'This colt has a proper pedigree' - Juddmonte outbattle Godolphin as they spend big on Book 1 final day

Juddmonte were quick out of the blocks on Thursday morning as the operation went to 1.05 million guineas for just the fifth lot into the ring on the final day of Book 1. That decisive 50,000gns raise saw Godolphin consigned to the unfamiliar role of underbidder. 

The youngster in question was the Night Of Thunder colt out of the stakes-winning Encosta De Lago mare Qushchi, who was bred by St Albans Bloodstock and sold through Newsells Park Stud. 

The purchase was Juddmonte’s second of the week, and the second by Night Of Thunder to boot. 

• Book 1 live blog: follow all the action as it happened

“I think it’s probably a coincidence they’re both by Night Of Thunder but, at the end of the day, he’s had a fantastic season,” said the operation’s general manager Simon Mockridge. “The quality of mare he’s been covering over the last few years has got better and better. He’s a sire on the rise and a sire we need to pay attention to. 

“When you’re in there and you have a yearling with sire power, mare power, and there’s some very wealthy owners standing outside, these horses are costing an awful lot of money in that cauldron.”

The colt is a sibling to three winners, including the Grade 2-winning and Grade 1-placed Mrs Sippy and Phantom Flight, whose seven victories include two Listed scores. The latest of those came last time out when the six-year-old won the Diamond Stakes at Dundalk for George Scott and Victorious Forever. The pedigree traces back to famous names like Grand Lodge. 

“This colt has a proper pedigree,” Mockridge continued. “A lot of people probably aren’t going to remember some of the horses down the bottom of the page, but there are some very good names in there. Night Of Thunder can do no wrong; he’s had 13 Group winners this year, four Group 1 winners. He's had an exceptional season. This was an incredibly good-looking horse too. He was very well presented by the Newsells team.” 

Although Juddmonte are far from the most prolific purchaser at public auction, their select buying missions have yielded some big results. Chaldean, who now stands at Banstead Manor Stud after winning the Dewhurst and 2,000 Guineas, was picked up from the December Foal Sales at a cost of 550,000gns, while this year’s Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes hero Field Of Gold was added to the team at €530,000 at Goffs’ November Foal Sale.

Newsells Park Stud's Night Of Thunder colt sells to Juddmonte for 1.05 million guineas at Book 1 on ThursdayCredit: Laura Green

“Over the last few years we’ve bought a handful of horses at auction,” added Mockridge. “It depends what we’re doing; sometimes it’s yearlings, sometimes it's foal. We’re very specialised in what we’re looking for, and these two horses [from Book 1] have to come back and fit into what I would call the top ten per cent of the homebred yearlings at home. If they can’t do that, there’s no point in buying them.”

The Juddmonte buying team were back in business at the other end of the session, outpointing David Redvers at 1.5 million guineas for the Frankel filly out of Group 3 Pride Stakes winner Ville De Grace. The dam, a daughter of Le Havre, was bred and raced by Hunscote Stud and Chris Humber before being sold to Lordship Stud for 2 million guineas in 2022. The Frankel filly, the mare’s first foal, was presented by Watership Down Stud. 

Mockridge gave a dejected shake of the head with the bidding at 1.45 million guineas, but mustered one final play just before the gavel fell. 

“The [Abdullah] family wanted to have one more go, and that was the end of it,” said Mockridge. “We went in there with a figure in mind and we’d reached that limit, but the family were happy to have one more go. It’s an outcross family, which is very important to Frankel. She’s a beautiful filly, a great action to her. Let’s hope she’s lucky.”

That third purchase took Juddmonte's Book 1 spend to 3.55 million guineas.

More from Book 1:

'This is my best day in the sales ring, it’s very emotional' - a new high for Luca Cumani as Frankel colt fetches 2,200,000gns 

‘Give me a Gold Cup anytime!’ - Amo Racing move for Gigginstown House-bred Night Of Thunder colt at 1,700,000gns 

'It’s life-changing' - pinhookers in clover as 800,000gns trades bring massive Book 1 profits 

Racing Post+ Ultimate subscribers can get a fantastic mix of news, tips, comment and insight sent straight to their inbox every day, from Chris Cook's award-winning morning newsletter The Front Runner every weekday at 7.30am to different weekly emails from the likes of Tom Segal, Paul Kealy and Lee Mottershead every evening at 6pm every evening as part of The Ultimate Daily. Head here now