Archangel Gabriel brings 800,000gns as Rothschild mares in high demand

It was one of those nights at Tattersalls on Monday as the opening session of the highly anticipated December Mares Sale drew a heaving crowd and a slew of significant prices.

It was standing room only inside the Park Paddocks auditorium shortly before 7pm as the elite fillies and broodmares from the inaugural Sceptre Session graced the stage, and the biggest bid of the day came from Hunscote Stud manager Andy Lloyd who went to 800,000gns for the proven producer Archangel Gabriel.

The Norris Bloodstock-consigned mare, who was offered to dissolve a partnership between Hunscote Stud and Humber Bloodstock, has bred two winners, including the Group 3 Pride Stakes scorer Ville De Grace, who will be offered on Tuesday.

Although the nine-year-old Archangel Gabriel did not make the track she is an Arch sister to Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Handicap winner Prince Arch. Her yearlings have generated 795,000gns in Tattersalls receipts and she was offered in foal to St Mark’s Basilica.

“We were one of the partners so obviously we were paying 50p in the pound,” said Lloyd. “She’s a gorgeous mare, you don't get many chances and we had one. I think she’s a decent buy for us on what she’s bred. She has got a good cover and the family is very active, so we’re very lucky to keep her.

“Her progeny have made six figures multiple times so we will see what the St Mark's Basilica foal brings in March. We have no plans as yet for the spring, you don't make plans unless you've got something, and now we have got her we can make a plan.”

Southcourt dispersal takes centre stage

Buyers queued up to secure a piece of the partial dispersal from the late Sir Evelyn de Rothschild’s Southcourt Stud, and the leading light from the draft, which was offered through New England Stud, was Crystal Zvezda who drew a bid of 775,000gns from Stroud Coleman Bloodstock.

The ten-year-old daughter of Dubawi was a classy performer on the track, winning twice, including a Newbury Listed event. She has got her second career off to a promising start too as she has bred two winners from as many runners. Her second foal, the Frankel filly Crystal Caprice, added further black type to a pedigree packed with stakes form when third to Zanbaq in a Listed contest at Newbury. Crystal Caprice is another to be offered at Tattersalls on Tuesday.

“She’s a beautiful mare from a very good breeder,” said Anthony Stroud. “Crystal Caprice is very highly regarded – you will see her tomorrow [Lot 1,895]. This mare has been bought for a long established client who’s looking for some very good mares and she stays in England.

Crystal Zvezda was one of the choice offerings from the dispersal by the late Sir Evelyn de RothschildCredit: Laura Green

“It’s a fine pedigree developed by Sir Evelyn, but it also shows what Sir Michael Stoute has done for the family and the pedigree, too. He’s produced all these horses with his patient approach.”

Crystal Zvezda was preceded into the bustling ring by her dam’s half-sister to Waila, who was knocked down to BBA Ireland’s Adrian Nicoll at 550,000gns. The 12-year-old daughter of Notnowcato, offered in foal to Pinatubo, landed the Listed Aphrodite Stakes during her time on the track and is a half-sister to Crystal Star, dam of the brilliant Crystal Ocean and his Grade 1-winning sibling Hillstar.

Another piece of the family, Waila’s Sea The Stars filly foal, sold to Johnny McKeever and Ballyhimikin Stud for 400,000gns just three days earlier, while her promising two-year-old daughter Infinite Cosmos is set to come under the hammer on day two of the December Mares Sale.

“She’s a lovely looking mare and she’s a stakes winner so I’m very happy,” said Nicoll. “She’s going to Ireland for a partnership. We’ve not decided what we’re going to do yet with regards to next year’s stallion but she’s a lovely mare and a great reflection of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild's breeding programme. She’s one of the picks of the day."

New England Stud’s Peter Stanley reflected on the evening’s offerings by saying: “They’re lovely, lovely mares from Southcourt. I’m so sad that these lovely ladies are leaving us. They’re gorgeous mares, each one is a queen. It’s not often that you see such a beautiful group of mares together, each one athletic, every one with depth and substance and bone, just gorgeous.

