High-class Althania sells to Kevin Blake for 80,000gns at Tattersalls Online

Irish Emerald Stud's stakes producer Althania topped the Tattersalls October Online Sale when making 80,000gns to Kevin Blake, a price that could look good value with the promise of more to come from her son Maksud.

By Golden Horn, Maksud has won once for Hughie Morrison and owners Thurloe Thoroughbreds, having been sold by Shadwell for 65,000gns from last year's Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, and he was Listed-placed when second on his penultimate start in the August Stakes at Windsor.

His dam, a winning daughter of Street Cry, is no one-trick pony as she has also produced the dual-winning Dawn Approach filly Capel At Dawn and Haajoos, a three-time winner by Tamayuz. The ten-year-old Althania was offered in foal to dual Derby hero and Group 1 sire Australia.

Blake said: "Althania jumped off the page when the catalogue for the sale came out. It isn’t easy to buy proven mares that have produced big results on the racecourse as well as in the sales ring, so I thought she ticked all the right boxes.

Kevin Blake (left): 'I thought she ticked all the right boxes.'Credit: Caroline Norris

"I have also been been following the progress of her son Maksud all year. He’s a horse I like a lot and think will do even better next year."

He added: "She was bought for an investment fund I manage called Golden Farm Bloodstock. We’re looking forward to seeing what she produces by Australia in the spring and to picking her next mate. She is a real outcross, so we will have plenty of options. There is plenty of action in the family, so hopefully she will prove to have been a good investment in the fullness of time."

Bred by Rosa Colasanti and sold to Shadwell for $350,000 from the Keeneland November Sale in 2012, Althania was also offered at the Goffs November Sale in 2019, where she made €39,000 to Irish Emerald Stud.

She is the sixth foal out of Italian stakes scorer Gabriellina Giof and is therefore a half-sister to dual American Grade 1 winner Gabby's Golden Gal and triple American Grade 2 scorer and Grade 1-placed Always A Princess.

Another of the three-strong Irish Emerald Stud draft proved popular when the Shamardal mare Hope Lake sold to Cavalier Bloodstock for 38,000gns.

The Darley-bred eight-year-old, who was picked up by BBA Ireland from Godolphin for 75,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2017, was third three times from six starts during her racing career.

Offered in foal to Acclamation, Hope Lake's two-year-old colt by Harry Angel is in training, while her yearling filly by Teofilo sold to McKeever Bloodstock and Barry Hills for 110,000gns from Tattersalls Book 1. She produced a filly by Kodiac earlier this year.

Hope Lake is out of Nashwan's Prix Saint-Alary scorer Nadia and is a full-sister to triple winner and Listed-placed Namecheck. Nadia is in turn a full-sister to Cheshire Oaks third Sunray Superstar, the granddam of Prix Maurice de Gheest hero Signs Of Blessing.

Malbay Madness, a winner for Wings Of Eagles in August, was offered by Lackendarra Stables and duly made 30,000gns to the Madness In Mind Partnership.

The two-year-old, a graduate of Book 3, is out of Star Search, a Zamindar half-sister to Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Cinders And Ashes. Star Search is in turn out of Moon Search, a Rainbow Quest half-sister to St Leger hero Brian Boru, Group 2 scorer Sea Moon and to the dam of Derby and Arc hero Workforce.

Overall, 24 lots sold for turnover of 269,100gns, a median of 4,100gns and an average of 11,213gns.

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