'He's just the type we're looking for' - Nicholls and Malone strike for 85,000gns Midnight Lion at Summer Sale

One of the biggest names in National Hunt racing managed to stem a flow of mostly Middle-Eastern buyers at Tuesday’s Tattersalls Summer Sale, as the 85,000gns Midnight Lion topped the event for the combination of 14-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls and agent Tom Malone.

A major attraction of Charlie Johnston’s three-year-old son of Nathaniel was that he boasted a recent win over a mile and three-quarters at Goodwood. The cherry on top was that he was a half-brother to Eradicate, the only back-to-back winner of the Swinton Hurdle and also successful a couple of times over fences for Nicky Henderson. 

Bloodstock agent Jerry McGrath was among the interested onlookers in Midnight Lion, having steered Eradicate to the second of those Haydock strikes when claiming 7lb in 2011, but it was Malone’s assistant Nick Taylor who had the final word.

"We’d had our eye on him, he was the clear pick of the day of the horses to go jumping," said Taylor.

"He’s for Paul Nicholls. We saw him in the yard and then we liked him even more. Nathaniel is a big plus to go jumping, he has a lovely soft-ground action and is just the type of horse we're looking for. 

"He has the size and Charlie was very positive about him. He stays, and there's a good hurdler in the pedigree too. We just need to be a bit lucky now!"

Taylor also acted on Malone's behalf for Sean Curran's prolific handicapper Letmelivemylife, who made 35,000gns. Malone explained by phone: "He's been bought for Charlie Pike, currently assistant to trainer Barry Brennan, who is going to train himself."

Melody heading south

Midnight Lion’s price was enough to knock members of the William Haggas and Rabbah Bloodstock draft from the first two spots in the pile. Chief among those was Laafi, the Nottingham maiden winner who was fourth to Military Order in this year’s Lingfield Derby Trial. The highest bid for him was received online by Stephensen Bloodstock at 72,000gns

A handy recent update helped Laafi’s stablemate Timeless Melody to secure a future breeding career in Normandy and a 42,000gns price tag.

The Godolphin-bred four-year-old had won a 7f novice at Leicester in the spring for Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum and is out of the winning Dubawi mare Dufay, a daughter of the Fillies’ Mile winner White Moonstone.

Timeless Melody is heading for a breeding career in FranceCredit: Alisha Meeder

She was knocked down to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, whose on-hand representative Matt Coleman explained: "She’s been bought for Jedburgh Stud in France [run by Alec Waugh]. They’ve had a lot of luck with Teofilo mares and if you look further back she’s out of a Dubawi mare out of a Dynaformer mare, so three lovely broodmare sires.

"There was a bit happening on the page, White Moonstone got some black type the other day with Bridestones, who is by Teofilo and was third in a Listed race at Sandown; hopefully she’ll win a stakes race before the end of the season.

"I think they’re going to take a look at her and think about if they run again in the autumn. She's won on softer ground but has been bought as a broodmare and I'd imagine she’ll be covered next year."

Grist for Mills

These have been an eventful few months for all-round horseman Robbie Mills, who was just about the busiest man on the ground with interests on both sides of the rail.

As an agent under his RMM Bloodstock banner, Mills’ phone was almost glued to his ear as he carried out buying business for Qatar. Among five purchases totalling 58,500gns was the 18,000gns Rogue Fox, a son of Kodiac who had shown some ability in a couple of starts for Tom Clover.  

Mills said: "He’s off to Doha, I’ve been buying for a few clients over there and he looked a solid sort of horse; he can run around a bend and physically he'll suit the races they have there.

Consignor and agent Robbie Mills is moving to a new base in ExningCredit: Alisha Meeder

"I’ve actually had a bit of luck buying for Qatar. I bought Taxiwala [second to Flaming Rib in this year’s Dukhan Sprint] for Osama Omer Al-Dafea at a sale here a few years ago for 10,000gns and he’s won something like $1.6 million out there now, while Conflict has won the Guineas and finished fourth in the Derby."

Mills, a former rider who had a long stint working in America, has had a spell to celebrate with the small breeze-up business he has built in Newmarket over the last seven or eight years.

It had a phenomenal touch with Naomi Lapaglia, the half-sister to Clover’s Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner Rogue Millennium, who was found as a yearling for just 2,000gns and sold on to Phil Cunningham and Ed Babington at last year’s Guineas Sale. The Awtaad filly’s appearance in the 1,000 Guineas itself proved over-ambitious but she was back in the winning spirit at the July meeting.

Mills also turned seller by helping out his client Lorenzo Atzori achieve 28,000gns for Lady Of Sardinia, who was back in the ring less than 24 hours after winning her first race at Windsor for Stuart Williams. Mills had breezed her but she failed to attract enough interest and this extension of her profile had impressed Debbie Mountain, on behalf of owner Hassan Al Abdulmalik.

"This was the first year we’ve been consigning horses in training," added Mills.

"We’re actually moving on to a place on the Exning Estate, Rose Hall Farm, in a couple of months as we’re really trying to build-up the pre-training and breeze-up business. We've put in some new facilities and it’s got 30 acres so it should be a great place to give it a go."

Tuesday's event drew interest from jurisdictions around the worldCredit: Alisha Meeder

Mountain, a recognisable face from the scene training in Qatar, said of her purchase: "They've improved the two-year-old programme in Qatar, it was something we wanted because the trade for three-year-olds is so strong. 

"I watched her race but she was on my radar anyway. There should be plenty of early races over about six furlongs that should suit her."

Those were among quite a few heading for the expanding Qatar jurisdiction, which included Armando Duarte's successful 23,000gns bid on Prodigious Blue, the winner of a 0-70 at Newcastle in May for Nigel Tinkler on behalf of trainer Ibrahim Al-Malki. 

It helped the sale tick along at the rough sort of level it might have done at its former home at Ascot. All told, 77 of the 96 lots sold, for a clearance rate of 80 per cent and a total of 778,200gns. The median was 5,000gns and the average 10,106gns.

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