Sale-topping Roussel begins to justify record price with debut win

Roussel, who topped the Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale in April when purchased for £360,000 by Dick O'Gorman, took the first step towards justifying his auction-record price tag when winning a 5f novice stakes on debut at Leicester on Tuesday.

In a closely fought finish, with a length separating the first three home, the Charlie Appleby-trained Roussel held on by three-quarters of a length from the Requinto colt Demons Rock, with another Kodiac colt, Alaska, completing a one-three for the sire.

Bred by Tom Darcy And Vincent McCarthy, Roussel is a half-brother to the Royal Applause filly Ponty Royale, a winner over six and seven furlongs, out of the unplaced Noverre mare Sodashy.

Sodashy is a half-sister to the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes winner Ponty Acclaim, out of Leopard Creek, a sister to the prolific Listed-winning sprinter and Epsom Dash scorer Astonished, and half-sister to another classy sprinter in the Group 3 Prix du Petit Couvert winner and Nunthorpe Stakes third Bishops Court.

Roussel's price-tag also justified the decision of Tally-Ho Stud - who purchased Roussel for €68,000 as a foal and offered him at the Doncaster breeze-up - to retain the colt when the bidding reached €58,000 at last year's Goffs Orby Yearling Sale.

While Roussel holds no other entries at present, he looks a candidate to follow in the footprints of Prince Of Lir and Ardad, both sons of Kodiac, who jointly topped the 2016 Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale at £170,000.

The pair went on to score at last year's Royal Ascot, in the the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes and the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes respectively.

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