Godolphin strike back for blue-blooded Sea The Stars filly at 1,500,000gns

After a couple of frustrating reversals, Godolphin got one over on the Coolmore team when they secured the Sea The Stars filly out of Best Terms who topped Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Thursday at 1,500,000gns.

The rival camps were stationed in their usual places by the parade ring, with Sheikh Mohammed at the centre of the Godolphin huddle and MV Magnier joined by Coolmore linchpins Paul Shanahan and Michael Tabor, as well as title-chasing trainer Andrew Balding.

After going hammer and tongs into seven-figure territory it was Anthony Stroud who delivered the decisive play that saw Magnier offer a shake of the head in the bid spotter's direction.

"Needless to say, she's a very nice filly," said Stroud. "She comes from a very good farm and is very athletic. Godolphin have had a lot of success buying fillies in this sale before and she's exactly the type of filly we're looking for."

Godolphin signed for 15 yearlings across the three days of Book 1, a collection that cost a combined 9,375,000gns. During Thursday's session the operation also purchased a Frankel colt closely related to Eminent at 900,000ns and a son of Kingman out of Bristol Bay at 750,000gns.

However, Stroud went on to say that the operation had found opportunities to buy fillies hard to come by.

Anthony Stroud: 'Obviously Coolmore were underbidders and they're fantastic judges'Credit: Laura Green

"We haven't bought that many, I think this catalogue has been a bit short on fillies, but for us she was the pick," he said. "When you're looking at a filly you're always looking for a combination of conformation and pedigree, and I think she ticked the boxes for both.

"Obviously Coolmore were underbidders and they're fantastic judges, and I think Juddmonte were in too, and that just shows you how valuable these fillies are. We pulled up on colts by Frankel, Sea The Stars and Kingman yesterday but, as I said, there weren't very many fillies in the sale and sometimes you have to put your head down and go for it."

The youngster was consigned by Newsells Park Stud on behalf of breeder Robert Barnett, whose family has been involved with the pedigree right back into the distant generations that include the influential Oaks winner Time Charter and the 1917-foaled Athasi.

Best Terms won the Lowther and Queen Mary Stakes during her time on the track and has since gone on to produce the Listed winners Star Terms and Fresh Terms.

The sales-topping sum of 1,500,000gns on the Tattersalls bid boardCredit: Laura Green

Barnett said: "We were tempted to keep her but temptation ran out a bit earlier. We'd always loved her and the family has been good; it goes way, way back, it's the Athasi family and then Time Charter. My family have been in this racket since about 1920, although I've been on the case only since about 1980.

"The mare is at Newsells, she's been a great mare, she was great fun on the racecourse too, where she won a couple of Group 2s. We'd always admired Sea The Stars, it's the look of them, the bulk of them, so it's about trying to get the right size and the right conformation.

"She’s the most athletic yearling we've had for quite some time. A lot of the breeders are actually buying them to race and breed, and in England as well, which is nice to see."

Al Shira'aa spree continues

The Dubawi half-sister to Arc hero Waldgeist may have required a bit of persuasion to enter the Park Paddocks sales ring, but prospective purchasers needed no such help and after a prolonged bidding rally the blue-blooded filly was knocked down to Al Shira'aa Farms at 1,250,000gns.

The filly was the very first lot on offer on the third and final day of Book 1 and had plenty of onlookers in position early.

Crispin de Moubray, sat high up at the back of the auditorium, was involved early on, while Bertrand Le Metayer, stood against the back wall just behind the Al Shira'aa team, also made his presence felt, but it was Juddmonte Farms' Simon Mockridge who ultimately filled the role of frustrated underbidder.

The filly, who was bred in partnership between Newsells Park Stud and Gestut Ammerland, is out of the Group 3-winning Monsun mare Waldlerche, meaning she is also a half-sister to the Prix de Malleret scorer Waldlied and Gordon Richards Stakes winner Waldkonig, as well as the four-time Group 1 hero and Ballylinch Stud resident Waldgeist.

