Win-Win For Newsells As Waldlied Returns At 2.2 Million

at 5:19 pm | Back to: Europe, Shared News Europe

Updated: November 30, 2021 at 8:14 pm

Waldlied tops the sale | Laura Green/Tattersalls

By Emma Berry and Chris McGrath

NEWMARKET, UK–The dissolution of a successful partnership and formation of a new powerful allegiance by Graham Smith-Bernal led to Waldlied (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), the Group 2-winning sibling to Arc winner Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), heading a stellar list at the Tattersalls December Mares' Sale at 2,200,000gns. 

A solidly stacked session, which included Juddmonte fillies for the first time on the Tuesday of the sale, soared way above last year's returns. With 115 six-figure transactions throughout the day, turnover climbed 68% to 41,912,000gns, while the median was up 75% at 105,000gns and the average by 39% to 187,107gns. An extra 38 lots were sold compared to the same day last year, with the clearance rate jumping to 85%.

The 6-year-old Waldlied (lot 1839), sold in foal to Kingman (GB), will return to Newsells Park Stud, where she was born and raised when in the ownership of the Jacobs family, who sold the farm and all stock to Smith-Bernal in June. The mare's co-owner/breeder Dietrich von Boetticher of Gestut Ammerland was underbidder via his representative Crispin de Moubray. 

“She's coming home, back where she belongs,” said Smith-Bernal after his agent Jill Lamb prevailed in the battle between the two partners to buy out the other following early interest from American bidders Greg Goodman and Barry Weisbord. 

Together, Newsells Park Stud and Gestut Ammerland have successfully raced not just the Group 2 winner Waldlied but more notably her Arc-winning three-parts-brother Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who now stands at Ballylinch Stud, as well as another half-brother, the Group 3 winner Waldkonig (GB) (Kingman {GB}).

He continued, “She's a beautiful mare in terms of her demeanour and attitude; she's just a very special horse from a very special family. That was breaking one partnership and forming a new partnership.”

Declining to name his new partner, Smith-Bernal added, “We now own 100% of [dam] Waldlerche (GB) as well as her number one daughter so far. [Waldlied] was a great racehorse but unfortunately she damaged a tendon after just four races and winning a Group 2 by two lengths without coming off the bridle. I think she was rated as high as Waldgiest by Andre Fabre. She was a very special racehorse and we are delighted to have her back with us.”

Along with Waldlied, Lamb has signed for another five mares in the last two days on behalf of Newsells Park to the tune of 3,965,000gns. But the stud has also had a successful couple of days as vendor, and it consigned the second-top lot of the day, the late Jon Kelly's G2 Blandford S. winner Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who will now join the Coolmore broodmare band having been bought for 2,000,000gns.

Tom Magnier, a welcome visitor to Park Paddocks from Australia, signed the docket on behalf of the partners and confirmed that the 4-year-old will visit Wootton Bassett (GB) next year.

“She's a lovely mare,” he said. “We knew what she could do on the racetrack and Jessie Harrington obviously held her in high regard. Jon Kelly was a close friend of our family so it is nice to get some Jon Kelly blood: we've had some in Australia and now it's nice to have some here.”

The highest rated of Australia's daughters, Cayenne Pepper (lot 1840) can boast Allegretta on both sides of her pedigree, with the influential broodmare featuring as her third dam, making Cayenne Pepper's grandam Saleela (Nureyev) a half-sister to Urban Sea (Miswaki).

Magnier added, “All the top people have been talking about her all week so we're very fortunate to have her and to have some great partners. Hopefully we'll have a bit of luck with her.”

 

Times To Remember

Eleven years after being led out of the same ring as a yearling, unsold at 10,000gns, Sunday Times (GB) found herself a headline act on her return—bringing 1,800,000gns as lot 1810 from MV Magnier, and then being followed through the ring shortly afterwards by her daughter Daily Times (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who made 800,000gns from Erdenheim Farm (lot 1829).

Since her first visit here, of course, Sunday Times had not only run second in the G1 Cheveley Park S. for Peter Chapple-Hyam, as well as winning a Group 3, but achieved still greater distinction as a broodmare. And with a sibling to Breeders' Cup winner Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in utero, she generated fierce competition in the ring—initially from Greg Goodman of Mt. Brilliant Farm, and ultimately from David Redvers seated alongside David Howden—but every bid was answered from outside, where Magnier was bidding out of his rivals' view.

Sunday Times will therefore be joining her illustrious daughter, who was sold privately last year at the end of her career with Chad Brown, in the Coolmore broodmare band. Magnier indicated that Sunday Times is likely to be paired with Wootton Bassett (GB).

