Sheikh Mohammed's presence sparks 6,025,000gns Godolphin spending spree

Big things were expected at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and big things duly arrived just two lots into the opening session on Tuesday. With Sheikh Mohammed in attendance, Godolphin began their pursuit of the cream of Dubawi’s yearling crop by giving 1,300,000gns for the filly out of Jazzi Top from Meon Valley Stud.

Two more seven-figure purchases by Dubawi followed, including the 1,500,000gns top lot, as the operation spent a combined 6,025,000gns on eight new recruits. All told Godolphin secured five yearlings by Dubawi, along with colts by Siyouni, No Nay Never and Sea The Stars. The spend accounted for 19 per cent of turnover at the session.

The session-topping colt is out of Ring The Bell and was offered on behalf of John Camilleri's Fairway Thoroughbreds by Hazelwood Bloodstock.

The colt is the third living foal out of Ring The Bell, a daughter of Galileo and the blue hen Beauty Is Truth, meaning the dam is a full-sister to three Group 1 winners in Hermosa, Hydrangea and The United States. Her first racecourse representative is the Listed-placed Voice Of Angels.

Moreover, the seven-figure colt is bred on the Dubawi-Galileo cross that has been responsible for 18 black-type performers, headed by the Group 1 winners Ghaiyyath and Night Of Thunder.

The Dubawi colt out of Ring The Bell who topped the first session of the Book 1 SaleCredit: Laura Green

“He’s by Dubawi and comes from an excellent farm,” said Godolphin talent scout Anthony Stroud. “It’s a cross that works and it’s a wonderful family. The boss is here and he’s choosing these horses. He’s just a wonderful specimen of a thoroughbred really.”

Dubawi looks on course to claim a maiden British and Irish champion sires’ title having supplied Classic-winning talents Coroebus and Eldar Eldarov. When asked whether he saw the colt out of Ring The Bell as a Classic prospect or something more precocious, Stroud said: “I’ll leave that to Charlie Appleby, he’s so good at training these Dubawis.”

Anthony Stroud: 'The boss is here and he’s choosing these horses'Credit: Laura Green

Earlier in the session Stroud outbid Moyglare Stud’s Fiona Craig to secure the filly out of Jazzi Top, a daughter of Danehill Dancer whose three career victories were capped by success in the Group 2 Prix de la Nonette for trainer John Gosden and Frankie Dettori. Her third dam is Colorspin, meaning champions Opera House and Kayf Tara, both of whom were raced by Sheikh Mohammed, appear back on the page.

“It’s a good way to start the sale, isn’t it?” said Stroud after signing the docket for Lot 3.

“She’s an attractive filly from a very good farm. Dubawi is a fantastic stallion and the boss picked this filly out. He’s had a lot of success with this family before with Kayf Tara and Opera House.”

This family has been a source of much success for Meon Valley as Jazzi Top is out of Zee Zee Top, who brought the curtain down on her racing career by winning the Prix de l'Opera.

She has bred six winners since retiring to the Meon Valley paddocks, with Jazzi Top joined by dual Group 1 winner Izzi Top, who claimed the Pretty Polly Stakes and Prix Jean Romanet, and the seven-figure filly’s close relation Emaraaty, who cost Shadwell 2,600,000gns in 2016 and later won a Grade 3 in the United States for Chad Brown.

Sheikh Mohammed was in attendance at Tattersalls on Tuesday morning, where Godolphin snared a 1,300,000gns Dubawi fillyCredit: Laura Green

The family is no stranger to seven-figure successes in the Tattersalls ring as Izzi Top has been responsible for Dreamfield, a 1,100,000gns purchase by Godolphin in 2015, Prince Eiji, a 2,600,000gns buy by Roger Varian in 2017, and Willie John, who set a February Sale record when knocked down to Varian at 1,900,000gns in 2018.

An emotional Mark Weinfeld described watching the bidding unfold as “heart-stopping”, before adding: “She’s related to Reprocolor, one of the foundation mares at Meon Valley, and it’s been a very good family. She’s been very popular but you never quite know when you get up here how many people are going to be there for the horse.

“There’d been quite a few vets and people down to see the horse but sometimes people go through all those movements and then don’t turn up on the day for whatever reason. We thought she'd be popular but we didn’t think she’d go quite that far. We’re delighted.”

