'They’re looking to do business' - Australian buyers en route to Tatts July Sale

An unprecedented number of Australasian buyers will be in attendance at next month’s Tattersalls July Sale in Newmarket as breeders and owners from Down Under look further afield to enhance their broodmare bloodlines amid intense competition on the domestic sales circuit.

For the first time in more than two years, southern hemisphere bloodstock agents and breeders are making the most of the opportunity to easily travel to the UK for the Tattersalls sale and Jenny McAlpine, the auction house’s Australian and New Zealand representative, has been flooded with enquiries in recent weeks from interested parties.

The July Sale has a precedent of producing quality broodmares suited to the Australian market. The 2016 edition was the source of 60,000gns purchase Harlech, the dam of two-time Group 1-winning Yulong-owned mare Hungry Heart, and two years later the stakes-placed Bumbasina sold for 75,000gns to Astute Bloodstock’s Louis Le Metayer.

Bumbasina is the dam of this season’s brilliant unbeaten three-time winning Perth juvenile filly Amelia’s Jewel, who was bred and is raced by Western Australia’s Peter Walsh, a client of Australia-based French agent Le Metayer.

The pair will once again be in attendance at the July Sale, as will agents James Harron, Justin Bahen, Paul Moroney, Jim Clarke and Julian Blaxland.

Will Johnson, Harry McAlpine and Ciaron Maher Racing’s bloodstock manager Will Bourne also plan to be in attendance, as does Ashleigh Dowley from syndicator First Light Racing while studmasters Arthur Mitchell of Yarraman Park and Kia Ora’s Michael Kirwan are also expected to be on the grounds.

“With the Aussie interest, I don’t think we’ve had that many in the past intending to go to the actual sale and they’re seriously looking to do business,” Tattersalls’ McAlpine told ANZ Bloodstock News.

The influx of buyers follows on from the large number of participants who were in attendance at Royal Ascot earlier this month where they witnessed Nature Strip’s devastating King’s Stand Stakes victory, Cox Plate winner State Of Rest’s Prince Of Wales’s Stakes success and the barnstorming Platinum Jubilee Stakes third placing of Artorius.

The dam of dual Group 1 winner Hungry Heart sold from the Tattersalls July Sake in 2016Credit: Yulong

The Newgate Farm-China Horse Club syndicate-owned Artorius is set to back up in the July Cup at Newmarket on July 9, the day after the Tattersalls sale concludes.

Newgate Farm’s Henry Field also plans to be at the sale ahead of Artorius’ shot at international Group 1 glory while the Yulong team, headed by founder Yuesheng Zhang, who combined with agent Sheamus Mills to buy Harlech six years ago, has indicated they, too, will be in attendance at the Tatts sale.

It is an ominous sign of Yulong’s intent to be a global player of considerable strength, having spent up at last month’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on 63 horses, and last week they added Baggy Green, the dam of A$3.1 million Group 1 winner Tofane, for NZ$1.75 million through the Gavelhouse.com auction.

The appeal of breeding to the likes of Juddmonte’s Kingman and Frankel to southern hemisphere time appeals to many Australasian breeders and McAlpine will be hosting the large touring party during July Sale week which includes a trip to the famous Newmarket stud.

“Traditionally, there hasn’t been a huge amount of support for the July sale but now, with stakes-winning fillies here [in Australia] so hard to buy and so expensive, breeders are definitely looking elsewhere for opportunities,” McAlpine said.

“To be able to buy at the July sale and have access to the beautiful European pedigrees, then be able to breed to a European stallion who doesn’t shuttle to Australia, it is definitely an attractive option for many breeders.”

At the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale last month, ten mares in foal to Frankel were sold at an average of A$880,000 while three were sold at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale in early May, the trio purchased by Yulong.

The three-day, 852-lot July Sale, which starts on July 6, comprises significant drafts from the likes of Ireland’s Baroda Stud, Godolphin, Coolmore, Juddmonte, The National Stud and trainers Ed Walker, William Haggas, Karl Burke and David Simcock.

“People have just got so much more global with what’s going on. The whole online (sales) has really ramped up a notch and I do have a lot of breeders looking to go to the December sales to buy broodmares because the market here in Australia is so hot, so people are looking everywhere else,” McAlpine revealed.

“The mares who are outcrosses to Danehill [blood], they are looking for those types of mares.

“Promise Of Success [Group 2 Emancipation Stakes winner] came out of the December sale for Rosemont for 27,000gns. You look at some of those prices, you’re looking at 30,000, 40,000gns and 40,000gns translates to A$80,000. You put another A$35,000 on top to get them home and you’re still in front.

“People are doing the numbers, looking at the pedigrees and going, ‘well, it is certainly worthwhile to get on a plane and have a look’.

“In years and decades past, people said it was too expensive, the pound is double the Australian dollar, but now the exchange rate doesn’t matter so much.”

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