'I'm gobsmacked and in shock' - Caught U Looking steals the show at Tattersalls to the tune of 1,800,000gns

As 7pm closed in, and after nearly nine and a half hours of more routine December Mares Sale trade, Tattersalls finally raised the curtain on Monday’s instalment of the blue-chip Sceptre Sessions.

The high-class filly Caught U Looking vaulted to the head of the market after an online bid of 1,800,000gns from the Yulong Investments team, signing as Willingham. The three-year-old daughter of Harzand was making her second appearance at public auction significantly more productive than her first.

She was bought by Peter Nolan and trainer Noel Meade for just €27,000 at the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale in 2022.

Auctioneer Alastair Pim had his gavel raised at 1,600,000gns when Will Walden, sitting in the packed auditorium to the right of the rostrum, lodged the latest of late bids. “Why not?” said Pim, turning on his heel and looking in Walden’s direction. However, when another 100,000gns came through online, the American trainer declined to up the ante any further.

“Oh my god!” said an emotional Sabina Kelly, wife of breeder Peter Kelly and co-owner of the filly alongside Tally-Ho Stud’s Tony O’Callaghan.

“This is the most amazing thing ever. She’s always been a pet, we’ve always loved her, she’s just been a brilliant filly. I’m gobsmacked and I’m in shock. All I can say is: amazing. We’ve had a great season with her. She’s just fab and I hope she’s as lucky for the next owner as she was for us.”

Caught U Looking wasted no time proving her yearling valuation all wrong as she broke her maiden on her second start at two before doubling her tally in the Group 3 Weld Park Stakes.

Caught U Looking and Ben Coen get up late to land the Group 3 Weld Park StakesCredit: CAROLINE NORRIS

She kept exalted company thereafter, and wasn’t beaten far when fifth behind You Got To Me, who sells in Tuesday's Sceptre Session, in the Irish Oaks. She was last seen running out a four-length winner of the Listed Bluebell Stakes at Naas.

She was bred by Kelly Equine Services and is the first foal out of Wild Mix, a Mastercraftsman half-sister to the Group 3-winning siblings Double Or Bubble and Mix And Mingle, both of whom are by Exceed And Excel.

It was at this sale last year that Yulong secured Via Sistina, with the 2,700,000gns docket signed by Evergreen Equine. The daughter of Fastnet Rock won the Pretty Polly Stakes for George Boughey and has added five more Group 1s to her record under the care of Chris Waller. Connections are set to put Caught U Looking on a similar programme and will hope that lightning can strike twice.  

YuLong’s general manager reflected on Monday’s seven-figure acquisition by saying: “There were bids coming from all corners of the auditorium, which is always a good sign. You like to see competition but you hate to be the only one out there. Funnily enough that price was around where I thought we might end up, not that I’m any great judge. 

"She’s a well-performed filly and we think she has a pretty good profile to race on with. Our ambition at this stage is probably to send her to Australia and put her on a path not dissimilar to Via Sistina, who we’ve obviously had a lot of success with in the last 12 months.

“We’re not suggesting this filly is going to turn into a Via Sistina, although we’d love her to. But you have to keep your feet on the ground and just hope she can win some nice races for us down the line.” 

Cox added: “It’s no secret that staying horses in this part of the world perform exceptionally well in Australia. She’s already stakes performed so she can retire to the stud irrespective of what happens in Australia. Hopefully we can add to her CV though. James Ferguson did a great job with Via Sistina last year and we’ll probably send her to James and he can look after her for the short term and then we’ll put her on a plane to Australia.”

Coolmore take Heart

A few lots later Coolmore’s MV Magnier went to 625,000gns for the well-related Unbreak My Heart from Whitsbury Manor Stud.

The winning three-year-old has done her bit to add lustre to the pedigree by finishing third in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes at two. The Clive Cox-trained daughter of Showcasing is the sixth foal out of the prolific producer Place In My Heart, whose five winners include Queen Mary Stakes scorer Heartache and Unbreak My Heart’s full-sister Heartwarming.

Heartache also changed hands at this sale in 2018, when Magnier bid a slightly more punchy 1,300,000gns for the daughter of Kyllachy. She has bred the Listed winner Salt Lake City when mated with Galileo, and this year’s Group 3 Killavullan Stakes scorer Exactly when sent to his son Frankel.

Group 3-placed Showcasing filly Unbreak My Heart sold for 625,000gnsCredit: Laura Green

“It’s a family we know very well as we have her Group 2-winning half-sister Heartache, who has produced Salt Lake City and Exactly for us,” said Magnier.

