Gleneagles colt brings 140,000gns as Book 3 begins with eight six-figure lots

A colt by Gleneagles set to carry the Coolmore silks topped day one of Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The core members of Coolmore’s buying team had departed Newmarket so Cormac McCormack was on hand to secure the youngster on a bid of 140,000gns.

After signing the six-figure ticket, McCormack said: “He’s for MV Magnier; trainer not decided at this moment. He’s got a good step to him, a good pedigree and a touch of class.

"Everyone says this when they buy an expensive horse, but I’d say he’s one of the nicest horses in the sale. He got well placed by his owners and they got paid.”

The colt was bred by Epona Bloodstock and offered by Denis Brosnan’s Croom House Stud, who also sold a Frankel three-parts brother to Broome and Point Lonsdale to Magnier and White Birch Farm for 2,400,000gns during Book 1.

The session-topping Gleneagles colt in the Park Paddocks ringCredit: Laura Green

The Gleneagles colt is out of Shannow, a Pivotal sister to the Scandinavian Listed scorer Mill Marin, who in turn bred black-type performers. One of Mill Marin’s brood brought an important update to the page as her third foal is Mendocino, who defeated Torquator Tasso to win the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden.

“He deserved to make that,” said Brosnan. “He was probably a Book 2 horse really but we wanted something that would head up Book 3, so we put him in here and it worked.”

Another great day for Havana Grey

Red-hot first-season sire Havana Grey was responsible for a number of the session’s highlights, including the filly out of So Brave who went the way of Joe Foley at 125,000gns when offered by Carmel Stud. The filly is the first foal out of the two-time two-year-old winner by Kyllachy.

“The breeders and Ed Harper from Whitsbury Manor recommended that we have a look at her and she’s a lovely filly,” said Foley. “She’s out of a fast mare who was a speedy two-year-old with Archie Watson.

"The breeders are mating the mare well with Havana Grey and Pinatubo, which is encouraging for us, and she’s by a highly promising young stallion so we were keen to buy a nice one by him.”

Havana Grey’s first two-year-old crop has produced 36 winners at a strike-rate of 48 per cent and an impressive 13 black-type performers, headed by the Group 3-winning trio of Eddie’s Boy, Lady Hollywood and Rumstar.

Joe Foley: 'You could see last year they were all of a type and he was either going to be a very good stallion or a very bad stallion because they were all the same'Credit: Laura Green

“You could see last year they were all of a type and he was either going to be a very good stallion or a very bad stallion because they were all the same,” Foley continued. “Luckily for the team at Whitsbury Manor he’s the former not the latter!

"They all seem so genuine, like he was himself. I’d imagine she’ll run in the grey colours [of Steve Parkin’s Clipper Logistics] and we’ll pick a trainer at a later date.”

Foley has been among the busiest buyers across the various stages of the October Yearling Sale, with 21 lots secured for an outlay of 3,247,000gns during Books 1 and 2.

He added: “I think she’s our 55th yearling bought for the team this year. With the homebreds as well, there’ll be about 40 horses each between Clipper Logistics and the Bronte Partnership.”

Ed Harper: 'It’s been a fantastic year and I’m scared that 2022 might end!'Credit: Laura Green

There was another six-figure lot by Havana Grey earlier in the session when Anthony Stroud gave 115,000gns for the filly out of Secret Romance from Whitsbury Manor. The youngster was listed as a sibling to three winners but one of those, her full-sister Cuban Mistress, brought a significant boost to the page having won the Listed St Hugh's Stakes on her latest outing.

“It’s been a year of updates for our mares,” said the stud’s Ed Harper. “Mares that were in the twilight zone of our broodmare band are now zipping up the escalator and suddenly look exciting.

"When you get two stallions in your roster like Showcasing and Havana Grey, they’re just constantly doing favours to the broodmare band. It’s been a fantastic year and I’m scared that 2022 might end!”

He added: “We try to buy mares who suit all our stallions so they can just hop around the roster. There seems to be an uncanny nick between Sakhee’s Secret mares and Havana Grey as he’s had a Cornwallis winner, a St Hugh’s Stakes winner and an exciting-looking filly for Michael Dods from just three runners out of Sakhee’s Secret mares. Anyone with a Sakhee’s Secret filly seems to be ringing me up at the moment.”

