'An exceptional individual' - €300,000 filly from final crop of Adlerflug heads to Blue Diamond at BBAG

Gestut Rottgen's celebrated history, which next year will pass the enormously significant milestone of a century, contains legion stories of success and another was written at the BBAG Yearling Sale on Friday. 

Rottgen's E family provided two of the star turns during proceedings that, at times were frenetic, with the most expensive lots coming in flurries throughout the day.

A combination of one of Germany's most successful studs and a stallion who became a phenomenon created a filly who possesses the intangible quality that causes buyers to fall over themselves in their rush to capture it.

Rottgen's daughter of Adlerflug already bears the poetic and altogether appropriate name of Eleganz, a quality the chestnut fully has in abundance. One of half a dozen yearlings from the final crop of the sire of seven individual Group 1 winners, most famously Torquator Tasso, she brought a winning bid of €300,000 from Hugo Merry.

The agent, who was operating on behalf of Blue Diamond Stud, did not try to disguise his feelings about Eleganz.

"She's an exceptional individual, my favourite filly in the sale," Merry remarked. "The sire was brilliant and he had to make it the hard way. Her dam is a half-sister to a champion and she herself is an outstanding filly so hopefully she can live up to that.

"Imad Al Sagar has recently bought a farm in Kentucky and already has a number of mares over there but she is for Blue Diamond UK. Imad  is really reinvigorated and so enthusiastic about the project, and of course he is getting enormous pleasure from Nashwa's success."

Adlerflug sired the top lot at the BBAG Yearling SaleCredit: Marc Ruehl (marcruehl.com)

Eleganz has the pedigree that one day should see her become an important member of the Blue Diamond broodmare band.

The March-foaled yearling is a half-sister to Erle, a two-year-old daughter of Reliable Man, who makes her debut for Rottgen and trainer Markus Klug at Baden-Baden on Saturday. 

Their dam, Kizingo, is a winning Oasis Dream half-sister to Erasmus, who was Germany's champion two-year-old of 2017 for Rottgen and embarked on a stud career in France at Haras des Fontaines.

Second dam Enora emulated Anna Paola, one of Rottgen's most famous and influential mares, with her victory in the 2010 Preis der Diana almost three decades on from that success which helped create a global legacy.

Enora is a Noverre half-sister to the Group 3 winner and multiple Group 1-placed Egerton. Group 3 winner Ephraim and the Listed winners Ernesto and Ephigenie. Another of her half-sisters, Elora, is the dam of Listed winners Empore and Enissa, Group 2 runner-up El Loco and Listed-placed Elora Princess.

Zarak's star continues to rise

Her Galileo half-sister Eloge doesn't make it onto the catalogue page for Enora's yearling daughter but six lots before Eleganz enraptured the buyers, Eloge's son of Zarak created his own stir when selling for €160,000 to Eckhard Sauren, the president of Cologne racecourse and vice-president of FC Cologne.

Eloge didn't display the talent of her half-sister on the track, failing to win either of her starts, but she has made a promising start to her broodmare career as the dam of three winners from as many runners, including Emir. That two-year-old son of Millowitsch is trained by Mario Hofer for Sauren, who had a significantly smaller outlay when purchasing him for Rottgen a year previously.

The Zarak colt out of a half-sister to the dam of Eleganz was also among the top lotsCredit: BBAG

"He is a very good mover," commented Sauren of his latest acquisition. "I know the family well and Emir is a very talented horse. Zarak is one of the best young stallions in Europe and this colt has a lot of potential."

Sauren's fellow purchasers in the pretty surrounds of the Baden-Baden sales ring shared his thoughts on Zarak, with the Aga Khan's young son of Dubawi and Zarkava supplying three of the yearlings who sold for in excess of €150,000 on Friday.

Derby winners are big spenders

Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten's Liberty Racing has grown exponentially since its inception in 2020, and Fantastic Moon, a €49,000 purchase in this ring at the 2021 sale, will contest Sunday's Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden under the magnificent trees at the racetrack across the road from the sales complex. This year's Deutsches Derby winner has been a brilliant advertisement for Baumgarten's syndicates, which now number more than 100 investors and so successful and popular has Liberty Racing become, that Baumgarten was Baden-Baden's busiest buyer.

