330,000gns Galileo filly tops July Sale finale as figures soar

Three days of strong trade came to a head during the final session of the Tattersalls July Sale on Friday with record levels of turnover and a new top lot arriving as the sun began to dip below the horizon.

By the close of trade on Friday 178 lots had sold for an aggregate of 4,161,300gns, an average of 23,380gns - a 54 per cent jump from the corresponding session in 2016, and a median of 13,000gns - up from 8,500gns 12 months earlier.

Those figures took the whole-sale turnover to 14,691,700gns - a new record for the July Sale and a 19 per cent year-on-year increase. The average was up by 19 per cent to 25,595gns while the median was up 20 per cent to 12,000gns. The clearance rate stood at 89 per cent, with 574 of the 648 lots offered changing hands.

The sale-topper came when the Galileo filly Asanta Sana, offered by John Gosden's Clarehaven Stables, took her turn in the ring. Agents Andrew Williams and Cathy Grassick quickly drove the price upwards, but late in the bidding Saeed Manana appeared from behind the partition and had the final say at 330,000gns.

The three-year-old filly, bred by the Milanova Syndicate, finished fourth on both of her starts for Gosden.

"We will send her back into training," said Manana, "My trainer, James Tate, is very good."

The filly is a sister to Munster Oaks winner Pretty Perfect and out of Australian Group 3 winner Milanova, herself a sister to Holy Roman Emperor. Her third dam is none other than champion filly Fanfreluche.

"We will try and win a race with her," added Tate, "and then she will join Saeed's broodmare band - we'll decided on a stallion later. She will come straight back to us and we'll ready her for a race in the autumn."

Action for Al Ghazali

Jassim Al Ghazali, such an influence at the top end of the market here in recent years, continued his busy week with the purchase of recent Bellewstown winner Allography for 185,000gns late into session.

A tough son of Iffraaj, the colt hasn't finished out of the first three for Michael Halford this season and only last week landed his third race, a mile handicap at Bellewstown, at the expense of Old Time Waltz.

Earlier in the session the leading Qatari trainer went to 100,000gns for the Dandy Man gelding Don Valentino, an improving type who has yet to be out of the frame in five starts.

"He's a progressive horse," said Ghazali. "We like stock by Dandy Man and he was one of the ones we've waited for."

Qatar Man in demand

UAE 2,000 Guineas fourth Qatar Man is another talented performer due to continue his racing career abroad after selling for 150,000gns to Elite Bloodstock Singapore.

A rare European representative from the first crop of former Kentucky stallion Archarcharch, who was recently sold to Korea, Qatar Man won his third start at Kempton last season before heading to Meydan, where he ran fourth to Thunder Snow in the UAE 2,000 Guineas and third in the Listed Al Bastakiya.

His sale provided the highlight of Marco Botti's draft, in which Wolverhampton winner Makaarim made 72,000gns to Stroud/Coleman. Another member of the draft, Italian 2,000 Guineas winner Poeta Diletto, failed to sell for just 27,000gns.

Last year's Redcar Two-year-old Trophy winner Wick Powell will be joining Qatar Man having been sold out of David Barron's yard to the same buyer for 70,000gns. The Sakhee's Secret three-year-old is a consistent type who has also won on the all-weather at Newcastle and Southwell and ran second to Orewa in the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Stakes.

Plans call for the colt to be shipped immediately to Singapore where he will be gelded. However, a trainer has yet to be confirmed.

Morning matters

The morning action was headed by another Rabbah Bloodstock purchase in Impala, an Oasis Dream half-sister to Grand Prix de Paris winner Zambezi Sun and Prix Guillaume d'Ornano winner Kalabar. The unraced three-year-old is one of 13 foals out of Imbabala, a Zafonic daughter of 1,000 Guineas third Interval.

Grassick and Johnny McKeever went head to head for the filly - but just as it looked as though Grassick had won the day, Manana entered the fray with a winning bid of 150,000gns.

“She’s been been bought by Saeed Manana to join the Rabbah Bloodstock broodmare band,” said Tate. “It’s a beautiful page and we look forward to finding a cover for her next year.”

Arab Spring off to Dubai

Arab Spring, the much-anticipated first lot through the Tattersalls ring from the Ballymacoll dispersal, is set to continue his career in Dubai after Rashid Bouresly for 100,000gns.

The son of Monsun - evidently quite a character judging by his behaviour on the sale grounds - has been a real stalwart of Sir Michael Stoute's yard in recent years, winning six races including the John Porter and September Stakes. He also descends from one of Ballymacoll's best families as a half-brother to Australian Group 1 winner Glass Harmonium and relation to Conduit.

"He'll race for the Bouresly Racing Syndicate and the Dubai Carnival is the big aim," said the trainer, who has a stable of 60 horses. "He'll have a rest and then we'll build him back up. And then he can become a stallion down the road."

Harbour sets sail for Hong Kong

Greg Chung of Linden Lodge Bloodstock, who signed for Majoris at 82,000gns during Thursday's session, entered the fray again on Friday when going to 105,000gns for Castle Harbour from the Clarehaven Stables draft.

The Kyllachy four-year-old won his first two races last season, including a 20-runner handicap at York, ran a creditable sixth behind Ribchester in last year's Jersey Stakes and came into the sale with a Racing Post Rating of 105.

"He's highly rated and for a four-year-old he hasn't got much mileage," said Chung. "He vetted good. He'll ship directly to Hong Kong with the others we bought."

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