'She was the pick of our draft' - Godolphin's Mufeeda tops December Mares Sale trade at 160,000gns

Online bidders having a significant impact on trade has been one of the running themes of this year’s Tattersalls December Mares Sale. The trend was in evidence again on Wednesday when broodmare prospect Mufeeda was knocked down to an internet player signing as Lucky Vega, the name of Zhang Yuesheng’s Phoenix Stakes winner, at 160,000gns. 

The three-year-old daughter of No Nay Never didn’t reach the racecourse for Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum but hails from a pedigree that has already served Zhang well as she is a sibling to Harlech, dam of the owner’s Australian champion three-year-old Hungry Heart. 

Mufeeda and Harlech are out of Zoowraa, a Listed Radley Stakes winner who has bred four successful sons and daughters at paddocks, most notably Dubawi’s Group 3 Atalanta Stakes scorer Maamora and Boosala, a Listed-placed son of Dawn Approach. The page goes back to 1988 Belmont Stakes hero Risen Star. 

Mufeeda was offered as part of the Godolphin draft. The operation’s bloodstock sales manager Marie Sullivan said of Mufeeda: “She’s from a long-term pedigree of Sheikh Ahmed's. She really was the pick of our draft and is a lovely filly; it’s unfortunate she hasn’t made it to the track. Her dam, Zoowraa, is in foal to Dubawi, her foal is [a colt] by Too Darn Hot and she has a Night Of Thunder colt yearling who’s in training with William Haggas.” 

Godolphin sold 19 lots on Wednesday for a combined 633,000gns and at an average of 33,315gns. 

A royal buy

The first six-figure lot of the session came much earlier in the day when Naohiro Hosoda of Shadai Corporation bid 100,000gns for Candle Of Hope from The Royal Studs. 

The three-year-old daughter of Cable Bay was bred by the late Queen and won her first two starts for trainer Richard Hughes. She hit her peak Racing Post Rating of 92 on her third start when she gained black type for finishing third, beaten a length and a half by Victory Dance, in the Listed Denford Stakes. 

“She has black type and a good race record, she had lots of speed and she’s good-looking,” said Hosoda. “I’m a big fan of Green Desert, who’s in the pedigree. We have not decided on her immediate plans.” 

Candle Of Hope: Listed performer from the royal draft heads to Naohiro Hosoda of Shadai CorporationCredit: Laura Green

Candle Of Hope is out of Good Hope, a winning daughter of Cape Cross who has bred four winners at paddocks. The mare’s other black-type performer is Encourage, a prolific winner for Al Mohamediya Racing who also ran second in a Listed contest out in Bahrain. 

Good Hope is a half-sister to the late Queen's homebred Kingdom Of Fife. After being sold for 60,000gns at the 2010 Autumn Horses in Training Sale the son of Kingmambo switched to the care of Chris Waller in Australia, where he won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes as My Kingdom Of Fife. 

Malka on the move to France

Newsells Park Stud offered Philippa Cooper’s winning three-year-old Malka and it was agent Anthony Stroud of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock who signed the ticket at 95,000gns. The daughter of Nathaniel was bred by Cooper’s Normandie Stud from Carisolo, who has not only bred seven winners but is a sibling to a handful of notable talents. 

The mare is a half-sister to Prix Saint-Alary winner Cerulean Sky, who in turn bred Doncaster Cup scorer Honolulu, and Irish Oaks victress Moonstone, dam of stakes performers like US Army Ranger and Nelson. Carisolo is also a sibling to L'Ancresse, dam of Gold Cup third Master Of Reality and the Group 2-winning Sibila Spain, who is set to come under the hammer at the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale on Saturday. 

Malka: daughter of Nathaniel is set to continue her career in FranceCredit: Laura Green

“She’s been bought for Craig Mather and will be trained in France,” said Stroud. “I’m very pleased to have bought from the breeder. Malka comes from a good farm and is by a good stallion.” 

A diamond celebration for Naseby Bloodstock

Naseby Bloodstock signed for Ballygallon Stud’s Mariesque at 80,000gns. The winning bid was delivered by Julian Dollar, better known as the general manager of Newsells Park. The five-year-old daughter of Lawman, a two-length winner of a Gowran maiden for Joseph O’Brien, was offered in foal to up-and-coming Earthlight. 

Mariesque was catalogued as a sibling to one winner but the page had improved by the time she reached the ring as her half-brother Soldier's Empire opened his account at Dundalk late in October. 

“She’s the mare of the day for me,” said Dollar. “After all the excitement of yesterday I hoped that the market would come down to something sensible, and that was basically all I had for her. I managed to get one bid in and got her. 

"Some very good judges loved the Earthlights and thought they were outstanding, and with the Blue Point [yearling half-brother] being so well liked I thought that was a good punt.” 

Trade continued at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale on WednesdayCredit: Alisha Meeder

He continued: “Mrs [Belinda] Strudwick has a lot of the family and it’s being well bred. Mariesque is a very easy mare to breed being by Lawman and out of a Dalakhani mare, so it made a lot of sense. 

"I haven’t really thought about [covering] stallions; every option is open so from that point of view I’m happy. And although Mariesque won only one race she was rated 92, so she had plenty of ability. I’m trying to look for a level of ability and some black type in the pedigree. Hopefully we’ll be lucky.” 

Dollar went on to explain the origins of Naseby Bloodstock, saying: “I set up Naseby Bloodstock about ten years ago and it’s a very small thing that operates very much on the side of what I do for Newsells. I try to have a leg in a few mares and bits and pieces. We tend to get walloped on some things and lucky on others, which is how it is. 

"It’s all good fun and certainly concentrates the mind – there’s nothing like spending your own money to learn how this business really ticks. I have so much respect for people who do their own thing, rather than being paid employees like us!” 

Expanding on where Naseby Bloodstock takes its name from, Dollar added: “My parents had a house they’d just bought at Naseby and Dad was brought up very close to Naseby in a little village called Cold Ashby, and they partner with me in the business.

“They’ve been wondering why we were selling mares, wanting to know how much we were getting for them and when we were getting another one. They will be pleased we’ve bought, and especially today as they are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.” 

Wednesday’s clearance rate clocked in at 78 per cent as 188 lots sold from 242 offered. Those transactions brought turnover of 3,650,500gns, a decline of 14 per cent against the corresponding session last year. The average was 19,420gns, a nine per cent year-on-year drop, while the median was 14,000gns, a seven per cent drop.

The Tattersalls December Mares Sale concludes on Thursday with the fourth and final session starting at 9.30am. 

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