Gestut Rottgen links to the fore on second day of BBAG October Sale as Protectionist colt tops the session

A colt from the penultimate crop of Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist achieved the highest price on the second day of the BBAG October Yearling Sale when making €67,000.

Named Iwajur, he was purchased on behalf of Wilhelm Feldman and was offered by OH Consignment from breeder Stall Brotherhood and friends.

His dam, the Medicean mare Independant, has a perfect record with five winners from five runners and the best of them is the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes third Namhroodah, a daughter of Sea The Stars who was also third in a trio of Listed contests. 

Namhroodah, who was trained by James Tate for Saeed Manana, has already excelled her racing achievements as a broodmare. Her first runner, the three-year-old Night Of Thunder filly Ornellaia, was third to Fallen Angel in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes last season for Dominic Ffrench Davis and Amo Racing.

Her first foal, an unraced full-sister to Ornellaia, is the dam of Mohaather's first black-type winner Yah Mo Be There, who was successful in the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes for Phil Cunningham and Richard Spencer.

Iwajur is also a half-brother to the Lando gelding Ilwendo, who was second in the Listed Gosford Gold Cup at Randwick.

His second dam Ile Rousse is a Listed-placed daughter of Danehill and the Group 3 Prix de Flore winner Sporades.

Protectionist died last year aged just 13 having stood at Gestut Rottgen since 2017. Bred by Dr Christoph Berglar, he also struck at the highest level in the Grosser Preis von Berlin and is one three sons of Monsun to win the Melbourne Cup in four years.

The late stallion's second dam, the Listed Grand Criterium de Bordeaux winner Parisienne, is a Distant Relative half-sister to Private Life, the Listed-placed dam of the multiple champion stayer Stradivarius.

He is the sire of the Group 2 winner Amazing Grace, who was second behind Sammarco in the Group 1 Grosser Dallmayr Preis and followed that up with a third to Rebel's Romance and Sammarco in the Group 1 Preis von Europa.

Group 1 winner Alson at Gestut FahrhofCredit: marc ruehl/marcruehl.com

Group 1 Criterium International winner and Poule d'Essai des Poulains third Alson was a popular new stallion for Germany in 2022, covering 48 mares at Gestut Fahrhof and his resulting 37 registered yearlings include a half-sister to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Torquator Tasso.

Bred and raced by Gestut Schlenderhan, from an outstanding family that includes his second dam, the Group 1 Preis der Diana winner Amarette and the Melbourne Cup hero Almandin, his first crop of yearlings were especially popular at the BBAG Yearling Sale with the next generation of the Ullman family who run Schlenderhan.

Philip, Baron von Ullmann, in whose colours Goliath won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in July, bought three of the most expensive yearlings from Alson's first crop at Iffezheim six weeks ago, and he signed for the priciest filly on day two of the October Sale.

Named La Prima, the €46,000 purchase from Gestut Westerberg's consignment is a half-sister to the Listed third La La Land, who is one of five runners, all winners, out of La Caldera.

By Hernando, she is a winning full-sister to the Listed-placed La Hermana, dam of the Grade 3 Orchid Stakes winner La Luna De Miel and Listed winner La Salvita. La Hermana is also the second dam of the German 1,000 Guineas winner Lancade, by Alson's sire Areion.

La Prima's second dam, La Candela, is a winning Alzao half-sister to Gestut Fahrhof's homebred Deutsches Derby winner and Group 1 sire Lomitas and they are out of German champion two-year-old La Colorada, a daughter of Surumu and champion La Dorada.

A filly from the first crop of 2019 Deutsches Derby winner Laccario was another of the highlights in the yearling section, making €34,000 to Yvonne Vollmer.

Out of the Listed winner Jardina, by Shirocco, she is a half-sister to three winners and was bred in France, where her sire stands at Haras d'Annebault.

Bred and race by Manfred Osterman's Gestut Hof Ittlingen, Laccario won the Group 2 Union Rennen and as a four-year-old he was placed in the Grade 1 Turf Classic and Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden and the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup.

Laccario is a son of Ittlingen's 2010 Deutsches Derby winner Scalo, by Lando who is possibly the most famous horse to carry the white and red Ittlingen silks with his septet of Group 1 victories including the Japan Cup. 

Lando is also an Acatenango half-brother to the Preis der Diana third La Donna, who is the granddam of Laccario.

Eckhard Sauren added to his string with the €32,000 purchase of a Millowitsch colt from the family of this season's Group 1 Preis der Diana winner Erle, by Reliable Man.

Elmo by Millowitsch was one of the session's most expensive yearling colts at €32,000Credit: BBAG

Already named Elmo, he is a full-brother to a horse who has won in the red and blue silks of Sauren, namely Emir, who made a winning debut at two last season. Emir was a little more expensive than Elmo as a yearling, costing €40,000 at the BBAG Yearling Sale of 2021 and is one of three winners from three runners out of Eloge.

She is a winning Galileo half-sister to the Group 3 Preis der Winterfavoriten winner and champion two-year-old colt Erasmus, who shares his sire with Erle, whose dam, Kizingo, is a half-sister to Eloge and Erasmus.

Kizingo is also the dam of Eleganz, the Adlerflug filly who topped last year's BBAG Yearling Auction when making €300,000 to Hugo Merry for Blue Diamond Stud. She was consigned, as was this filly, by their breeder Gestut Rottgen.

The horses-in-training section was topped by Tulpar, a two-year-old son of Counterattack who won a BBAG sales race at Dusseldorf last month for trainer Henk Grewe and owner Denis Cenzig.

It was the third start of his career and Tulpar had shown good form to finish second on both of his previous runs.

He is the second foal and first winner out of Tarantella, a winning daughter of Soldier Hollow and she is a half-sister to the Listed Prix Gold River winner Think Of Me.

Second dam Tosia is a Big Shuffle full-sister to the Listed-placed Taita, dam of the Group 3 winners Tai Chi, Taraja and Thorin.

Wipra, a daughter of leading broodmare sire Pivotal, headed the trade for breeding prospects on Saturday, when making €15,000 to Gestut Ohlerweiherhof from the draft of Gestut Rottgen.

The four-year-old, who was placed twice at three, was offered in foal to Rottgen-bred Weltstar who won the Deutsches Derby for his owner-breeders and emulated his elder half-brother Windstoss by winning the Hamburg Classic.

By Soldier Hollow, he retired to Haras de Longechaux for the 2021 breeding season, while his Shirocco half-brother stands at their home of Rottgen. Weltstar's oldest progeny are two-year-olds.

Wipra is a half-sister to the Listed Diana Trial winner Wild Gloria and out of Wild Motion, a Sternkonig half-sister to Wild Coco, who won the Park Hill and Lillie Langtry Stakes and was second in the Prix Vermeille.

Wild Motion is also a half-sister to the Listed winner Weltmacht, dam of the Group 3 winner and Preis der Diana second Wagnis. Her dam, the Group 2 winner Wild Side, is a Sternkonig half-sister to the dam of Palladium, victorious in this year's Deutsches Derby and recently sold for €1.5 million at Arqana to be trained by Nicky Henderson.

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