Quality first for O'Callaghan as 'lovely' Time Test colt secured for 160,000gns

There was a competitive market at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale in Newmarket on Thursday, when the sale-topper proved to be the Time Test colt out of Luna Mare bought by Michael O'Callaghan for 160,000gns.

That transaction continued a fine run of form for consignor Tally-Ho Stud, who topped the recent Craven Breeze-Up Sale and enjoyed a nice touch with this youngster, a 65,000gns pinhook who shares his page with the likes of Pilsudski and Youmzain.

"He's a lovely horse and I thought he did one of the better breezes," said O'Callaghan. "He's a lovely looking horse with a nice pedigree, he's actually out of a Galileo mare and I thought he was probably the best physical of the whole sale. Hopefully he's useful."

While O'Callaghan was busy sourcing Royal Ascot prospects at the Craven and Goffs UK breeze-up sales, he said he expected his latest acquisition to be a slightly longer-term prospect.

"He's probably one for a seven-furlong maiden but he's forward enough so he could start in three or four weeks but we'll just see," the trainer added.

"This is my first Time Test and the seventh breezer I've bought this year. By this time last year I had a few more bought, but we'll keep tipping away. I bought more of a spread of horse last year but we're trying to focus on quality this time around."

Mehmas mania continues

Tally-Ho's fingerprints could also be found on the second top lot, as John Nolan's filly is by the stud's red-hot sire Mehmas. After a sparkling breeze the filly out of What About Me went the way of agent Alessandro Marconi, acting on behalf of Dubai-based interests, at 150,000gns.

"She was the pick of the sale," said Marconi. "Mr Nolan has more experience in the game than myself and he highly recommended her. She put on an impressive breeze, not just the time but the way she galloped out too, so I think she's something special. She's staying in England and we'll make a plan about who'll train her soon.

The Mehmas filly out of What About Me proved popular and was another decent result for Tally-Ho StudCredit: Laura Green

"Mehmas is a great sire. I really like some of these new speed sires like Mehmas, Sioux Nation and Kessaar. We didn't get much at the Craven and were a bit unlucky at Doncaster but this is a good sale for us."

What About Me, who won a Cork maiden and was fourth in the Loughbrown Stakes in the colours of Annette Nolan, has bred two winners, namely Glorified Fire and Keep Believing. The Mehmas filly was offered at the Goffs Sportsman's Sale, and Thursday's transaction justified connections' decision to retain her at €16,000 on that occasion.

Boman secures a stayer with speed

As a noted middle-distance influence whose offspring include German Derby winners Pastorius and Weltstar, it isn't too much of a surprise that only one lot by Soldier Hollow made its way into this year's European breeze-up circuit. However, the colt in question certainly made his mark as he went the way of Blandford Bloodstock's Stuart Boman at 130,000gns.

The youngster, a €28,000 BBAG pinhook by Powerstown Stud, boasts a pedigree that suggests he could one day be winning a European Classic, as his dam is a winning Lando half-sister to 2013 German Derby hero Lucky Speed.

This Solider Hollow colt had some rarity value as the only offspring by the sire on the breeze-up circuit this seasonCredit: Laura Green

"He's a very nice horse and will go into training in Ireland with Joseph O'Brien," said Boman. "Obviously he's a gorgeous individual and was well bought at the BBAG Yearling Sale by his vendor Tom Whitehead.

"It was actually the day that everyone got stuck in the hotel fire the night before - Tom missed the fire but saw the horse! That meant I had to come back and buy him this year instead. He breezed very quickly for a stayer, he's bred to get a mile and a half but he showed a lot of speed."

Loughnane loads up

Another vendor leaving Park Paddocks with a chunky bit of pinhooking profit was Robson Aguiar, who saw the Highland Reel filly he sourced for €16,000 go the way of Micheál Orlandi's Compas Equine and trainer Dave Loughnane at 125,000gns.

Loughnane has enjoyed some notable successes with past breeze-up graduates, including Go Bears Go, who won the Group 3 Pavilion Stakes on Wednesday.

"She breezed very well and Dave has done well with breezers," said Orlandi. "Dave came here after racing at Ascot yesterday, saw her this morning and liked her. She came highly recommended and Dave has one by Highland Reel that he likes a lot; that gave him a lot of confidence for this filly."

The Highland Reel is out of Rock Kristal, a winning daughter of Fastnet Rock who in turn is out of a sister to Footstepsinthesand, who won the 2,000 Guineas 17 years ago.

Sioux Nation catches Delahooke's eye

Another €16,000 pinhook to turn a tidy profit was the Sioux Nation filly out of Qamarain offered by Shanaville Stables. She caught the attention of James Delahooke, who secured the filly on a bid of 110,000gns on behalf of Robert and Pauline Scott of Parks Farm Stud in Essex.

"She's for the Scotts," said Delahooke. "They are going to send her to trainer George Boughey. He already trains a nice filly for them who came out of the Craven Sale last year and who won this week, she's called Mystic Wells.

James Delahooke: pleased to sign for Sioux Nation filly out of QamarainCredit: Laura Green

"This filly was my pick of the sale, she catches the eye. If she can run, she’ll be a breeding prospect for the farm. Sioux Nation has had some winners and there was a lot of competition for her."

The dam, a daughter of Hard Spun, won a Newmarket maiden during her time in training with Brian Meehan for Shadwell. The filly will bid to enhance the burgeoning stud record of Coolmore's Sioux Nation, who has already sired three first-crop winners in Europe.

Piggott and Smith-Bernal combine

Jamie Piggott got among the buyers when going to 110,000gns for the Zoffany colt out of Pivotal Era offered by Mayfield Stables.

