Five budget stallions catching the eye at the 2018 breeze-ups

With four of Europe's seven breeze-up sales having been completed, and 334 of the 523 juveniles offered having found new homes at a 64 per cent clearance rate, there are certain stallions attracting a great deal more attention from buyers than others.

Here are five budget stallions – those standing this year for £10,000/€10,000 or less – who have had at least two of their offspring sell for amounts that suggest they will excel when it comes to being tested on the racecourse.

Invincible Spirit-Swiss Lake (Indian Ridge)
Breezers sold in 2018 Three at Ascot, one at Newmarket
Highest-priced lot b c ex Gilt Linked, Oak Tree Farm, sold to Shadwell for 200,000gns at Tattersalls Craven Sale
2018 fee £4,000, Whitsbury Manor

Sophomore sire Swiss Spirit is producing winners at a rate of knots and smart juvenile Arthur's Spirit made it 20 when winning on the Kempton all-weather last Wednesday evening.

Progeny of the nine-year-old son of Invincible Spirit have also proved a hit in the sales ring and he has had a six-figure lot at both the Tattersalls Ireland Ascot and Tattersalls Craven breeze-ups.

Owner Tom Morley went to £100,000 for the second most expensive lot at Ascot, a colt offered by CAJ Stables out of the winning Acclamation mare Jollification, herself sold at the Goffs UK Ready To Run Sale for £38,000 in 2012 before going on to finish fourth in Group company on just her third start.

More was to come for Swiss Spirit at Newmarket last week, with Shadwell taking home a half-brother to the Group 3-placed Lincoln for 200,000gns. The colt, who was offered by Norman Williamson's Oak Tree Farm, hails from a strong sprinting family, with Prix de l'Abbaye scorer Averti appearing under the third dam.

Farhh
Pivotal-Gonbarda (Lando)
Breezers sold in 2018 Two at Tattersalls Craven Sale, one at Goffs UK Doncaster
Highest-priced lot b c ex Catchline, Tally-Ho Stud, sold to the Hong Kong Jockey Club, 180,000gns, Tattersalls Craven Sale
2018 fee £10,000, Dalham Hall

Like Swiss Spirit, Farhh is among this year's second-season sires. From a small but select first crop, the son of Pivotal has supplied two black-type winners – Acomb Stakes scorer Wells Farhh Go and Italian Listed winner Fa Ul Sciur.

Farhh shares his sire with Siyouni, who commands a €75,000 fee at Haras de Bonneval, and he had two six-figure lots sell at last week's Craven Sale.

A bay colt out of Catchline, an unraced half-sister to two elite winners in Ancient World and Jilbab, was sold by Tally-Ho Stud to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for 180,000gns and holds an early entry in one of the company's sales races later in the year, having made 67,000gns at last year's Book 3.

Another of his sons, a colt out of Turmalin, an unraced half-sister to German Group 2 winner Emerald Commander, made 155,000gns when sold by the Bloodstock Connection to Horizon Bloodstock. Interestingly, a Pivotal colt out of the mare sold for just shy of that amount at Book 1 in 2014, with Pivotal having also been responsible for Emerald Commander.

Dandy Man
Mozart-Lady Alexander (Night Shift)
Breezers sold in 2018 Six at Goffs UK Doncaster, three at Tattersalls Ireland Ascot, one at Tattersalls Craven
Highest-priced lot b f ex Lauren's Girl, Tally-Ho Stud, sold to Godolphin, 280,000gns, Tattersalls Craven Sale
2018 fee €10,000, Ballyhane

Dandy Man, the highest-rated son of Mozart on an RPR of 122, is standing his ninth season at Joe Foley's Ballyhane Stud in County Carlow and recorded his latest black-type winner when River Boyne won the mile Listed Pasadena Stakes on turf at Santa Anita in March.

The 15-year-old, the sire of top Hong Kong sprinter Peniaphobia, is standing at Ballyhane at a career-high fee of €10,000 for the second year in a row, with his stock proving all the rage on this year's breeze-up circuit.

His second most expensive offspring ever was sold at last week's Craven Sale, a filly out of the unraced Lauren's Girl who is from the family of last year's Kilboy Estate Stakes winner Bocca Baciata and the French Classic-placed Topeka. She was offered by Tally-Ho and bought by Godolphin for 280,000gns.

Other breezers to sell well – from a crop conceived at a €6,500 fee – include his £58,000 son out of Paddy Again bought by Federico Barberini and his £50,000 son out of Scrumptious purchased by Pam Sly, both of whom were sold at Ascot.

The 280,000gns filly by Dandy Man sold at last week's Tattersalls Craven SaleCredit: Laura Green / Tattersalls

Moohaajim
Cape Cross-Thiella (Kingmambo)
Breezers sold in 2018 Three at Tattersalls Craven, two at Goffs UK Doncaster
Highest-priced lot b c ex Nellie Forbush, Bloodstock Connection, sold to Dwayne Woods, 145,000gns, Tattersalls Craven Sale
2018 fee €4,000, Rathbarry

Racing fans have only sighted a pair of freshman sire Moohaajim's offspring on the racecourse but that has not stopped buyers going to great lengths to acquire his stock at this year's breeze-up sales.

Dwayne Woods of Brook Stud went to 145,000gns for a son of winning hurdler Nellie Forbush, a daughter of 1m2f Listed winner Santa Isobel.

Also in demand was a colt from the family of King's Stand Stakes scorer Sayf El Arab, snapped up by Stephen Hillen and Kevin Ryan for 65,000gns, resulting in a sale average for the sire of almost 80,000gns for three lots sold.

Mayson
Invincible Spirit-Mayleaf (Pivotal)
Breezers sold in 2018 Four sold at Doncaster, one at La Teste
Highest-priced lot ch f ex Lady Hen, Mocklershill, sold to Gill Richardson Bloodstock, £62,000, Goffs UK Doncaster
2018 fee £6,000, Cheveley Park

Four of the five breeze-up lots sold so far this year by July Cup winner Mayson came under the hammer at Doncaster, bringing an aggregate of £189,000, average of £47,250 and median of £48,500 – particularly healthy considering the four were conceived at a fee of £6,000, the same price he commands this year.

The ten-year-old son of Invincible Spirit, who shares his sire with Swiss Spirit, has supplied five Listed winners including the stakes-winning juvenile Dance Diva. She was third to Dan's Dream in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury on Saturday, while another 59 of his progeny have found their way to the winner's enclosure.

Gill Richardson signed a £62,000 docket for a chestnut half-sister (see video) to 1m2f Listed winner Arthenus, while Crampscastle Bloodstock went to £52,000 to secure a colt from the family of US Grade 2 winner Buster's Daydream.

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