‘It’s a pedigree that never misses’ - another Grey day at Tattersalls as 140,000gns filly tops Somerville trade

Supply and demand has been a recurring topic of discussion over the last eight days, during which time close to 900 commercial yearlings have come under the hammer in Britain. On Tuesday the key market metrics from an expanded Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale suggest that, more broadly, the former may have exceeded the latter. 

However, there was no shortage of appetite for the more choice offerings over the two days of trade in Newmarket, and that was never more apparent than when Whitsbury Manor Stud presented the Havana Grey filly out of Step Sister on Tuesday afternoon. 

Buyers had seemed reluctant to break into six-figure territory during the two days, but a three-way tussle ensured that, in this instance, the 100,000gns mark came and went. 

Willie Browne gave it a good go from his position in the seats opposite the rostrum, but when the bid board hit 125,000gns the breeze-up maestro got up and left the ring. 

That left matters between Jono Mills, standing at the top of the stairs by the bidders’ area, and Alex Elliott in the gangway below. The pair traded a few 5,000gns increases but when Elliott nudged the price to 140,000gns Mills shook his head and the gavel dropped in his rival’s favour. 

Alex Elliott was busy on the second day of the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling SaleCredit: Alisha Meeder

“She’s been bought for Amo Racing,” Elliott said after signing the third and final six-figure docket of the sale. “They’ve had a lot of success with Havana Grey, like everybody has. I thought she was the standout filly over the two days. She’s a filly who could’ve been in Book 2 but Ed Harper [Whitsbury Manor director] does a fantastic job and brought her here to stand out. 

“I love the pedigree too. I actually have a horse under the second dam who’s with Clive Cox at the moment. He’s by Due Diligence and called Study Up and he won his maiden at Salisbury. It’s a pedigree that I think never misses. She’s quite a young filly so I think there’s a bit of improvement to come too. She’s got a bit of length to her but there’s loads of quality. From the first moment I saw her I thought she was the one to get. Luckily Kia [Joorabchian] thought the same.” 

The page is Whitsbury Manor through and through. Step Sister is a sibling to six winners, most notably the prolific Stepper Point, who beat Mecca’s Angel to win the 2015 running of the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes, and the Listed-winning Lady In France. The filly’s sister is yet to reach the racecourse but fetched 110,000gns from William Muir when offered by Tally-Ho Stud at this year’s Craven Breeze-Up Sale. 

On her sales-topping price, Elliott said: “We had to take breeze-up men on from a long way out. Her sister sold well at the breeze-ups this year, and after seeing what the Havana Greys brought at the breeze-ups I knew those guys would be on her to a level. It’s nice to be able to buy her for an end user.” 

Joe Callan, Whitsbury Manor’s head of bloodstock and sales, shared the stud’s delight at the transaction. He said: “It’s a brilliant result and she’s a stunning filly. She’s been very popular and was bought by a great judge so we’re absolutely delighted. She’s from a fantastic family and it’s a real Whitsbury page that’s proved very successful for the stud over the years. This filly is really typical of what this family produces. She’s got a great mind and took everything in her stride up here so we’re very excited to see where she goes.” 

The Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale came to an end on TuesdayCredit: Alisha Meeder

The sale of the filly helped Whitsbury Manor finish as the leading vendor by gross receipts. The operation sold 11 yearlings for a combined 621,000gns and an average price of 56,455gns. On the market over the two days, Callan added: “As everyone is saying, it’s been sticky in patches. Overall we’ve had a decent sale but there definitely has been challenges that everyone is well aware of.” 

Elliott also reflected on the state of trade, saying: “There’s a lot of horses here that need to find homes and it’s a lot of horses for people to focus on. Obviously quality shines through in a sale like this because it’s not a select sale. There are some horses here that could’ve gone into the different Books [in the October Sale] but they have been brought here to stand out, and I think generally people have been well rewarded for doing that.” 

With a significant increase in entries resulting in a second day being added to the Somerville schedule, turnover always seemed likely to increase. However, while the number of offered lots rose by 40 per cent year-on-year, up from 305 to 426, aggregate sales increased just three per cent at 8,927,500gns. The increased offering was similarly liable to impact the average price, which duly fell by 11 per cent to 28,250gns. The median also dropped 19 points from 27,000gns to 22,000gns. 

But when it comes to the balance between supply and demand in the bloodstock market, the clearance rate is routinely the most telling statistic. Last year saw 271 yearlings sell at a clip of 89 per cent, whereas this time around 316 lots found a buyer at a rate of 74 per cent. Of the 426 lots offered, 94 (22 per cent) were listed as bought back by their vendor. In 2023 there were just 25 vendor buybacks (eight per cent). 

Amo take aim

Acquiring the sales-topping filly was not Amo Racing’s only involvement in proceedings, as earlier in the day Elliott went to 90,000gns on Joorabchian’s behalf for the Sergei Prokofiev colt out of Sassy Dresser offered by Chasemore Farm. 

“Obviously Amo have had great success with Arizona Blaze, who’s from the first crop of Sergei Prokofiev,” said the agent. “The sire’s had a fantastic time and this colt is out of a Kingman mare who’s bred a Zoustar colt [Regal Gem] who’s rated 96, which is very attractive too. Matt Coleman was the underbidder and he said to me this horse could’ve been in Book 1, and I don’t disagree. 

“Physically he’s very good and it’s a deep family. You’ve got The Platinum Queen and Seagulls Eleven who are current horses under the third dam. There’s a lot to like about him and he was liked by the whole team. Robson Aguiar and Kia saw him yesterday and he was the one colt we really wanted to get.”

