'He looks made for hurdling' - Dance At Night hurdles-bound after £31,000 sale

The well-related Dance At Night was the subject of a decent amount of attention in the ring at the Tattersalls Ascot May Sale on Tuesday and after selling to owner John Neild for £31,000 will now head to Nigel Twiston-Davies for a career over hurdles.

The son of Dark Angel struck in the silks of Jeff Smith for the Andrew Balding yard at Kempton in January, and has been placed on his last two starts including when a two-length third at Lingfield in April. The gelding, who started racing only in November, also has a fetching pedigree.

Neild, who has had horses like Betfair Hurdle winner Splash Of Ginge with Twiston-Davies, said of his new purchase: "He's not got the Ginger name but we don't mind Dance At Night!

"We'll put him away now and bring him back in the autumn to go hurdling, he looks made for it. He has form over a mile and a quarter and is a winner - that is always a good sign."

Scenes at the Tattersalls Ascot stable yardCredit: Debbie Burt

The Littleton Stud-bred four-year-old is a half-brother to Group 3 Sceptre Stakes winners Dancing Star and Foxtrot Lady, as well as multiple winners Dance Of Fire and Quickstep Lady. He is out of the winning Danehill Dancer mare Strictly Dancing, herself a daughter of Nunthorpe Stakes heroine Lochangel.

Malone in business

Camelot gelding Showbusiness came very close to nicking top-lot honours towards the end of the session when going to Tom Malone for £30,000.

A ready winner over hurdles for Gordon Elliott at Punchestown on Saturday, the former Bective Stud-owned five-year-old has also run twice with credit on the Flat when trained in France by Pia and Joakim Brandt.

Showbusiness: Camelot gelding sold to Tom Malone for £30,000Credit: Debbie Burt

Showbusiness is a familiar individual to Malone, as the agent picked up the gelding for €76,000 from Arqana's Deauville Summer Mixed Sale in 2020.

Malone said: "I originally bought him as a three-year-old for Bective. He's a lovely horse and Gordon has done well with him. This time he's for trainer Syd Hosie."

The Ecurie du Sud-bred Showbusiness also sold to Morten Buskop for €67,000 from the same sale a year before, having been bought by Guy Cherel from Cour Blanche for €28,000 at Arqana's December Sale as a foal.

Malone was busy on the day and also signed the £22,000 docket for the twice-raced Gun Runner Cash, a son of Jet Away who was a near four-length winner on his debut at Perth in April.

Another consigned by Elliott's Cullentra House Stables, the five-year-old is a half-brother to the useful winning chasers Tardree and Ballinsker. They are out of the Bob Back mare Brownie Points, who is out of a sister to the prolific In The Groove.

Hosie, meanwhile, struck the winning bid for Shade Oak Stud's Telescope filly out of an unraced Deploy sister to Grade 1-winning hurdler Shinrock Paddy. It took the trainer £16,000 to acquire the May-born three-year-old.

Hannon pair heading abroad

Mehmas gelding Geopolitic, the first lot offered from Richard Hannon's East Everleigh Stables, made £18,000 to Freddy Tylicki and signalled an increase in tempo after a sedate start to proceedings.

Bred by Michael O'Mahony, Geopolitic raced six times in the colours of Al Shaqab Racing and is out of an unplaced Danehill Dancer sister to the Group-placed Eldandy and half-sister to Stockholm Cup winner Dorcia. They are in turn out of Spinola, a daughter of Spinning World who struck in the Cherry Hinton Stakes.

Geopolitic will continue his career in Germany, according to Tylicki, who said: "He's been bought for trainer Roland Dzubasz. Roland is looking for a fun horse and I think we found one here. We should have a bit of fun around Hoppegarten, where Roland trains."

Freddy Tylicki: 'Roland is looking for a fun horse and I think we found one here'Credit: Debbie Burt

The three-year-old's price was immediately eclipsed when stablemate Tashkent sold to Will Douglass for £27,000 as the next lot. The thrice-raced son of Acclamation, who was fourth on his latest start for Hannon and Al Shaqab last week, will head to Qatar to continue his career with Gassim Ghazali.

Douglass said: "I came here for this horse and saw him at Richard's yesterday. He's lightly raced and looks like he has some miles to go in him, he's a nice horse. We're trying to get a big team of horses together for Qatar."

Tashkent is the second foal out of the stakes-placed Holy Roman Emperor mare Colour Blue, who is out of Ballyogan Stakes winner and Haydock Sprint Cup third Catch The Blues, the granddam of Phoenix Stakes winner and leading first-season sire Sioux Nation.

Hanlon finds space for Odyssey

Godolphin's three-year-old Space Odyssey proved the star of their draft when selling to Shark Hanlon for £24,000, while the placed No Nay Never gelding Baikal also proved popular and was snapped up by Michael Wigham at £20,000.

Space Odyssey, a once-raced Sea The Stars colt, is out of Height of Fashion Stakes winner and Oaks third Lady Of Dubai, a Dubawi granddaughter of Ascot Group 3 winner Head In The Clouds and from the family of St Leger hero Millenary, as well as Prix Guillaume d'Ornano winner Knight To Behold and the stakes-winning Irish Oaks second Roses For The Lady.

Hanlon, speaking on the telephone, said: "He’s for a new owner in the yard and is a good-looking horse. He needs gelding so we’ll get him home, get that done and then look to bring him back to run in the late autumn. I like progeny of Sea The Stars."

Overall, 86 lots sold for £599,600 at a healthy clearance rate of 90 per cent. The average of £6,972 and median of £4,650 were improvements of 14 per cent and 33 per cent on the last renewal in 2019.

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