240,000gns Kodiac colt keeps breeze-up consignors on a roll

There have been some spectacular returns for pinhookers on the breeze-up circuit this spring and, while it sometimes proved rather tougher going at the Tattersalls Guineas Sale on Friday, all the indices were up - and one of the very last lots through the ring in certainly proved well worth the wait for Thomond O’Mara of Knockanglass Stables.

A son of Kodiac, purchased for just £28,000 through Howson and Houldsworth at the GoffsUK Premier Sale last year, was contested by David Redvers and Richard Knight among others before Stephen Hillen had the final say at 240,000gns.

"He's been bought for Pat Gallagher and he's going into training with Richard Hughes," said Hillen. "He's by a tremendous stallion, .did a fantastic breeze, and probably would have been more expensive in the Craven Sale. He really attacked the hill and finished out very, very strongly - and that's what we're looking for, horses that are finishing their breezes."

The colt is one of three foals of racing age out of the winning Greenflash, a half-sister to six minor winners out of a half-sister to Listed winner Clean Cut.

It had already been a lucrative day for O'Mara, who had also prospered at the Craven Sale here, as he sold a Dandy Man colt to Dick O'Gorman - purchased privately at the same GoffsUk Premier Sale as the Kodiac, after failing to sell in the ring for £18,000 - for 160,000gns. "He was a big robust colt when I bought him and he's done nothing but thrive," O'Mara said.

O'Mara's work contributed to a climb in both average and median for the breeze-up section of the catalogue, to 35,729gns and 25,000gns respectively - representing year-on-year gains of 11 and 25 per cent. The aggregate doubled to 5,502,200gns but this partly reflected increases in the number of lots offered (up to 179 from 145) and sold (154 from 114) at a healthy clearance rate of 86 per cent.

This colt was bred by the Kavanagh's Kildaragh Stud and originally scheduled to sell at Book 1 here last October. When he proved unable to make that engagement, the Kavanaghs embarked on a Plan B.

"We brought him to the yearling sales but he just went a bit short in his action," Peter Kavanagh explained. "We did a bit of investigation and found he had a high testicle. That was removed and solved the problem. Since then he's grown and developed, and he's been a delight to work with. He breezed very well, which had to be class in his case rather than precocity as he's a big horse.

"Roderick did the Gold Coast and Karaka earlier this year," said Kavanagh. "But he's very keen on his riding and pre-training as well. He is doing great work."

The colt is one of four foals of racing out of the unraced Whisp, a half-sister to German Group 2 winner Wild Side (dam of Park Hill Stakes winner Wild Coco), German St Leger winner Win For Us and champion German two-year-old White Rose (dam of Godolphin's classy Elite Army). Whisp doesn't have a yearling or foal on the ground but Kavanagh is hopeful that she is in foal to Belardo.

'A stallion's page'

Operating through Richard Frisby, Godolphin paid the same sum for a son of Acclamation presented by Church Farm and Horse Park Stud. Bought for €60,000 at last year's Goffs Orby Sale, he is out of a winning half-sister to Prix du Gros-Chene winner Beauty Is Truth - and his family could gain a major update this Sunday when her daughter Hydrangea lines up in the Qipco 1,000 Guineas.

"Sheikh Mohammed will decide who will train him," said Frisby. "He has a lovely page - it's a stallion's page if he's good enough."

One other lot shared second billing at 170,000gns when Jeremy Brummitt saw off Chris Richardson of Cheveley Park Stud for a Lethal Force colt on behalf of an undisclosed client in Hong Kong.

“I tried to buy him as a yearling and he's done everything right since," Brummitt said. "We're after more of a three-year-old type so it didn't matter to us that he didn't do the fastest breeze."

The colt was a €55,000 pinhook out of last year's Goffs Sportsmans Sale by Church Farm and sold here by Willie Browne's Mocklershill. He is one of three foals out of the unraced Cool Catena, a half-sister to Rockwell Stakes runner-up Cochabamba as well as the dam of last year's smart juvenile Global Applause.

Cheveley Park extending breeze-up spree

Richardson had better luck when going to 100,000gns for a Zebedee colt, the first foal out of the winning Tea Cup - a half-sister to Bangalore Oaks heroine New Alliance and the Listed-placed Forest Storm, herself dam of Night Of Thunder. Sold by The Bloodstock Connection as the property of Seven Hills Bloodstock, he was bought for a mere £12,000 by Johnny Hassett in a private deal at last year's GoffsUK Premier Sale.

The colt is to join Hugo Palmer, a new addition to the Cheveley Park training ranks this year. Also new to the roster is Henry Candy, who will take charge of a 40,000gns Equiano colt bought earlier in the session.

As at the Craven Sale, Cheveley Park are shopping with an eye towards bolstering their group of juvenile colts. “Mr Thompson is in Newmarket enjoying watching the process on TV," said Richardson. "This was a particularly athletic colt. "

Not yet two but fast already

Darley's Lonhro, a former shuttler to their Kentucky base, has been an ally of pinhookers for some years now and one of his daughters maintained that trend when selling for 110,000gns to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock on behalf of Sheikh Juma Dalmook al Maktoum.

The May 18 foal had turned heads the previous day with a swift breeze on the Rowley Mile for Friars Lough Stables and with a strong page to back her up - she is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Beautiful Song out of a half-sister to July Cup runner-up Lucayan Prince and Grade 2 winner Silver Comic - it was no surprise to see her turn a fine profit on her yearling price tag of $38,000.

"I seem to be buying a lot by this stallion!” said Brown. “I bought a nice horse by him at the breeze-ups last year called Dhalam, who ran well at Newbury the other day.

“This is a real quality filly who finished off her breeze really well. She's not even two yet - that was key. So we'll probably give her three weeks off after this and I expect her to strengthen up."

Saturday horse

The earlier draft of older horses-in-training was highlighted by the useful stayer Steve Rogers, who will be heading across town from the Roger Varian yard after selling to Michael Bell on behalf of Ed Ware for 105,000gns. The son of Montjeu has climbed through the staying ranks for Nurlan Bizakov and Varian, winning six races and running placed a further six times, including last time out when third to Winning Story in the All-Weather Marathon Championships at Lingfield.

"Ed picked him out," said Bell. "He's a good fun Saturday horse, a high-class stayer who could run at Royal Ascot. He could go for something like the Queen Alexandra and then perhaps on to the Ebor.

"I thought he ran very well the other day - Roger says he doesn't get beyond two miles but he looked like he was running on at Lingfield. He's been in good hands - all the lads at Roger's liked him. And for a six-year-old, he has low mileage. He just looks a genuine, fun horse."

Seeking a new Daban

At the conclusion of the sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony welcomed the continued strength of the market.

"The extraordinary trade at the recent record -breaking Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up demonstrated the global demand for quality breeze-up two-year-olds," he said. "And it has been encouraging to see the momentum sustained. We have welcomed buyers from throughout Europe and further afield to today's sale.

"The key to the popularity of both the Craven and Guineas Breeze Up Sales is the combination of supremely professional consignors and consistent top level success on racecourses around the world. Both elements have played a major part in today's sale, with some spectacular pinhooking triumphs paying tribute to the horsemanship of the consignors - and Sunday's Qipco 1,000 Guineas second favourite Daban, the highest-priced filly at last year's sale, providing yet another reminder of the outstanding quality to be found every year at this fixture."