Troubled tycoon Markus Jooste set to offer three fillies at February Sale

A trio of lots owned by the beleaguered South African business tycoon Markus Jooste are set to come under the hammer at the Tattersalls February Sale, which begins its two-day run at Park Paddocks on February 1.

The fillies were all trained by Aidan O'Brien and raced in conjunction with the Coolmore partners.

They are: Key To My Heart, a Listed-winning daughter of Galileo and the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes winner A Z Warrior who was picked up for 1,300,000gns at Book 1 in 2015; Pocketfullofdreams, an Invincible Spirit half-sister to Group 2 winner The Juliet Rose, who fetched €550,000 as a yearling and who has twice finished second at Listed level; and the winning Smoulder, a 725,000gns yearling who is by Redoute's Choice and is closely related to 1,000 Guineas winner Legatissimo.

Jooste, who resigned as chief executive of multinational company Steinhoff after allegations of financial irregularities emerged, has already sold a number of high-profile horses in his native South Africa, including dual horse of the year Legal Eagle.

View full catalogue

In late December Jooste's racing manager Derek Brugman revealed: "We've now made an agreement with the financiers that we can continue racing and continue selling the horses. We've also been given time by the financiers to sell them in a structured manner over a period of time. We're not in a fire-sale situation."

Those lots form part of The Castlebridge Consignment's 29-strong draft, which also includes the final offering from the Ballymacoll Stud dispersal, with Rockfel Stakes runner-up Thetis due to be offered in foal to Lope De Vega.

The catalogue, which is available to view online now, is comprised of 164 fillies in and out of training, 46 broodmares, 175 colts and geldings in and out of training, 46 yearlings and 15 two-year-olds, with consignments due to be offered by leading operations such as Godolphin, Juddmonte Farms and Shadwell Estates.

Talents to have emerged from previous renewals of the February Sale include the evergreen Sovereign Debt and Whirly Dancer, dam of last year's crack juvenile Beckford.

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