Another Whitsbury wonder

Whitsbury Manor Stud can do little wrong at present, with the Harper family’s operation not only responsible for first-season sire sensation Havana Grey but also breeding Dewhurst Stakes hero Chaldean as well.

Another resident of the stud’s stallion boxes, the proven performer Showcasing, has also been in fine form of late having sired a new Group 1 winner when Belbek won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, while his daughter Swingalong won the Group 2 Lowther Stakes. The team behind Swingalong now have another daughter of Showcasing to look forward to after Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown went to 115,000gns for the filly out of Lady Estella.

The Whitsbury Manor-consigned youngster came armed with an eye-catching catalogue update as her Havana Grey half-brother Shouldvebeenaring had won one race when the book went to press but subsequently landed the valuable Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes and, more importantly, the Listed Ripon Champion Two-Year-Old Trophy.

Richard Brown: 'If she’s half as good as Swingalong we’ll be all right'Credit: Laura Green

“She’s for Sheikh Juma, who we bought Swingalong for last year,” said Brown. “He was very keen to buy another Showcasing but we’ve been beaten on everything we wanted to buy so far!

"I saw this filly early yesterday morning and immediately called my vet and then called Sheikh Juma. There’s a good update in the pedigree, she comes from a very good farm and she’ll go into training with [Swingalong’s trainer] Karl Burke.

“Funnily enough I was looking at her this morning at quarter to eight and Karl came into the yard and wondered where he was going to go and he pulled her out as well, so luckily we aligned and Sheikh Juma was willing to have a crack. If she’s half as good as Swingalong we’ll be all right.”

Pedigree updates help pair bring 105,000gns

A brace of lots fetched 105,000gns, headed by the Calyx filly out of Newtown Pippin from Rockview Stables. BBA Ireland signed the ticket for the half-sister to Felix Natalis, who had not only won twice since the catalogue was released but also finished third to Alpha Capture in the Listed Rockingham Stakes on his most recent start.

Those pedigree updates helped fuel a successful pinhook for Rockview Stables, who sourced the first-crop youngster for just €12,000 at last year’s Goffs November Foal Sale.

Explaining the origins of the pinhooking success story, Eleanor Dunne of Rockview Stables said: “We just thought she was a very attractive, racy filly and she was out of a Dubawi mare. But we got very lucky with the update, we only knew that there was a colt in Tom Dascombe's but he's gone on and won a couple of times again [since the catalogue was published] and then on Saturday he got the black type at York.

“She's been fantastic since she got to the farm, thrived all the way through her prep: she has a wonderful temperament and has been a pleasure to be around."

Later in the day David Redvers went to 105,000gns for the Camacho filly out of Alyssum offered by Lodge Park Stud. The filly was another to boast some punchy pedigree updates as her two winning siblings had both earned black type in the run-up to the sale.

First her Dandy Man half-sister Dandy Alys followed her Nottingham maiden victory by running second to Lakota Sioux in the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes, then her Fast Company half-brother Hard One To Please landed the Listed Stockholm Cup International at Bro Park.

“I’ve been incredibly lucky with Camacho in the past," said Redvers. “He has been one of my luckiest stallions, I’ve bought five or six stakes winners by him. The mare catalogues unbelievably well now with the updates; this filly would have deserved a place in Book 2 and would have deserved to have made twice that in Book 2.

“I loved her physical, her athletic action and the pedigree makes sense. I’ve bought her entirely on spec. I will put her up to Sheikh Fahad and David Howden and we will see what happens. I’m in for a good bit of her, she is exactly what we need.”

Elliott in action for Valmont

Agent Alex Elliott was the day’s second biggest spender with four lots sourced at a combined 298,000gns. The priciest of the bunch was the Sea The Moon colt out of the Listed scorer Mountain Bell who brought 100,000gns when offered by Jamie Railton.

“He’s going to Ralph Beckett, who trained the dam,” said Elliott. “I actually bought the dam off Qatar last year, she was a very good race filly for Ralph, and I thought this horse was a bit of a standout today.

"He’s more of a Book 2 horse really. He’s got size, scope and I’m a big fan of the stallion. He’s going to take a bit of time but we don’t mind giving them that.”

The colt is set to carry the colours of ownership vehicle Valmont, whose silks have been aboard a host of talented juveniles including narrow Oh So Sharp Stakes runner-up Lose Yourself and Captain Wierzba, from whom Rossa Ryan was unseated when elbowed out of the saddle by Christophe Soumillon in the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon.