Rising 13, she has already had half a dozen foals, and had a bit of bad luck in 2018 (barren) and 2019 (slipped). But the spectacular success of Newspaperofrecord in the GI Juvenile Fillies' Turf at Churchill Downs in 2018 rendered her pregnancy by Lope De Vega critical here.

“Hopefully she's carrying a sister,” Magnier said. “It's a lot of money, let's hope she's worth it. She's an absolute cracker, and obviously she's bred a champion before. It was incredible what Newspaperofrecord did at the Breeders' Cup that day. And there's plenty going on all the way down the page.”

Magnier noted that her first foal, Classical Times (GB) (Lawman {Fr}), was also a stakes winner. And indeed, the Coolmore team had already shown their regard for the family when acquiring Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), a daughter of a stakes-placed Shamardal half-sister to Sunday Times, as an Orby yearling in 2017 for €380,000. The following year her full brother Latrobe (Ire) won the Irish Derby, while Pink Dogwood herself went on to finish second in the Oaks at Epsom.

All this of course reflects huge credit on owner/breeder Allan Belshaw and the counsel he receives from Richard Aston of Goldford Stud. Cashing in the matriarch, along with one of her daughters, was obviously bittersweet but Belshaw reasoned that it was time to open a fresh cycle.

“I'm satisfied, I'm happy,” he acknowledged after the sale of Sunday Times. “Slightly disappointed, too, as I've had her since a baby. But there comes a time when she had to move on: I've plenty of babies from the family, so it's like starting again. She has helped the cause for the young family. And now we can play up there now, with stallion fees, instead of looking at the basement!”

Yet how different everything could have been.

“I brought her here as a yearling, to Book 2,” he recalled. “Holy Roman Emperor was just starting his career. I don't know if there was even a bid. I was hoping to get 30,000gns for her! But she turned into a good racehorse, and an even better broodmare.

“The big moment, of course, was with her daughter in the Breeders' Cup. Someone bid me for Sunday Times when I was in Kentucky, and I thought I couldn't sell her then. But since then we've had two fillies: another by Lope De Vega, who's with Roger Varian; and a Kingman filly this year. We also have half a dozen half-sisters, so we're in a good place.”

Nonetheless the element of reluctance can be measured from the fact that Daily Times had been retained at this sale last year for 600,000gns. James Wigan of London Thoroughbred Services had been the underbidder on that occasion, but patience was rewarded this time round as he secured the 4-year-old, a sprint maiden winner for John Gosden, for his clients in Pennsylvania. In the meantime she, too, is in foal to Lope De Vega.

“The vendors stuck to their guns!” the agent said. “I've had to wait a year, and pay more! Yes, we have more time [relative to the more expensive mother]. But she has done it, we haven't. Hopefully we will. She'll stay here for the time being. She will foal here and probably then go to Kingman, before travelling to the U.S.”

Belshaw was indebted for the presentation of mother and daughter alike to the Goldford team. “Allan is such an enthusiast,” Aston said. “He gets all the books out, all around him on the floor! We decided on Lope De Vega because Shamardal had already done well with the family, and we loved the toughness he showed in winning the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Prix du Jockey-Club in such quick succession.”

 

First Lady To A Million

With a name like Flotus (Ire) she really should have been the first lady, and the daughter of Starspangledbanner (Aus) was indeed the first to make it to the seven-figure mark when selling for 1,000,000gns to Northern Farm.

Sold by Simon and Ed Crisford's Gainsborough Thoroughbreds as lot 1798 for her syndicate of owners, Flotus is now under the new ownership of Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm, which has made its presence felt at the sale so far with five horses bought for 2,870,000gns.

Just last year in the same ring, she was bought by Arthur Hoyeau for 125,000gns at Book 1. Since then, Flotus has raced six times, winning on debut and following up in the listed Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy before running second to Tenebrism (Caravaggio) in the G1 Cheveley Park S.

An understandably wistful Simon Crisford congratulated Northern Farm's buyer Shingo Hashimoto before saying, “She is a beautiful filly, top class, and we wish her new connections the best of luck for the future. We are very sorry to see her go, but she has done a fantastic job for us.”

He added, “I am sure she will have a fantastic career not only on the racetrack but also as a broodmare. She has not stopped growing all year, and I am sure she will have a very successful 3-year-old career.”

Whether or not Flotus will indeed race on is still unclear, with Hashimoto noting that no firm plans have been made for her future. 

“We have not decided yet whether she will race on, I need to talk to the boss. If she stays in training, she will stay in Britain. She was brilliant at Newmarket, it was an outstanding performance and we are very excited to have her.”

