'I’ve waited three days for this horse!' - Group winner Aemilianus heading to Qatar after 250,000gns Tattersalls purchase

With the headline drafts of highly rated runners out of the way, trade was, for the most part, much more routine on day four of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale. That was until Aemilianus took to the Park Paddocks ring early in the session. 

Consigned by Barton Sales, the four-year-old’s form stuck out like a sore thumb among Thursday’s offerings as the son of Holy Roman Emperor claimed the 2022 running of the Grosser Preis der Landeshauptstadt for trainer Markus Klug and jockey Andrasch Starke. 

That was one of three victories registered by Gestut Schlenderhan’s homebred, who added an additional piece of black type form to his profile when staying on into third behind Brave Emperor in this year’s renewal of the Dusseldorf Group 3 last time out. 

When the hammer fell at 250,000gns the docket headed in the direction of Will Douglass of Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock and Autumn Horses in Training Sale regular Gassim Ghazali. The leading Qatari trainer explained that the strong representation of buyers from the Gulf region had made for a challenging week on the buying front. 

Gassim Ghazali: "Today I was determined to buy this horse so I hope he will run some good races in Qatar"Credit: Alisha Meeder

“I’ve waited three days for this horse!” said Ghazali. “Some quality horses have been through this sale this week but between Wathnan Racing and Najd Stud, I can’t buy those. 

"Today I was determined to buy this horse so I hope he will run some good races in Qatar. The pedigree is good and I like the individual. I like Holy Roman Emperor, his progeny seem to like the quick ground in Qatar, and I have won the Qatar Derby with his sons Emperor Maximus last year and Roman Legend before that.”

Aemilianus is out of the Galileo mare Assisi, making him a sibling to five winners. These include Alson, who defeated Armory in a match for the Group 1 Criterium International, and the German 2,000 Guineas scorer Ancient Spirit. 

Ghazali said that Aemilianus’s background in Germany made him a slightly different proposition to his usual purchases, although he added he has enjoyed some notable results when he has bought out of Germany before. 

“For me it isn’t easy to assess how he will adapt to Qatar because he has been running in Germany,” said the trainer. “If he was from Britain or France I would know, but Germany is a little different. I bought Dubday from Germany though and he won the Qatar Derby and the Group 3 [Glorious Stakes] at Goodwood. I hope this horse can help history repeat itself.” 

Ghazali also secured the session’s third top lot, the 75,000gns Heater from Alex Elliott’s Imperium Sales draft. The two-year-old son of No Nay Never was last seen finishing third in a 7f Wolverhampton novice, an effort given a Racing Post Rating of 64. The former Valmont colour bearer was a 145,000gns Book 1 buy from Barronstown Stud. 

Another for Najd

Having earlier been mentioned as a major force in the market, Najd Stud duly blew the opposition away to secure Tchaikovsky from The Castlebridge Consignment at 100,000gns. 

The two-year-old son of Bated Breath brought a big update to the sale having shed his maiden tag at Kempton ten days before coming under the hammer. The twice-raced colt was bred by the late Sir Robert Ogden and is out of Canonbury, a daughter of Oasis Dream and Ballymacoll Stud’s brilliant racemare Islington. 

Tchaikovsky: two-year-old Bated Breath colt will continue his career in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Alisha Meeder

Tchaikovsky leaves the Newmarket base of John and Thady Gosden and is set to join the significant number of lots continuing their racing careers in the Middle East. 

“This horse will go to Saudi Arabia,” said Najd Stud representative Saad bin Mishraf. “He won his last start so we are hopeful he will do well for us. We’re looking for differing types of horses all the time as we have a variety of races in the country. 

“In the last few years the racing in Saudi Arabia has expanded a lot so we’re still searching for extra horses and we now have more than 150 horses in training. We have had a lot of success from this sale but I think we have bought enough this year. We will come back to the December Sale for the mares and foals as well.” 

Tchaikovsky was Najd Stud’s 13th purchase of the week. The recruits cost a combined 1,583,000gns and were headed by the Group 2-winning Jack Darcy, who sold for 280,000gns late on Wednesday. 

Saad bin Mishraf: "He won his last start so we are hopeful he will do well for us"Credit: Laura Green

That investment meant Najd Stud was the second biggest buyer at this year’s Autumn Horses in Training Sale, with only Blandford Bloodstock, who were buying on behalf of Wathnan Racing, spending more. 

Those positions on the leading buyers’ board mirrored last year’s results when Wathnan Racing topped the charts with an outlay of 1,750,000gns, followed by Najd Stud’s spend of 1,460,000gns. 

Two lots brought 70,000gns apiece on Thursday, with MJ Racing securing the winning Greer, an 80-rated son of Night Of Thunder from John Quinn’s Bellwood Cottage Stables, while Eoin Sullivan gave the same amount for the placed Pick Your Battles from Imperium Sales. 

The clearance rate was identical to 2022 as 211 lots – four more than 12 months ago – sold at a clip of 88 per cent. However, all other metrics were up against what was last year’s concluding day, with turnover increasing by 51 per cent at 2,553,400gns, the average up 48 per cent at 12,100gns and the median 20 per cent higher at 6,000gns. 

The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale concludes on Friday, with the fifth and final session starting at 9.30am. 

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