"She was the boss's pick of the whole sale and pages like that very rarely come on the market," said Al Shira'aa's Kieran Lalor, who was joined during the bidding by David Cox.

"As an individual she's a really beautiful filly too, so she was an obvious one. We're trying to build a broodmare band to compete with the farms at the top and she fits that bill."

The 1,250,000gns Dubawi filly sells to Al Shira'aa FarmsCredit: Laura Green

The seven-figure acquisition continued a productive few weeks for the burgeoning Al Shira'aa operation, which is headed up by Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has an extensive involvement in the equestrian world and also appeared on the front cover of Vogue Arabia.

Al Shira'aa recently spent €1,100,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale, where they secured the half-sisters to Mother Earth and Poetic Flare, as well as a €650,000 Frankel half-sister to Creggs Pipes. The Tattersalls haul also included the 475,000gns Lope De Vega half-sister to Broome and Point Lonsdale and the 925,000gns No Nay Never half-sister to Bolshoi Ballet.

"All the right people are involved in these families so they'll continually update, and that's exciting for us as we'll have lots to follow in the coming years," continued Lalor.

"I had a sense, and I could be wrong, that there was going to be value in the market this year. I feel like a couple of those we've bought would have cost a lot more money a couple of years ago, so I think we've got a lot of value."

As well as a sizeable impact in the sales ring, Al Shira'aa has enjoyed a fruitful season on the racecourse, with colour bearers Mutamakina landing the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes at Woodbine and the Frankel filly Rumi claiming the Group 2 Prix de la Nonette at Deauville. The operation also bred and sold smart juvenile and Dewhurst Stakes contender Dhabab.

"We're a business, so we do sell, although we tend to keep the fillies, particularly from the big families," said Lalor. "We've got around 15 in training between France and the US and we've had a very good year. We've got a runner in a Grade 1 coming up with Mutamakina in the EP Taylor, which is exciting.

Kieran Lalor: 'I feel like a couple of those we've bought would have cost a lot more money a couple of years ago'Credit: Laura Green

"These fillies we've bought this year will really reinforce the foundation of what we're trying to do. These are blue hen pedigrees and if we want to compete at the top we need to be involved in these families. We've also got 25 mares, which will grow, and since we bought Meadow Court Stud in 2016 it's undergone a significant overhaul. We'll slowly develop it and start to understand the families.

"We'll sit down after all the sales and the boss will make the decisions about who will train these horses, but it'll probably be someone in France or Ireland. There are no restrictions though so anything is possible."

Although Newsells Park's general manager Julian Dollar said he was pleased with the filly's seven-figure sale, he said the transaction was tinged with sadness as it brought to an end a long-running association between the Hertfordshire farm and leading German breeder Gestut Ammerland.

"I'm very pleased with the price, although I'm sad that she came to the sales and we didn't get a chance to make a bid," said Dollar. "We would have supported her as it was dispersing the partnership we've enjoyed for many years with Dietrich and Annabel von Boetticher.

"That was really a personal relationship between themselves and Andreas Jacobs, so when Graham [Smith-Bernal, Newsells Park owner] took over, as much as they all get along, it was time to end the partnership."

Julian Dollar: 'I'm very pleased with the price, although I'm sad that she came to the sales'Credit: Laura Green

Dollar continued: "She deserved that price with that pedigree, though. She'll be a wonderful filly for anyone to own and she'll make a fantastic broodmare. She was so typical of the family but people don't understand that pedigree at the sales; they're not sales horses, they're racehorses, and sometimes I think we get the two confused.

"Funnily enough I used to work with Kieran Lalor at Castleton Lyons, he was broodmare manager when I was managing the farm, and he's a great chap and is being very smart buying into all these big families."

With the partnership between Newsells Park and Ammerland drawing to a close, Dollar revealed that the British farm had purchased full ownership of Waldlerche, while her most recent foal, a brother to Waldgeist, would most likely head to the sales in due course.

