'He was always going to be expensive' - Fancy Man fetches 675,000gns

There are less than seven days to go until this year’s Melbourne Cup, which will be run in the early hours of Tuesday morning at Flemington. But plans for next year’s race that stops the nation started coming together at Tattersalls on Wednesday as day three of the Autumn Horses in Training Sale was topped by Fancy Man at 675,000gns.

The classy four-year-old was knocked down to Stuart Boman of Blandford Bloodstock, who was bidding on behalf of rising star trainer Annabel Neasham. The pair have already combined to great effect with another Autumn Horses in Training Sale purchase, Zaaki, a 150,000gns acquisition in 2020, who has landed three Group 1s since switching hemispheres.

“He’s been bought for Annabel Neasham,” said Boman. “We wanted a Melbourne Cup horse so we thought we’d come and buy the best horse here, and I genuinely think he is.”

Fancy Man ran 16 times for Richard Hannon and owner Michael Pescod, winning four races and £140,919 in prize-money. At two the son of Pride Of Dubai landed the Listed Ascendant Stakes by three and three-quarter lengths, and added a second Listed success to his record in this year’s Winter Derby Trial. He also has a stack of Group-placed form to his name along with a career-high Racing Post Rating of 114.

“A lot of these horses have been making a lot of money, and justifiably, but he’s been running to a very high level for a long period of time,” continued Boman. “He’s been beautifully trained by Richard Hannon, he vetted very cleanly. He’s a horse I’ve tried to buy during the year a couple of times. I probably could have bought him for less but you’ve got to meet the market and buy the horse.”

On the session-topping sum, Boman added: “Annabel is extraordinarily brave. He was always going to be an expensive horse but you never really know what they’re going to make. You either get on with it and buy them and make it happen or you don’t, so we did! She had 200 people sign up who were interested in buying whatever we could buy here.

“We’ve been very patient and bought one horse who we think is a Cup horse. He’s a highly rated horse and you buy the number. He’s rated 119, he’s the highest rated horse here and he runs to 110 every week so he’s a good horse. He can perform from a mile to a mile and a half, and we think he’ll get two miles in Australia and that’s what we’re here to try and buy.”

The half-brother to the Grade 3-placed The Grey Wizard was making his second appearance at public auction, having been bought by Peter and Ross Doyle for €30,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale in 2019.

Athbah in action

The arrival of the Juddmonte draft sparked the session into life when a bid of 525,000gns saw One World knocked down to Ted Durcan. While it was a familiar tale of an overseas buyer supplying the winning bid, a new name appeared on the docket as the son of Sea The Stars was sold to Athbah Racing, a major player in the Arabian racing world who is taking its first steps into the thoroughbred business.

The operation is headed up by Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and has enjoyed much success in the Arabian sphere as Athbah Racing is the leading Arabian owner by number of winners in Britain in 2022.

The outfit’s first Tattersalls purchase is certainly an exciting one as One World has won two of six starts for John and Thady Gosden, namely novice events at Haydock and Newcastle, while he reached an RPR of 86 for his runner-up effort behind Castle Way in a Newmarket handicap last time out.

“The plan is this horse will go to Saudi Arabia,” said Abdul Moniem, racing manager to Athbah Racing. “We are so delighted as this is the first time his Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmed has purchased a thoroughbred from Tattersalls. Athbah Racing has experience with Arabians only, this year we are the leading owner of Arabians in Britain, but our prince is just getting into the thoroughbred business.”

As well as promising form, the two-year-old One World boasts a typically deep Juddmonte family. He is the second foal out of Time Chaser, a placed Dubawi sister to Time Test who in turn is out of Passage Of Time, winner of the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

“This horse has got a beautiful pedigree and he was bred by Juddmonte, which is another positive,” added Moniem. “We vetted him and we liked his conformation and we think he’s a good horse. He will be trained by our trainer in Saudi Arabia, Lucas Gaitan.”

Another for Najd Stud

The Najd Stud team, who filled the role of underbidder when Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal gave 850,000gns for I'm A Gambler on Tuesday, had dusted themselves down and were back in business on Wednesday afternoon as they secured Finest Sound from the Godolphin draft at 350,000gns.

“He’ll go to Saudi Arabia and we will try to let him acclimatise and hopefully he can participate on Saudi Cup night,” said representative Saad bin Mishraf. “We don’t know which race yet, that depends on how he does under different circumstances. He’s a very good horse, though.”

Finest Sound, a Sheikh Mohammed Obaid homebred son of Exceed And Excel, won four races for the Simon and Ed Crisford team and was also second in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta at Meydan. His biggest effort on RPRs came when he was runner-up, beaten just a neck, by stablemate Jadoomi in the Group 2 Celebration Mile earlier in the year.

Saad Bin Mishraf: Najd Stud representative was in actionCredit: Laura Green

The five-year-old is out of Amplifier, a Dubawi sister to the Listed-placed Seema. The page goes back to St Leger, Coronation Cup and Grand Prix de Paris hero Scorpion.

By the close of play on day three Najd Stud had spent 1,460,000gns
on seven new recruits, and Mishraf reflected on the group’s time at Tattersalls by saying: “There’s been a very good market here, you see a lot of people from around the world here trying to buy a good horse. We’ve been underbidders to three or four different people. Some from Australia, some from America. It just shows this sale is the best!”

Godolphin offered 26 lots on day three and the group sold for receipts totalling 1,129,500gns at an average of 43,442gns.

'I wish I hadn't sold him!'

