End of an era as Thistle Bird leads Rothschild dispersal at 750,000gns

A packed Tattersalls ring played host to a poignant first instalment of the Waddesdon Stud dispersal during Monday's session of the December Mare Sale, as the stock owned by the late owner-breeder Lady Rothschild, who died in January aged 83, was offered without reserve.

There was an expectant hush as auctioneer John O'Kelly took to the rostrum to introduce the draft, and a sea of faces hung on his every word as he said: "These families have been nurtured to the highest standard by Lady Rothschild, and Tattersalls are very proud to host the sale of such a lovely group of mares."

The first mare into the ring was Aflame, and the daughter of Shamardal and Magical Romance set the tone when London Thoroughbred Services' James Wigan, who had also been Lady Rothschild's bloodstock adviser for the last 20 years, struck the winning bid of 675,000gns.

View full Tattersalls December Mare Sale results and stats

The undoubted highlight of the 14-strong draft was Pretty Polly Stakes heroine Thistle Bird, who was also knocked down to Wigan, who sat among the crowd in the packed auditorium opposite O'Kelly's rostrum, at 750,000gns.

"It's very sad," said an emotional Wigan. "Aflame was bought for Erdenheim Farm and Thistle Bird was for George Strawbridge. I know the families well, certainly as well as anyone else. Aflame will go to America now but no decisions have been reached regarding next year's coverings for either mare."

James Wigan: 'It's the end of an era'Credit: Laura Green

Thistle Bird, an 11-year-old daughter of Selkirk out of the Listed-winning Dolma, was offered in foal to Kingman, meaning the resultant produce will be bred on the same cross as King Of Comedy and the promising Kinross.

She has already produced two winners, including the promising two-year-old Bullfinch, who provided his dam with a timely update when winning at Chelmsford last month. Wigan said of the son of Kodiac: "He looks all right; admittedly it was only a small race he won but he won it well."

Aflame, who was offered in foal to Havana Gold, saw the McCausland family's Erdenheim Farm continue to spend big in the Tattersalls ring, after the Pennsylvanian operation acquired five mares for a total outlay of 2,860,000gns during last year's December Mare Sale - a haul that included the 1,200,000gns Off Limits and the 800,000gns Billesdon Bess.

Of the complete dispersal, which is set to continue next year, Wigan added: "The horses were all beautifully turned out - the staff at Waddesdon have done a wonderful job with them. It's the end of an era of sorts, but this year's yearlings will be going into training so there's a little bit more to come even though the stud itself will have closed down. The rest of the stock will come to the ring in due course."

Romance returns to Tattersalls

Among the other members of the Waddesdon dispersal was 2004 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Magical Romance, who joined Lady Rothschild's broodmare band for a then-world record price of 4,600,000gns at the 2006 December Mare Sale.

The 17-year-old, who looked in rude health despite her advancing years, was knocked down at 300,000gns to agent Hugo Lascelles, who hid away from the hubbub of the main auditorium down the back stairs.

The page has, of course, improved plenty in the intervening 13 years, with Magical Romance producing the Australian Listed winner Tall Ship and minor winner Love Magic, who hit the headlines earlier this year when her daughter Channel won the Prix de Diane.

Fittingly, Magical Romance was offered in foal to arguably the best horse bred by Lady Rothschild in Nathaniel.

The 17-year-old Magical Romance in the Tattersalls sales ringCredit: Laura Green

"There are a lot of daughters working for her - one is already the dam of Channel," said Lascelles, who signed on behalf of an undisclosed client. "Wouldn't it be lovely to have a Nathaniel filly out of her? She looks fantastic for her age and is still very good looking. There's a serious depth to that pedigree."

Magical Romance is out of Shouk, making her a half-sister to Oaks heroine Alexandrova - herself the granddam of Aspetar - while further back this is the same family that has produced the likes of Chicquita, Magic Wand and Rekindling.

By the time the 14-strong offering from Waddesdon Stud, all of which were consigned by Castlebridge, had passed through the ring, the group had brought total receipts of 3,193,000gns.

Mango Tango heads to Hokkaido

Japanese outfit JS Company signed for one of the session's priciest lots when Keisuke Onishi landed a final bid of 535,000gns to secure Mango Tango on behalf of Akinori Yano of Yano Farm.

