'The form is looking good' - Bailey and Derham go to 90,000gns for Brentford Hope at Park Paddocks

Brentford Hope: classy dual-purpose performer topped the second day of the Tattersalls February SaleCredit: Laura Green

Harry Derham’s burgeoning training operation welcomed a notable new recruit on Friday when bloodstock agent Ed Bailey secured the classy Brentford Hope at 90,000gns on day two of the Tattersalls February Sale. 

Once upon a time the son of Camelot was being talked up as a potential Derby contender, and although he never quite reached those heights he has shown plenty of smart form on the Flat nonetheless, winning three times and reaching the podium at Group 2 level. 

The six-year-old has also had three starts over hurdles and finished second on each occasion, most recently when behind Dancewiththewind in a two mile handicap at Wetherby. His official rating over hurdles is 114. 

Harry Derham: the new trainer of Brentford HopeCredit: Edward Whitaker

“This is a nice, scopey horse and Harry saw him yesterday,” explained Bailey. “Brentford Hope has been a high-class performer on the Flat and has run well over hurdles so far, bumping into some decent performers and the form is looking good. He should progress over hurdles and he is for sale.”

Brentford Hope was offered by Richard Hughes’ Weathercock House Stables and it was the trainer who signed for the talented performer at €130,000 when he was sold by Mocklershill at the 2019 Arqana Breeze-Up Sale. He had previously fetched €80,000 from George Mullins at the Arqana October Yearling Sale. 

Bred by Haras du Logis St Germain, Brentford Hope is the best of two winners out of Miss Raven, a Raven’s Pass half-sister to the Group 2 Middleton Stakes scorer Beautiful Romance. 

The two-day sale concluded with turnover of 4,141,800gns, which, although a 29 per cent year-on-year drop, was still the fourth-highest in the event’s history. The average price was down by 22 per cent at 13,899gns, while the median dropped by 30 per cent at 7,000gns. The clearance rate was a solid 84 per cent as 298 sold from 356 offered (down from 384 offered in 2022). 

Big-priced pair come back-to-back

Market leading prices had been like London buses earlier in the day as the second- and third-top lots came back-to-back. The pricier of the pair was the progressive Mohatu who brought 80,000gns from Abdullah Salman Hamoud Alsabah when offered by Jamie Railton. 

The William Haggas-trained three-year-old was catalogued as the winner of one race but had doubled his tally with the help of the stewards having been promoted from second to first after being bumped in the closing stages of a Southwell handicap over a mile eight days before coming under the hammer. That effort earned him a career-best Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 84. 

“He has been bought to race in Saudi Arabia,” said Alsabah. “I now have seven horses and I will own and train him. He’s an improving horse with good form. The programme is expanding in Saudi Arabia and it is thriving. The [racing] surface is very good, which is so important for the horses.” 

Mohatu ran in the colours of Qatar Racing, as did his sire, the star-crossed Roaring Lion. He is the first foal out of the winning Tiger Eye, a Frankel half-sister to the Group 2-winning sprinters Caspian Prince, who struck in the Sapphire Stakes, and Spirit Quartz, winner of the Prix du Gros-Chene. Tiger Eye is also closely related to Galileo’s Italian Derby winning son Tuscan Gaze. 

Mohatu: "He’s an improving horse with good form"Credit: Laura Green

The preceding lot was the 89-rated Tenjin who was signed for by Newmarket trainer John Ryan and agent Jamie Piggott at 75,000gns. The three-year-old son of Night Of Thunder won one of eight starts for Marco Botti and was placed on four other occasions. The relation to Iceman and Virtual is now set to represent a syndicate associated with one of Newmarket’s newest watering holes. 

Representing the group, Jon Thompson said: “He wants a bit of time and he’s going to be run in association with the new wine bar in the town, Gee Gee's Wine Bar. I think there are about 17 of us involved in this horse now and he goes to John Ryan.”

Tenjin was making his third appearance at Park Paddocks having previously brought 45,000gns from Hazelwood Bloodstock as a foal before Alessandro Marconi, agent for Ahmed Bintooq, went to 100,000gns at Book 2 in 2021. 

Richard Hannon’s draft yielded another of the lots to bring more than 50,000gns when an online bid of 58,000gns from Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah secured Uncle, a three-year-old son of Harry Angel with an RPR of 79. 

Biddestone owners bide their time

Rosa Del Rio is set to join the broodmare band of Tim and Gill Bostwick of Biddestone Stud after the well-related four-year-old was knocked down for 52,000gns midway through the session. 