Chasemore Farm's Sergei Prokofiev colt out of Sassy Dresser was another to head to Alex Elliott and Amo RacingCredit: Alisha Meeder

Elliott completed a clean sweep of Tuesday’s three priciest lots having also gone to 100,000gns for Houghton Bloodstock’s Cotai Glory colt out of an unraced half-sister to Temple Stakes scorer Priceless.

“He’s been bought with Billy Jackson Stops for Valmont and Michael Blencowe,” said Elliott. “We started the partnership last year and we’ll do the same this year, with two horses going to George Scott, two to Andrew Balding and two to Ralph Beckett. 

“With George we’ve focussed on some faster two-year-old types. He can train anything but that’s what he’s excelled with in recent years. This horse was George Scott’s pick of the sale so we’re delighted to get him. He comes from a very good farm, he’s got a very fast pedigree and he looks like a horse we can really get on with. Dutch Art is a broodmare sire I like and I think Cotai Glory consistently punches above his weight.” 

The partnership between Valmont and Michael Blencowe was also on the board at Newcastle later in the day when Scott saddled West Acre to a three-quarter of a length debut success. 

Bell gets the Blues

Darley’s Space Blues claimed first-crop sire bragging rights on Tuesday when a colt from Clearwater Stud brought the day’s flashiest price for a freshman sire. Nick Bell, son of Newmarket trainer Michael Bell, signed the ticket at 82,000gns for the youngster from the further family of Time Charter. 

“I’m a big fan of Space Blues,” said Bell snr. “I think this horse is very athletic and his pedigree goes back to a really top-class family. Space Blues was a very tough and consistent horse, and as he was a speedy son of Dubawi he has every chance of making it. He looks like a very uncomplicated colt.” 

The Space Blues colt out of Stay Forever after his 82,000gns sale to Nick BellCredit: Alisha Meeder

Kildangan Stud resident Space Blues, winner of three Group/Grade 1s, covered a debut book of 159 mares at a fee of €17,500. 

The trainer added: “I’m hoping he’s for an existing client but I need to make a couple of calls!” 

Seeing is Believing for Middleham Park

Kildallan Farm enjoyed a day to remember on Monday when the 15-year-old Ruairí Kilmartin sold his Dark Angel filly pinhooked for €7,000 to Paul Corrigan for 70,000gns. 

And the Mullingar farm’s hot run of form continued on Tuesday when the Inns of Court colt out of Misfortunate was knocked down to Anthony Bromley at 75,000gns. The youngster boasted one of the catalogue’s most eye-catching updates as he is a half-brother to Believing, a comfortable winner of the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes and also runner-up to Bradsell in the Nunthorpe since the book went to print. 

The Highflyer Bloodstock man was acting on behalf of Middleham Park Racing, whose Tom Palin felt the syndicate had secured serious value for money. Their purchase is set to head into training with Eve Johnson Houghton. 

Tom Palin: "I’m staggered we’ve got him for that price"Credit: Alisha Meeder

“I’m staggered we’ve got him for that price,” said Palin. “I thought he was one of the standout specimens of the sale and the page is there for the world to see. I suppose seeing is believing! Obviously we have a big love affair with Inns Of Court on the back of Ziggys Dream and The Strikin Viking. Maybe he’s not everybody’s cup of tea but for us, he can do no wrong. 

“He’s going to go to Eve, who can obviously ready horses early and is an exceptional trainer, end of. He’s our second horse with Eve and she’s a trainer we’ve had on our radar for a long time. We’ve been waiting for the right sort of horse to strike but I think she deserves a horse of this quality. I thought he was going to be a hundred grand horse, but we’ll see in 12 months’ time whether he looks cheap or expensive.” 

Mahony acknowledges mixed results 

In his end-of-sale statement Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony noted that while certain areas of trade had held up well, others levels had shown signs of “softening” and that the clearance rate was “short of where we would like it to be.” 

Mahony said: “The Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale has made huge progress in its four-year history with the inaugural one-day sale in 2021 producing turnover below five million guineas and an average price of 21,000gns. This year’s renewal, while falling short of last year’s across the board records, is still a long way in advance of the 2021 levels and is a clear indication of a sale which has quickly established itself as an important fixture in the European yearling sales calendar.

The Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale "has made huge progress in its four-year history"Credit: Alisha Meeder

“Nevertheless, the demand for places and the conscious decision to reduce overall numbers in the two weeks of the forthcoming Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, has resulted in a two-day Somerville Yearling Sale for the first time and a very significant increase in numbers, all of which has contributed to a clearance rate which has fallen some way short of where we would like it to be. 

“Certain sectors of the market have held up well, with a wide margin record number of lots selling for 50,000gns or more, but the evident softening of the market at the lower levels, which has been a consistent theme this year, also reflects prevailing economic realities which we are all aware of.

“As with every sale at Tattersalls we will assess all the factors at play with a view to establishing the optimum format for the Somerville Yearling Sale going forward and in the meantime we look forward to Books 1 to 4 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and to seeing Somerville yearlings continue to excel on the racecourse where it matters most.”

Read more from the Somerville Sale

‘I’ve embarrassed myself hugely two times now!’ – how an accidental move in to breeding paid off for Eve Johnson Houghton 

‘Karl felt this was a step above as an individual’ - 100,000gns Starman filly tops trade as new link-up emerges at Somerville Sale 

‘It’s the stuff of dreams’ – 15-year-old in clover as first-time pinhooker turns €7,000 foal into 70,000gns sales star