Zarak: the Aga Khan Studs' stallion was in demand at BBAG on FridayCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

While Fantastic Moon counts as something of a bargain - picking up a Classic winner for €49,000 is quite the achievement - the latest additions to the Liberty stable were of the more expensive variety with five of them six-figure buys. At €170,000 they included the most expensive of the Zarak sextet, a close relation to the Group 2 Schwarzgold Rennen winner and German 1,000 Guineas second No Limit Credit. Gestut Karlshof's colt is the first foal out of Nazarabad, an unraced Isfahan half-sister to No Limit Credit, who is by Night Of Thunder.

Liberty's most expensive new recruit was the only colt in the sale by Camelot. Another for Gestut Rottgen, he is a half-brother to Listed Steher Cup winner Ankunft out of the Group 3 Hamburger Stuten Preis winner Anna Katharina. 

Elliott keen on Zarak

Alex Elliott was another buyer who was impressed with the quality of the Zarak yearlings on offer, with the agent purchasing two, at differing ends of the price scale. He went to €160,000 for Square Necker, a full-brother to Titanium, who was third to The Revenant in the Listed Prix Altipan at Saint-Cloud earlier this year.

Offered by Haras d'Ombreville, he is out of the Listed Prix Coronation third Kyurem, a Verglas half-sister to the Willie Mullins-trained Gold Cup and Lonsdale Cup winner Simenon.

"I really liked him and bought him on spec," said Elliott. "Kia [Joorabchian] kindly took him so he will race for Amo Racing and be trained by Ralph Beckett. 

"He has the same broodmare sire as King Of Steel, who goes for the Irish Champion Stakes next weekend, and hopefully he will be another good horse for Kia.

"He was the second Zarak colt I bought today from Haras d'Ombreville, having given €40,000 earlier for lot 19. He from the family of Getaway, Guignol and Guiliani, and has been bought for a small partnership."

Elliott was speaking after signing on behalf of MV Magnier for Gestut Brummerhof's colt by Wootton Bassett. The half-brother to Listed Derby Trial third Santorini brought the hammer down at €180,000 and boasts an excellent pedigree.

Nothing like Wootton Bassett 

Bred on the same Wootton Bassett-Galileo cross as last season's Group 1 National Stakes winner Al Riffa, he is out of Secretina, who is a half-sister to Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Plumania. Her offspring include the Group 2 Prix du Muguet winner Plumatic and Maniaco, who was successful in the Listed Prix Vulcain. 

Brummerhof's Wootton Bassett colt out of a regally-bred Galileo mare was bought for MV MagnierCredit: BBAG

Secretina is also a half-sister to Balladeuse, winner of the Group 2 Prix de Royallieu and also the dam of Prix Vermeille winner Left Hand, herself the dam of Left Sea. Such is the depth of the female line, there was room only for two dams on the catalogue page.

It was the inexorable rise of the colt's sire, however, that had Elliott waxing lyrical.

"I've never seen anything like it," said the impressed agent. "Elite stallions such as Galileo, Dubawi and Frankel had a licence to be that way, whereas Wootton Bassett didn't. If you look at where he has come from and where he is now, what he is transmitting to his offspring, it is just incredible really."

Pedigree is one important element when it comes to purchasing a horse, but the individual must pass the test before any decision to shell out large sums can be made. The dark brown colt, who resembled his sire closely in looks, came through the strenuous examinations of the Coolmore inspectors.

"He is a beautiful horse with a great action," commented Elliott of the €170,000 purchase. "The Coolmore team, headed by David O'Loughlin, loved him when they saw him."

Salzburg hoping for stallion success

Stallion potential was on the mind of Hans-Gerd Wernicke, after the power behind Stall Salzburg went to €260,000 to secure a colt with a portentous name.

Di Maggio, presumably named after the legendary New York Yankees baseball player who married Marilyn Monroe, has a lot of expectations upon him, but then he is bred to be special.

