'It's absolutely epic and also a little bit scary' - Charlie Sipos takes the lead for 2,000,000gns Frankel colt

There were a few key players involved in Hascombe and Valiant Stud’s Frankel colt topping day two of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Coolmore’s MV Magnier hogged the limelight having struck the decisive bid of 2,000,000gns, while the Godolphin buying team had their part to play having helped force the price to such a giddy high.

And it would be remiss not to mention Anthony Oppenheimer, given he bred the blue-chip youngster and his dam Bizzarria, who in turn is out of Hascombe and Valiant’s blue hen Lynnwood Chase.

However, there was another vitally important part played by a man who went about his work without any fanfare. Charlie Sipos is a key cog in the Hascombe and Valiant operation, and was on the lead rein as the Frankel colt made his way around the famous Park Paddocks ring.

Sipos shared his perspective on Wednesday’s events, saying: “It’s a feeling that I can’t really describe with words. I’ve had a similar feeling three times before in my life, and that’s when my three kids were born.

"It’s absolutely epic, and also a little bit scary when you realise how much the horse is worth and he’s on the end of your lead rope.

“I had an adrenaline rush until about 10.30, just before I went to bed. My legs were tired but my mind couldn’t stop. I was still buzzing. It’ll take a few days to sink in I think. It was an absolute honour, though.”

Sipos said he had “absolutely not” expected the blue-blooded colt to prove such a smash hit, before recounting a moment from his time in the ring when the magnitude of the transaction hit home.

“When I was leading the horse around the ring at around 1,500,000gns I looked up briefly and I saw Mr Anthony sitting there and I could see he was looking pale and very emotional, and that made me feel emotional too,” he said. “I had a lump in my throat and I could only guess what he felt looking at this horse that he bred.”

The Frankel colt was born at Hascombe and Valiant on April 2 last year, and Sipos has been with him virtually every step of the way throughout the last 18 months.

Expanding on the journey with the sought-after youngster, Sipos said: “To see them go from being a one-day old foal to developing and maturing and then getting to the business end, when we either sell them or put them into training, it’s a really nice year and a half that we spend with them.

"This colt was a very straightforward horse, very easy-going. He could be a bit of a lad every now and then, but that’s understandable.”

Antoinette and Anthony Oppenheimer: "He's one in a million"Credit: Alisha Meeder

Sipos has been part of the Hascombe and Valiant team for a little over seven years, and previously worked for Ted Voute. Despite delivering a foot perfect performance on Wednesday, the Transylvanian explained he was a relative late-comer to the bloodstock business, having originally trained in another field altogether, albeit one that means he is well used to dealing with big numbers.

“Ted Voute was my mentor,” he said. “He started me in the horse business because this isn’t what I was brought up doing. I’m actually an economist! I came to Ted Voute’s place as a maintenance man and gardener in 2011, when I was 24.

"Every now and then he asked me if I’d like to help the girls mucking out. That’s when I started dealing with the horses, and within a year I was only doing horses. I loved it, and Ted saw something in me that made him think I was destined to work with horses. He taught me a lot.”

The stud took six yearlings to this year’s Book 1, with the group generating receipts totalling 3,325,000gns. There was no basking in sales-topping glory for Sipos though, as his attention had already turned to Hascombe and Valiant’s six-strong Book 2 offering.

“I think I’ve got a job for life at Hascombe and Valiant, as long as they want me,” he added. “We look after Mr Oppenheimer’s place and his animals, and he looks after us. He’s one in a million.”

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