Late drama in Doncaster as £150,000 Mehmas colt tops day two of a buoyant Premier Yearling Sale

Twenty six six-figure lots changed hands during a decidedly solid renewal of the Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale, and the last of those provided a late twist at the conclusion of Thursday’s session. Day two’s headline act was the penultimate yearling in the ring, and was knocked down at £150,000 after an online bid from agent Jason Kelly. 

The colt in question is by Mehmas and out of Tuileries Garden. This pedigree makes the in-demand youngster a half-brother to this year’s Queen Mary Stakes runner-up Flowerhead, who was last seen finishing a close-up third in the St Hugh's Stakes. Flowerhead’s trainer Charlie Clover stood beside Alex Elliott as the agent finished among the also-rans. 

“He’ll be in the Bond Thoroughbred colours with Geoff Oldroyd,” said Kelly, speaking by phone from the airport. “Geoff’s had a fantastic season and Charlie [Bond] was looking to find a nice sharp two-year-old for him for next year. 

“Geoff and PJ McDonald have been on the ground this week and both saw the horse and were keen. It was a long wait for him but he was the one they wanted. PJ has been a big part of the team this year. He’s been in Geoff’s yard riding plenty of work and has been a big part of the success this season. It’s a team operation and PJ has been a big part of it.” 

The session-topping colt was sold by the sale’s leading vendor, Tally-Ho Stud. The O’Callaghan family’s operation traded 24 yearlings for receipts totalling £1,743,000 at an average price of £72,625.   

Expanding on the colt’s appeal, Kelly said: “He’s a May foal but he’s a very strong, powerful horse. Obviously the sister has looked sharp and precocious this year when she’s run to a very high level, so hopefully he’ll be able to do something similar. This mare looks like she’s producing strong two-year-old types.” 

Kelly, whose haul included the day one purchase of a £180,000 daughter of Havana Grey also for Bond Thoroughbreds, added: “I’ve bought four in total for different connections. It's been a strong sale and buying has been tough throughout. Every horse was pushed to the top end of their valuation, which is a great sign for the market.”

Jason Kelly: "It's been a strong sale and buying has been tough throughout."

Although trade took a little while to warm up during both sessions, the two-day sale still produced a healthy set of figures. 

The clearance rate was 86 per cent as 331 yearlings found a buyer from 383 offered. This meant that 77 fewer lots were offered than 12 months ago. However, despite the 17 reduction in offered lots, turnover was down just five per cent at £14,297,000. 

Arguably the most impressive metric was the median price, which improved 17 per cent from £30,000 last year to £35,000 this time around. The average also climbed by nine per cent to £43,195.

Hughes on a high

Richard Hughes has enjoyed a banner season on the track, most notably with Premier Sale catalogue cover star No Half Measures. The July Cup-winning trainer said his hot run of form has encouraged him to up his investment at the sales, which was evidenced by signing for nine lots at a spend of £746,000 during this year’s Doncaster auction. 

The group, which averaged out at £82,890, were bought in conjunction with agent and former weighing room colleague Ted Durcan, and included a £135,000 Minzaal colt who led the market for most of Thursday’s session. 

WH Bloodstock's Minzaal colt out of Oriental Step sells to Ted Durcan and Richard Hughes for £135,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

The colt returned a tidy bit of pinhooking profit having been picked up for €55,000 by WH and Atlas Bloodstock. 

“I’m definitely spending a bit more this year,” said Hughes. “We’ve always bought five or six here, maybe at 30, 40 or 50 grand, but recent results have made me put my neck on the line a bit more and buy some more expensive ones. 

“I bought a filly here yesterday for £175,000 and four people rang me to buy her soon afterwards. That would never happen before. It gives you a bit of confidence to go and buy one on spec for plenty of money, knowing you’re going to sell it.” 

On his £135,000 acquisition, Hughes added: “Everything we’ve seen by Minzaal we’ve liked. This is a lovely horse with nice balance and plenty of bone, and he comes from a very good farm. He’s probably for Jaber Abdullah; he has a bit of affinity with Tamayuz mares. I told him we’d look for the nicest colt here for him, and we’ve found him, I think.” 

Minzaal’s debut crop was bred at a fee of €15,000. Not only did he supply the sale’s top lot, the £190,000 filly bought by Shadwell on day one, he had ten Doncaster yearlings sell for a combined £652,000 and an average of £65,200. 

