'He's the happiest horse on the planet!' - sire on fire continues to put smiles on buyers' faces with 320,000gns transaction

Another day, another session of Book 2 and another big result for Havana Grey. Whitsbury Manor Stud’s rising star sired the colt out of Hello Glory who fetched 320,000gns from Anthony Stroud on Wednesday, a little over 12 hours after the agent signed for the brother to Elite Status at 425,000gns on day two.

Tuesday's session-topper is set to follow in the footsteps of the sire’s Group 1-winning son Vandeek by heading into training with Simon and Ed Crisford, and Stroud confirmed this six-figure youngster would do the same.

“He’s just a very easy mover, he had a great flow,” said Stroud after a friendly debrief with underbidder Alex Elliott. “He’ll go to Simon and Ed Crisford, who have obviously done well with Havana Grey.

“I didn’t think he’d make quite that much, to be honest, but obviously people are very keen to get to a Havana Grey. The pedigree is there for all to see with this horse.”

The colt, who was bred in partnership by Whitsbury Manor and Heather Slade, is a sibling to three winners, while the dam was third in the Lowther Stakes during her time on the track. Hello Glory is a sibling to ten winners herself, including dual Listed winner Bibury Flyer and the Listed-placed Statesman. Another half-sister is the granddam of Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lezoo, who is due to be offered at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale.

Reflecting on trade at Book 2, Stroud said: “I think it’s been good. The average and median have held up and the clearance rate is good, and the sales company have done well to finish so early each day given how many horses are being sold. There seems to be a bit of a buzz.

“To me it seems as though there’s a ceiling to the prices, we’re not seeing some of the figures we’ve seen in previous years, but I guess that’s understandable under the current climate.”

Whitsbury Manor's Ed Harper also shared his reflections on the transaction, saying: “It’s always difficult when your nicest horse in the sale is the last horse you’re selling on the last day. You’re waiting and waiting and waiting, and they can drag interest away from other horses because everyone focuses on the superstar and it can be difficult to point them in any other direction.

“It’s a great result though and I really appreciate Anthony Stroud and Simon Crisford being so keen on Havana Grey. It’s for obvious reason with Vandeek, but to keep going and trying to get the next one is fantastic, and we really appreciate that.”

How far Havana Grey’s fee will rise ahead of the 2024 breeding season has been a subject of much debate on the sales ground, though Harper said such decisions were still to be discussed in depth.

“I’m getting a lot of advice!” he joked. “I’m trying to keep smiling, although I do appreciate the advice. We’ve tried to train ourselves to make these decisions after Book 3 because you can get a dose of reality on where the market is there. It’s definitely an experience though. He’s just a phenomenon.”

Asked for his view on what makes Havana Grey such a source of talented runners, Harper immediately pointed to the Group 1-winning sprinter’s sunny disposition.

“Havana Grey loves life,” he said. “He loved being a racehorse and now he loves being a stallion. He’s just the happiest horse on the planet, except when he’s disturbed from his feed bowl!

“His yearlings and his foals are the same. When you put their feed down, you leave them alone until they’ve finished.”

He added: “They’re very easy to train, and that’s a big thing. Sadly trainers can’t just have three lots a day any more because of the staffing situation. Horses need to be easy to train nowadays and the Havana Greys are.”

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