Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale

The search for the next Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) just became a whole lot tougher. That's not to say that separating potential Group 1 winners apart from the near-200 horses who breeze up the Rowley Mile is an easy task to start with.  However, the howling wind, vertical hailstorm and torrential rain added a whole new dimension to the breeze at this year's Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale.  They tell us year after year that the times don't matter. That they only serve as just another piece of the jigsaw...

Back in the dying years of the last century I spent some time working for Horse & Hound. It was part of a large magazine group set in a 30-storey tower block on the south bank of the Thames in central London. A strange place for an equestrian publication to be based, but there we were, sharing the 20th floor with Country Life and Shooting Times, the odd Labrador or terrier running around loose, occasionally biting a delivery man or cocking a leg on the coat stand. You can imagine...

Making headlines at a sale with big-figure results is all well and good, but any breeze-up consignor with their eye on the future understands that a more significant indicator of sustainable success is how those graduates go on to perform on the racetrack. Cormac Farrell, a trainer and a trader of both breeze-up and point-to-point horses, is a firm believer in the concept. After launching CF Bloodstock in 2023, the horseman has ambitious goals in mind for his fledgling operation's future. "I want to produce horses that go on and...

The catalogue for the first of this year's European two-year-old sales is now online, with 180 lots catalogued for the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale set to be sold on April 16 and 17. With the high-class dual Group 1 winner Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) as its poster boy for last year, the Craven sale has been represented by some notable graduates in recent seasons, including the Classic winners Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}). The latter's half-brother by Mehmas (Ire) is among those on...

Tattersalls has renewed its £250,000 Craven Breeze-up Sale Bonus for 2024.  The scheme pays £100,000 to the owner and £25,000 to the vendor of any Craven graduate to win one of the six two-year-old races at Royal Ascot. Should that horse go on to win any of the 15 Group 1 races for juveniles this season in Britain, Ireland or France, a further £100,000 and £25,000 will be paid out to the owner and vendor.  Godolphin's champion two-year-old Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and KHK Racing's Vandeek (GB) (Havana...

Relief quickly turned to joy for Roderick Kavanagh on Thursday after Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), the highest profile horse to have graduated from his Glending Stables after fetching 625,000gns at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale, confirmed himself a top-notch colt in the making when landing the G2 Richmond S. at Goodwood.  The joint top lot of that sale, Vandeek was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of KHK Racing Ltd and was making it two wins from as many starts for Simon and Ed Crisford at Goodwood.  After...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features Tattersalls Craven Breeze up co-topper Vandeek (Havana Grey). 14:15 Nottingham, Mdn, £6,850, 2yo, 6f 18yT VANDEEK (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) emerges a touch later than would have been expected from a colt who at 625,000gns was the joint sale topper at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up....

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Insights features this season's Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up top filly Nariko skipping Thirsk in favor of a Newcastle novice. 19.20 Newcastle, Nov, £15,000, 2yo, 5f (AWT) Having skipped a six-furlong test at Thirsk yesterday, Kevin Ryan trainee NARIKO (IRE) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) is rerouted further North for...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Insights features this season's Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up top filly Nariko. 13.50 Thirsk, Novice, £6,500, 2yo, f, 6fT NARIKO (IRE) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) debuts two months after becoming the highest-priced filly at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale when selling for 600,000gns. Owned by Furkhat Ibragimov and...

Is bigger always better? Throughout the first evening of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale one could have been forgiven for thinking that a rise in the number catalogued for the first of the European sales in this sector was not necessarily a good thing. At 202 in the book and 166 ultimately offered across the two days, this was the largest Craven Sale since 2007 and up significantly from the 164 catalogued and 134 offered last year.  For reasons that are hard to fathom, ungraded sales, with horses sold merely...

Just a handful of lots from the end of the sale, a colt by last year's leading first-season sire Havana Grey (GB) brought 625,000gns from Anthony Stroud's Stroud Coleman Bloodstock to take what turned out to be joint-top honours at Park Paddocks as the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale wound down. Consigned by Glending Stables, the grey (lot 198) is a half-brother to four winners. Bred by Maywood Stud, the colt was picked up by Childwickbury Stud for 52,000gns out of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, and joined Glending Stables when...

Lot 162, a bay filly by Night Of Thunder (Ire) consigned by Grove Stud, took the lead just after the halfway point of the second session of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale when selling for 600,000gns to bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe. A half-sister to G3 Molecomb S. winner, G1 Middle Park S. third, and sire Rumble Inthejungle (GB) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), the May-foaled current sale topper is also a half-sister to the Group 2-placed Great Prospector (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}). This is also the family of G2 Superlative S. hero and...