'He was the one horse we really wanted today' - Godolphin succeed in quest for No Nay Never colt at a cost of 2.2m gns

Ballylinch Stud has sold five Group 1 winners at past renewals of Book 1, including this year’s National Stakes winner Scorthy Champ. However, the stud’s managing director John O’Connor was predicting the No Nay Never colt out of Bella Estrella could just be the best of the lot after the youngster was knocked down to Godolphin at 2,200,000gns midway through a blockbuster session on Tuesday. Coolmore filled the role of underbidder.

“I think he’s one of the nicest horses we’ve ever brought to a sale, and we’ve brought some nice ones in the past,” said O’Connor.

“Our yearling manager at Casltmartin, Ronan Wade, gave him the highest mark we’ve ever had for a horse. We’re delighted Sheikh Mohammed bought him and we wish him every success with this horse. He just seemed, to me, to be the perfect yearling, so I hope he’ll be the perfect racehorse.

“He’s got a wonderful temperament; he’s so consistent in how he shows and he’s got a beautiful action. He vetted very well, obviously, and most of who you think can buy a very good horse wanted to buy him. Sheikh Mohammed is having some success with our stallions and I hope we’ll have some success with this horse as well.”

Given his lofty opinion of the colt, O’Connor said the seven-figure price tag was not a complete shock.

“It was always possible,” he said. “I’m never someone to jump the fence before I get there, but it was always possible there’d be a clash between one or another of the very significant buyers. At that point, you never know what they’re going to make.”

• Recap: relive all the news as it happened from the Tattersalls Book 1 Sale with Kitty Trice's live blog and check back in from 10.30am Wednesday morning for all the latest on day two

Not only did the dam win a Listed race during her time on the track, she has already bred the Group 2 Champagne Stakes winner Iberian.

The colt’s second dam is Uncharted Haven, a Grade 2 winner in the US who joined the Ballylinch broodmare band in 2001 at a cost of 320,000gns. Her third foal is High Heeled, a daughter of High Chaparral who won the Group 3 St Simon Stakes and placed in the Oaks and Coronation Cup. In turn, she has bred the Listed-winning Pabouche, while another of Uncharted Haven’s daughters, Faraday Light, is the dam of Just The Judge.

“I think this mare [Bella Estrella] is very, very good,” said O’Connor. “It’s an original pedigree from the McCalmont time at Ballylinch. I bought Uncharted Haven here out of training in the December Sales and most of the black type on the page has been bred by us. It’s a very active family.”

After signing the docket, Godolphin’s Anthony Stroud said: “Needless to say, he’s a very good-looking horse. We all liked him a lot. He’s got a wonderful pedigree and he’s from a very good stud farm in Ballylinch. He was the one horse we really wanted today.”

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