The son of Teofilo is a full-brother to Donjah, who won the Group 1 Preis von Europa for Darius Racing and Henk Grewe. Bred by Gestut Karlshof, who also bred and sold Di Maggio, she was also third in the Cologne Group 1 and was twice placed in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden, the 2023 renewal of which takes place on Sunday.

Last year's race was won by Mendocino, trained by Sarah Steinberg for Stall Salzburg, and the trainer, who made history this season when Fantastic Moon won the Deutsches Derby, will take charge of Di Maggio's racing career.

"The colt walks very well and he is a very nice horse. His sister is a great horse and if this one can be good on the track, then he will be a stallion," said Wernicke's spokesperson.

Sea the star again in Germany

Di Maggio was the second yearling to make €260,000 in Baden-Baden on Friday morning, when the early running was made by a daughter of the champion and leading sire Sea The Stars. The Aga Khan Studs' outstanding performer is a perennial favourite with German breeders and buyers but this filly, offered by Gestut Auenquelle, is travelling to Italy.

The team at Grizzetti Galoppo are familiar with the pedigree of the April-born filly, having purchased her three-year-old full-brother here. Named Alpha Source, he has been placed three times for Carlo Borsani, for whom they also bought this filly.

Alpha Source cost just €75,000 but his younger sister ended up making more than three times that figure to her buyers, who were very impressed with the chestnut during their inspections on Thursday.

Stauffenberg Bloodstock sold this daughter of Sea The Stars to Andreas Suborics for €220,000Credit: BBAG

She is the third foal out of Ashiana, a daughter of Mastercraftsman, who won the Group 2 T von Zastrow Stutenpreis and is a half-sister to Group 3 Prix de Reux winner and Grosser Preis von Bayern third Ashrun.

Familiarity is said to be breed contempt but in the case of both Sea The Stars yearlings to make more than €200,000 at BBAG on Friday, familiarity with their siblings bred admiration for the yearlings.

Andreas Suborics went to €220,000 for Stauffenberg Bloodstock's half-sister to Group 3 Preis der Winterfavoriten winner Best Of Lips. That victory, which saw the son of The Gurkha earn champion two-year-old status in Germany at the end of 2020, was one of three at that level for Best Of Lips, who has been placed in seven further Group races for Suborics and Stall Lintec.

The Austrian, who was closely associated with Shirocco during the early part of the horse's career, winning the Deutsches Derby and Gran Premio del Jockey Club with him, is now a successful trainer, with Best Of Lips one of those who has shone for him in recent years.

He said: "I trained her brother so I was keen to get her for my yard. We will give her a rest now to allow her recover from the stress of the auction. She is a very nice filly and walks really well."

The brown filly is from a brilliant Wildenstein family; her dam Beata is a winning daughter of Silver Frost and a half-sister to the Prix de Diane and Prix de l'Opera heroine Bright Sky. 

She is also a half-sister to Board Meeting, successful in the Group 3 Prix de Psyche and runner-up in the Prix de l'Opera, and the dam of Listed winner and Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud third Big Blue. Another half-sister, Bonanza Creek, is the dam of Group 3 winner and Breeders' Cup Turf second Stone Age.

Her second dam, Bright Moon, by Alysheba, was twice was successful in the Prix de Pomone and was also third in the Prix Vermeille. 

Despite the presence of the final yearlings by Adlerflug and the progeny of internationally prized stallions, the 2023 renewal could not match the heights of 12 months previously when a record turnover of €8,457,500. However Friday night's total of €8,071,500 represented just a dip of 5 per cent from the 2022 peak and was not far behind the previous high of €8,223,500 which was posted in 2019.

The turnover was generated from the sale of 163 horses of the 218 offered at a clearance rate of 75 per cent. Friday's average price of €49,518 dropping by seven points from last year's figure while the median declined by 9 per cent to €48,879. The closeness of those two figures indicates the depth of the market, with trade solid across the board.

Read more

'He's by a sire whose stock improve' - Haggas secures 200,000gns Maximum Dividend at Tattersalls August Sale 

First winner for Arc hero and Ballylinch sire Waldgeist as Billiegee scoots home at Wolverhampton