Blue For Peter

Sottsass (Fr) gave his owner Peter Brant of White Birch Farm both a Classic and an Arc victory and since the son of Siyouni's retirement to Coolmore, the owner/breeder has been intent on supporting his young stallion. The latest addition to Brant's team of mares to be visiting Sottsass in 2022 is the speedy listed winner Shades Of Blue (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (lot 1765), who was also twice a runner-up at Group 3 level and third in the G2 Queen Mary S. With the extra enticement that the 5-year-old is in foal for the first time to Frankel (GB), she eventually sold for 850,000gns to Brant's advisor Michel Zerolo.

“The plan is simple, she will be sent to be bred Sottsass,” he said. “She was a good 2-year-old and she is good-looking mare. She is by a stallion you can cross with Sottsass. The whole package is there–the physical, the race record, the stallion she is in foal to, she is a young mare, she is what we are looking for for Sottsass.”

Shades Of Blue made her last of 13 starts for Clive Cox in August 2020 and was sold for 320,000gns at last year's December Sale. She was one of three purchases on Tuesday by Zerolo on Brant's behalf for a total outlay of 1,640,000gns.

The Bradley Touch

How do you take three relatively inexpensive purchases and turn them into six-figure breeding prospects? The simple answer would appear to be to race them under the Nick Bradley Racing banner, for that is the glue that binds together Dandalla (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), Mystery Angel (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), and Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}). Each member of that trio has earned black type within the last two seasons having been bought respectively for €22,000, 22,000gns and £20,000.

As lot 1735, Dandalla, winner of the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. and G3 Albany S. last season, brought the hammer down at 750,000gns in favour of Shingo Hashimoto, who was representing Katsumi Yoshida. Originally sold for €15,500 as a foal, she had been unearthed as a yearling for not much more by her trainer Karl Burke's daughter Kelly at the Tattersalls Ireland September Sale.

Burke said, “She's been a fantastic filly. Kelly spotted her at Tatts. She was over at the sales a few days before I went over there and she said she'd found a lovely Dandy Man filly, and it went from there. I was hoping she would reach the million but she probably didn't have a good enough season to do that.”

He continued, “To be honest I cocked the season up as I was convinced she'd stay seven [furlongs] starting the year and hopefully turn into a Guineas filly and we went that route. At home she was nice and relaxed but every time she went to the track she just got quicker and stronger, so we dropped her back to the five and we missed a few nice races there.”

Dandalla eventually raced in the partnership name of Nick Bradley Racing 28 and Elaine Burke, the trainer's wife, but Kelly Burke explained that she was the last yearling left on the shelf at the family's Spigot Lodge Stables.

“I didn't sell a share in her until February, no one was really interested, and she was our last filly to sell. I pretty much had to beg Nick to take a share,” she said.

“But from an early stage she bounded up the gallop. My sister Lucy rode her and she also used to ride Laurens (Fr), and before Dandalla ran, she said, 'I hate comparing anything to a superstar like Laurens, but this filly is the only one I have ridden who takes me up the gallop like Laurens did'.”

Recalling her first impressions of Dandalla at the yearling sale, Kelly added, “She wasn't your typical Dandy Man, she wasn't small and robust, she was always athletic and scopey. She was just really correct and had a lovely walk. When I do the shortlist for Dad, I take off anything that I don't like or is incorrect, and she just floated along and went about her business, I just really liked her.

“The year before I had picked Lord Of The Lodge at the same sale and he is a Dandy Man colt and he was second in the Gimcrack so I had a bit of a soft spot then for Dandy Man.”

Mystery Angel To Oiwake Farm…

Also heading to Japan but this time for Haruya Yoshida's Oiwake Farm is the Oaks runner-up and listed winner Mystery Angel, who was bought for 500,000gns. The daughter of Kodi Bear was properly tried by her rising trainer George Boughey and she duly answered the call, winning three races and notching six places in stakes company.

Uppermost in the memory was her hugely game performance at Epsom when leading the Oaks field for much of the race before bowing only to Snowfall (Jpn), who would go on to win both the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks. This run behind a daughter of Deep Impact (Jon) clearly caught the attention of Japanese watchers. 

Buying on behalf of Oiwake Farm, Yuya Yasuda said of Mystery Angel (lot 1746), “She was very talented and is a very good mover. She has a really good long stride. She was beaten by Snowfall and even though she was defeated it was still a really honourable run.”

…And Fev Rover To Race On In The U.S.

