'He walked around the sales ring like he owned it' - Fellowes takes a shine to 350,000gns Wootton Bassett colt

Charlie Fellowes is dreaming of Epsom in 2025 after going to 350,000gns for a regally bred son of Wootton Bassett during day two of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

The dam ran only twice but she certainly has Classic blood coursing through her veins as she is a Galileo half-sister to Derby hero Pour Moi, as well as being a full-sister to the Listed-winning Kissed and the Group 3 scorer Dawn Patrol. 

There is plenty going on beneath the second dam too as another of Beluga’s siblings, dual Group 3 winner and Prix de Diane runner-up Gagnoa, bred Ancient Rome, who won Group/Grade 3 contests on either side of the Atlantic and also finished second to Angel Bleu in the Criterium International. Another sibling, the unraced White Hot, is the dam of Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca.

The eyecatching first foal was bred by Georg von Opel’s Westerberg operation and consigned by WH Bloodstock.

“I loved the way he showed and I thought he looked like an absolute pro,” said Fellowes, who secured the colt with Will Douglass of Charlie Gordon Watson Bloodstock. 

“Wootton Bassett is a phenomenal stallion and he’s out of a Galileo mare too. The owner [Paul Hickman] is really into his pedigrees and we really wanted a ten- or 12-furlong horse, with the Derby being the dream. With this fella’s pedigree, we’ve got that. Whether there’s an engine under the bonnet, we’ll see. 

"I loved him even more once he got to the ring, though. Sometimes you can go off them if they misbehave with so much happening up here, but he walked around the sales ring like he owned it.” 

The Wootton Bassett yearling was the second purchase Fellowes and Douglass have made on Hickman’s behalf, having also sourced the Frankel colt out of Musidora winner Give And Take for 250,000gns during Book 1. 

Charlie Fellowes: got in on the act in a big way on TuesdayCredit: Laura Green

The big-money brace represented a change of fortune for the Fellowes and Douglass axis as the pair have played the role of frustrated underbidder on a number of occasions throughout the yearling sales season. While Fellowes acknowledged the privilege that comes with such support, he explained that filling such a big order is not without its pressure. 

“When you have that kind of money and you’re buying only one or two, it’s a really hard order to fill because there’s no wriggle room, you have to get it right," said Fellowes. 

"We had to be really picky, but in this instance I’m over the moon with the horse we’ve got. I went back and looked at some of the others we bid on, and I felt this fella was as good, if not better, than some of those. I’m relieved I’ve got him but the pressure is always on.” 

The trainer also reflected on how influential the sales season can be, saying: “It’s a really important time of year because, at the end of the day, if you’re not buying the right horses then you’re not going to train good winners. 

"I’ve always said that I want to have horses in the yard that compete at the top level and we always try to buy quality where possible. We’re selling a lot of horses at the horses-in-training sale, and a lot of nice horses too, and we have a lovely bunch of two-year-olds, but you have to keep the good horses coming in.” 

Wootton Bassett was also represented by the colt out of You Look So Good from Stringston Farm who fetched an online bid of 260,000gns from BBA Ireland. 

The colt boasted one of the session’s biggest updates as not only is he a half-brother to Group/Grade 3 scorer Treasuring but his other sibling Melo Melo, catalogued as a Listed winner, landed the Group 2 Prix de Pomone in mid-August.

Read more from Tattersalls

Dubawi filly overcomes mishap to top first session of Book 2

'Sheikha Hissa seemed determined to buy her' - Shadwell swoop for 1,600,000gns Frankel filly 

'It's absolutely epic and also a little bit scary' - Charlie Sipos takes the lead for 2,000,000gns Frankel colt 

Coolmore and Godolphin renew Tattersalls rivalry as blue-blooded Frankel colt fetches 2,000,000gns