'It's everything we dreamed of and more' - memorable Tattersalls debut as Imperium Sales draft generates 2,040,000gns

A whirlwind few days for Alex Elliott continued at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale as the prominent bloodstock agent switched roles to present the debut draft from Imperium Sales.

On Saturday Elliott saw his $200,000 yearling purchase King Of Steel come with a sustained surge to land the Group 1 Champion Stakes, and the Imperium Sales offerings produced a similarly irresistible proposition as by the close of trading on Tuesday the rookie consignor’s name was on top of the leading vendors’ table. 

Imperium Sales sold ten lots for an aggregate of 2,040,000gns during the first two sessions, with the group headed by the Autumn Horses in Training Sale market leader Balance Play, who sold to the McKeever Bloodstock, Waterhouse and Bott axis for 575,000gns. 

Balance Play was a 280,000gns yearling and developed into a highly progressive three-time winner for Valmont and Ralph Beckett. He was not the only notable talent Imperium sold on the night as the 110-rated He’s A Monster, a €160,000 yearling and five-time winner for Archie Watson and Lone Star Investments, fetched 450,000gns from Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock, while the same buyer went to 300,000gns for Just Bring It, a three-time winner for Clive Cox in the colours of Atlantic Equine having been sourced at Book 2 for 130,000gns. 

Balance Play topped the Imperium Sales draft when selling to the McKeever Bloodstock, Waterhouse and Bott axis for 575,000gnsCredit: Laura Green

Brown was not the only buyer to double dip into the Imperium draft as McKeever, Waterhouse and Bott also went to 280,000gns for Bear On The Loose, a €100,000 yearling who carried the KB Thoroughbred colours to three victories for Kevin Philippart de Foy. 

Elliott declared himself “overwhelmed” after watching his draft light up the famous Park Paddocks ring. Although he personally sourced the horses as yearlings himself, he was quick to heap praise on the Imperium Sales team, particularly his assistant Lucy Ryan. 

“I’m very proud of the horses and of the job that all the team have done,” he said. “I’m a bit overwhelmed actually. This is our first time consigning and several weeks ago I said to Lucy we’re going to do this and she just said ‘okay’ and has never batted an eyelid. 

"Through all the yearling sales she put a team together of phenomenal horse people and I can’t explain what a wonderful job they’ve all done.” 

Elliott recently signed for 45 yearlings for a range of clients at a combined 8,508,000gns during Books 1 and 2 of the October Yearling Sale. However, he said coming to Park Paddocks as a vendor rather than a buyer was not necessarily a completely new experience, even if having his own banner to operate under brought its own pressures. 

“I trade a lot of horses myself but to stand up here and put a brand out there is a big deal,” he said. “Hopefully it’s something we’re going to continue to do as we’re buying a lot of yearlings. 

"We sold some serious horses tonight and I hope they do even better for their new owners than they did for us. And they’ve done us a great service so I’m very sad to see them go. We’re actually going to retain a share in Balance Play because we loved him so much.” 

He continued: “I’m a bit overcome by how well everything has been received. I’m very grateful to the owners that went through with it and hopefully we’ve got a little bit back for the clients from the yearling sales. I just want to say thank you to the buyers, the people who looked at our horses, my clients, the trainers, because the horses turned up looking immaculate, and the vets who worked with us. 

Just Bring It: three-time winner for Clive Cox sold to Blandford Bloodstock for 300,000gnsCredit: Laura Green

“It’s everything we dreamed of and more, and I came here with big expectations. For all the horses to jump through all the hoops is unreal. I was expecting various things to go wrong, but thankfully they haven’t.”

Elliott not only sourced these horses as yearlings before reoffering them as three-year-olds, but he has been involved in their management throughout their careers too. He said branching out into consigning felt like the logical step in the development of his business. 

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a number of years and this just felt like the right moment because the product was there, and you’ve got to have the product,” he said. “We were very confident that we had some serious horses and we just hope they go on and do well for new connections. 

“We set out when we bought these horses as yearlings that if they weren’t what we needed them to be, which in fairness Balance Play could be, then by the end of their three-year-old career we’d try to move them on. 

"Ralph Beckett and I started a partnership called Lucra with fifty-grand horses who we traded. A few clients saw it and jumped on board and this is the same principle. I’m looking for horses like King Of Steel ideally but they don’t really exist, they’re like hen’s teeth so we have to keep it moving.” 

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'He could be anything' - progressive Balance Play sells for 575,000gns during frenetic Autumn Horses in Training Sale session 

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