“I think the testament was the four foals who sold so well last week, they showed the type of horses that they’re breeding. You can't complain about the prices but it’s terribly sad when things come to an end.”

Another buyer to dip into the Southcourt Stud dispersal was Luke Lillingston of Kern/Lillingston Association who signed at 330,000gns for Crystal Hope.

The seven-year-old daughter of Nathaniel, offered in foal to Sea The Stars, was Listed-placed on the track but is still awaiting her first racecourse representative with her oldest progeny being the two-year-old Starspangledbanner filly Liberty. That youngster’s full-brother was offered at last week’s December Foal Sale and sold to McCalmont Bloodstock for 160,000gns.

Lillingston already knows plenty about Crystal Hope, as he explained: “I know the mare well because she boarded with us at Mount Coote for three years when she visited Starspangledbanner. She’s a very nice mare and her foal, I thought, was one of the best foals of last week, he’s a fantastic athlete. Nathaniel is very exciting as a broodmare sire and she is a relatively young mare at only seven. She stays in England.”

On the Rothschild connection, Lillingston added: “My father was great friends with Sir Evelyn, and both Peter [Stanley] and I have been helping him for a long time. He and his sister, Renee Robson, were both wonderful.

“He really was a great man – a huge enthusiast. It was lovely that he had so much fun with Crystal Ocean latterly. I remember seeing him at Ascot, he must’ve been 88 years of age but when the horse was going from the pre-parade ring to the paddock, he was moving as well as anyone! It was lovely.”

The same draft was also responsible for Crystal Starlet, a winning daughter of Frankel and Crystal Zvezda in foal to Palace Pier. Sam Haggas’s Hurworth Bloodstock signed the ticket at 425,000gns.

Innevera heading to Newsells Park

The second lot of the Sceptre Session was the Fittocks Stud-consigned Innevera, who brought a final bid of 750,000gns from agent Jill Lamb, standing with Newsells Park Stud’s owner Graham Smith-Bernal.

The eight-year-old daughter of Motivator won twice in France and is already the dam of Ottoman Fleet, the son of Sea The Stars whose record includes victories in the Listed Fairway and James Seymour Stakes. The mare was offered in foal to the exciting Zarak, who will stand the 2023 covering season at a career-high fee of €60,000 at Haras de Bonneval.

“We’re really pleased to get her as we were targeting her,” said Lamb after signing the docket. “She ticks every box; she’s a lovely individual, she’s bred a stakes winner with her first foal, who’s very highly rated, and I loved her Le Havre yearling [filly, bought by David Redvers for 350,000gns at Book 1], she’s a beauty and I think she’s going to Ralph Beckett so she’s in safe hands.

Jill Lamb: 'We’re really pleased to get her as we were targeting her'Credit: Laura Green

“I like the cover too as we have a mare in foal to Zarak. We don’t have a mating plan in mind at the moment but that’s the nice thing about her, she’s a nice outcross so you can go almost anywhere. We’re delighted.”

The very next lot into the ring brought 300,000gns as Hillwood Stud’s Charlie Vigors landed Achelois, who was offered by Andrew Balding’s Park House Stables on behalf of Thurloe Thoroughbreds. The owners are donating 20 per cent of her sale price to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. The four-year-old daughter of Zoffany won four races during her time in training, including this year’s Lyric Fillies' Stakes at York.

“She’ll come home to be a broodmare for an existing client,” said Vigors. “We’ll need to work out a covering plan later on.”

A total of 22 Sceptre Session lots sold for a combined 8,270,000gns and at an average of 375,909gns.

It was not just the bloodstock that had the auditorium transfixed, as a maquette of the late Queen Elizabeth II with a mare and foal, 60-cm scaled-down version of the statue that stands at the entrance to Newmarket’s Rowley Mile racecourse, was knocked down to Jamie McCalmont at 165,000gns ahead of the first Sceptre Session offering.

