Dubawi filly from a famous family takes a dramatic trip to 725,000gns Book 2 transaction

Lodge Park Stud snatched triumph from the jaws of disaster when the farm’s blue-blooded Dubawi filly went the way of Godolphin for 725,000gns during the opening stages of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Monday. 

The youngster, the sole lot by Dubawi in Europe’s largest yearling sale, had been due to appear at last week’s Book 1 only to meet with a last-minute setback. The wildcard offering had been set to travel from County Kilkenny to Newmarket during the week of the Goffs Orby Sale, but the arrival of Storm Agnes meant her journey was brought forward 24 hours, only for things to go awry once she was on the move.  

Explaining the circumstances behind the filly’s appearance at Park Paddocks a few days late, Lodge Park’s Damian Burns said: “She got on to the lorry and was doing just a little bit of jumping around, nothing a normal yearling wouldn’t do, and our best guess – we have the video from the next door stall – is the head collar got caught on something and when she released herself, she cut her jaw. 

“She was literally just out of the yard, but had a laceration so went back to her stable. She was fine and eating up, but went down to Fethard as a precaution and they stitched her up. Everything was fine and when she was at home she was out in her paddock and we had her walking up and down.” 

The Dubawi filly was none the worse for her excursions before selling to Anthony Stroud for 725,000gns at Book 2 Credit: Alisha Meeder

With the filly none the worse for her encounter, the Lodge Park team began to formulate a plan B. 

Burns continued: “The Friday evening before Book 1 we got in touch with our transporters and Tattersalls to say this filly might be okay and set the wheels in motion to sell this week. 

“We had to keep her at home an extra few days, so many thanks to the guys at home because we were here with our Book 1 yearlings. She got here Wednesday morning and we were showing her on Wednesday afternoon. 

"Our option was waiting for the December Sale, and that was our thought at the time, or putting a saddle on her, everything was discussed. But usually with our young mares we like to sell the stock and let them pay their way, so many thanks to Tatts for taking her.” 

The filly is the second foal out of Park Bloom, a winning Galileo sister to Oaks heroine Was, Group 2 Curragh Cup scorer Amhran Na Bhfiann and the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial winner Douglas Macarthur. The family is no stranger to success in the Park Paddocks ring as another sibling, the winning and Group 3-placed Al Naamah, holds the Book 1 record having been bought by Al Shaqab for 5,000,000gns in 2013. The Dubawi filly becomes the joint sixth most expensive lot sold at Book 2. 

Anthony Stroud: "She compares very favourably with the stock on offer at Book 1"Credit: Alisha Meeder

There are plenty of headline names a further generation back too, as the filly’s third dam is the champion two- and three-year-old Park Express, whose five black-type performers include the top-class runner and influential sire New Approach. 

“She’s quite a typical Dubawi but probably has a bit more action than some, which I’d say she gets from her dam line,” said Burns. “And she vetted very well – the family tends to vet very well, those hidden genetics that you don’t see. It’s been very good to us. 

"We had a Night Of Thunder colt last week from the family who made 400,000gns [to Oliver St Lawrence]. My brother Jamie prepped her, so many thanks to him and the guys at home.” 

Anthony Stroud was back in action after helping Godolphin top the Book 1 buyers’ chart with 20 new recruits costing a combined 12,030,000gns. The agent said: “She’s a very nice filly out of a Galileo mare. She moved very well and has a good outlook. Obviously she’s by Dubawi, who’s an unbelievable stallion. 

"She’s bred on a good cross and comes from a very good farm, so we’re very lucky to receive her. She compares very favourably with the stock on offer at Book 1, she’s a lovely filly. She’s very classy.

“They did very well to get her here this week, there’s a scar under her jaw but the vets have clearly done a very good job. She’s behaved incredibly well, especially considering what she’s been through.”

