There's nothing very familiar about this year, and in an ever-changing sales schedule, a new auction takes place this week at Tattersalls. The mixed August Sale was originally intended to take place over two days but, such was the demand for places, it has been extended to three, starting on Monday at Park Paddocks.
That a sale consisting largely of horses in training has attracted such a large entry so soon after the traditional Tattersalls July Sale is not necessarily a positive sign for British racing. But while some owners are clearly eager to move horses on, the sale was welcomed in some quarters for the fact that it takes place before the start of the yearling sales, thus giving people a chance to reinvest, and we must all hope that is indeed what happens.
The July Sale performed remarkably well this year, with 330 of the 344 horses offered being sold at an extraordinary 96% clearance rate. Tattersalls will be delighted if a similar level of trade is seen this week for the 600 or so horses who will appear once withdrawals are taken into account.
Recent form always counts for plenty at such auctions and the well-related Surf Dancer (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who sells as lot 706 from William Haggas's Somerville Lodge, has a York listed win to his credit this season among his three wins from eight starts.
Among five horses consigned by Ballydoyle is Battle Of Liege (War Front) (lot 386), a 3-year-old brother to Evie Stockwell's Group 1 winners Hit It A Bomb and Brave Anna who won a novice race last season and is currently rated 82.
Breeders on the lookout for a filly with a decent page will doubtless peruse the drafts from major breeders Juddmonte and Shadwell. Among the draft of 21 fillies, colts and geldings from Prince Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms is lot 445, Sophistry (GB) (Make Believe {GB}), an unraced half-sister to G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Epicuris (GB) (Rail Link {GB}) whose juvenile Frankel (GB) half-sister has been placed in France since the catalogue was printed. Also of dual-purpose or international interest is the 104-rated 5-year-old gelding Crossed Baton (GB) (Dansili {GB}) (lot 423), who was a listed winner at three and four over 10 furlongs.
There is also one wild-card entry, an 80-rated 2-year-old filly who will be sold on Monday as lot 199A. Named Ocean Star (Ire), the daughter of Adaay (Ire) is trained by Archie Watson and won over seven furlongs at Chepstow on Aug. 14 after finishing runner-up in two of her three previous starts.
Tattersalls' Park Paddocks sales ground will be extra busy this year with the Ascot Yearling Sale having been relocated there on its new date of Sept. 7, followed by the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, which is also being staged in Newmarket this year, from Sept. 21 to 23.
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