Godolphin duo top Tattersalls Ascot November Sale at £50,000 apiece

The Tattersalls Ascot November Sale made a popular return on Thursday after a two-year Covid-related absence, and it was Godolphin's draft which took centre stage on a record-breaking day.

Jointly topping the session at £50,000 were the Godolphin-consigned winning pair of wildcard entry Throne Hall and Strozzi, the latter selling to Richard Venn for a Saudi Arabian client.

The two-year-old son of Holy Roman Emperor won on his third start for Andrew Balding and Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum, and was also placed on two other starts.

Out of the Listed-placed Cadeaux Genereux mare Soprana, Strozzi is a half-brother to Diana Trial second Sea Of Love, and this was not the first time the attractive colt's path and his buyer's had crossed.

Venn explained: "He's for a client I've bought horses for before. Funnily enough I bought him as a yearling [for €20,000 from the BBAG September Yearling Sale], so I've had another crack at him!

"He's a very game and consistent horse who is also sound, and I'm sure he'll do very well out there [in the Middle East]. He's got plenty going for him."

Throne Hall proved a useful performer for Kevin Ryan and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, winning twice and placing in a brace of Class 2 handicaps, and the Kingman gelding attracted a flurry of bids before being knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock.

The four-year-old is out of an unraced Galileo three-parts sister to Dance Routine, the dam of Juddmonte's multiple top-level winner Flintshire, and Concentric, the dam of the mighty Enable, among five black-type performers or winners on the Flat.

Komachi, another winning son of Kingman, and also from Godolphin's draft, sold to the Australian pair of Darren Arnold and Will Clarken for £42,000.

Arnold said: "He'll go back to Australia to be trained by a guy called Will Clarken. I'm his vet and am based over here and we look to send these guys back to Adelaide.

"He's a well-performed horse. He's had some issues but we can straighten them out. I think the Kingmans will suit the style of racing in Australia and he's a nice, compact type of horse.

"He'll have a good rest before he goes back because there's quite a backlog of horses waiting to leave the country."

The gelded three-year-old is out of an unraced full-sister to American stakes winner Bay Of Plenty, while the pair are in turn out of a daughter of Group 1 Premio Presidente della Repubblica winner and Prix Marcel Boussac second Flagbird.

Another highlight from the Godolphin draft was Local Law, a placed Dubawi half-brother to Grand Prix de Deauville winner Loxley who sold to JD Moore and Hamad Al Jehani for £30,000.

The three-year-old gelding is out of champion German filly Lady Marian, winner of the Group 1 Prix de l'Opera and two Group 3s during her racing career for Saeed bin Suroor.

Godolphin's six lots all sold, for a combined total of £197,500 at an average of £32,917.

Overall, 77 lots sold from 93 offered for a clearance rate of 83 per cent and record turnover of £603,500, up five per cent on 2019. The average of £7,838 was 52 per cent higher than two years ago, while the median of £4,600 represented an 84 per rise.

The next auction at the venue is the Ascot December Sale, which takes place on December 6, with entries closing on November 15.

Sale results

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