'Havana Grey is a freak stallion' - 155,000gns filly sets temperatures rising at red-hot Tattersalls Somerville market

Bidders worked up a sweat during the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale on Tuesday, and it wasn’t just on account of the searing heat in Newmarket. Trade was strong throughout the marathon session and seven six-figure lots were headed by a daughter of red-hot stallion Havana Grey. 

Jono Mills lasted longer than most from his position behind the partition, but it was Matt Coleman who brought the gavel down when he pushed the price to 155,000gns from the opposite side of the packed gangway. The result continued a fine run of form for Havana Grey, who supplied his breakthrough Group 1 winner when Vandeek landed the Prix Morny.

Bred and offered by Havana Grey’s custodians at Whitsbury Manor Stud, the filly is the third foal out of Minoria, a half-sister to the Listed-winning sprinter Minalisa. The winning daughter of Harbour Watch has got her second career off to a promising start as her first foal is the Group 3-placed It's Showtime Baby. 

“I thought she was a lovely filly,” said Coleman. “Havana Grey is a freak stallion. I think he’s surpassed everyone’s expectations. She’s a fantastic mover. Anthony [Stroud, business partner] bought Vandeek and he has that wonderful flowing action that this filly has. I thought she was the standout filly of the sale and Whitsbury Manor obviously breed a lot of winners. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing her on the track next season. She’s for an existing owner with George Scott. We had two fillies on our radar today and we’re delighted to get her.” 

The filly is set to race for owner Charlie Rosier, whose horses all carry the Rascal name.

Havana Grey was responsible for three of the top ten lots on the day, with Amo Racing and Noel Wilson among those also keen to snap up one of his yearlings. Havana Grey’s 16 lots averaged 58,188gns, a figure that saw the stallion top the Somerville sires’ table. 

This year’s yearling crop was conceived at a fee of just £6,000, and Whitsbury Manor’s Ed Harper reflected on the good turn the stallion was doing for breeders who availed themselves of his services before he reached the height of fashion. 

“That’s the fascinating thing about our industry,” said Harper. “Things can change completely. The picture can either fire up or go completely down hill, and we’ve seen both sides of it at Whitsbury! 

“The most gratifying thing is seeing what it does for our clients who’ve bought nominations at an affordable level with, let’s face it, mares who are supposed to go to relatively lowly priced stallions, and now they’re getting well paid. That’s what keeps the small breeder going until they get the next hit with the next big stallion a couple of years down the line.” 

The rumour mill has also gone into overdrive in recent weeks with talk of offers being tabled to take Havana Grey away from Whitsbury Manor, but Harper had an unequivocal response when asked if his stallion was going anywhere. 

“No,” he said. “We live in a liquid world where offers happen for stallions. It’s no different now to how it was a year ago. Nothing’s changed.”

The third renewal of the Somerville saw the young sale take another step forward with new high marks set across the full range of market metrics. Aggregate sales were up 12 per cent year-on-year at 8,646,000gns, while the average rose by five per cent to 31,904gns. The median climbed by four points to 27,000gns, having been 26,000gns last year. The clearance rate was a rock solid 89 per cent as 271 sold from 305 yearlings offered.

'We were hoping he’d make a few quid’ - poignant pinhooking triumph sees Galiway colt fetch 145,000gns

A crowd of interested bidders followed Drumhill Stud’s Galiway colt into the ring midway through the Tattersalls Somerville Sale on Tuesday, but none proved more determined than Ross Doyle. The agent brought the hammer down at 145,000gns and consigned Highflyer Bloodstock’s Anthony Bromley to the role of frustrated underbidder. 

The Galiway colt in the Park Paddocks ring on TuesdayCredit: Alisha Meeder

There was a mixture of jubilation and high emotion in the aftermath as well-wishers rushed to congratulate Gary Dowling and Fearghal Hogan. The pair received a tidy dividend having pinhooked the youngster at €27,000 at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale last December. 

“We’re delighted with that,” said Dowling. “We got him in France and he’s always been a nice horse. Coming here we were hoping he’d make a few quid but you can only dream of it going to that level. 

"I’ve never had a horse with as much quality so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but he’s been absolutely flat out showing.” 

