Search for next Group 1 winner begins at Autumn HIT Sale

Buyers will be on the lookout for the next potential Group 1 star as the four-day Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale gets under way at Park Paddocks on Monday, with sessions starting at 9.30am each day.

Fierce Impact - a graduate of the 2017 renewal - recently shone the spotlight on the auction when capturing the Group 1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield earlier in October.

The son of Deep Impact had shown promise in Britain, placing in Listed company as a three-year-old for David Simcock, before catching the eye of Australian trainer Matthew Smith at Tattersalls, where he was knocked down for 120,000gns.

Last year's trade saw 1,049 of the 1,181 lots on offer change hands for a strong clearance rate of 89 per cent. Total receipts came in at 26,853,500gns - the third consecutive year the 25m gns mark had been surpassed - at an average spend of 25,600gns and median price of 12,000gns.

Among the standout lots on Monday is Sir Boris (lot 236), a two-year-old Due Diligence colt who took third in the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte since the publication of the catalogue.

However, it was his Listed win in the Blenheim Stakes at Fairyhouse in September which earned Tom Dascombe's charge his highest Racing Post Rating to date of 108.

Five wildcard entries have stood their ground for the auction, led by the Middle Park Stakes third Summer Sands (720A), a son of Coach House who will be sent into the ring by Richard Fahey's Musley Bank Stables.

Summer Sands subsequently won the Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy for the Cool Silk Partnership, and looks an attractive proposition for buyers having earned an RPR of 112 for his placed effort behind Pinatubo in the Middle Park, with the likes of Threat, Lope Y Fernandez and Monarch Of Egypt in arrears.

Summer Sands (right) finishes third to Earthlight (left) in the Group 1 Middle Park StakesCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Another wildcard that looks set to attract plenty of interest is the James Fanshawe-trained three-year-old Pondus (1110A). The son of Sea The Moon has twice achieved an RPR of 111, including for his second to Addeybb in the Group 3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes, with the winner of that race a close second to Magical on his next start in the Champion Stakes.

Jim Bolger will send Ten Year Ticket (643A), a debut winner at the Curragh last Tuesday, over from Ireland. The Nicholas Teehan-owned son of Rock Of Gibraltar had the measure of a number of well-bred rivals including Galileo siblings to Coach House and Meow, the dam of Group 1-winning siblings Churchill and Clemmie.

The other two wildcards both hail from Mark Johnston's Kingsley Park.

Like Ten Year Ticket, Seasony (808A) is a first-time-out winner, with the juvenile Siyouni colt having opened his account at Chelmsford in September.

He will be followed into the ring by Johnston's other wildcard entry Governor Of Punjab (808B), a Footstepsinthesand colt who strung together three wins this summer culminating in success in a Class 2 nursery at Glorious Goodwood.

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