The Fugue's Dubawi colt heads two more millionaires at October Sale opener

It wasn't all about the session-topping colt on the opening day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Tuesday, with two other sons of Dubawi breaking the seven-figure barrier.

The first came when David Redvers, acting on behalf of Qatar Racing, went to a round 1,000,000gns for the colt out of four-time Group 1 winner The Fugue offered by Watership Down Stud.

"I'm not out of place asking for a million," said auctioneer Edmond Mahony as he scanned the ring in search of an opening bid. He would get there eventually, but was forced to drop down to 200,000gns before the interested parties began to emerge.

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Chad Brown played an early part in proceedings, but it was Grant Pritchard-Gordon, accompanied by his son Tom, who filled the role of underbidder from his usual position in the bidders' area directly to the left of Mahony's rostrum.

The colt is the third foal out of The Fugue, though his two sisters, Fughetta and Counterpoint, have not yet made the track. Fittingly it is John Gosden, who saddled The Fugue to win the Nassau Stakes, Yorkshire Oaks, Irish Champion Stakes and Prince of Wales's Stakes, who will now take charge of her seven-figure son.

"By all accounts he's very different to his two full-siblings, he's very much like his daddy," said Redvers after a quick debrief with Sheikh Fahad and Gosden. "If he's half as good as his mum and his dad he's going to be a very exciting horse. He'll obviously go to Mr Gosden, it would be silly to send him anywhere else. I'm excited to add him to the team."

David Redvers: 'Dubawis are very hard to buy'Credit: Laura Green

He continued: "Dubawis are very hard to buy. We know he's a sensational stallion, but sometimes they come in slightly surprising packages. This horse is beautiful, very strong and is out of one of the best racemares of recent years. This game is all about dreams and he'll certainly give Sheikh Fahad and his brothers plenty to dream about over the next couple of years."

With such a blue-blooded pedigree, some seasoned observers noted that the colt's price could almost be considered good value given the rude health of the top end of the bloodstock market.

On the subject of valuing such a rare commodity, Redvers said: "It entirely depended on whether he was going to be on the Godolphin shopping list, evidently he wasn't. With the best pedigrees in the sale it all depends how much people are prepared to pay.

"There seems to be an incredibly international buying bench here, there are a lot of Americans spending plenty. It's started very strongly, we'll have to see how that holds out."

The colt is the second seven-figure son of Dubawi to be sold by Watership Down Stud at Book 1 in as many years, with Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webber's nursery having bred and offered the brother to Too Darn Hot who topped last year's edition when bought by Redvers for 3,500,000gns.

This colt is the third generation of his family to be bred by Watership Down, after the Lloyd-Webbers' bought his third dam, Sumoto, through Charlie Gordon-Watson for 920,000gns in 2000. In turn she produced Twyla Tharp, who was sold to Mandore International for 1,700,000gns after The Fugue's three-year-old season.

Lady Lloyd-Webber congratulates Sheikh Fahad after the acquisition of The Fugue's Dubawi coltCredit: Laura Green

"He's a beautiful horse and has always been a very easy colt to deal with," said Watership Down's Simon Marsh. "The Fugue was the most wonderful racemare, she broke the track record at Ascot which has never been beaten since. This is her third foal and her first colt and we couldn't be more pleased. We're delighted Sheikh Fahad bought him, he bought Darain [3,500,000gns sale-topper] from us here last year.

"Interestingly the two fillies out of the mare take after the dam, but this colt is all Dubawi. The Fugue doesn't have a foal this year but is in foal to Shamardal."

Just two lots before the Dubawi colt out of The Fugue took to the ring, Redvers went to 550,000gns to secure the Galileo filly out of Terror offered by New England Stud. Redvers has first-hand experience with the pedigree, having bought Terror on behalf of Qatar Racing for €75,000 at the 2014 Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale.

The daughter of Kodiac landed the Listed Bosra Sham Stakes before being sold on to Chris Hanbury through Gatewood Bell for 300,000gns at the following year's December Sale.

"She has much more scope and quality than Terror - she was a very typical Kodiac filly," said Redvers. "This filly is gorgeous and incredibly athletic, she's everything I look for in a physical, so we're thrilled to get her.

"Obviously it would have been better if we'd bred her, rather than having to pay for her, but then that price is pretty much the value of the nomination."