“Exactly is an exciting two-year-old by Frankel who has been third in a couple of Group 1s this season, and we’re also excited about her for next year. In fairness to Ed Harper and his father, they have been very good breeders for a long time now and this is a great family that has produced black-type horses in every generation. She’ll go to either City Of Troy or Auguste Rodin I think.”

The transaction continues a fine run of form for Whitsbury Manor, who on Friday equalled the European auction record price for a foal when Chaldean’s full-sister fetched 2,500,000gns from Amo Racing.

Hot date for proven producer Rocana

Proven black type producer Rocana will swap the Ringfort Stud paddocks for those of Watership Down after agent Charlie Gordon-Watson struck a bid of 625,000gns. The ten-year-old daughter of Fastnet Rock has bred three winners, most notably Chester Vase scorer Youth Spirit and Feilden Stakes victor Canberra Legend. She was offered in foal to Juddmonte’s newest stallion Chaldean. 

The Watership Down team already have first-hand experience with Rocana’s stock having pinhooked her Too Darn Hot colt for 150,000gns in 2022. Since named Echalar, the youngster turned a tidy profit when bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock on behalf of Peter Harris for 310,000gns the following year. 

Rocana sells to Charlie Gordon-Watson for 625,000gns at TattersallsCredit: Alisha Meeder

“We had success pinhooking her Too Darn Hot colt,” said Gordon-Watson. “We like Fastnet Rock mares too, and she’s a good fit to go back to Too Darn Hot. Chaldean foals might be popular as well. She’s already got a good record and obviously the Ghaiyyath [bought by Godolphin for 325,000gns] is very nice. It all fits in. In this market I thought she’d be thereabouts that price. Trade is very strong.” 

Taihei Stud takes aim at Cairde Go Deo

Grove Stud presented the dual Listed winner Cairde Go Deo during the Sceptre Sessions and duly saw the five-year-old daughter of Camelot draw a bid of 525,000gns from agent Michael Youngs. She was offered in foal to sire on fire Night Of Thunder. 

That transaction sees Cairde Go Deo depart Ger Lyons’ County Meath based for East Asia, as Youngs said: “She’s been purchased for Taihei Farm in Japan. She was a good, tough racemare and very attractive – she uses herself very well. She should be a good fit for them and I’m very happy to have got her for them.”

Cairde Go Deo in the ring at Park Paddocks on MondayCredit: Alisha Meeder

Cairde Go Deo has now made three appearances at public auction, and has increased her value on each occasion. She first changed hands during the Arqana Select Sale in 2020, when Gaelic Bloodstock signed the ticket at €105,000. She was next offered by Newtown Stud at last year’s Goffs November Sale, where Howson and Houldsworth Bloodstock brought the hammer down at €300,000. 

In for a Pennymoor

Before the Sceptre Session kicked off, the market had been led by the 450,000gns Pennymoor, who was knocked down to Alex Elliott, agent for Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing. The Godolphin-consigned daughter of Frankel won two races during her time with John and Thady Gosden, with the more notable success coming in the Listed River Eden Stakes on Lingfield's Polytrack.

Joorabchian’s operation already knows plenty about the six-year-old's pedigree as Pennymoor’s three winning siblings include Amo colour-bearer California Dreamer. The two-year-old filly remains a maiden after seven starts but gained valuable black type when she finished runner-up to Truly Enchanting in the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes and third in two Group 3 contests.

Listed winner Pennymoor in the ring at Tattersalls where she brought for 450,000gns by Amo RacingCredit: Alisha Meeder

Pennymoor’s profile was further enhanced by being offered in foal to Dalham Hall Stud’s Farhh, whose well-publicised fertility issues have not stopped him siring the Group 1 winners Fonteyn, King Of Change and this year’s Prix du Moulin scorer Tribalist.

“She’s been bought for Amo Racing,” said Elliott. “She’s a very obvious one for us as a sister to California Dreamer. She’s a Listed winner by Frankel and she made 450,000gns as a foal, so that’ll tell you how good-looking she is. She’s on an early cover to Farhh too, so there’s some scarcity value there as well. We’re very happy to get her.

“There are not many Farhhs around and there aren't many mares in foal to him, but I think he’s a very good stallion. With what she’s carrying, that could be a Book 1 horse if the foal comes out looking like her, so she could be carrying that price in theory.”

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