-sister to top sprinter Marchand d'Or (Fr) (Marchand De Sable), has proved a good buy for Con Marnane, who bred the colt. Her current 3-year-old, the listed winner Forever In Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead), was sold for £430,000 at the Goffs London Sale to the Phoenix Ladies Syndicate and went on to be runner-up in the G1 Commonwealth Cup and third in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint.

“The mare had a fine year with her daughter Forever In Dreams picking up two Group 1 placings in the Commonwealth Cup and then the update in the British Champions Sprint Stakes. Mother and daughter are both at home now,” said Amy Marnane.

The April-born colt was bought by pinhookers Franny and Niamh Woods of Rathbarry Stud for 250,000gns.

Marnane added, “Con bought the mare at auction in the south of France—he saw the champion sprinter Marchand D'Or in the pedigree and no horse has been born yet that is fast enough for him. We wish Rathbarry all the very best and let's hope this colt turns into a fabulous racehorse.”

Churchill Enters The Fray
Seven first-crop foals of Churchill (Ire) faced their first test on Friday, with Baroda Stud combining with Peter and Ross Doyle to buy Norman Court Stud's half-brother to GII Royal Heroine S. winner Nancy From Nairobi (GB) (Sixties Icon {GB}) (1050) for 220,000gns.

The first through the ring, lot 842, the sole foal from Garrett and Pamela Hassett's Ballycrighaun Stud in Co. Clare, gave a good indication of that was to come when knocked down for 190,000gns to Timmy Hyde of Camas Park Stud.

Led up by Pamela Hassett, the colt provided a memorable result for her brother John McAteer, who bred him in partnership with their father Liam from the first mare he bought, Tanyeli (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}).

“I bought her in foal to Pour Moi (Ire) carrying For Everyone (Ire) and he's turned out to be a nice 3-year-old this year, and with his younger brother Speed Merchant (Ire) winning as well it's been a good year,” said McAteer.

“She's a lovely mare and she's given me four good foals so far. It's a pedigree in its infancy but it is already proving to be successful. The Galileo-Danehill Dancer cross has worked well in the past and there are good American influences in the pedigree. The colt was bred to be good and he looks the part so let's hope he now lives up to it on the racecourse.”

He added, “It's a real family affair. My sister Pamela was leading up and my wife Lindsey and mum Bernie are at home looking after the horses and my young daughter Nancy.”