Chaldean's half-sister creates a 1,000,000gns spectacle at Tattersalls

“Here’s the star of the show, according to me anyway,” said auctioneer Alastair Pim as the Kingman half-sister to Dewhurst Stakes winner Chaldean took to the Tattersalls stage shortly before 4.30pm on day three of the December Foal Sale.

After a theatrical round of bidding Juddmonte revealed they were in complete agreement as the operation’s general manager Simon Mockridge bid 1,000,000gns to add the blue-blooded filly to the Abdullah family fold.

It was, of course, Juddmonte who bid 550,000gns to secure Chaldean at this sale two years ago before the son of Frankel was sent into training with Andrew Balding, for whom he won the Acomb, Champagne and Dewhurst Stakes.

There was a palpable sense of anticipation as his half-sister strode purposefully between the acorns adorning the entrance to the Park Paddocks ring and an opening bid of 200,000gns suggested plenty among the crowd meant business.

The tension rose in line with the price right until Coolmore’s Eddie Fitzpatrick momentarily obstructed Pim’s view of a key protagonist, prompting the auctioneer to say, “Eddie, you’re in my way!”

Simon Mockridge: 'It was always going to be expensive buying a filly like that'Credit: Laura Green

Mockridge was involved from early on, as was Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong Investments, sitting with adviser Michael Donohoe in the seats to Pim’s left. At 825,000gns Pim turned to the audience and said, “Does anybody else want to join in? Don’t be shy!”, at which point David Redvers obliged with a waft of his iPad from the middle of the bidders’ area.

However, when Redvers went to 950,000gns it was Mockridge, positioned at the back of the crowd against the back wall, that delivered the sole seven-figure bid with an authoritative nod of the head.

“It was always going to be expensive buying a filly like that, particularly when you’ve got a new Group 1 winner on the page,” said Mockridge after signing the ticket. “Chaldean is very exciting and we were delighted to buy him from Whitsbury Manor, the Harpers do a great job, and I’m very pleased for Ed and his team.

“The [Abdullah] family want to reinvest in new families and this is a very strong page. And with Chaldean on there, who knows what’s going to happen next year, but she could be a very valuable filly going forward.

“Chaldean was a slightly smaller horse, she’s bigger and has a great big backside on her and she looks faster. She’s an exciting filly. Kingman has had such a good season with two Group 1 winners and 14 individual Group winners. He’s going from strength to strength.”

Chaldean and his seven-figure half-sister were sold by Whitsbury Manor Stud and bred from the operation’s budding blue hen Suelita, a daughter of Dutch Art bought for just 21,500gns in 2013.

The Kingman half-sister to Chaldean takes her turn in the parade ringCredit: Laura Green

She has bred six winners by five different sires, with Chaldean joined by Mill Reef Stakes winner Alkumait and the Listed-placed Get Ahead, both of whom are by Showcasing, Committed Stakes scorer The Broghie Man, by Cityscape, Mukhadram’s Listed-placed son Gloves Lynch and winning Pivotal mare Praised. The 13-year-old Suelita has generated Tattersalls receipts of 2,377,000gns for Whitsbury Manor.

“It’s felt like a long time since the Dewhurst!” said Whitsbury’s Ed Harper. “Thank goodness we had her entered in the sale as I don’t think I could have hung on another year waiting to sell her. To get a big, round figure like that is fantastic and we really appreciate Juddmonte’s support.

“They supported us by buying Chaldean and they’ve done it again. Hopefully she can repay that and be a bit of sport on the racetrack before going to Frankel in a couple of years time. She’s a nailed on broodmare for Frankel, not just on pedigree but physique as well, but hopefully she wins a couple of Group 1s before that happens. I’m very happy and have no regrets [about selling her]."

On the subject of Suelita, Harper added: “She was the last mare that Dad bought, which wasn’t a bad way to finish off his buying career! She’s in foal to Showcasing and might be heading to Frankel next year.”

Ed Harper: 'Thank goodness we had her entered in the sale as I don’t think I could’ve hung on another year waiting to sell her'Credit: Laura Green

That purchase capped a 2,425,000gns spend by Juddmonte on the day, with the four-strong haul featuring two 500,000gns lots, including the Frankel filly out of dual Listed scorer and Beverly D Stakes runner-up Awesometank from Heatherwold Stud.

The farm’s bloodstock advisor Jeremy Brummitt said: “It’s a bitter-sweet sale really because she’s the final youngster to be sold from Heatherwold Stud under Mick Caddy's ownership – he's ceasing operations and has gone out with a bang!”

Explaining the backstory to the family, Brummitt continued: “I bought the granddam Janey Muddles, I remember seeing her win first time out at the Curragh, I think she was Lawman's first winner as a two-year-old. She passed the whole field and was on the slowest of the ground.

“I never forgot her and when the owner came around to sell her she was carrying her second foal, which was an in-house covering to Intense Focus. I bought her here for 115,000gns in 2014. That foal became an absolutely lovely yearling, was named Awesometank – we bought her back at the sales and raced her.

"She took us to Canada and Chicago and was second in the Beverley D and now she’s breeding. She lives in a field with her dam and they’re two of the happiest mares I have ever seen."

Juddmonte land 'very popular' Lope De Vega filly

Earlier in the session Mockridge had to see off a determined Philipp Stauffenberg when Langton Stud presented the Lope De Vega filly out of Oh So Sharp Stakes winner Poet's Vanity. After a lengthy discussion with his wife, Marion, Stauffenberg mustered a last bid of 480,000gns but was immediately bested by Mockridge, who delivered the winning play of 500,000gns from his position on the stairs by the bidders’ area.