Hascombe and Valiant Stud's Too Darn Hot colt out of Precious Ramotswe was another to head the way of Anthony StroudCredit: Alisha Meeder

Stroud was in the thick of the action again a short while later when he secured the son of Too Darn Hot and the Group 3-winning Precious Ramotswe from Hascombe and Valiant Stud at 350,000gns. The youngster, whose page features Anthony Oppenheimer-owned celebrities like Rebecca Sharp and Golden Horn, was signed for by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock. 

The six-figure transaction continued the good run of Hascombe and Valiant after topping Book 1 with the 2,000,000gns Frankel colt. Stud manager James Frank said of the Too Darn Hot colt: “He has always been a free-moving individual. He was born on the farm, raised nicely, done well and the last three weeks he has really flourished. When he came here he showed himself well and he deserved that price. He’s done what we thought he should do.” 

The dam won four races for John Gosden, including the Bronte Fillies' Stakes, and has bred one winner from one runner. The daughter of Nathaniel has a Time Test filly foal on the ground and was covered by Sea The Stars this spring. Frank added: “The mare is very gentle, she’s very caring, very laid back. She can be in a field and you wouldn't notice her, she just gets on with her life. They’re the best ones. We are hoping she is going to produce more for us.”

Stonestreet step up for popular Showcasing filly

Ben McElroy has already found Stonestreet Stables’ Barbara Banke one Royal Ascot winner in the Tattersalls ring, with Queen Mary Stakes and Commonwealth Cup heroine Campanelle sourced in 2019 at a cost of 190,000gns. 

The US-based agent will be hoping to repeat the feat with Carmel Stud’s Showcasing filly who was secured on a bid of 325,000gns. The youngster is certainly bred to be sharp as her dam won twice at two and her first foal is this year’s juvenile scorer Queen's Guard. The Showcasing filly was bred in partnership between Carmel and Whitsbury Manor Stud. 

Carmel Stud’s Showcasing filly in the sales ring at Park PaddocksCredit: Laura Green

“She was bought for Stonestreet Stables so she’ll go back to their training facility in Florida and we’ll assess her through the winter and spring and then make a decision about a trainer in February or March,” said McElroy. “She looks like a Royal Ascot type and her sister is a two-year-old winner. We’ve bought a couple of Showcasings for Barbara before and they’ve all shown a lot of ability, so hopefully this filly does the same.” 

Expanding on his transatlantic buying mission, McElroy added: “I bought four in Book 1 but I’ve kind of kept my powder dry for Book 2 because we’re looking for a very particular type. I’m glad we waited as we might try and get one or two more, but it’s hard to find the ones who look like this.” 

When asked for specifics on the type he was looking for, McElroy simply said “Fast!” 

Later in the session McElroy secured Marlhill House Stud's Fastnet Rock sister to Poker Face. The 200,000gns youngster was signed for in tandem with Amo Racing.

The Fastnet Rock sister to Poker Face was signed for 200,000gns by Ben McElroyCredit: Laura Green

The Showcasing filly is a second generation Carmel Stud homebred as her dam, So Brave, is by Kyllachy and out of the Listed-placed Valiantly, a daughter of Anabaa who was bought from the Juddmonte draft of the 2004 December Mare Sale at a cost of 110,000gns. 

“She’s been the busiest horse we’ve ever brought to the sales, she’s just had so many vets and so many people saying she was beautiful,” said Carmel Stud’s Michelle Morgan. “She’s the most amazing physical. I’m a natural born worrier but it’s just incredible when the market appreciates them like that.” 

Morgan is hoping there is more to come from So Brave, as she added: “She has a beautiful Pinatubo colt foal and she’s in foal to Blue Point, which is even more exciting.” 

Pinatubo power

Pinatubo’s debut yearlings continue to capture buyers’ attention as the Dalham Hall Stud resident supplied three of the session’s top six lots. The priciest of the trio was the 325,000gns filly out of Toquette from Corduff Stud. The filly, a half-sister to the Listed-winning pair Platinum Star and Tifosa, was signed for by American agent Justin Casse, who confirmed himself a big fan of the sire. 

