‘The stuff of dreams’ - unique Night Of Thunder colt brings €1,900,000 as Coolmore and Godolphin clash at Arqana

“Surreal, just ridiculous,” was how Cormac Farrell summed up his well-bred Night Of Thunder colt selling for €1,900,000 in Deauville on Saturday. His comments were equally applicable to the entirety of the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale, which was capped by a sensational quartet of seven-figure lots after a host of the sport’s major players showed a seemingly insatiable appetite for the most choice offerings.

Not only is the sales-topping youngster by Darley’s young stallion Night Of Thunder, sire of 1,000 Guineas heroine Desert Flower, he is out of Date With Destiny, the only offspring of Coolmore colour bearer George Washington.

The rival powerhouses duly clashed over the colt, but it was Godolphin who won out as Anthony Stroud, standing with David Loder and Charlie Appleby in the corridor directly beneath the Coolmore crew, struck his third successful seven-figure bid of the day.

The colt landed connections a monster pinhooking profit as he was sourced from Book 1 of last year’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale at a cost of 90,000gns.

“Never could we have ever seen the horse making that sort of money,” said a flabbergasted Farrell, who trades under the banner of CF Bloodstock. “We absolutely loved him and thought he’d be very popular, and then he breezed very well, but where he’s ended up is the stuff of dreams.

“You never know if it’s all going to happen, but it has and I couldn’t be more thankful to Godolphin, Anthony Stroud, David Loder and Charlie Appleby, and to the lads who underbid him so strongly as well. Fair play to them. I can’t believe it, it’s amazing. I just want to thank all the team and everyone around me.”

As the only foal sired by infertile superstar George Washington, Date With Destiny is no stranger to the headlines. She changed hands twice as a youngster, first when pinhooked by Gildawn Stud for €280,000 at Goffs in 2008 before being resold to Peter and Ross Doyle for 320,000gns as a yearling.

She showed she had inherited a share of her sire’s immense talent when she carried Julie Woods’s silks to a debut success at two. She gained valuable black type the following year when third in the Lingfield Oaks Trial.

After her racing career she joined the Newsells Park Stud broodmare band when bought by John Warren for 185,000gns in 2011. She has bred four winners, including the Group 3 Royal Whip Stakes scorer Beautiful Morning. Date With Destiny died aged 16 in May last year.

Reflecting on finding the Date With Destiny colt last October, Farrell added: “He was just a very nice yearling. We never imagined we’d be able to afford him, to be honest. The stallion is exceptional and couldn’t be going any better. They all seem to breeze very fast and then go on to be very good racehorses. It was all there for everyone to see. Will I ever sell a horse for that sort of money again? It’s highly unlikely, so we’ll enjoy it. We’ll really enjoy it.”

Stroud said of the headline recruit: “He’s by Night Of Thunder who stands at Kildangan and we’ve had a 1,000 Guineas winner by him. He’s doing very well as a stallion, he’s on the ascendancy. This horse is very nice conformationally and he did a very good breeze. He had all the credentials that we look for.”

On the seven-figure outcome of the clash with Coolmore, Stroud said: “You have two very professional outfits who are bidding. The really good horses like him, and others, are what people focus on. The valuations are, at times, difficult, but when you really like one you’ve got to go for it.”

Godolphin go to the Max

It took all of three lots for the seven-figure mark to be broken at Arqana on Saturday morning as Godolphin bid €1,000,000 for a Maxfield colt from Norman Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm operation. The same connections combined on this day 12 months ago in the record-breaking trade that saw 2,000 Guineas hero Ruling Court join the Godolphin fold at a cost of €2.3 million.

“We got right in there,” Anthony Stroud remarked on Godolphin’s early strike. “He’s a very attractive horse and we all liked him. He’s by a horse who stands at Godolphin’s farm in America and obviously he comes from Norman, who we’ve had a lot of success with. He was a horse that we wanted. He’ll go to Charlie Appleby.”

