Newcastle debut for this year's Craven Breeze-up sale-topper

John Gosden will take the wraps of the most expensive lot at this year's Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale on Wednesday when Kings Shield contests the 7f novice stakes at Newcastle (4.15).

Kings Shield – bought by David Redvers on behalf of Qatar Racing for 675,000gns – is by one of the sire sensations of the year in Scat Daddy.

The late Ashford Stud resident was the source of four individual winners at Royal Ascot in June – Caravaggio, Con Te Partiro, Lady Aurelia and Sioux Nation (the last named also subsequently successful in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes).

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Scat Daddy has also been on the mark in 2017 with Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Mendelssohn and fellow stateside Grade 1 scorer Dacita, as well as Champagne Stakes winner Seahenge, Kentucky Oaks runner-up Daddys Lil Darling and Coventry Stakes third Murillo.

Kings Shield was bred in America by Rosemont Farm out of the winning Miesque's Son mare Gender Dance.

Remarkably, he is not the first Craven Sale top lot for the dam, as she is also responsible for Great White Eagle, a son of Elusive Quality bought on behalf of Coolmore for 760,000gns who went on to win the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes for Aidan O'Brien.

Redvers said of his expensive purchase, after having to fight off a host of bidders including Chris Richardson, Nicolas de Watrigant, Justin Casse, Kerri Radcliffe, Stephen Hillen, Ibrahim Araci and eventual underbidder Richard Knight for him: "When people buy the sale-topper, they always come out with the cliches that they thought it was the best horse in the sale, and that it ticked all the boxes.

"This horse had some minor issues as a yearling [he was not sold for $65,000] but he has proved that he can gallop. He has a great mind and this sale has been tremendously successful for us.

"We're delighted to have bought him, and in fact are quite surprised to have managed to get him. He is exactly the sort of horse we are looking for."

It is a busy spell for Gender Dance's family coming up. Aside from Kings Shield's debut, his seven-year-old half-sister Belen (by Quiet American) is due to go under the hammer at the Keeneland November Breeding-Stock Sale on Wednesday.

Also this month, his Gutaifan foal half-sister is up for auction at Goffs, and not long after that his nine-year-old half-sister Miss Mediator (by Consolidator) is available to buy at Tattersalls.

Kings Shield faces a tough task on his debut at Newcastle though. He is set to face two rivals who finished second on their sole previous starts: Illusional, a Bernardini brother to Cherry Hinton Stakes winner Gamilati, and Ostilio, a New Approach half-brother to this year's Prix Jean Romanet winner Ajman Princess.

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