'She’s very like Sea The Stars' - blue-blooded filly makes quick return to Park Paddocks to top HIT session at 150,000gns

A regally bred daughter of Sea The Stars making a swift return to the Tattersalls ring topped the horses-in-training section of the Guineas Sale on Thursday, when the unraced juvenile was knocked down to Oakgrove Stud manager David Hilton at 150,000gns. 

The filly, offered by Vicarage Farm, was among the horses sourced on behalf of Derby-winning owner Saleh Al Homaizi, who defaulted on payment for the 10,455,000gns worth of stock signed for by agent Richard Knight during Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale. 

This particular youngster, a 600,000gns signing by Knight, is out of Pinkster, an unraced Nathaniel sibling to eight winners, including Fittocks Stud’s Lancashire Oaks scorer Pongee and the dual Listed victor Lion Sands. 

Another sibling is Platonic, foundation mare of the famed French nursery Ecurie des Monceaux, meaning all manner of high achievers such as Pacifique, English King, Prudenzia, Magic Wand, Chicquita and Emily Dickinson appear beneath the filly’s second dam. Oakgrove received an almost immediate boost as the filly’s three-year-old half-sister Paz was beaten just a nose when runner-up in the Listed Prix des Lilas at Chantilly on Thursday evening.

David Hilton: "She’s very like Sea The Stars and I think Nathaniel's starting to do well as a broodmare sire too."Credit: Alisha Meeder

John Deer’s Chepstow-based operation already has an involvement with the family, as Hilton explained, saying: “Mr Deer is very fond of the pedigree as we’ve got Poplin, who’s under the second dam and is doing well for us. Whether we race this filly or not is up for debate but we’ll look forward to her joining the broodmare band eventually.” 

Hilton continued: “I spoke to Megan [Evans, Vicarage Farm] about the filly and she was very honest and said they haven’t done a great deal with her because she’s had a couple of niggles. She’s very elegant though, she’s big but elegant and has a lovely head. She’s very like Sea The Stars and I think Nathaniel's starting to do well as a broodmare sire too. 

“Pinkster is a Newsells Park mare and they’re as good as you get so they’ll look after her very well and we’ll be looking on with interest. It’s the start of another chapter each time you buy a new mare and hopefully she’ll be with us for a long time.” 

The action at Park Paddocks during the Guineas Horses in Training SaleCredit: Laura Green

Tattersalls confirmed that the sale of the filly means that all 16 lots that Knight bought on behalf of Al Homaizi have now been resold. This includes Knight’s biggest signing, the 2,000,000gns Frankel colt out of Bold Lass, who has since been purchased privately by Godolphin. 

Another of the 16, the 500,000gns Matters Most, provided Advertise with his first winner when breaking his maiden at Salisbury on Thursday for the owner-trainer combination of Robert Ng and Ralph Beckett. 

Earlier in the session a brace of promising types fetched 75,000gns apiece, led by the 93-rated Kiwano. Offered by David Simcock’s Trillium Place Stables, the four-year-old son of Dabirsim was knocked down to bloodstock agent Ted Durcan.

The €22,000 yearling and 140,000gns breeze-up buy won three of his nine outings for Simcock and the Never Say Die Partnership, with his career-best Racing Post Rating achieved for the most recent of those victories at Lingfield in March. 

“He’s going to George Baker and has been bought for a new owner in the yard,” said Durcan. “Off that rating we think he should be a lovely, fun horse for the Saturday meetings during the summer. We think he wants fast ground and David Simcock recommended the horse. He’s had a little holiday and now there’s loads of options for him going forward.” 

The second lot to bring 75,000gns was the unraced Caustic who went the way of Ian Williams. Consigned by Juddmonte Farms, the three-year-old hails from a big American family as not only did his dam, Dynaformer mare Starformer, win the Grade 2 New York Stakes but she has also bred three winners. 

The most notable among this trio are Flavius, a Listed winner on both sides of the Atlantic, and the Grade 3-placed Oyster Box. The colt’s second dam is Etoile Montante, winner of the Group 1 Prix de la Foret in 2003, while further back the pedigree features more recent performers such as Dubai World Cup hero Country Grammer. 

“He’s been bought on spec,” said Williams. “I’m not sure of the plan yet but we’ll get him home and geld him and then see where we are. He’s a lovely type of horse who vetted well - just the type we enjoy training.” 

The Guineas Horses-in-Training Sale generated turnover of 1,525,500gns, up 40 per cent year on year, an average price of 17,947gns, up 17 per cent, and a median of 12,000gns, a 33 per cent increase on the comparable figure of 9,000gns in 2022. The clearance rate was 86 per cent as 85 of 99 offered lots found a buyer. 

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