First crop sire Maxfield, a dual Grade 1-winning son of Street Sense, stands at Jonabell Farm in Kentucky at a fee of $40,000. He is already off the mark at stud having sired winning debutante Piedra Preciosa, who struck at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

A colt by Darley's US-based young gun stallion Maxfield was purchased by Godolphin for €1,000,000 at the beginning of trade at Arqana

A colt by Darley's US-based young gun stallion Maxfield set the standard early when selling to Godolphin for €1,000,000Credit: ZUZANNA LUPA

The colt, who is out of the stakes-winning Victory Gallop mare American Victory, is Maxfield’s third seven-figure juvenile after Marquee Bloodstock signed for a $1.25m filly at OBS, the same sale that Mitsu Nakauchida gave $1m for a colt by the sire.

Saturday morning’s trade landed Williamson with a handsome windfall as he picked this seven-figure youngster up for just $70,000 at Keeneland last September.

Asked how he had pulled off his latest pinhooking masterstroke, Williamson said: “That’s our job, isn’t it! I bought him with a view to being an early two-year-old because he was strong but not big.

“Come Christmas time he transformed and grew and looked a totally different horse. That’s how it happened, and you always need a bit of luck. He was a beautiful horse. Everybody that saw him this week absolutely loved him. The sire’s stock have been selling so well in America. Let’s hope he’s lucky for the new owners. He’s a lovely colt.”

Stroud lands seven-figure filly after protracted battle

Stroud was back in business a short while later and emerged victorious from a lengthy bidding tussle against an online rival for the Glending Stables-offered Sioux Nation filly out of Brioniya.

On numerous occasions the auctioneer’s gavel was raised, only for the online participant to up the ante by another diminutive increment. However, despite the frustrating tactics, Stroud eventually won out by striking his second €1m bid of the day.

“She was purchased for KHK Racing,” said the agent. “It’s great to get her but it was very protracted. I don’t know how long it went on for, but I think bidding online in numerals of €10,000 at over half a million, it slows the whole process up and probably needs to be reviewed.

“It’s hard for the auctioneer but it’s also hard if you have someone on the end of the telephone. It’s difficult to comprehend why we’re going up in tens [of thousands]. With the online bidding you never really know who you’re against. I happen to know who I was bidding against, so that is some sort of satisfaction.”

He added: “We had Vandeek from the same consignor. She did a very good time and moved very well. Everything about her ticked the boxes really.”

The Glending Stables offered the Sioux Nation filly out of Brioniya sold for €1,000,000Credit: ZUZANNA LUPA

The filly is a sibling to three winners, including the Listed-placed Bakhchisaray. Her dam, who also has Listed form to her name as well as three victories, is a Pivotal half-sister to the Group 2 scorer Beshaayir. Despite so much black-type on her page, the filly was picked up at last year’s Arqana V2 Yearling Sale at just €48,000 through Peter and Ross Doyle.

Although it would be fair to say the vendor enjoyed the drawn out bidding battle more than the purchaser, Glending’s Roderic Kavanagh sympathised with the trying circumstances.

“It’s serious business, especially for the man who’ll end up paying the bill, but the bidding almost became a bit of a joke,” said Kavanagh. “But that’s the sales ring, anything can happen.”

Expanding on the backstory to the seven-figure filly, Kavanagh said: “We’re very lucky that she turned out to be the filly she was. She was here in August and she was only young so you’re just hoping she’s going to develop and thrive. Even here, she got better every day. She’s still not two so she’s going to continue to progress. It’s an amazing result.

“With a Pivotal mare anything is possible. The mare has bred good horses before and her strike rate is good, so hopefully this filly adds to it. She’s just thrived the whole time; she looks Pivotal, she looks powerful, she looks speedy and she performed class in her breeze. Hopefully she goes on and does it for her new connections.”