The youngster is due to remain in Newmarket to begin his racing career, as Piggott explained, saying: "He goes to John Ryan for Graham Smith-Bernal. We got a nice Ardad at the Craven and I think this horse matches up nicely.

"He has a bit of scope, vetted as clean as a whistle and was the third-fastest breeze on our timings. You can't ask for any more than that. They don't make Zoffanys any more and he'll be missed."

Tech entrepreneur Graham Smith-Bernal, who purchased the blue-chip nursery Newsells Park Stud in June last year, has enjoyed success with Ryan-trained horses before, including the smart juvenile Manaccan, who reappears at Newmarket on Saturday.

"It‘s nice to be able to get one into John's yard and no doubt he'll do well with him," added Piggott. "He’s had a lot of success over the years for Graham, and I'm really grateful Graham is still supporting us."

RMM strike pinhooking gold

A third lot fetched 110,000gns much later in the session when Richard Spencer, acting on behalf of owner Phil Cunningham, secured the Awtaad filly out of Hawaafez offered by RMM Bloodstock.

The filly represented a remarkable pinhooking success for Robbie Mills and fiancee Kirsty Milczarek, who sourced the Shadwell-bred youngster for a mere 2,000gns at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale.

This Awtaad filly proved one of the highlights deep into the dayCredit: Laura Green

"I've been looking at her and scratching my head all winter wondering why I paid just that for her!" said Mills. "We got lucky and our judgement was right. She was in one of the last Shadwell drafts, so maybe she slipped through, but I really liked her – she was a great walker then and still is now. She's just bloomed all through her prep and blossomed."

Despite her modest initial purchase price the filly has plenty of pedigree, being out of the Cumberland Lodge Stakes-winning Hawaafez, whose page traces back to names such as Moonlight Cloud and Generous.

RMM Bloodstock is based at Seven Springs Stables, where they pre-train for various Newmarket trainers as well as prepare a few youngsters each year.

On the monumental pinhooking result, Mills added: "I doubt we'll do this again! I hope I do, I will be trying to! We have been doing breezers for the last few years, we've had some nice winners, but a result like this is a dream, it is our best result without a doubt."

Halimi leads horses in training section

Proceedings at the Guineas Sale kicked off with a session of horses in training, which was topped by the 80,000gns Halimi. The six-year-old son of Teofilo was offered by Simon and Ed Crisford's Gainsborough Thoroughbreds and will continue his career in Italy having gone the way of agent Marco Bozzi.

"He's a stayer, he's sound and he had no veterinary issues, so he's exactly what my client was looking for," said Bozzi.

"He wanted a horse to run in Group races in Italy, so he'll go into training with Bruno Grizzetti. There are two or three races for him between now and July, and there are a lot of races in that category in the autumn too."

Halimi sells to Marco Bozzi Bloodstock for 80,000gns to top the horses-in-training sessionCredit: Laura Green

Halimi was bred by Godolphin and began his racing career in Ireland with Jim Bolger, for whom he won four races, before a move to the Crisford stable for his five-year-old campaign, when he was third in the Group 3 Dubai Millennium Stakes at Meydan. He won his fifth race on his penultimate outing in a Wolverhampton handicap this month, from an official mark of 93.

Three horses-in-training lots fetched 50,000gns and the first was the Bethell Racing-consigned Trolley Boy, who went the way of Bath-based trainer Neil Mulholland.

Charles Cyzer's homebred son of Casamento made two starts in bumpers for Ed Bethell, finishing second to subsequent Listed winner Poetic Music on his debut at Market Rasen, before opening his account at Newcastle.

Mulholland said: "The form of his bumpers has worked out, he's a nice stamp of a horse. If you try to buy a three-year-old store in Ireland over the next few months it will cost you even more.

"This horse is broken in, he's a good mover and he's finished second and first, so I think he's a good calculated risk for someone looking for a bit of fun. Fingers crossed he can bend his knee and jump!"

The other two lots to bring 50,000gns were the Jamie Railton-consigned Wolsey, a three-year-old son of Kitten's Joy last seen finishing second in a Doncaster handicap off 75, and Juddmonte's once-raced War Front colt Fraction. Both were signed for by Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah.

Top marks all round

Both sections of the auction, horses in training and breeze-ups, generated record turnover, and the pair duly yielded combined spending of 6,691,500gns, a 41 per cent year-on-year increase and a new high mark for the Guineas Sale.

The combined average was also up by seven per cent at 29,349gns, while the median was 20,000gns, down nine per cent from 22,000gns in 2021. The clearance rate was a very solid 87 per cent as 228 of 262 offered lots found a buyer.

At the conclusion of selling, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said: "Significant increases in average, median and turnover are the mark of a very solid renewal of the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale, especially when combined with a highly creditable clearance rate in excess of 80 per cent.

Edmond Mahony: 'Most pleasing aspect of the sale has been the record-equalling median'Credit: Laura Green

"The domestic British and Irish demand at all levels of the market has been matched by diverse international participation, which has become the hallmark of this fixture. European buyers, particularly from Italy and Spain, have made a major contribution and they have been joined by buyers from south-east Asia and the customary strong contingent of buyers from the Gulf region.

"Eight two-year-olds selling for 100,000gns or more and a record sale turnover reflect the strong demand at the top of the market and, as ever, there have been some notable pinhooking triumphs, but the most pleasing aspect of the sale has been the record-equalling median, which demonstrates real depth to the trade from start to finish."

He added: "The consignors have supported the Guineas Breeze-Up Sale strongly and it has been great to see the buyers respond accordingly, clearly encouraged by the sale's reputation as a consistent source of Group 1 winners.

"The horses in training section of the sale also continues to thrive and the record turnover, huge rises in average and median and a clearance rate in excess of 90 per cent have contributed to unprecedented combined turnover for the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up and Horses in Training Sale."

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