The filly, who was consigned by Barton Sales on behalf of Simon and Ed Crisford’s Gainsborough Thoroughbreds, has been placed twice from five starts, the latest of which came less than 24 hours before she came under the hammer when fourth in a Chelmsford handicap over 1m2f. Her highest RPR of 75 came on her penultimate outing when runner-up at Newcastle over the same trip. 

“We don't really have a plan as yet, we'd got used to not being able to buy anything!” joked Tim Bostwick. “We’ve been trying to buy a mare since the autumn. This is a lovely filly and she will let down into a beautiful broodmare. She has a fantastic back page and we’re possibly thinking of sending her to Palace Pier. It looks like an active page and hopefully in 12 months’ time we’ll have a lovely foal.” 

Rosa Del Rio takes her turn around the sales ring at Park PaddocksCredit: Laura Green

Bred by Floors Farming, Susan Roy and Nicholas Wrigley, the daughter of Fastnet Rock is out of the Listed-placed Galileo mare Hibiscus, meaning she is bred on the same cross as nine Group/Grade 1 winners such as Breeders’ Cup victress Pizza Bianca and Oaks heroine Qualify. 

In turn, the dam is out of Jacqueline Quest, who finished first past the post in the 2010 1,000 Guineas, only to be demoted to second behind Special Duty after causing interference. This makes Hibiscus a sister to the ill-fated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf hero Line Of Duty and a half-sister to the Listed scorer Onassis. 

“She’s a roomy mare, she’s nice and wide and is a good walker,” added Gill Bostwick. “She will come back to us in Wiltshire. “We have the empty mares at home with us and the pregnant mares foal down at Barton Stud.”

Rosa Del Rio was making her second appearance at public auction, having previously brought 200,000gns from Stroud Coleman Bloodstock at Book 2 in 2020. 

Bradley eyes Bayside Boy option

Nick Bradley was another buyer to purchase a breeding prospect when going to 50,000gns for Pink Haze from the draft of David Simcock’s Trillium Place Stables. The four-year-old daughter of Lope De Vega was placed twice from eight starts and ran to her peak RPR of 64 on three occasions. 

Her pedigree does plenty to enhance her appeal as she is out of the Listed-placed Xaar mare Xaarienne, making her a sibling to four winners. The quartet includes the Group 3 Prix Six Perfections winner See The Rose, a 500,000gns purchase by London Thoroughbred Services last July, and the Listed scorer Xaarino. Another sibling, Mont Kiara, was Group 3-placed as a two-year-old. 

Nick Bradley: "She’s by Lope De Vega and I’ve had a bit of luck with the sire"Credit: Www.tattersalls.com

Xaarienne has two more daughters by Lope De Vega in the pipeline, the older of which sold to the China Horse Club for €320,000 at last year’s Arqana August Sale. 

Pink Haze was bred by John O’Connor and sold by Ballylinch Stud to Sackville Donald for 67,000gns at Book 2 in 2020. She could be set to return to Ballylinch for her first covering, with the operation’s new recruit Bayside Boy, who has been introduced at €15,000 having won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on his final outing, among the likelier candidates. 

“I underbid her as a yearling,” said Bradley. "She’s by Lope De Vega and I’ve had a bit of luck with the sire. It’s a happening family and there are two more by the sire to come. She might be going to Bayside Boy.”

Mahony hails overseas participation

In his close-of-sale address, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said: “The individual highlight of the 2023 Tattersalls February Sale was without doubt the 250,000gns BBA Ireland purchase of the very well-bred broodmare Now Or Never, who is the third-highest priced broodmare ever sold at the Tattersalls February Sale and the highest price at the sale since 2018, but the real feature of the past two days has been the international participation.

“Diverse overseas demand has always been the hallmark of the Tattersalls February Sale and other Tattersalls sales of this nature and the consignors have confidence that Newmarket’s unique appeal consistently produces an unrivalled marketplace. Even the relatively small February Sale consistently attracts an abundance of buyers from all over the world and we have sold horses to more than 20 different countries over the past two days.

“Widespread participation from throughout Europe has been matched by the customary strong contingent from throughout the Gulf region and buyers from India and North Africa have also made significant contributions to a solid renewal of the annual curtain-raiser at Park Paddocks."

He added: “While the figures have not matched last year’s impressive returns, the turnover was the fourth-highest in the sale’s history, the clearance rate has again exceeded 80 per cent and the sustained demand for British and Irish bloodstock at all levels of the market has yet again very much been in evidence at the Tattersalls February Sale.”

Read more

'She's a bit of an outcross' - 250,000gns Now Or Never tops day one trade at the Tattersalls February Sale 

Godolphin purchase Frankel colt after Derby-winning owner defaulted on payment 

Frankel and Kingman among the top sires set to benefit from Juddmonte's mighty broodmare band