Coolmore aiming for repeat of St Mark’s Basilica success

Coolmore may have missed out on the sales-topping son of Night Of Thunder, but the Irish firm atoned for that reversal when landing the fourth seven-figure lot of the day. At €290,000 the Siyouni colt was a notably punchy pinhook, but that investment was rewarded when MV Magnier brought the gavel down at €1m.

The Mocklershill-consigned colt is out of Soteria, making him a half-brother to the Listed-placed Imperial Yellow. His three-year-old sibling Saracen added even more black type to a page that goes back to the likes of Mohaather and Accidental Agent when third to Jonquil in the Greenham Stakes on his reappearance.

Magnier was hoping the new recruit could follow in the footsteps of another son of Siyouni secured for seven figures who went on to win five Group 1s.

“I know the guys were pretty keen on the horse,” said Magnier, who was joined by the likes of Michael Tabor and Paul Shanahan. “He’s by Siyouni and he’s a well-bred horse. St Mark’s Basilica is by Siyouni as well and there’s so much good word about his first-crop of two-year-olds around at the moment. It seems to be everywhere and I know Aidan has a couple of good ones that he likes.

“If we can get this horse to do something then hopefully he can be in Coolmore one day like St Mark’s. He’s a very nice horse. Siyouni is a very good sire and because the word is so strong on St Mark’s Basilica we thought we’d give this fella a go.”

Lot 164, a colt by Siyouni, will joins the Coolmore fold after being snapped up by MV Magnier for €1,000,000

Lot 164, a colt by Siyouni, will join the Coolmore fold after being snapped up by MV Magnier for €1,000,000Credit: ZUZANNA LUPA

Magnier added: “In fairness to everyone in Arqana they’ve done a great job getting good horses here. All the right people are here and they do a great job. The market, at the top end, at the last couple of sales has been very good, which is good for everyone.”

The colt is the second millionaire Willie Browne has sold this breeze-up season having also presented the Acclamation colt purchased by Godolphin for 1,400,000gns at the Craven Sale.

“I’ve consigned a lot of horses down through the years but I don’t think I’ve ever consigned a better-looking horse,” said Browne. “If you’re any kind of a connoisseur of a horse, for me, he was as near to perfect as you’d get. I was hoping he’d gallop well and he did, so I think he’s worth it. I loved the horse. When you get that kind of money you want them to be good.”

Despite his seven-figure headline successes, Browne shared the view held by many vendors that the strength at the top was not necessarily replicated throughout the market.

“It’s selective,” he said. “It’s very much time-related. I haven’t watched it too closely today but they tell me there’s some soft patches here. Luckily enough I’ve sold everything bar one, but you need a fast horse. I don’t know the blueprint for a fast horse until you start training them. After that, you just need a bit of luck I suppose.”

Yeomanstown Stud bide their time with Blue Point colt

Another vendor to benefit from Stroud’s determined bidding was Yeomanstown Stud who sold a Blue Point colt with a notable pedigree update for €900,000. The youngster was catalogued as a sibling to four winners, including the Listed-placed King Of Stars. Another sibling, Two Stars, added further lustre to the pedigree by landing the Listed Woodlands Stakes on his latest outing.

The youngster, whose dam is a Clodovil half-sister to Group 2 winner Devonshire, was pinhooked as a foal for 170,000gns. He was making a belated reappearance at public auction having been withdrawn from Book 1 of last year’s October Yearling Sale.

“He’s a great horse by a top stallion and he breezed very well,” said Yeomanstown’s David O’Callaghan. “He was very well liked by everyone at the sales ground. We’re delighted that Anthony’s bought him and that he’ll go to Roger Varian, because he’ll do a very good job with him. I hope he’s lucky for his new owners.”

O’Callaghan added: “I bought him as a foal from Michael Gaffney with my brothers. We brought him to Book 1 but had to withdraw him so we brought him here and he’s been straightforward ever since. We’re horse traders, so we’ll do whatever we have to do to do best by our horses. We’re fortunate that we’re in a position to do several things [breeding, pinhooking and breezing].”