Mark Weinfeld: 'We thought she'd be popular but we didn’t think she’d go quite that far'Credit: Laura Green

He added: “It stuttered at around 600,000gns and you think perhaps that’s as far as it’s going to go, but then all of a sudden it goes on and on. We didn’t actually want to sell her but we’ve had so many fillies this year so something had to go.

“We’ve kept a full-sister to Anapurna and her first yearling who’s a filly [by Lope De Vega], we’ve got an Invincible Spirit out of Izzi Top and a Frankel out of Shirocco Star. We’ve had 15 fillies and seven colts, and nearly all the best mares had fillies so we felt we had to sell one or two of them to balance the books and pay for the ones in training.”

Godolphin secured the second seven-figure lot of the session when Stroud consigned Alex Elliott to the role of underbidder when the Dubawi colt out of Persuasive brought a round 1,000,000gns.

Bred and offered by Cheveley Park Stud, the colt is the third foal out of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner, meaning the youngster is closely related to Creative Force, the Dubawi half-brother to Persuasive who won the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes in the Godolphin silks.

“Cheveley Park Stud do a fantastic job,” said Stroud. “Obviously he’s out of a very good mare and by Dubawi. We thought he was a very, very nice colt and he’ll go to Moulton Paddocks. He’s about twice the size of Creative Force but if his heart is as big then we’ll be very happy.”

Persuasive was bred by John Tuthill of Owenstown Stud and joined the Cheveley Park Stud fold at €180,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale in 2014, prompting the Newmarket operation’s managing director Chris Richardson to quip: “She was probably the best €180,000 we could have spent!”

Lot 127: Dubawi colt out of Persuasive sells for 1,000,000gnsCredit: Laura Green

He continued: “I’m delighted for Mrs Thompson and all the team and it’s nice to come to a top-class sale and have a horse of that sort of quality. He was a gem from the moment he was born and I’m delighted he’s gone down so well.

"It’s a family that keeps evolving and I’m very grateful to Sheikh Mohammed for buying. He knows the family well with Creative Force, who won the Champion Sprint Stakes.

“Persuasive has a Dubawi filly weanling and she’s in foal to Kingman. We’re not sure what we’re going to do with her next year but we’re hopeful John Gosden will be able to work some magic with the Frankel two-year-old who we sold [to Voute Sales and Nawara Stud for 325,000gns] last year.”

Shadwell end two-year sales ring hiatus with 880,000gns Book 1 buy

Pleasant surprise for Schlenderhan

Leading German operation Gestut Schlenderhan got among the buyers when Tina Rau, sat beside the farm’s Philip von Ullmann, went to 780,000gns for the No Nay Never filly out of Multilingual offered by Camas Park Stud.

“She’ll go to Germany as she was bought for Gestut Schlenderhan,” said Rau. “Philip von Ullmann is here, as is Merle Schmidt, and we all loved her. She’s the standout of the whole sale for us.

"You can’t really argue with the pedigree for one, and she’s just a queen. She walks for fun, she’s beautifully balanced and has so much quality. To be honest I’m a little bit surprised we got her, although it’s a nice surprise!”

Tina Rau: 'You can’t really argue with the pedigree'Credit: Laura Green

Bred by Ben Sangster, the youngster is a half-sister to Group 2 Summer Mile Stakes winner Tilsit and is out of Multilingual, a daughter of Dansili and Zenda who was bought from Juddmonte Farms through Mill Ridge Farm at Keeneland in 2019. Oliver Sangster signed the ticket at $525,000.

The dam is a sibling to four stakes performers, most notably the top-class miler Kingman, while she is also a full-sister to the Group 3-winning Remote.

Poule d’Essai des Pouliches heroine Zenda is a half-sister to Oasis Dream, while the pedigree traces back to Wemyss Bight, dam of Beat Hollow. Multilingual also has a Frankel filly foal and was bred back to No Nay Never earlier this year.

Schlenderhan will forever be associated with the influential Monsun, who raced in the colours of Baron Georg von Ullmann. The stud’s owner also raced many of the stallion’s best performers, such as Getaway, Manduro and Shirocco. Schlenderhan was also home to Adlerflug, sire of Torquator Tasso, prior to his untimely passing in April 2021.