“I knew she was very popular, everybody liked her,” said Mockridge. “She’s a real athlete, a great walker with strength and depth who was well produced by Giles [Wates] and the team at Langton, so we thought we’d have to be strong on her.

"For us she’s got an outcross pedigree, thinking of the longer term, and she’s a beautiful filly so hopefully she can be a racehorse and then come back home. It’s a beautiful pedigree so it’s easy to see why we liked her. At the end of the day, she’s got everything.”

Poet's Vanity, who joined the Langton broodmare band through Blandford Bloodstock at 200,000gns in 2015, is a sibling to six winners, most notably Ballyogan Stakes scorer Lesson In Humility, who in turn bred the Group 3-winning and Melbourne Cup runner-up Tiger Moth and Listed scorer and Norfolk Stakes second Coach House.

Lot 928: the Lope De Vega filly out of Poet's Vanity sells for 500,000gnsCredit: Laura Green

The result was a personal best for the Dorset-based Langton Stud, whose Giles Wates said: “I’m just about getting my breath back! It has been great but it’s been quite stressful too. She was vetted 13 times so it's been one of those days! It’s been a few years getting here but we’ve got there now, we’re on our way and the team has done a great job."

He added: “It’s a real compliment that Juddmonte have bought her and I hope now our farm is going the right way. We made a decision around ten years ago to sell the stock as foals and it has been a good move.”

Juddmonte were also among the thick of the action when going to 425,000gns for the Kingman half-sister to Group 2 Premio Lydia Tesio winner Angel Power, who was offered by Anita Wigan through James Read’s Selwood Bloodstock.

“I’m delighted with that price, it’s fantastic and I’m really pleased for Anita Wigan," said Read. “She’s a beautiful filly and I’m delighted to get Anita such a great price. It’s the best price we’ve had for around ten years. The mare is not in foal but is going to Baaeed next spring.”

Moyglare make moves for fast-looking Frankel filly

Juddmonte were not the only major owner-breeder operation adding to their herd as Moyglare Stud’s Fiona Craig made her presence felt when going to 550,000gns for the Frankel filly out of Sunny Again from Mount Coote Stud.

The April-born foal is a sibling to four winners, three of whom have black type, including Berkshire Rocco who landed the Listed Noel Murless Stakes and ran Galileo Chrome to within a neck in the St Leger.

Moyglare have already tasted success with Frankel courtesy of their homebred Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Homeless Songs.

Fiona Craig: 'I wasn’t going to buy an Oaks winner, we want something fast'Credit: Laura Green

“Listen, it’s a Frankel!” said Craig. “We all know how much he’s going to be next year [£275,000], and even then you don’t know if you’re going to get a colt or something upside down or what. This is a filly and she’s very nice. She’s not a great, long-striding thing but I know what Homeless Songs looks like and I know what the latest one we sent into training, Red Viburnum, looks like.

“I wasn’t going to buy an Oaks winner, we want something fast. We have plenty of slow ones, some good slow ones and some slow slow things too! Speed is so hard to find but she looks fast and the pedigree is great and Mount Coote is great. They raise loads of good horses.”

Sumbe step in

Nurlan Bizakov’s Sumbe outfit made four acquisitions at a combined spend of 860,000gns. The lion’s share of that sum was accounted for by the Frankel filly out of Mrs Gallagher who fetched 425,000gns when offered by New England Stud.

The filly was bred by music agent Emma Banks, whose colours Mrs Gallagher carried to success in a brace of Listed contests over sprint trips. The mare’s second foal, a colt by Starspangledbanner, sold to Richard Knight for 350,000gns at Book 1.

“She’s a lovely filly and we were underbidder on the Starspangledbanner colt as a yearling,” said Sumbe’s Tony Fry. “She’ll go back to Hesmonds now. We have a plethora of stallions now and she will, hopefully, join our broodmare band when she finishes racing. The sire can do no wrong.”

Tony Fry: 'The sire can do no wrong'Credit: Laura Green

Four stallions stand under the Sumbe banner in France, namely De Treville, Golden Horde, Recorder and exciting newcomer Mishriff, who has been introduced at a fee of €20,000.

“Mishriff is getting on super,” reported Fry. “We haven’t started showing him yet but already the bookings are coming in. You can't help but be impressed by him. People know his race record but when they see his physical they’ll be even more impressed. We’re looking forward to showing him off.”

Sea The Stars filly a future foundation mare

The session also hosted a part dispersal from the late Sir Evelyn de Rothschild’s Southcourt Stud. The leading light among the draft was the Sea The Stars filly out of Waila, a half-sister to the dam of Crystal Ocean, who brought 400,000gns from Johnny McKeever, bidding on behalf of James Hanly from Ballyhimikin Stud. The February born filly was offered through New England Stud.

“The great thing about her is, although James will probably put her back through Book 1, she’s a foundation broodmare for anyone,” said McKeever. “So it’s a pinhook and also a purchase of a foundation mare because if she didn’t make a lot of profit she could be kept to race. It’s just so hard to get into these families. We’ve had a once in a lifetime opportunity with the sad passing of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, so in we swept.”

Buyers will get another chance to get into this family during the December Mares Sale when this filly’s two-year-old sister, Infinite Cosmos, comes under the hammer as lot 1,954. The Sir Michael Stoute-trained juvenile finished a promising second when beaten just a short head on debut at Doncaster last month.

“We understand the full-sister is an extremely useful filly, she’s in the catalogue next week, so it will be interesting to see which trainer gets hold of her,” added McKeever. “We’ve worked very hard at this sale and come away with nothing until her! That’s typical of James, he likes to get the one he gets a strong feeling about so we’ve stopped on others but he wasn’t going to stop on this one.”

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