Asked how the result measured up to expectations, O’Callaghan said: “Actually that’s around where I thought he’d be. I thought he had a chance to break the million, which you don’t say too often! All the right people were lining up. And even if the top three buyers didn’t turn up, there were two or three below that who wouldn’t have been far away. He had a lot of admirers so I was pretty confident.”

Stroud confirmed the colt will carry the colours of KHK Racing.

Radcliffe lands well-related Justify colt

Agent Kerri Radcliffe made her visit to Deauville count when she landed the Justify colt out of Oaks Lily at €725,000. Offered by Eddie O’Leary’s Lynn Lodge Stud, the colt is a sibling to three stakes horses, including Yarek, whose record include a Group 3 victory and a runner-up effort in the Group 1 Premio Jockey Club del Peru.

The colt, already named Billieveinmiracles, was making his third visit to the sales. He first fetched $310,000 from Big Bear Bloodstock as a foal before he was pinhooked through Mags O’Toole at $150,000 at last year’s Keeneland September Sale.

Kerri Radcliffe: '“He’s by Justify, so it doesn’t get much better, and he’ll go to America for an undisclosed client'Credit: ZUZANNA LUPA

Radcliffe was unable to reveal whose colours the colt would run in or who would train the six-figure youngster, but she said his racing career would commence on the other side of the Atlantic.

“He’s by Justify, so it doesn’t get much better, and he’ll go to America for an undisclosed client,” she said. “I don’t know who’s going to train him yet but we’ll figure that one out as we go along.

He’s got a great pedigree and is a gorgeous horse, and we all know what happened with a Justify from this sale last weekend.”

Radcliffe recently spent $2.5m on two lots on behalf of Memo Racing at the OBS Spring Sale of two-year-olds. The agent said she was returning to the US for next week’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale to continue the Memo Racing recruitment drive.

“Memo Racing is a new partnership that’s been put together,” she said. “It’s a hedge fund that has been buying in America. I’m going back to Baltimore on Tuesday and we’ll be buying more there too.”

Church Farm hail best ever result

There were plenty of delighted vendors in Deauville, but none more so than the team behind Church Farm Stables in Langtoft, East Yorkshire. Roger Marley’s operation offered the Wootton Bassett colt out of Grade 3 winner Zargos who went from €125,000 August Sale yearling to €820,000 two-year-old when knocked down to Ed Sackville.

Marley deferred media duties to his daughters, Hannah and Tilly. Hannah said: “We came into this sale thinking we had a really nice horse on our hands, but it’s not until they do the business that you really know where you stand. We’re very lucky that he performed on the day. He’s a very good physical, he’s got a great mind and those attributes showed through in his breeze and during the week.”

Tilly added that the result was a particular source of satisfaction not only because it was Church Farm’s biggest ever sale, but because the sisters had put so much work into the colt personally.

Ed Sackville: 'It’s a thrill to be able to buy a horse like that. It’s a tough old market so you need to pay for what one perceives to be the right horses'Credit: ZUZANNA LUPA

“We've both ridden him all winter, and I was there during the yearling sales when he was bought, so I’ve seen him the whole way through,” she said. “It means a lot to us and for the whole team. We’ve done a lot with him and our jockey, Nathan Evans, did a great job on the day of his breeze. I’m sure the team at home will be delighted. It’s special when it happens and that’s the highest price Church Farm has ever got. It means a lot.”

Ed Walker enjoyed a big result in France earlier in the week when American Gal claimed the Listed Prix des Lilas at Chantilly, and the trainer will also take charge of the €820,000 Wootton Bassett colt, whose pedigree includes names such as recent 2,000 Guineas runner-up Field Of Gold.

“He’s going to Ed Walker for an existing client,” said Sackville. “Wootton Bassett gets better and better and everyone loves a Shamardal mare. It’s a very current family and a very exciting horse. It’s a thrill to be able to buy a horse like that. It’s a tough old market so you need to pay for what one perceives to be the right horses.”

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