More than 50 lots from John Dance's Coverdale Stud or Titanium Racing Club to feature in Tattersalls Sale

More than 50 lots owned by Coverdale Stud or Titanium Racing Club, operations connected to former prominent owner John Dance, have been listed in the 2024 Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up and Horses In Training Sale.

The catalogue, which is now online, features a significant number of horses set to be sold by the Castlebridge Consignment on behalf of Coverdale Stud or Titanium Racing Club. 

Dance’s firm WealthTek LLP, which also traded as Vertem Asset Management and Malloch Melville, was shut down by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in April last year after the discovery of “serious regulatory and operational issues”. 

Dance's assets were subjected to a £40 million worldwide freezing order last year, although this was upgraded to a restraint order under the Proceeds of Crime Act in November. This month, a court filing revealed the City regulator had alleged that Dance conducted “one of the largest frauds perpetrated by an FCA regulated individual at an authorised firm”, with the FCA successfully arguing for civil proceedings to be paused in order for a criminal investigation to take priority.

Horses owned by Dance and his wife Jess have been blocked from running since September, having previously been able to under the banner of Coverdale Stud. Titanium Racing Club, who Dance was president of and provided financial support to, has been in a similar position.

The two-day sale will take place on May 1 and 2, with one particularly eyecatching lot from the Castlebridge Consignment's team being First Ambition, the first foal out of Dance's six-time Group 1 winner Laurens. Others from the draft include the unraced three-year-old Dubawi colt Twisting Physics, a half-brother to Group 2 winner Tropbeau, plus the winning three-year-old No Nay Never filly Neverstopdreaming out of the Galileo mare Snowflakes. 

The Dubawi half-brother to Tropbeau pictured selling at Book 1 for 1,000,000gns to John Dance's Manor House FarmCredit: Laura Green

Among the highly rated older performers is Gainsborough Thoroughbreds’ Crouper, runner-up in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last year, as well as Baroda Stud's Al Farabi, a four-year-old son of Kingman out of Group 1 second Altyn Orda.

Juddmonte's draft of eight lots features unraced colts and geldings by Dubawi, Kingman and Sea The Stars from the families of Calyx, Enable, Famous Name, Flintshire, Midday and Native Trail.

Entries for the breeze-up section include Mocklershill's Wootton Bassett colt out of champion three-year-old filly Peeping Fawn, the dam of three Group or Listed performers including the Group-1 placed September, and the colt by Quality Road out of three-time Group 1 winner Alice Springs, already the dam of the Group-placed filly  Prettiest.  

Longways Stables' catalogue also features a host of well-related fillies including the Zarak half-sister to dual Grade 1 winner Shaman Ghost and Mayfield Stables’ Ardad filly out of the Group 1-placed Miss You Too.

Stallions with two-year-olds catalogued who have already sired Classic or Group/Grade 1 winners, including Acclamation, Australia, Camelot, Churchill, Dark Angel, Havana Grey, Invincible Spirit, Kodiac, Le Havre, Mehmas, New Bay, No Nay Never, Oasis Dream, Saxon Warrior, Sea The Moon, Showcasing, Starspanglebanner and Zoustar.

Peeping Fawn's Wootton Bassett colt will be offered in the breeze-up section of the saleCredit: Mark Cranham

There are also 17 sires with their two-year-olds catalogued including Arizona, Earthlight, Far Above, Kameko, King Of Change, Mohaather, Sands Of Mali, Shaman, Threat, Without Parole and Sergei Prokofiev who has already produced an impressive debut winner. They are joined by French-based contemporaries Hello Youmzain, Persian King and Wooded.

Nine fillies are registered for the Great British Bonus Scheme and 13 two-year-olds are also qualified for French Owners’ Premiums. A further 38 juveniles are entered in the 2025 Swedish Derby and Oaks Series and four are entered in the £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes, two in the £100,000 Tattersalls Somerville Auction Stakes, and four in the €250,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes.

Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said: "The Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up enjoyed another excellent year on the racecourse in 2023 with the redoubtable Trueshan adding yet another Group 1 to his roll of honour alongside Group and Listed winners in Britain, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden and the USA, illustrating the quality and diversity that buyers have come to expect from the sale. 

"This year’s Guineas Breeze-Up has been very well supported by consignors and we are confident the selection of two-year-olds will appeal to domestic and international buyers in all sectors of the market, alongside the largest horses in training section in the sale’s history."

The sale features 202 breeze-up two-year-olds and will take place from May 1-2. The breeze at the Rowley Mile will be held on May 1 from 9am, while the horses in training section of the Guineas sale numbers 195 lots and takes place over two sessions, beginning on May 1 at 5pm and concluding on May 2 with a session beginning at 9.30am before the breeze-up lots.  

Catalogues will be available from Tattersalls and Tattersalls overseas representatives from next Tuesday.

Read more

Hurling for glory as Galway breeder conquers Cheltenham with a little help from JP