Lightning Spear whets appetite for Newsells Park's next Book 1 draft

The Newsells Park Stud draft at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale is always keenly anticipated and no wonder, when it is responsible for horses of the calibre of Lightning Spear – bought by Qatar Racing for 260,000gns in 2012 and the decisive winner of the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood for the operation on Wednesday.

Lightning Spear becomes the eighth individual Group 1 winner bred, raised and sold by Newsells Park in the past seven years, and might have been the ninth but for Secret Gesture's controversial demotion in the Beverly D Stakes. He is the third top-level winner bred at the stud this year, after Waldgeist and Without Parole.

Atlantic Destiny, the dam of Lightning Spear, passed away in 2014 so there are no more yearling siblings to the outstanding miler, but this year's consignment from Newsells Park to Book 1 is nevertheless replete with bluebloods and it contains two very special lots in particular who are closely related to each other.

One is a colt by exciting first-season sire Kingman out of Waldlerche, a Group 3-winning half-sister to Classic hero Masked Marvel whose first two foals are last month's Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Waldgeist and Prix de Malleret scorer Waldlied.

Lightning Spear: 'the most gorgeous individual' according to Julian DollarCredit: Alan Crowhurst

The other is a Frankel half-sister to Waldlerche and Masked Marvel who is being placed on the market with some reluctance due to her immense value as a future broodmare and the fact she was the first foal produced by Falmouth Stakes runner-up Waldmark in five years.

“Waldlerche has emerged as a real star producer,” says Newsells Park general manager Julian Dollar. “She's a Monsun mare and so a lot of her progeny have come to their very best at three and older, but her Kingman colt looks the most forward type she has produced to date and should make a very good two-year-old.

“I think Kingman has already done enough with Calyx and Look Around to suggest he will be a very good sire.

“Waldlerche is owned in partnership with Gestut Ammerland and the deal is to offer her colts for sale but retain the fillies, hence Waldlied was kept with Andre Fabre and races for both of us. Her Sea The Stars colt went to Book 1 last year and Dietrich von Boetticher [of Ammerland] bought us out to keep him. I understand he's in John Gosden's main yard and that the trainer likes him.”

It was a much harder decision to send the Frankel filly to the sales, according to Dollar.

“We need to sell all our homebreds as the wheels have to keep turning, but she's one who I don't mind saying openly we won't be giving away cheaply,” he says. “She's a beautiful horse and obviously has significant value as a broodmare in time, being by Frankel and a half-sister to Masked Marvel and Waldlerche.

“It was a tough one even offering her, especially considering how long it took to get another foal out of Waldmark, but we have Waldlerche as well as her Listed-winning half-sister Waldnah, and the dam is back in foal to Sea The Stars, so we're letting her go to Book 1.”

Among the other yearlings with star appeal Newsells Park is taking to Book 1 are a Galileo half-sister to Florida Derby hero Materiality and Kentucky Oaks runner-up My Miss Sophia and a colt by the champion sire out of Posset, an Oasis Dream sister to the great Midday. Both will be offered on behalf of farm clients John and Tanya Gunther, the in-form breeders of Justify and Without Parole.

Among the homebreds Newsells Park is set to present at the auction are a Galileo brother to Secret Gesture and Sir Isaac Newton; a Dubawi half-brother to Legatissimo; and a Dubawi filly out of Giants Play, the Grade 2-winning daughter of Giant's Causeway and Playful Act.

Reflecting on the most recent racecourse advertisement for Newsells Park's Book 1 offerings, Lightning Spear, Dollar says: “When we sold him we had no idea if he'd be a good racehorse, but one thing was certain: he was the most gorgeous individual, just a really beautiful horse.

“You could see at Goodwood on Wednesday, he was the pick of the paddock even though he was giving away a few years to the others.

“Qatar Racing should have a lot of fun standing him, and I'm glad he finally got that Group 1 to justify him going to stud. His father Pivotal is a great sire of sires, he has a lovely page and I think when breeders see him, they will fall in love with him.”

In accordance with its policy of selling almost all of the horses it breeds, Newsells Park has parted with some of Atlantic Destiny's daughters. But it will have the chance to reap the rewards of her son Lightning Spear's Group 1 breakthrough at the 2019 yearling sales.

The stud owns Atlantic Drift, a five-year-old Oasis Dream half-sister to Lightning Spear who did not race due to a bone chip in the knee. The mare produced her first foal, a Dark Angel colt, in April and she is back in foal to Caravaggio.

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