The six-year-old daughter of Siyouni, offered in foal to Showcasing, won seven races and gained valuable black type when runner-up in the Group 2 Prix de Pomone.

"I have 26 mares on my farm in Hokkaido," said Yano, "and I was looking for a Pivotal-line mare. There aren't many Siyounis in Japan and obviously he's a very good stallion. We'll bring her home and foal her down and hopefully she'll go to Lord Kanaloa, the best stallion now in Japan. She's a good-looking, good-sized mare."

Offered by The Castlebridge Consignment, Mango Tango made her third visit to the sales ring her most fruitful appearance, having fetched €50,000 at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale and €400,000 from Abdulatif Al Emadi at the following year's Arc Sale.

Firm foundations for Elwick

The draft of mares from West Blagdon Stud saw the first major surge in bidding activity, as Peter Nolan and the Elwick Stud team went to 440,000gns to secure Stream Song, who won twice for George Strawbridge.

The four-year-old daughter of Mastercraftsman, who was offered in foal to Roaring Lion, is the sixth foal out of Montjeu's Prix Royal Oak-winning daughter Montare, meaning she is also a half-sister to the Group 1 scorer Journey and the Group 2-placed Travelling Man.

"She's been bought for Geoff Turnbull's Elwick Stud broodmare band," said Nolan. "She'll go to Mondialiste next year and hopefully she can become a foundation mare. We didn't quite price her at that, but the boss is a hard man to beat once he gets going! Gary [Moore, stud manager] knows the family as he used to work at Whatton Manor."

When asked what the plan would be with the Roaring Lion foal, Moore said: "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but if she's carrying a colt that might be our next stallion!"

Two-time Grade 1 winner Mondialiste has come in for some strong support since he retired to Elwick Stud in Hartlepool in 2018, including from Turnbull's own 45-strong broodmare band. His debut crop have fetched up to 60,000gns at the recent December Foal sale.

"Mondialiste has been well supported and he's got some really nice foals. They've made some good prices over the last few week," added Moore.

Mulan heads home

Winning three-year-old Mulan is returning to famed Normandy nursery Ecurie des Monceaux after Henri Bozo went to 420,000gns for the daughter of Kingman, who was offered by Tweenhills on behalf of Kin Hung Kei and Qatar Racing.

The filly was purchased from the Monceaux draft at the 2017 Arqana August Sale by David Redvers and Ghislain Bozo for €300,000, and duly sent into training with Sir Michael Stoute, for who she won a Leicester handicap.

The filly is out of Monceaux foundation mare Platonic, whose offspring include Prudenzia, the dam of Group 1 winners Magic Wand and Chicquita, and the exciting English King, a recent winner of a Newcastle maiden in good fashion.

Henri Bozo: 't's a family that keeps producing'Credit: Laura Green

"It's time for her to come home," said Bozo. "It's a family that keeps producing - it helped make Monceaux from the beginning - and we love it. We'll bring her home and cover her well. I have partners so am not sure where she will go yet."

He added: "Platonic is in very good form and she's in foal to Siyouni."

Monceaux has enjoyed some notable success with its past December Mare Sale buys, having sourced Platonic herself from Park Paddocks in 2004 at a cost of 100,000gns.

Grassick strikes for daughter of Galileo

Yvonne Jacques' Carisbrooke Stud enjoyed a big result during the December Foal Sale when its Lope De Vega colt was sold to Yeomanstown Stud for 260,000gns during Friday's session, and the operation was quick to reinvest some of those proceeds when agent Cathy Grassick went to 400,000gns for the well-bred Well Yes.

The Galileo half-sister to Just The Judge was making her second appearance at Tattersalls, having been bought by Strawbridge through Blandford Bloodstock for 525,000gns in 2016.

"We actually bid on her here as a yearling," said Grassick. "We didn't get her although we did get [Group 3 winner] Klassique, so that worked out quite well. She was a beautiful yearling and she's just as beautiful now.

"Obviously she's a half-sister to a brilliant filly in Just The Judge and then her Dark Angel foal made €575,000 at Goffs last week."

The Tattersalls December Mare Sale continues on Tuesday at 9.30am, with Mabs Cross among the high-class breeding prospects due to come under the hammer.

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