Fittocks Stud

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin NEWMARKET, UK--A Frankel (GB) filly out of the brilliant G1 Cheveley Park S. winner Millisle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) provided a sprinkling of stardust on the final day of the Tattersalls Book 1 October Yearling Sale when selling to Shadwell for 1.6 million gns. Sheikha Hissa has been a notable presence on the sales ground all week and, according to Shadwell's racing manager Angus Gold, it was her determination that helped see off the attention of underbidder Kieran Lalor for the first foal out of...

Classic hero Milan (GB) (Sadler's Wells--Kithanga {Ire}, by Darshaan {GB}), died at Grange Stud on Wednesday, Dec. 21, Coolmore announced on Thursday. The 2019/20 Champion National Hunt Sire was 24. "Milan was a very good-natured horse and will be sadly missed by everyone here," said Catherine Magnier. "He was a wonderful servant providing top class horses year in year out." Bred by Fittocks Stud, Milan was bought by Demi O'Byrne for 650,000gns as a yearling at Tattersalls in 1999, and joined Aidan O'Brien's yard. Racing for Michael Tabor, he won...

By Emma Berry and Brian Sheerin NEWMARKET, UK--And breathe. Book 1 is over, galloping out the door after a three-day bonanza of record returns, the highest-grossing single day of horse trade in Europe, and the world's most expensive yearling of 2022. What this all means for next week and Books 2, 3 and 4 of the October Yearling Sale is anyone's guess, but a safe bet would be that all those potential buyers so frustrated at playing bridesmaid during Book 1 still have rolls of grubby fifty-pound notes burning holes...

Lot 301 became the sixth seven-figure lot during Wednesday's Book 1 session at Tattersalls when selling for 1.6 million to Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi. Yet another son of Dubawi (Ire), the colt is a half-brother to GI Turf Classic S. hero Digital Age (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), and the duo are out of the unraced Lemon Drop Kid mare Willow View. Also, a half-brother to G3 Prix La Rochette heroine Acer Alley (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), he was bred by Merry Fox Stud and consigned by Fittocks Stud. Under the second...

Charlie Appleby's 3-year-old males seem to have the edge in the middle-distance and staying department at present, with Kemari (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) the latest to step forward and provide the outfit with its first Royal Ascot winner of 2021 in the G2 Queen's Vase. Stripped of one of its leading players at the start as Ballydoyle's Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was withdrawn after going down in the stalls, this latest renewal of the 14-furlong test nevertheless had enough depth to ensure that the winner would emerge with suitable kudos. Kemari,...

The final day of the Tattersalls December Mare Sale is usually a low-key affair. Take last year for example. That Thursday, 78 mares were sold for just shy of 280,000gns, a sum that wouldn't come close to buying even one of the headline acts during the sale's blockbuster Tuesday session. But Tattersalls prides itself on catering for all levels of the market and plenty of smaller breeders stay through to the end of the sale in the hope of finding a bargain. That was indeed the case for Domenico Zammitti,...

The story of Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}) is one that gives all breeders hope. The crooked-legged filly who was too poorly conformed to go to the sales grew up to be a Classic heroine, her untidy gait propelling her through an unbeaten juvenile season and on through Newmarket's famous Dip to win the 1000 Guineas. And she didn't stop there. On the Curragh, Attraction added a second Guineas title to her extraordinary winning stretch, and then a crowning in front of Her Majesty the Queen in the G1 Coronation S....