“He’s been bought for Valmont, who we’ve bought a lot of yearlings for so far,” continued Elliott. “This is our first year [with runners] and they’re all three-year-old types but we’ve had a lot of good maiden winners and just got beaten in the Oh So Sharp Stakes.

“There’s a little bit of a gap in the market if you’ve got the patience to do it. Once you’re on the wheel you’ve got action though, and from early next year we’ll have all those horses running in Guineas trials and Oaks trials, hopefully, and this year’s purchases will kick in after that.

"We thought this year would be a bit slow but luckily the horses have really performed. When you have Ralph Beckett in your corner it’s a huge help.”

Alex Elliott: 'It feels like fifty grand is the new ten grand'Credit: Laura Green

Elliott said the ultimate aim for the Valmont horses would be to sell them on, ideally into the lucrative international markets.

“We’ll definitely trade them but we want good horses,” he said. “We have the horse who was fourth in the Zetland Stakes, Batemans Bay, he’s going to be a very good three-year-old and the Australians are already interested in him.”

He was, however, unable to reveal the identity of the owner behind the Valmont pseudonym, simply saying: “He’s one of my best pals, so there’s a bit of added pressure when they run!”

Elliott also signed for the very next lot into the ring having bid 68,000gns for Maywood Stud’s Masar colt out of Movementneverlies. The colt will join the portfolio of another Beckett-based trading syndicate in the Lucra Partnership, who originally raced New Mandate before the son of New Bay was sold to Marc Chan, for whom he won the Royal Lodge Stakes.

Elliott explained that the partnership has a budget of £250,000 to secure five horses, meaning an average of £50,000 per acquisition.

He said: “It’s been impossible to buy nice horses for fifty grand though. It feels like fifty grand is the new ten grand, which is barmy really.”

Bell rings in fast start

Book 3 got off to a flyer when just the sixth lot into the ring broke the six-figure barrier, with Nick Bell striking at 100,000gns for the Night Of Thunder colt out of Kambura from Ballyhimikin Stud.

Bred by James Hanly, Trevor Stewart and Anthony Stroud, the colt is the fourth foal out of the Listed-winning daughter of Literato, whose siblings include three other French Listed winners and the dam of Craven Stakes score Native Khan.

“He’s been bought for Peter Trainor, who’s a long-standing client of ours,” said Bell, son of Classic-winning trainer Michael. “We’ve bid on a few horses over the last few weeks and haven’t succeeded and I think Peter thought he’d got away without having to buy one!

Nick Bell got among the action earlyCredit: Laura Green

“When I saw this horse I loved him and he’ll be going back to Michael Bell. Hopefully he’ll be a nice fun horse over the summer next year. The stallion obviously needs no introduction and he looks like a really solid horse.

"Hopefully he can provide Peter with a lot of fun. It’s been tough and I didn’t think we’d have to give that much for him, but with the nice ones you need to give a bit extra and I’m delighted we got him.”

The eight-year-old Kambura, herself a €220,000 purchase by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock at Arqana in 2016, has now bred back-to-back six-figure yearlings as her Lope De Vega colt made 250,000gns when bought by Noel Wilson at Book 2 last year.

Oliver St Lawrence presents Geoffrey Howson with a framed photograph of his Classic-winning buy Phoenix Of Spain, who was co-owned by Ann Plummer (right)

Away from the action in the ring there was a presentation made to popular bloodstock agent Geoffrey Howson in recognition of his many years of dedicated service as the chairman of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents (FBA).

As a token of appreciation Howson received a framed photograph of Phoenix Of Spain, whom he signed for as a yearling with business partner Matt Houldsworth before the son of Lope De Vega went on to win the Irish 2,000 Guineas.

The presentation was made by current FBA chairman Oliver St Lawrence and was also attended by Phoenix Of Spain’s co-owner Ann Plummer.

Healthy figures

The first half of Book 3 saw 247 lots of 281 offered find a buyer, for aggregate sales of 7,647,000gns, up five per cent on 2021. The clearance rate weighed in at 88 per cent.

The average price of 30,960gns was up ten per cent on last year, while the median matched that of 2021 at 26,000gns.

The second and final day of Book 3 begins on Friday at 9.30am.