A parting gift from Plying

Plying has been the gift that keeps on giving for Jossestown Farm and the daughter of Hard Spun did the stud’s Martin Cooney one more good turn when her Gleneagles filly sold to MV Magnier for 650,000gns.

The youngster is a half-sister to Alcohol Free, who was simply listed as 'filly by No Nay Never' when Cooney bought Plying for a mere €21,000 in 2018 but developed into a four-time Group 1 winner for Andrew Balding and Jeff Smith.

The Gleneagles half-sister to Alcohol Free sells to MV Magnier for 650,000gnsCredit: Edward Whitaker

Alcohol Free, winner of this year’s July Cup, is due to come under the hammer at the upcoming Tattersalls December Sale and Cooney cashed out on Plying when she was sold to BBA Ireland and Yulong Investments for a sale-topping €825,000 at Goffs last November.

“It’s a good day’s work,” said Cooney. “She’s a lovely filly and she acts like a racehorse so hopefully she is one. She’s gone to a good home and hopefully she turns out half as good as Alcohol Free. I’ll have to go and find more like her now.”

Reflecting on his journey with Plying and her progeny, Cooney added: “All Plying has ever done is do us proud. I know we’ve sold these horses but they’re like family to us. You get very attached to them and it wouldn’t be like I have 20 of them waiting to be sold. It’s huge really as I come from a small farm in Tipperary, in Fethard, and it gives you a good leg up when you’re starting a business.”

The filly becomes the most expensive yearling by Gleneagles to change hands at public auction, although the stallion, who stood 2022 at a fee of €15,000, has been represented by a pricier lot as London Thoroughbred Services, agent for Erdenheim Farm, bid 800,000gns for the well-related Daily Times at last year’s December Mares Sale.

Knight rides again

Richard Knight has been a prolific purchaser at yearling sales on both sides of the Atlantic this year, with his spree capped by the sales-topping acquisition of Blackbeard’s No Nay Never sister at €2.6 million during the recent Goffs Orby Sale.

The agent was back in action at Tattersalls and dropped another 1,750,000gns on four lots during the session. The priciest of those was the Sea The Stars filly out of Pinkster who fetched 600,000gns when offered by Newsells Park Stud. The dam’s first foal, the Siyouni filly Paz, provided the pedigree with an update having opened her account since the catalogue’s publication.

“I thought she was probably the pick of the fillies today,” said Knight. “She has a lot of class, she’s a nice scopey filly and obviously she’s by Sea The Stars out of a Nathaniel mare, meaning there’s inbreeding back to Urban Sea in the pedigree.

"She’s a tall, athletic filly and she showed herself really well up in the parade ring, she was very quiet and walked around impeccably. I’d like to think she’s going to be a nice mile-and-a-half filly as a three-year-old.”

Richard Knight: 'I thought she was probably the pick of the fillies today.'Credit: Laura Green

Pinkster is a Nathaniel half-sister to the Cumanis’ Lancashire Oaks heroine Pongee, while another sibling is Ecurie des Monceaux’s foundation mare Platonic, meaning the likes of Prudenzia and her Group 1-winning offspring Magic Wand and Chicquita appear beneath the six-figure filly’s second dam.

Knight remained tight-lipped when asked about the identity of his free-spending client, but confirmed the headline-grabbing purchases were made on behalf of the same owner, saying: “She for the same client [as the No Nay Never] and she’ll stay here in Britain. We’re just trying to build a nice team of racehorses and if the fillies are useful, or they have good pedigrees, then that’s fantastic as we’ll likely breed from them at the end of the day.”

The session grossed 31,993,000gns, a 27 per cent increase on the corresponding day 12 months ago. The average value rose by ten per cent year-on-year to 230,165gns, while the median was up five per cent at 160,000gns. The clearance rate was 86 per cent, up from 78 per cent in 2021, as 139 of 162 offered lots found a buyer.

Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale on Wednesday at 11am.

More to read:

Coolmore and Godolphin among the superpowers ready to climb the Book 1 mountain

Yearlings by first-crop sires to keep an eye on at Tattersalls on Wednesday