DAY ONE FIGURES

Offered164
Sold136 (83 per cent)
Aggregate35,408,000gns
Average260,355gns (down two per cent)
Median180,000gns (up six per cent)

Kevin Ryan joins the seven-figure club

It was during last year's edition of Book 1 that it was revealed Kevin Ryan had been added to Sheikh Mohammed Obaid's roster of trainers, and the burgeoning relationship was cemented on Tuesday when the Hambleton trainer went to 1,000,000gns on behalf of the owner to secure the Dubawi half-brother to Without Parole and Tamarkuz offered by Newsells Park Stud.

"I'm very lucky that Sheikh Mohammed Obaid loved the horse, he knows more about the sire than anyone," said Ryan, referencing the sheikh's ownership of the Dalham Hall sire. "He's got a great pedigree and it's just wonderful to be able to buy a horse like this. He's by a fantastic sire and out of a great mare and he's the most gorgeous individual."

Kevin Ryan: 'He's got a great pedigree and it's just wonderful to be able to buy a horse like this'Credit: Laura Green

Bred by Triple Crown-winning breeder John Gunther, the colt is out of Without You Babe, a daughter of Lemon Drop Kid whose broodmare career has seen her produce Tamarkuz, winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile for Shadwell, and St James's Palace Stakes scorer Without Parole. The page received a further piece of black type when She's Got You, Without You Babe's Kingman three-year-old, finished runner-up in a Listed contest at Newmarket late last month.

Without You Babe is also a half-sister to dual Grade 1 winner and sire Stay Thirsty, while that pair are out of a daughter of the Grade 1-placed Make Change.

Expanding on the link-up with Sheikh Obaid, Ryan said: "We've trained for him for a season now and he's a lovely man to train for; he's very patient and very knowledgeable. He's been in the game a long time, he's seen all the highs and the lows, and he puts you under no pressure. To get this kind of support at the sales is just wonderful."

Ryan has enjoyed a fruitful first season training for Sheikh Obaid, with the likes of Juan Elcano, Repartee and Emaraaty Ana all carrying his yellow and black silks with distinction.

The result also saw two sets of connections who enjoyed huge results at Longchamp on Sunday combine, with Newsells Park Stud co-owner-breeder of Arc hero Walgeist, while Ryan landed the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye with the hugely progressive Glass Slippers.

Frankel files

Having secured the sale-topping Galileo filly out of Green Room for €3 million at last week's Goffs Orby Sale, the partnership between Coolmore and Georg von Opel's Westerberg operation made another notable acquisition when Broadhurst Agency went to 850,000gns on their behalf for the Frankel filly out of Wadyhatta.

Bred by Lynch Bages and sold through Glenvale Stud, this filly is a half-sister to recent two-year-old winner Santiago, a son of Authorized trained by Aidan O'Brien for the Coolmore partners, and from the Allez Les Trois branch of the Allegretta family also responsible for Tamayuz, Anabaa Blue and the exciting Khayzaraan.

"It's great to get involved with a very nice Frankel filly from this family," said Benoit, who was joined in the bidders' area by Von Opel and Coolmore's MV Magnier.

"The pedigree is really alive, there's a good Kingman under the second dam and the two-year-old sibling looks promising also. It's hard to get these nicely-bred fillies, they're not cheap. She'll be raced in partnership but no decision has been made with regards to a trainer."

Varian lands Speedy Boarding's first foal

Roger Varian is set to train Speedy Boarding's first foal, a colt by Dubawi, having gone to 500,000gns for the Meon Valley Stud-consigned youngster. The March foal boasts one of the catalogue's most active pages, hailing from the family of Milligram.

The pedigree has received a couple of notable enhancements this season, as Speedy Boarding, a daughter of Shamardal who won the Prix de l'Opera and Prix Jean Romanet, is out of Dash To The Front, whose daughter Miss Dashwood produced Queen's Vase scorer Dashing Willoughby.

Oaks heroine Anapurna, who bounced back to form to claim the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu on Saturday, adds further weight to the page by appearing beneath the third dam.

With such illustrious bloodlines, the stud's managing owner Mark Weinfeld said he felt the colt's price fell just shy of what he had hoped for.

"I thought he might have made a bit more," he said. "But a sale is a sale and he's gone to a good trainer, which is very important. We've just got to hope he's going to be a good racehorse now."

There could be plenty more to come from this family too, as Speedy Boarding has a Frankel filly foal and is carrying to Juddmonte's sire sensation Kingman.

More from Book 1:

Godolphin deny old rivals Coolmore to land 3.6m gns half-brother to Barney Roy

American buyers out in force in search of other future stars

Photo gallery: all the action from the opening day of Tattersalls Book 1