Expanding on why they brought the in-demand youngster to the Somerville, Dowling, a former Racing Post Bloodstock employee, continued: “He’s always been a very good physical, and obviously the stallion’s on fire and the mare’s two from two with two-year-old winners. We were hoping he might stand out and thankfully it paid off. Hopefully he’ll be a racehorse now.” 

Despite the family never buying big numbers or spending vast sums, the Dowling name has been attached to some notable performers, with Gary’s late father Sean having pinhooked top-class two-year-old Dutch Art and the Australian Group 1 winner December Draw. Tuesday’s result had added poignancy as it came five years since Sean’s passing. 

“I used to do this with my dad, it was actually his anniversary yesterday, so I think he might have given us a hand here today,” added an emotional Dowling. “It’s great, magic. This is what you do it for.” 

The colt is out of Golconde, a winning Modigliani sister to Group 3 Premio Primi Passi scorer Magritte. Haras de Colleville’s Galiway has been on a real roll of late, with Engaliwe and Rubis Vendome landing Group 3 prizes in France and Vauban booking his ticket to the Melbourne Cup with a commanding victory in the Ballyroan Stakes. 

“He’ll go to Richard Hannon,” said Doyle. “Richard saw him this morning and thought he was an absolute smasher, which we agreed with. Every time we saw him he did the exact same show. He looks an absolute dude of a horse and has been very well produced by Gary and Fearghal, who are good lads.

“The stallion is very capable of getting a good horse and I think he’s on the up and up in a big way. This is the first one I’ve bought but some good judges I speak to called Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins have been telling me for years that I need to buy as many as I can. That’s good enough for me.” 

Doyle added: “He’ll tell us when he’s ready and Richard will take his time with him, but it would be nice if he could rock up in a Chesham. That’s probably getting carried away, though.” 

Amo take aim

The purple colours of Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing will be seen aboard the Havana Grey filly out of Last Echo after Hamish Macauley signed for Culworth Grounds’ offering at 140,000gns. The homebred filly is a half-sister to Patrick Owens’ Superlative and Chesham Stakes third Oddyssey. 

“She’s been bought for Amo to go to George Boughey,” said Macauley after signing the docket. “Myself and George bought Kia a Havana Grey filly called Graceful Thunder, who won a Listed race in France a few weeks ago and was third in a Group 3 last time, so he’s been a lucky stallion for us. 

Hamish Macauley: taken by the Havana Grey filly out of Last EchoCredit: Alisha Meeder

“Myself and George have been around the complex and picked out three horses we wanted and she was top of the list. We brought Kia down to see her this morning and he was happy to give it a whirl. She cost a bit more than I thought she would but the stallion speaks for himself and she’s a lovely looking filly.” 

The filly is from the third crop of Whitsbury Manor Stud’s sire on fire, meaning she was bred at a fee of just £6,000. Havana Grey, who supplied a breakthrough Group 1 winner when Vandeek landed the Prix Morny, stood the most recent breeding season at £18,500. 

“The nice ones always cost more than you hope but Kia is a great supporter and he really wanted her,” added Macauley. “So did the underbidder, Brendan Holland of Grove Stud. When you take on someone like that then they’re always going to cost a few quid more.” 

Brown takes a swing at Showcasing colt

Richard Bown was another agent signing a six-figure docket when the Blandford Bloodstock man went to 115,000gns for Plantation Stud’s Showcasing colt.

The youngster is half-brother to two winners, most notably US stakes scorer Unanimous Consent, while the dam is a Fastnet Rock sibling to Lowther Stakes victress Silk Blossom and the dual Group 3-winning Mashoora. 

The Showcasing colt out of Fast Lily makes 115,000gnsCredit: Alisha Meeder

“I love the stallion, the mare’s already done it and I thought he was a superb individual,” said Brown. “Everyone says it but, for me, he was the nicest colt here. 

"He’s going to be trained by Karl Burke and I’ve bought him for Sheikh Juma, who’s had some luck with Showcasing. We had Swingalong with Karl so Sheikh Juma was keen to have a crack at this colt and luckily we got him.” 