In her young life, the 1000 Guineas third Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) (lot 1758) has already raced in Britain, Ireland, France and Bahrain, and she will now head stateside to continue her career in Florida under the care of Mark Casse.

The bidding opened at an eye-catching 600,000gns and at 695,000gns, the former Richard Fahey trainee was bought for owner/breeder Tracy Farmer by Lincoln Collins and Joe Miller. The same owner and trainer combination was recently at the other end of a transaction which saw the GI Spinaway S. winner Perfect Alibi (Sky Mesa) sell for $2 million at Fasig-Tipton to Spendthrift Farm.

“We thought she was the best racing prospect in the sale,” Miller said. “She should have plenty of residual value as a Group 2 winner and Classic-placed filly.”

Collins added, “The trip is just right, she was effective at a mile to 1m2f, which is perfect, it looks as if her best ground is firm or good to firm. There are plenty of opportunities for her in the U.S. if she is as good there as she was here.”

Fev Rover was bred by the Barry family at Manister House Stud and, second to Dandalla in the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. on only her second start, she went on to win the listed Star S. and G2 Prix du Calvados.

Tracy Farmer will also take charge of Shadwell 3-year-old Talbeyah (Ire) (lot 1681). The 94-rated daughter of Lope De Vega (Ire) was twice a winner this season for Owen Burrows and changed hands for 250,000gns.

Beautiful But Bittersweet For Furtado

Another fantastic touch was completed when Just Beautiful (GB) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}), an even cheaper yearling, brought her five-for-seven record into the ring as lot 1739. Found here as a Book 3 yearling in 2019 for just 8,000gns, when knocked down to Ivan Furtado and Doncaster Racing, she was last seen winning the G3 Sceptre S. at Doncaster in the silks of Gary White and the Giggle Factor Partnership—the biggest success to date in Furtado's training career. Her sale here, for 625,000gns to Paddy Twomey through BBA Ireland, represented a 77-fold yield on her original cost.

“It's a fantastic story, a dream come true for us,” said Furtado. “She has been a joy to deal with, and took us to the next level. We're ever so grateful to her: she has been really easy to deal with, the team at home have done a great job, and thanks also to Jamie Railton for consigning her so well. I wish the best to her new connections.”

Reflecting on her original, rather cheaper passage through the same ring, Furtado said, “She was great-looking—not the biggest, but well put together, a nice dark bay who walked well. And from the beginning she always moved well, always had a great head, was always very professional. She's a very clever filly and she transferred that to her racing, where she always tried so hard. We did talk about keeping going for another year. We don't want her to go, we love her to bits. But she has done fantastically for us and the time is right.”

Twomey welcomes her into his care on behalf of an existing client, who at some point down the road will have the option of exploiting what has become a pretty helpful pedigree by Book 3 standards. Just Beautiful is out of G3 Oh So Sharp S. runner-up Astrelle (Ire) (Makfi {GB}), who has meanwhile had a couple of useful upgrades to her produce record: Fearless King (GB) (Kingman {GB}) won a German Classic last year, while her juvenile daughter was Grade II-placed in the U.S. this summer. Her yearling colt by Cracksman (GB) duly made 200,000gns this autumn.

“Look, she's a lovely filly,” Twomey said. “Ivan has done a great job with her, let's hope we can do a good job too. We hope she still has miles on the clock, certainly we bought her with racing in mind and we can see about breeding later on.”

Silk Another Flourish For Brocade Line

Twomey had himself taken a role in the success of Silk Forest (Ire), who entered the ring soon afterwards as lot 1764. He had trained her to win a listed race at Naas, before alertly placing her to finish third of four starters in a Group 2. She added a second Group podium shortly before coming through this sale last year when knocked down to Mandore International for Sunderland Holding at 260,000gns. Returned with the benefit of a Sea The Stars (Ire) cover, this time the 5-year-old more than doubled her value at 575,000gns.

Luke Lillingston, signing for Kern/Lillingston, was accompanied by Peter Stanley who explained, “She's for a partnership between Chris Kilroy and my brother Teddy [Lord Derby], who was very keen to reinvest in a young mare. And this was a bit of a queen, from one of the great families, built up by one of the greatest breeders.”

That was Gerald Leigh, who bred the mare's Grade I-placed second dam Free At Last (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}) from Brocade (GB), also mother of those elite milers by Sadler's Wells, Barathea (Ire) and Gossamer (GB). Lillingston and Stanley had earlier had a crack at Jouska (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}), who is out of a half-sister to Silk Forest, but could not meet the vendors' valuation and she was retained at 260,000gns.