"Waldlerche is still with us and we've managed to buy her privately," he said. "It looks like one of her daughters, Waldlied, will come to the December Sales, she's got a lovely Siyouni filly at foot who'll probably come to the sales next year.

"There's also a Galileo full-brother to Waldgeist who'll probably be at the sales next year as well. After that, if we can, we'll try to keep all her babies for ourselves."

Magnier makes amends

Although the Coolmore team lost out on the 1,500,000gns Sea The Stars filly, they still managed to add 2,190,000gns worth of stock to their Book 1 haul, headed by the 1,100,000gns Galileo colt out of Anthem Alexander offered by Noel O'Callaghan's Mountarmstrong Stud.

Anthem Alexander was bought back by her breeder at just 48,000gns when offered at Book 1 in 2013, but provided a considerable silver lining for O'Callaghan when going on to win the Queen Mary and Lacken Stakes.

"He's a proper horse and let's hope he'll be very lucky for the new people," said O'Callaghan.

Anthem Alexander, a first-crop daughter of Starspangledbanner, is the third generation of the family that the breeder has been involved in, having acquired the seven-figure colt's third dam in 1987.

Lot 383: the Galileo colt out of Anthem Alexander after making 1,100,000gns to MV MagnierCredit: Laura Green

In turn she bred Molecomb winner Lady Alexander, who not only produced Anthem Alexander but her half-brother Dandy Man, the Palace House Stakes winner who has developed into a popular member of the Ballyhane Stud roster.

"It all started with Sandhurst Goddess, and she was by probably the worst stallion ever in Sandhurst Prince!" said O'Callaghan. "I actually bought her off Gay [O'Callaghan, brother] as a yearling, she cost only 12 and a half grand. Anthem Alexander is empty this year but she has a Night Of Thunder colt foal."

Lot 379: Battaash's brother exits the Tattersalls ring after fetching 750,000gnsCredit: Laura Green

Just a few lots earlier Magnier struck a winning bid of 750,000gns for the brother to Battaash offered by Paul McCartan's Ballyphilip Stud.

The Dark Angel colt is out of Anna Law, a daughter of Lawman who joined McCartan's broodmare band at just 14,000gns at the horses-in-training sale in 2012. Her yearlings have now generated 1,930,000gns worth of receipts at Tattersalls alone.

"We're delighted with that, it's a great price," said McCartan. "He's gone to a great home as well. The mare has been very lucky for us and has made plenty of money.

"I would say this guy is the best looking of her offspring. We always said Battaash was the best-looking horse that we'd bred but I think this guy is better, no doubt about it.

Paul McCartan (left) in good spirits with Michael CartyCredit: Laura Green

"He's more straightforward too. Battaash was a lovely individual and not an unkind horse, but he was a bit quirky. This lad is more straightforward. The mare has a filly foal by Lope De Vega, which may or may not be sold, and she's in foal to Blue Point."

Thady Gosden sticks with familiar family

John Gosden's name has appeared on the dockets of some notable talents down the years, none more so than five-time Group 1 winner Palace Pier.

The master of Clarehaven now jointly holds the licence with his son Thady, and the younger generation of the Gosden family signed for four lots at a spend of 1,490,000gns across the trio of Book 1 sessions.

Heading the quartet was the Frankel filly out of Alienate consigned by Ballyhimikin Stud, who drew a final bid of 650,000gns. Gosden has already had first-hand experience with other members of the family as the filly is out of an Oasis Dream half-sister to the yard's St Leger hero Logician.

John and Thady Gosden on the Park Paddocks sales groundCredit: Tattersalls

Gosden said: "She's a lovely moving filly from a Juddmonte family that we know very well. Good horses keep coming up in it and she's by a great sire and damsire. She's for a new client and she's a filly with residual value, so hopefully she can do something for them in the long run."

The filly, who was bred in partnership by Anthony Stroud, Trevor Stewart and James Hanly, helped Frankel finish the blue-chip auction with an average price of 373,438gns, with 16 of his sons and daughters selling for a combined 5,975,000gns.