Amo on target again

Amo Racing was among the leading buyers at the Premier Sale and added to its haul when agent Alex Elliott landed the Mehmas colt out of Raas from Tally-Ho Stud. The brother to Group 3 Flame of Tara Stakes runner-up Shelton fetched £120,000. 

Alex Elliott: landed the Mehmas colt out of Raas Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

Elliott signed Robson Aguiar’s name alongside the Amo brand on the six-figure docket. The Brazilian-born breeze-up consignor is set to sit his trainer’s course over the coming months and will take up a joint licence alongside the Group 1-winning Adrian Murray, to whom he is currently assistant. 

“Robson loved him and he’s a man you’ve got to row in with when you think about horses like Arizona Blaze and Power Blue,” said Elliott. “He’ll go back to Robson and be one for him to have when his name is on the licence next year. We’ve bought five or six now, a couple of Persian Forces, and I think it’s good that Kia [Joorabchian] came up here yesterday and saw a lot of the horses. 

“He was very keen to come up and, as he said yesterday, rather than just rowing into Book 1 you’ve got to be at all the sales and try to buy the better horses from each one. I think it’s a good change in policy and hopefully it continues.” 

Hillen snares Zoustar filly in ‘fair’ market

The first lot to make £120,000 on the day was the Zoustar filly out of Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes second Moravia from Tweenhills. The youngster was knocked down to Stephen Hillen and Kevin Ryan. 

“She’s for Peter Tingey and Angie Bailey, who owned Brando and who wanted a filly this year,” said Hillen. “She’s very scopey and has a bit of pedigree – her dam was very fast. She was my pick of the sale.”

Stephen Hillen and Kevin Ryan were among the buyers at Doncaster on ThursdayCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

Reflecting on the state of the market in Doncaster, Hillen said: “Trade has been fair, but not gangbusters by any means. We’ve been able to buy what we wanted. It’s been good, solid trade and everyone should be reasonably happy.” 

Cox back in action

Clive Cox signed for the sale’s first six-figure lot early on Wednesday’s session, and was still in the thick of the action late on day two when bidding £105,000 for Taroka Stud’s son of Wootton Bassett. The colt will carry the familiar pale blue silks of Middleham Park Racing. 

The youngster boasted one of the catalogue’s biggest pages as the dam, the Invincible Spirit mare Sorteo, is a sibling to Broome, Point Lonsdale and recent Prix Jacques le Marois hero Diego Velazquez. 

“I’m thrilled to secure such a nice individual with a top pedigree,” said Cox. “Wootton Bassett is a proven statistical high-achiever, so it’s good to have one in the yard. Wootton Bassett won the Doncaster sales race in the past and hopefully this colt can follow a similar path to the Harry’s Half Million.”

It was recently announced that Diego Velazquez will retire to the National Stud in Newmarket once his racing days draw to a close, while Broome is at stud in Turkey and Point Lonsdale stands at Maine Chance Farm in South Africa. 

Cox has a fine track record of producing stud-worthy colts, and when it was put to him his latest recruit possessed a stallion’s pedigree, the trainer said: “I’m very proud of our record making stallions, we’ve had Harry Angel, Supremacy and Golden Horde. This one has a proper stallion’s pedigree, I’m very keen on it. I’m really looking forward to seeing if he can live up to it on the track.”

The Wootton Bassett colt may have brought one of the day’s bigger prices but he did not manage to leave connections with a heap of pinhooking profit. The youngster was signed for by Bronsan and Taroka Stud at €90,000 at last year’s November Foal Sale. 

Reflecting on trade in Doncaster, Cox said: “There are lots of nice, racey horses as usual, and there’s good, competitive opposition for them.”

Middleham Park snared another £105,000 signing later in the day when picking up the Supremacy half-brother to Room Service from Jamie Railton’s draft. 

Stroud sticks around

Anthony Stroud was another major buyer who hung around until late in the day, and made his stay in Doncaster worthwhile when signing for the Havana Grey filly out of Stubble Field at £100,000. The youngster was bred by breeze-up doyen Con Marnane and sold through Norris Bloodstock. 

“She’s been bought for Shapoor Mistry,” said Stroud. “He won a Listed race the other day with a Havana Grey filly called Rosy Affair and he also had a good filly a few years ago called Thundering Nights. I thought this filly looked very racey and he likes Havana Grey, obviously. Con bred her and she just looked particularly sharp, she looks like she can motor.” 

