Sea The Stars filly and Siyouni colt share top billing at Baden-Baden

The most talked about lot in the catalogue for this year's BBAG Yearling Sale did not change hands, but solid international participation provided other excitement at the Baden-Baden auction house on Friday.

Bidding reached €130,000 for Gestut Rottgen's Kamsin colt who is the fourth foal out of Wellenspiel, a daughter of Sternkoenig whose first couple of offspring – Windstoss and Weltstar – have won the last two runnings of the German Derby.

“We will keep him as he didn't make the money we'd hoped he would,” said Rottgen manager Frank Dorff. “We're very happy to do so. It's a brilliant family and this colt was completely sound with no health issues, so there is no disappointment for us at all.”

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Time will tell whether those agents, owners and trainers present at Baden-Baden will come to regret their decision not to dig deeper for the colt who is, admittedly, by a stallion in Kamsin who has lost some of his commercial attractiveness – if none of his innate sire-power – for being transferred to the National Hunt ranks.

Rottgen campaign Windstoss and Weltstar after they were unsold as yearlings at BBAG for €16,000 and €40,000, while they also retained the dam's third foal, the Reliable Man colt Walerian, for €110,000 at last year's sale.

Worrick – as Wellenspiel's latest yearling has already been christened – was not the only well-bred youngster at the sale, however, and two lots with significant pedigree appeal shared top billing at €280,000.

The next Sea Of Class?

The first to hit that mark was a chestnut daughter of Sea The Stars – just like recent runaway Yorkshire Oaks heroine Sea Of Class – consigned by Gestut Etzean.

The filly is the third foal out of champion two-year-old filly Monami, a half-sister to Italian Oaks winner Meridiana by former Etzean resident Sholokhov. Her three-year-old half-brother Matchmaking has made hay by winning four handicaps for Sir Mark Prescott this season.

She too is heading to Britain after agent Tom Goff of Blandford Bloodstock struck the winning bid.

“She’s been bought for a long-standing Blandford client,” said Goff. “She’s on her way back to the UK but we haven’t decided who’s going to train her.

“She’s a lovely filly by a stallion that we absolutely adore, out of a champion two-year-old in Germany by Sholokhov. She’s a beautiful mover and looks like a real athlete for the future.

“If she's anything like Sea Of Class in talent, I would be absolutely ecstatic!”

Godolphin go great guns

The other €280,000 joint-top lot was a son of Siyouni who is the fourth foal out of the Classic-placed Oasis Dream mare Waldtraut, a scion of the wonderful 'W' family of Waldpark, Wiesenpfad and this season's star siblings Waldgeist and Waldlied.

The Gestut Brummerhof-consigned colt is joining the Godolphin ranks after being knocked down to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock.

“I thought he was a nice, athletic horse from a good family and he’s by a very good sire indeed,” said Anthony Stroud.

“That’s why we were prepared to have a go, but we were at the end of our tether bidding-wise. That was just about where we valued him.”

Godolphin are also gaining the colt who drew the second largest price at Baden-Baden on Friday, a €205,000 colt from the keenly anticipated first crop of home stallion Golden Horn out of Ninfea, a Listed-placed Selkirk half-sister to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Novellist.

“We liked him, he moved well and obviously the sire stands at Dalham Hall,” said Stroud of the lot who was presented by Ronald Rauscher on behalf of Novellist's owner Dr Christoph Berglar.

“He was a very athletic horse and Golden Horn himself was an excellent racehorse and a Derby winner. We bought him for those reasons and he was one that we wanted.”

Reflecting on Golden Horn's debut yearlings, Stroud added: “We’ve got some at the stud in Ireland and they’re very nice horses and I’ve been pleased with what I’ve seen so far. We want to support the horses, and this one was a nice individual and that’s why we went for him.”

Guten Tag for Gestut Etzean

It was an excellent day for Gestut Etzean as not only did they sell the co-bestseller, but it also had a huge compliment paid to their first-crop stallion Amaron.

That came when Ghislain Bozo's Meridian International gave €160,000 for the stud's filly who is by the Group 1-winning son of Shamardal and is a half-sister to the stakes winners Rock My Heart, Rock My Love and Rock My Soul – the last named the dam of this season's Chester Vase scorer Young Rascal.

Nordic goes Nordic

The other lot to make as much as €150,000 – hitting the figure on the nose – continued two of the themes felt at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale earlier in the week.

The colt in question is from the first crop of Gleneagles, who had a colt smash the Doncaster record price when sold for £380,000, and was bought by Peter and Ross Doyle, regular buyers of big talents at the Yorkshire venue and busy again on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Brummerhof-consigned half-brother to stakes winners Nevada, Nordic Flight and Nordico has already been named Nordic, which is fitting as the Doyles were acting on behalf of Scandinavian clients.

“He's a very nice, balanced individual, seemed to have a great attitude and is a very good mover,” said Ross Doyle. “He comes from a fine family and a good stud farm and obviously Gleneagles is a very exciting stallion.

“The Gleneagles yearlings are like their dad: good-looking horses who are terrific movers.

“This one will go into training with Wido Neuroth in Norway, who's one of our clients. Fingers crossed he should suit the racing there and we’ve had a bit of luck with horses we’ve bought from this sale over the years that have gone into training with Wido.

“The plan would be to tackle the Norwegian Classic races with him and maybe if he’s good enough he could travel to France or Germany.”

Figures down

There were not enough lots who found themselves in similar demand to those who commanded the top prices to arrest across-the-board declines in figures.

Takings for the day were €6,028,500, down 23 per cent on 2017. The average price of €38,644 fell by 12 per cent year-on-year, while the median of €38,737 decreased by 11 per cent.

A drop in clearance rate from 71 per cent to 63 per cent was alarming, although German vendors – many of them owner-breeders themselves – are notorious for retaining their sale offerings if the market does not agree with their valuations.

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