Final figures

Trade reached something of a crescendo during Thursday's third and final instalment of Book 1, a point underlined by the sale of the 1,500,000gns top lot and three of the auction's five seven-figure yearlings.

The top end of the market proved rather more subdued than has been the case in recent years, with the top lot fetching less than half of 2020's sales-topper, the 3,400,000gns sister to Japan and Mogul, while four more yearlings broke the 1,000,000gns mark some 12 months ago.

However, the relatively tepid conditions at the top of the market did not prevent Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale, which continues on Monday with day one of Book 2, posting some noteworthy year-on-year gains.

The three days of trade saw some 452 yearlings come under the hammer, and 375 of those found a buyer for a clearance rate of 83 per cent. Those transactions generated turnover of 86,369,000gns, a five per cent gain compared to the pandemic-impacted renewal 12 months ago.

The average climbed by three per cent to 230,317gns, while the median proved the most robust financial indicator with a 23 per cent improvement to 160,000gns, a point that suggests there was a consistency to demand despite blockbuster lots being in shorter supply.

Godolphin not only claimed the sales-topping Sea The Stars filly but leading spender honours too, with 15 lots secured for an outlay of 9,375,000gns - 11 per cent of turnover. Newsells Park Stud topped the consignors' chart for the fourth year running with 22 lots sold for receipts totalling 10,785,000gns, a figure equivalent to 12 per cent of total sales.

At the close of trade, Tattersalls' chairman Edmond Mahony commented: "Book 1 of last year’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale was widely regarded as a sale which showed remarkable resilience in the face of the well-documented challenges which we all endured, which makes the gains achieved this week even more creditable.

"Year after year Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale showcases the finest British, Irish, French and German-bred yearlings, and year after year these yearlings go on to achieve extraordinary racecourse success on the global stage.

"Even by the lofty standards of Book 1, 2021 has been a truly phenomenal year with the world’s highest rated three-year-old, St Mark's Basilica, the world's highest-rated miler Palace Pier, dual Classic winner Hurricane Lane, Europe’s highest-rated two-year-old Native Trail and the highest-rated turf horse in America, Domestic Spending, all purchased at October Book 1, and it is this consistent success which brings so many of the world’s leading buyers to the sale.

"While the figures may not have returned to the dizzy heights of 2019, and the very top of the market has made an adjustment, the average, median and clearance rate have all improved significantly and the turnover has also climbed despite a smaller catalogue.

"Particularly encouraging has been the depth and diversity amongst the buyers in all sectors of the market. Nine different buyers have bought yearlings for 750,000gns or more and in addition to the strong British and Irish participation, buyers from Abu Dhabi, Australia, Bahrain, China, Dubai, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the USA have all made significant contributions."

He continued: "Particularly notable has been the powerful American contingent. They have been a real feature of October Book 1 in recent years and the extraordinary level of racecourse success has driven even greater demand, with around 50 Book 1 yearlings acquired over the past three days heading across the Atlantic.

"Turf racing in America continues to grow and thrive and American buyers have clearly identified Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale as the premier source of superior turf horses.

"In addition to the major impact of the international buyers, it has also been rewarding to see that the lucrative £20,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonus Scheme continues to entice buyers at all levels of the Book 1 market.

"Owners in Britain and Ireland have been rewarded with almost £7,000,000 in bonus prize-money since the scheme's inception in 2016 and to see so many owners, syndicates and trainers busy this week is a tribute to the enduring appeal of the Book 1 Bonus.

"Above all, after the rigours of last year, it has been a pleasure to have welcomed so many people back to Park Paddocks. We now turn our attention to Books 2, 3 and 4 of the 2021 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and look forward to sustaining the momentum established this week at Europe’s premier yearling sale."

More Book 1 news:

Lloyd Webber's Sea The Stars colt steals the limelight at 1,200,000gns

Cheveley Park Stud and Juddmonte face off as Arizona's sister brings 825,000gns

Faces in the crowd at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale