'He needs to win a Group 1 now' - record-breaking Harry Angel colt heads fierce Goffs UK Breeze-Up market at £500,000

Trade was so fierce at the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale in Doncaster on Tuesday that it seemed only fitting that a breathless session of selling should conclude with a record-breaking top lot. 

The auditorium filled as Tally-Ho Stud’s Harry Angel colt entered the ring, with plenty of onlookers having heard the whispers about the highly touted youngster. An opening bid of £200,000 duly suggested big things were afoot. 

Among the crowd were trainer Michael O’Callaghan, standing in his usual position by the ringside, and Kia Joorabchian, head of the in-form Amo Racing team, who huddled on the opposite side of the gangway. 

After the two camps squared up deep into six-figure territory it was O’Callaghan who sealed the deal with a nod of the head indicating a bid of £500,000, the biggest figure ever paid for a Flat horse in Doncaster. That sum surpasses the previous best for this sale, with the Group 3-winning Al Raya having fetched £450,000 in 2019. 

This colt’s family is no stranger to success in the Doncaster ring as he is out of Go Angellica, a Listed-winning sibling to the US stakes winner Bredenbury and My Lucky Liz, dam of O’Callaghan’s Twilight Jet, who jointly topped the 2021 renewal of this sale at £210,000 before going on to win Group 3s at two and three. 

“He’s the best horse here, and by a long way,” said O’Callaghan. “We’ve been extremely lucky with the vendor and he’s from the same family as Twilight Jet, who’s been a very good horse for us. If there’s one from the sale I didn’t want to leave without, it was him.” 

Michael O'Callaghan signing for the Harry Angel colt out of Go Angellica for £500,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

On the record-breaking price, O’Callaghan said: “I thought trade was very strong all day so we were keeping our powder dry for that lad. We had to pay more than we thought we’d have to but when you think one is the real deal you have to pull it out. He needs to win a Group 1 now! 

“This is a horse who may potentially be traded down the line but he has to go and do it now. If he reaches a high level by the middle of the summer, then who knows? He’s ready to go anyway. Hopefully we’ll be getting the top hat out.” 

A buoyant market meant there was plenty of pinhooking profit to be had, but few successes had been as long in the making as this colt as he was sourced by the Tally-Ho team at the 2021 Goffs November Foal Sale, where he cost €38,000. 

Roger O’Callaghan, no relation to the buyer, reflected on the sale by saying: “A class horse, always was. When we bought him, the plan was to breeze him. It’s worked out beyond our expectations. He was always natural; he’s got an unbelievable temperament, he was a very simple horse to breeze. When you asked him he delivered, and when you didn’t he didn’t.” 

When asked about the market, the consignor added: “I had no expectations but it’s been a very good sale. Fair dues to Donny, they got it right. It’s been a good day at the office.” 

Roger O'Callaghan and the Tally-Ho Stud team enjoyed 'a good day at the office'Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

Tally-Ho topped the consignors’ chart with a dozen juveniles sold for receipts totalling £1,340,000 - 13 per cent of turnover. 

The session concluded with aggregate sales of £10,006,500, a huge increase of 54 per cent, particularly considering the number of lots offered was up by only 26 (16 per cent). The average was up 29 per cent at £63,330, while the median rose by 11 points to £40,000. The depth of the market was underlined by a remarkably solid clearance of 86 per cent as 158 two-year-olds found a buyer. 

Tradewinds team left breathless 

Given the intensity of trade there were plenty of pinhookers thrilled with their day’s work, but the Tradewinds Stud team were left veritably gobsmacked when their daughter of Twilight Son brought £360,000. 

The filly, whose value appreciated markedly from her pinhook price of 30,000gns, will carry the familiar yellow colours of Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum having been knocked down to Richard Brown, whose past Doncaster breeze-up buys include the owner’s three-time Group 1 winner Perfect Power. 

From a long way out the bidding concerned Brown, stationed in Blandford Bloodstock’s ringside office, and Conrad Allen, positioned in the left bidders’ area opposite the rostrum. At £230,000 it seemed as though Allen had matters sewn up, until a shout rang around the ring as Brown upped the ante a further £10,000. The to-ing and fro-ing continued well beyond the £300,000 mark, until a much more subtle nod from Brown signalled the winning increase. 

“She did an exceptionally quick breeze,” said Brown. “We bought a filly off Shane [Power, consignor] called Bright Diamond at Goresbridge last year, she won her maiden at Newmarket by nine lengths and then was third in the Fillies’ Mile, so we’ve had luck buying from Tradewinds. 

“This filly did do a blitz breeze. I’ve often said that if you buy only the fastest breezers you’ll do very badly, but she was very fast.

“Sheikh Rashid was very determined to have her, although I have to say that was significantly more than we were expecting to pay. She’s done a phenomenal breeze so let’s hope she’s as good on the racecourse as she was yesterday. She was the fastest in the breeze, which means she beat all the colts, so that’s a very good performance. I’d imagine she’s going to be pointed towards Ascot. I’m delighted to have got her, but that was a bit of a battle. This market is phenomenal and the top end is very strong.” 

The Twilight Son filly out of Babylon Lane in the Goffs UK ringCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

Power, who runs the Kildare-based operation with his brother Alex, was so stunned by the transaction he joked he needed to sit down before addressing the assembled media. After a couple of minutes to digest the result, he said: “I could have done with a bit of oxygen there! You can’t expect that kind of price, although when you do a breeze like she did you’re hopeful of a good result. 

“All day you’re hoping the right guys are going to pitch up and then it seems like no-one is going to, but just as I went into the ring I could see everyone was there.” 

The filly is the second foal out of the once-raced Babylon Lane, a daughter of Lethal Force whose siblings include the Windsor Castle Stakes runner-up Sabre and Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy third Wave Aside. 

Explaining the filly’s appeal at the Tattersalls Somerville Sale, Power said: “I just thought she was a nice individual. We wouldn’t focus as much on the stallion as others, we just try to buy a nice individual. She’s very athletic, very light on her feet, and looked like she’d be nice and early. 

“I have to say a special mention to Gordon ‘Flash’ Power, no relation, as he rode her in the breeze and there were some long, cold, wet days when he was riding her up the Curragh this winter, so a lot of hard work goes into it.” 

Earlier in the session Brown went to £195,000 for a Flatter colt offered by last year’s sales-topping consignor Bushypark Stables, who picked the youngster up for $25,000 at Keeneland in September. 

“He’s for my syndicate, the Never Say Die Partnership,” said Brown. “Not that any of the shareholders know yet! David Simcock will train him.” 

Holland’s homebred Starspangledbanner brings £350,000

Having secured the joint 625,000gns top lots at last week’s Craven Sale, Anthony Stroud picked up where he left off in Newmarket with the £350,000 acquisition of a Starspangledbanner filly from Grove Stud made on behalf of Bahraini interests. 

“She breezed well but she’s not an immediate type of two-year-old, I think she’ll be better over seven furlongs,” said Stroud. “She comes from Brendan Holland, who does a terrific job. She looks all New Approach [filly’s broodmare sire] and I think she’s a horse with a future.” 

The Starspangledbanner filly out of Sulaalaat who made £350,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

While the vast majority of Holland’s sales ring successes are pinhooks, he bred this filly in partnership with David Spratt after the mare, Sulaalaat, was purchased from the Shadwell draft at the 2017 Tattersalls July Sale at a cost of 36,000gns. The filly was entered in last year’s October Yearling Sale but was withdrawn. 

Explaining how he came to breeze the homebred youngster, Holland said: “I bred this filly but unfortunately she got sick, all my horses did at the time, so she missed Book 3. I re-presented two of them but kept this one. I loved her all the way through, she’s got lovely balance and movement, and I wanted to bring something nice here. 

“In hindsight it came too early for her but she still produced on the day because she’s got loads of quality. It’s a great result and it’s nice to sell such a good filly to Anthony.” 

He continued: “I don’t breed much anyway but I can’t think that I’ve ever breezed a homebred before. Nearly everything I sell I buy and I’ve only got a share in four mares. Shadwell sold the mare and while she didn’t have a strong pedigree up close, she herself did some really good speed figures when she was running. She was a little bit inconsistent but she could really run, she had a lot of speed for a New Approach and that’s the reason I bought her.” 

Stroud reflected on the strength of the Doncaster market, saying: “There’s lots of middle, which is very encouraging, and I’m sure the clearance rate is good, it certainly feels like it. Last week one felt it was very selective and I questioned whether you could have this amount of breeze-up horses and if there were enough clients, but I think today has really underlined that things are going in the right direction. 

Anthony Stroud in action at Goffs UK on TuesdayCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

“Of course [a strong market] makes buying more difficult, but you want the best for the industry. These guys work so hard and it’s such a difficult job preparing a horse for a breeze-up, so while you want to buy them at the right price, it’s important that everyone gets rewarded for their efforts.” 

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock was the sale’s second-biggest spender with three lots sourced at an outlay of £710,000. The Starspangledbanner filly was joined by a £210,000 son of Sioux Nation and a well-bred daughter of No Nay Never at £150,000, both consigned by Mocklershill. 

Breeding potential for Bermuda’s latest buy

Jake Warren was involved in the bidding on several of the more in-demand lots and proved the most determined to land Longways Stables’ Dark Angel filly with a bid of £340,000. She is out of Dubai Power, a winning half-sister to the Listed-placed Power Of Light, better known as the dam of May Hill scorer and Fillies’ Mile runner-up Powerful Breeze. 

“She’s just a beautiful filly,” said Warren. “She’s by a top sire and I love the pedigree; I’ve bought her for Bermuda Racing, whose model is to breed from the stock they buy. We bought Queen Of Bermuda, who won the Firth of Clyde Stakes, and Spirit Of Bermuda, who was a black-type filly in America, and a good filly by No Nay Never called Pink Sands, who beat the Lowther winner Living In The Past. 

“We’re breeding from them all now. This filly’s pedigree is the sort of thing that suits us because the half-sister has already produced a top-class horse. The way she breezed was phenomenal. She did everything right and she’s very quick. Married with that, she’s a beautiful looker too. She’ll be a lovely filly to race and hopefully a good broodmare further down the line.” 

The Dark Angel filly out of Dubai Power strides past the rostrumCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

Mick and Sarah Murphy’s Longways operation was the second-highest grossing consignor with seven lots sold for £904,000. This filly netted her vendor a chunky bit of pinhooking profit having been picked up privately at Arqana for €52,500. 

“We’re very happy,” said Mick Murphy. “She’s been a queen from the day we got her. Her and the Zoustar filly we sold last week [to Durcan Bloodstock for 210,000gns] have been a little different from any other we’ve had so far. I didn’t know what she'd make but I was hoping for a good price and she most definitely did that. We’re having a great season.” 

Blue Point colt heads £220,000 brace 

A brace of early lots brought £220,000 in quick succession, led by the Blue Point colt out of Miss Fay who was signed for by Arthur Dobell of Oliver St Lawrence Bloodstock, who stood with trainer Roger Varian. The youngster provided Katie Walsh with a fine pinhooking return after the Greenhills Farm consignor picked the colt up for 42,000gns at Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale. 

The transaction continued a productive few days for Blue Point, who supplied one of the joint 625,000gns Craven Sale-toppers and on Tuesday had his fifth winner on the track when Sir Bolton was promoted to first on his debut at Yarmouth. 

“He’s always been very straightforward,” said Walsh. “I bought him from Tatts and everything has just clicked with him. The sire’s on fire, everyone’s quite aware of that, and they just seem so consistent as all they want to do is go forward. 

“He’s been extremely straightforward; it seems like all the Blue Points have been, from the breeze-up horses to the runners on the track, they all seem to be consistent - and you can’t beat consistency. I wish I had a few more like him! I’m over the moon as it’s fantastic money and it’s days like this that we do it for. I’m not sorry I’m not in Punchestown today anyway!” 

Just four lots later Richard Ryan was the second buyer to go to £220,000 when the day’s leading consignor Tally-Ho Stud presented the Oasis Dream colt out of dual Italian Listed winner Mujadil Lachy. The dam’s racing career was not the only thing to take place in Italy as the colt, already named Milanocity, was sourced as a yearling by Valfredo Valiani for €75,000 at the SGA September Sale in Milan. 

“He’ll go into training with Paddy Twomey for Teme Valley Racing,” said Ryan. “He’s got a lot of quality about him and he’s not just a five-furlong horse, he’s one for this year and next year. He’s solid, strong and has a nice action. It wasn’t over aggressive from the rider in his breeze, everything was done right.” 

Apple of Barberini’s eye

The first of ten lots to hit the £200,000 mark also hailed from the Tally-Ho Stud draft when Federico Barberini got the better of Owen Burrows and Michael O’Callaghan for the Kodiac colt out of Luminous Gold, who hails from the family of Alcohol Free. The Tally-Ho homebred was making his first appearance at public auction having missed his appointment at last year’s Premier Sale. 

The Kodiac colt out of Luminous Gold who fetched £200,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

“He’s been bought for Paul Dunkley of Apple Tree Stud,” said Barberini. “We tried to buy in Newmarket last week but we kind of got blown away in that market. We probably wanted to pay a little bit less for this horse too, but that’s what the market says you have to pay. 

“He ticks all the boxes though; he’s a lovely individual by a proven sire, breezed very well and is a beautiful horse. If you believe in the clock, he did a very good time, he did some nice figures, and we don’t think he’ll take that long.” 

A short while later Ali Majeed, bidding on behalf of Sheikh Sultan’s Al Mohamediya Racing, outlasted Jake Warren when a bid of £200,000 secured the Havana Grey colt out of Music Pearl from Knockanglass Stables. The youngster was pinhooked as a yearling by Kilronan Stud for £27,000. 

“This is a horse we’ve bought to go into training with Alice Haynes,” said Majeed. “The horse is by Havana Grey and did a very good breeze. He looks high class and we’ll aim to send him to Royal Ascot. This is the first horse we have sent to Alice and he will race for Al Mohamediya Racing.” 

Read this next:

Sheila Lavery delight at homebred Cork triumph