Najd Stud's haul also took in rags to riches story Amichi, who was secured on a bid of 325,000gns. The two-year-old son of Gutaifan was signed for by Sackville Donald at just 15,500gns at last year’s Tattersalls Somerville Sale but netted trainer Ed Walker and owner Laurence Bellman £138,947 in prize-money having landed a couple of lucrative pots.

Victory in a Kempton novice was followed by wins in the Tattersalls Somerville Auction Stakes and the Tattersalls October Auction Stakes, the latter effort earning an RPR of 103.

Amichi: Tattersalls Somerville Auction and Tattersalls October Auction Stakes winner goes the way of Najd Stud for 325,000gnsCredit: Laura Green

“What a legend!” said a delighted Walker. “He really has been a cool horse and I’ve just been saying to Jimmy George, I bought him on spec with Ed Sackville for 15,500gns and I wish I hadn’t sold him! Laurence has been a great supporter of mine since I started training so we offered the horse straight up to him and he never hesitated and bought him straight away on our recommendation. The rest is history but fair play to Laurence because he deserves it, he puts a huge amount into the game.”

Walker continued: “Without being negative about British racing, which is thriving in so many ways, we have to make our money through other avenues rather than prize-money so you do have to keep trading horses. We’ve got yearlings for sale at home and I’m sure Laurence will buy one or two, he’s the sort of owner who doesn’t take out of the game, he puts in.

"I’ve sold lots of horses for plenty of money before and the wheels haven’t kept turning, but I know with this one they’ll keep turning.”

Ed Walker: 'Amichi really has been a cool horse'Credit: Laura Green

Walker is no stranger to success at this sale as he also offered the 2020 top lot, the 925,000gns English King, who went the way of Armando Duarte, Ballymore Stables Australia and Paul Moroney Bloodstock.

Asked if he felt he had another Amichi among his yearling recruits, Walker said: “I didn’t buy many yearlings for 15 grand this year! They were hard to find.”

Magisterial's connections make a mark

Another new set of Saudi Arabian connections to make a purchase emerged when Magisterial was knocked down for 425,000gns. The docket was signed by A Alsaid and bloodstock agent Andre Pereira. The well-related Magisterial won twice for owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen having been sent into training with John and Thady Gosden, with novice victories coming at Haydock and Leicester.

“Sami Alharabi will be training the horse, he liked him when he saw him here,” said Pereira. “The team like him being by Frankel and he has a great pedigree, too. The intention for this horse is to be aimed for the Saudi World Cup day, depending on how he adapts to the new environment. And, yes, we thought we'd have to pay that for him! The owner is new to racing and he's ambitious and keen to get to have a runner on Saudi Cup day."

Magisterial is the 12th foal out of the Darshaan mare Hoity Toity, making him a sibling to five winners, most notably dual Group 1 heroine Lillie Langtry, who in turn bred the top-flight scorers Minding, Tuesday and Empress Josephine.

Go Go Gadget Guy

Guy Mulcaster, sales ring ally to leading Australia-based trainer Chris Waller, has already made his presence felt at this year’s Autumn Horses in Training Sale having secured the 410,000gns Waterville on day one. The agent was back in the thick of it on Wednesday when he went to 310,000gns for The Gadget Man, a dual winner for Ralph Beckett who was offered through Jamie Railton.

The three-year-old is by Overbury Stud’s Jack Hobbs and has shown progressive form since his stamina has been tapped into, winning handicaps at Chester and Yarmouth and hitting a peak RPR of 95 for his third-place finish behind Post Impressionist at York last time out.

“Let's hope he keeps on the upward curve!” said Mulcaster after signing the docket. “I just watched his replays this morning and thought he was so tough. He’s also a very athletic horse, he’s light on his feet, moves well and we think he will fit into our programme pretty well.

“He wasn’t cheap but judging by the way this sale has gone, he might not have been that expensive either – there were a number of people pushing us along. We’re pretty happy to have got him at that sort of money. When you see his replays and he gets stuck in, he’s only going to go forward and he’s going to develop a bit as well. He has a pretty dour sort of pedigree."

The six-figure price makes The Gadget Man, who was bred by Derek and Judith Newell at a covering fee of just £4,000, comfortably the most expensive offspring of Jack Hobbs.

Also bound for Australia is Juddmonte’s two-time winner Special Envoy after the Frankel half-brother to sprint stars Marsha and Judicial was knocked down to Susie McKeever at 250,000gns.

The regally bred three-year-old, a 850,000gns yearling buy by Juddmonte, will now join the stable of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. The successful purchaser was deputising for her husband, Johnny, and kicked things off with an opening bid of 100,000gns.

“I couldn't see the point of the bidding starting lower," she said. "He will head down tomorrow with yesterday's purchase [the 300,000gns Just Fine]. We liked his profile and he’s a lovely horse."

Explaining Johnny’s absence from Park Paddocks, McKeever said he had departed Newmarket and was en route to Australia for this year's running of the Melbourne Cup, in which his buys were triply represented.

She said: "He has three runners in the Melbourne Cup – Hoo Ya Mal, Knights Order, who is also a Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training graduate, and Camorra.”

Turnover for the session was up 27 per cent compared to 2021 at 13,532,000gns, while the average rose by 20 per cent at 46,027gns. The median was 24,000gns, 14 points up on the 21,000gns figure recorded last year. The clearance rate was 92 per cent as 294 sold from 319 offered.

The Autumn Horses in Training Sale concludes on Thursday, with the fourth and final session starting at 9.30am.

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