Anthony Stroud: "I thought this filly looked very racey and he likes Havana Grey, obviously"Credit: Sarah Farnsworth

The youngster certainly has the pedigree to shift as her dam is a half-sister to Shouldvebeenaring, the son of Havana Grey who won the Group 3 Prix de Ris-Orangis and finished runner-up in the Haydock Sprint Cup. Shouldvebeenaring stood his first season at the Irish National Stud earlier this year at a fee of €6,000. 

Stroud was back in business a short while later when going to £100,000 for a strapping daughter of Sioux Nation offered by Clara Stud. 

Pompey Ventures aim up

The Pompey Ventures syndicate has already enjoyed a productive campaign on the track, scoring with the likes of Bone Marra and the steadily progressive handicappers Profit Refused and Tuco Salamanca. Founding partner Owen Haly said the outfit was aiming to reach the next level after bidding £100,000 for the A’Ali colt out of the Listed-placed Mazzuri. 

The colt, who was bred by Newsells Park and offered through Longview Stud, is a brother to this year’s useful two-year-old filly Fairy Oak, the highest-rated offspring of A’Ali after a fine fifth at Royal Ascot. She is trained by Michael O’Callaghan for Libyan ownership vehicle Al Watan Club after a £225,000 transfer at the Goffs London Sale. 

“Obviously he’s a full-brother to Fairy Oak, who was fifth in the Albany,” said Haly. “She’s a very good filly and made a good amount at the London Sale. We’ve spent money on horses for lower graded races before and done well, and after the success we’ve had we want to take it to the next level. We hope this fella can do that. 

Longview Stud's A'Ali colt out of Mazzuri makes £100,000 to Pompey VenturesCredit: Sarah Farnsworth

“David Byrne, who buys all of our unraced horses, loved him. He came up here on Monday and that evening he said this is the one we have to go for. Alex Elliott was the underbidder and that probably tells you everything you need to know. He’ll go to Ollie Sangster, he’s been a great part of our team turning out winners like Tuco Salamanca, Profit Refused, Bob Mali, multiple winners. It’s nice to be top lot but let’s hope he can go do it on the track now.” 

The other buyer to go to £100,000 was agent Conor Quirke, who broke the six-figure mark for the Blue Point colt out of a half-sister to Penitent from Oak Lodge and Springfield House Stud, who bred the rising star sire. 

The colt will carry the RP Racing colours sported by Big Evs. Quirke said: “We’re trying to repeat the trick. He’s a dead ringer for Big Evs, and if he can get to within a stone of him we’ll be happy. He’ll also be going to Mick Apple Pie, as the announcers at Santa Anita called him when he won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint!”

Kent hails 'hot sale' 

In his end-of-sale statement, Goffs UK managing director Tim Kent said: "A hot run of Group 1 form, plus over 100 two-year-old winners leading into this sale, meant that Premier was well and truly in the spotlight ahead of this week and we are very pleased to have delivered an equally hot sale which meant that vendors were well rewarded when selling proper horses in Doncaster. 

"The yards have been buzzing throughout the week and the car park was overflowing since Monday, when we welcomed a huge number of owners, trainers and agents who have come in search of the iconic 'Donny rockets'. The first day proved stronger at the top end and realised a top price of £190,000, however the second day provided a higher median whilst the two days saw a consistent trade from start to finish. The sale generated 26 six-figure transactions with an impressive 86 per cent clearance rate and we are proud that the average and median grew by nine per cent and 17 per cent respectively. 

"We made a conscious decision to tighten the catalogue, and we have proved again that we do an excellent job and get the best results when given the right yearlings. If the industry wants a vibrant market, there needs to be competition, and the consequences of a monopoly should not be underestimated by all those who participate in this wonderful business. 

"This is the message that we will be delivering over the next 12 months to ensure that we continue to grow and remain a viable alternative to the market leader. We would like to pass on a sincere thank you to everyone who has contributed to this year’s sale. We can’t do it without you and with one leading purchaser telling us that we have ‘plenty of racehorses’ over the two days, we are confident that the hot run of results will continue. We now turn our attention to the Goffs Orby Sale and look forward to welcoming an international audience to Kildare from Monday, September 29." 

More to read:

'She just looked to have a bit extra' - Shadwell make Doncaster comeback with £190,000 Minzaal filly 

'I’m very keen to support all my stallions' - Amo Racing's refocused sales strategy sees Persian Force colt fetch £110,000