Proceeds from the sale of the piece, which was made by renowned sculptors Etienne Millner and Charlie Langton, are being donated to the National Horse Racing Museum.

BBA Ireland buying spree continues

There were plenty of six-figure transactions throughout the day and for a large chunk of the session the market was topped by the Godolphin-consigned Violante, who was signed for BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe at 330,000gns.

The 14-year-old daughter of Kingmambo has bred two winners, most notably Group 3 Prix Messidor scorer Impulsif, and is out of Allez Les Trois, making her a sibling to Prix du Jockey Club hero Anabaa Blue and to the dam of Tamayuz. Allez Les Trois is, of course, a half-sister to the great matriarch Urban Sea, meaning her influential sons Galileo and Sea The Stars appear back in pedigree.

Violante is set to be among the high-quality book of mares being assembled to support Yulong Investments’ Lucky Vega in his second season on duty at the Irish National Stud.

“She’s for Lucky Vega," confirmed Donohoe. “They don't make Kingmambo mares any more and it’s a great family. I believe the Kingman [yearling colt] and the Frankel [colt foal] out of her are nice, the reports are quite good. She should suit Lucky Vega physically and we think the nick of Mr Prospector will work with him too."

Godolphin sold 31 mares during the session, with the draft generating receipts totalling 1,985,500gns and an average price of 64,048gns

Michael Donohoe: 'They don't make Kingmambo mares any more'Credit: Laura Green

A short while later BBA Ireland struck an online bid of 380,000gns for the John Troy-consigned Divine Herald, who was offered in foal to sire on fire No Nay Never. The four-year-old Divine Herald did not make the track but is by Frankel and out of two-time Dahlia Stakes winner Heaven Sent, which makes her a sister to the five-time winner and Listed-placed Seven Heavens.

Donohoe and Yulong’s Lucky Vega Syndicate were the leading buyers at the recent Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale, where a €5.625 million spend took in 19 fillies and mares, including the sale-topping Aspiring at €790,000.

Ballylinch stock up

Another buyer who was busy during the earlier part of the session was Ballylinch Stud’s managing director John O’Connor, who signed for a brace of six-figure lots at a combined 360,000gns. The first, and pricier, of the pair was the 190,000gns Royal Ffanci who was consigned by Furnace Mill Stud on behalf of Hunscote Stud.

The 11-year-old daughter of Royal Applause was offered in foal to Oasis Dream and has already bred three winners, including the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes scorer Dan's Dream and his sister Caernarfon, who brought an important update to the page having won the Listed Montrose Stakes on her latest outing. The stakes-winning pair are both by Cityscape.

“She’s been bought for one of the Ballylinch stallions," said O'Connor. “I love a mare who can produce more than one stakes horse and Caernarfon looked quite impressive in her win in the Montrose Stakes, she looks as though she could go on again next season. I liked [Royal Ffanci] physically, she’s quite a neat mare, and the breeder has also retained a couple of fillies out of the mare.”

O’Connor’s other purchase was the 170,000gns Fiery Sunset, dam of the Grade 3-winning Evening Sun who was offered by The Royal Studs carrying to Highclere’s stallion Land Force.

The session, which went on for well over 12 hours, ended with 221 lots selling for a clearance rate of 82 per cent.

Although the number of sold lots dipped year on year, with 232 changing hands 12 months ago, aggregate sales soared by 45 per compared to 2021 at 22,090,500gns. The Sceptre Session accounted for ten per cent of sold lots but 37 per cent of turnover.

The average was also up by 52 per cent while the median rose by 38 per cent at 55,000gns.

The December Mares Sale continues on Tuesday with a session featuring the likes of Alcohol Free, Desert Crown’s dam Desert Berry and Saffron Beach. Selling begins at 9.30am, with the Sceptre Session due to commence around mid afternoon.

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