“The Pinatubos are lovely horses,” he said. “I looked at a lot of them and was impressed with what I saw. I’m a fan. We were looking for something early and, for me, I felt like she was the best filly in Book 2. I like fillies who look like colts and that was her. She’s a very robust, very good-moving horse.

Justin Casse: 'I felt like she was the best filly in Book 2'Credit: Laura Green

“I also like that the mare has already produced some black type. Everybody has Ascot dreams and there’s some precocity in the family – she has the build to be early and comes from a good nursery, so all of that equated. She’ll go to Joseph [O'Brien] and we’ll hope for top hats and tails come June.” 

Earlier in the session Saudi Arabian outfit Najd Stud went to 300,000gns for the Pintaubo colt out of Regal Splendour from Cheveley Park Stud, before Ed Sackville of Sackville Donald gave 280,000gns for a well-related filly from the Mahon family’s Mountain View Stud. 

“Pinatubo was a champion two-year-old, and by Shamardal, who is already a sire of sires as Blue Point looks very exciting,” said Najd Stud representative Saud Al Qahtani. 

“This is a very good individual, you can’t really fault him. He’s very strong, correct with good movement. It’s too early to say whether he’ll stay here or go straight to Saudi Arabia. We’ll have a think and decide shortly.”

Cheveley Park Stud's colt by Pinatubo heads the way of Najd Stud at Book 2 Credit: Alisha Meeder

The Mountain View-consigned youngster is out of Seagull, a Sea The Stars three-parts sister to Galileo’s first Group 1 winner Nightime. Bred by Marguerite Weld, Nightime not only won the Irish 1,000 Guineas but went on to produce the world champion Ghaiyyath, a four-time Group 1 winner, and Grade 1 Man o' War Stakes scorer Zhukova.  

“She’s a lovely filly by a very exciting young sire,” said Sackville. “She’s got a second dam with tremendous strength in depth too. She’ll be trained by Ed Walker. I’ve really liked the Pinatubos I’ve seen. He was a brilliant racehorse and this filly comes from a very good farm.” 

Pinatubo, winner of the National and Dewhurst Stakes at two and the Prix Jean Prat at three, served 149 mares in his debut season at a fee of £35,000. His highest-priced yearling sold during Book 1 when Godolphin went to 500,000gns for the half-sister to Ottoman Fleet. 

His average price on day one of Book 2 was 186,335gns for six sold lots.

Bright start for Greyridge 

Glebe Farm Stud, which is now operating under the banner of Greyridge Bloodstock, invested 135,000gns to purchase the Listed-placed New Approach mare Ridaa from the Shadwell draft at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2021.

That was made to look like money well spent on Monday when her first foal, the Night Of Thunder colt who was in utero at the time the mare was purchased, was sold back to Shadwell for 230,000gns. 

Sheikha Hissa's Shadwell operation was in action on day one of Tattersalls Book 2 Credit: Alisha Meeder

“It couldn’t have gone any better,” said Greyridge Bloodstock’s Carwyn Johns. “He’s been a fantastic horse since he was born and it’s nice to see he’s gone full circle because we bought the mare from Shadwell carrying him. Hopefully he’s very lucky for them.

“We were realistic and we hoped we’d get back what we paid for the mare, which would’ve been fantastic, but obviously he went a lot further than we expected. Hopefully we can continue on the same trend. We have a few more to go this week, for ourselves and for our clients, and we have a few nice horses on the ground ready to go for next year too.” 

Expanding on the new venture, Johns said: “Greyridge is myself and my partner, Amy, we originally set up to have our own bloodstock but we’re going to have a great opportunity to lease Glebe Farm. We’re getting a great opportunity from Denis and Clare Barry, who owned this colt. We couldn’t thank them enough.”

The first of three Book 2 sessions saw solid trade, with the aggregate of 18,530,500gns and average of 88,240gns broadly in line with the corresponding figures from last year’s opening day. The median rose by six per cent to 69,000gns, having been 65,000gns 12 months ago. The clearance rate was 84 per cent as 210 sold from 249 offered. 

Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues on Tuesday at 10am.

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