Reflecting on the state of the market at the Somerville, Brown said: “There’s been some good results coming out of this sale and they’ve been rewarded with a huge crowd and trade seems very strong.”

St Lawrence has the answer for Questions sibling 

The George Scott-trained Seven Questions supplied his Mehmas half-brother with a handy update having finished third in the Ripon Champion Two-Year-Old Trophy on his latest outing. 

Oliver St Lawrence gave £58,000 for Seven Questions at last year’s Doncaster Premier Sale, and the success of that purchase ensured the agent had to go all the way to 110,000gns to secure the Mehmas half-brother when he was offered by Tally-Ho Stud.

The Mehmas colt out of Get Up And Dance signed for by Oliver St LawrenceCredit: Alisha Meeder

“He’s a nice horse and is a half-brother to Seven Questions,” said St Lawrence. “I don't know where he’s going to be trained, we will take him back and make a plan, but I’m sure George Scott would be interested!” 

Seven Questions carries the silks of Victorious Racing and Fawzi Nass. Seven Questions and his six-figure sibling are out of Get Up And Dance, a winning Makfi half-sister to Pearl Secret. The family goes back to crack sprinters like Palacegate Episode and Dutch Art.

The seventh and last six-figure lot came late in the piece when agent Barry Lynch combined with Joseph O’Brien to secure the Starspangledbanner sister to American Lady from Castledillon Stud at 105,000gns.

Mills pumped with Pinatubo colt

Jono Mills may have missed out on the sales-topping Havana Grey but he came out on top earlier in the day when he went to 95,000gns for Q Cross Stables’ Pinatubo colt. 

The youngster, a 34,000gns pinhook, is out of the Listed-placed Filona, a daughter of Motivator from the family of Falbrav who has bred four winners. The best of her brood is the smart sprinter Spoof, while another sibling, Filmet, picked up black type when third in a San Siro Listed contest. 

“I gave 34,000gns for him as a foal so any day you make a profit is a good day,” said consignor Luke Coen. “He’s been an auld gent to be fair, he takes it all in his stride.” 

While the vendor said his offering was sound of temperament, he said he finds watching the bidding unfold slightly more stressful. 

The Pinatubo colt out of Filona takes his turn in the ringCredit: Alisha Meeder

“I get a bit box-walky now,” he joked. “If I was a horse I’d have to be declared! It was grand though, I grabbed the rail and held on and waited for the hammer to drop!”

Rabbah man Mills confirmed himself a fan of first-crop sire Pinatubo, saying of his purchase: “He’s a sharp, racy, strong horse with lots to like about him. He’s from a decent family. The Pinatubos I’ve seen have been a lovely group of horses. Certainly the ones we have back on the farm are a very solid group. I’d give him every chance to be a stallion - he was a brilliant racehorse for Charlie Appleby and he’s covered some excellent mares.”

Facts and comment

At the conclusion of the sale, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said: “The Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale has established itself as an important fixture in the European yearling sale calendar in a remarkably short period of time. Only two years ago the turnover at the inaugural Somerville Yearling Sale was below five million gns, the average a fraction over 21,000gns and the median was 16,250gns. Today’s third edition of the Somerville has produced records across the board, with turnover above 8.5 million gns, an average well over 30,000gns and a median of 28,000gns.

“There is always a correlation between racecourse success and sale ring success and Somerville yearlings have enjoyed an extraordinary recent run with the likes of Bradsell, Indian Run and Relief Rally showcasing the sale to great effect on the home front and Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks winner Anisette providing the best possible advertisement across the Atlantic. 

"These outstanding results have clearly not gone unnoticed and Park Paddocks has been alive with activity over the past few days. Top British and Irish consignors have sent us some smart yearlings and their confidence in our newest yearling sale has been reflected in a sale of real depth, with a clearance rate approaching 90 per cent and the number of yearlings selling for more than 50,000gns and more than 100,000gns increasing significantly on last year’s impressive numbers."

Mahony went on: “The pinhookers have also enjoyed some spectacular returns on their investments and today’s robust trade has given us a positive start to the Tattersalls yearling sale season as we now look forward to Books 1 to 4 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and the unveiling of our newly renovated Somerville Yard, which is the latest major investment undertaken at Park Paddocks."

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