In both cases they were spurred by admiration for Leigh's work. “There are no weak links, in blood or performance,” said Lillingston, running his finger down the page. As for the soaring market, he gave a shrug and said: “It's a small number of mares, the best that come up for public sale, at the best auction of its type in the world—and in an 'up' market.”

Rose The Highest Bloom

Though she never made it to the racetrack, Highest Ever (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has gradually repaid the €1,000,000 she cost MV Magnier as an Arqana August yearling in 2013. Two of her daughters, Joie De Soir (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Villa d'Amore (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), have been placed at Group level for the Coolmore partners; and last year another, Rose d'Etoile (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), won twice as a 3-year-old, when also listed-placed.

Villa d'Amore was sold here last year for 290,000gns, and now it was the turn of Rose d'Etoile, who brought 600,000gns as lot 1731 from Adrian Nicoll of BBA Ireland.

“She's for a partnership I've put together with Ben Sangster,” the agent explained. “That was absolutely top whack, in terms of what we could pay, we'd like to have given a bit less. But she's one of the best-looking mares on the place, she has all the sisters to breed, she had ability—and she's in foal to a good horse.”

She certainly is: she has a February cover by Coolmore soaraway Wootton Bassett (GB). She also has younger siblings by Dubawi (Ire) (yearling filly) and a weanling half-brother by Kingman (GB).

“She will go back to Ben's place at Manton,” Nicoll added. “My investor hasn't really been in the horse business before, but he's Irish so we can call it an Anglo-Irish partnership. Let's hope she has a good foal.”

Highest Ever is out of the G1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Alpine Rose (Fr), herself a sister to another elite scorer in Fragrant Mix (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}).

Lemon Adds Some Fizz To Highclere

Following on from the sale of a Too Darn Hot (GB) foal for 270,000gns last week, a strong December Sale for Appletree Stud continued when Jake Warren stepped in to buy Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Sherbet Lemon (Lemon Drop Kid) for 450,000gns.

Offered as a horse in training (lot 1730), the grey, who was bought for $200,000 at Keeneland's September Yearling Sale, will however be retired to the paddocks with her stakes victory and smart pedigree giving her a strong base from which to launch her second career. 

“She's for a client of Highclere who has a lovely bunch of broodmares,” said Warren, who admitted to being a fan of Lemon Drop Kid mares, with another Lingfield listed winner by the sire, Mischief Making, already among the ranks at Highclere. 

“What we really appreciated about her is that she's a stakes winner and an Oaks Trial winner by Lemon Drop Kid and a really lovely physical. She'll be easy to mate. You could send her to just about any stallion within reason. Our client is trying to buy one high-class mare per year to try to build up a strong broodmare band. He's in it for the long haul and she just had all the attributes we look for.”

Far More To Come From Farmah

The first mare to raise the bar from Monday's opening session had actually been one of its principal contributors. For Farmah (Speightstown) (1724), knocked down to David Redvers for 500,000gns, is the dam of Taraateel (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who had brought 230,000gns from Mascalls Stud as lot 1450.

Farmah is now 10, but she is one of three Group scorers out of the French Classic winner Torrestrella (Ire) (Orpen) and also had the glittering bonus of a Kingman (GB) cover. In a good example of the opportunities for regeneration latent in the poignant cull of Shadwell stock, she will now serve an operation only now putting down its first roots.

“She has been bought as a foundation mare for David Howden's young operation, hoping to breed future racehorses to carry his colours,” Redvers explained. “David has half a dozen mares with us and he's a massive enthusiast. He has plenty of horses in partnership with Sheikh Fahad, there's a really good synergy between them and they get on famously. We haven't thought about covering plans yet, but we'll come up with a plan and have something to dream about over the winter.”

Like Susan Hearn the previous day, Redvers had taken the trouble to get his card marked by Francois Rohaut, who recently saddled Farmah's juvenile daughter Zawaaya (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) to win at Deauville.

“I spoke to the trainers of her 2-year-old and 3-year-old, and both were complimentary about their chances of going on to win stakes races,” said the Tweenhills man. “This mare is a beautiful physical, and of course is in foal to a great stallion.”

Another daughter of Speightstown discarded by Shadwell, incidentally, had created plenty of interest among the Americans in town. Tawreed (1617) is out of a half-sister to champion Dreaming Of Anna (Rahy), whose own dam was a half-sister to none other than Kitten's Joy, and has a half-sister by Gun Runner who had won on debut for Brendan Walsh at Keeneland since publication of the catalogue. In the end it was Mt. Brilliant Farm that saw off competition from several other Bluegrass operations at 230,000gns.

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