'That was more than I anticipated but we're very glad to get him' - Godolphin strike for 875,000gns Sea The Stars colt

Record-breaking Book 1 trade appeared to have a knock-on effect on the opening session of Book 2 as the October Yearling Sale market continued to run hot at Tattersalls on Monday. The biggest price of the day was 875,000gns, with agents Anthony Stroud and Richard Brown clashing over a well-related son of Sea The Stars.

Stroud stood beside David Loder, who was taking instructions on the phone against the back wall, while Brown was perched in his usual spot at the top of the stairs to the left of the rostrum. When Stroud struck the decisive 25,000gns increase, auctioneer Simon Kerins looked in Brown’s direction and said, “A brave man would say a million!” However, with no further action forthcoming the hammer fell on the third-most expensive lot to change hands at Book 2.

The Staffordstown-consigned colt comes from a family Loder knows well as he trained the granddam, Bianca Nera, to win the 1996 running of the Moyglare Stud Stakes.

The colt’s dam, Bighearted, is one of three black-type performers bred by Bianca Nera having reached the podium in three Listed contests. It is one of her non black-type daughters who has done most for the family, however, as Bighearted’s half-sister Ever Rigg found fame as the dam of Group 1 winners God Given and Postponed.

Sons of Sea The Stars figured prominently on Godolphin’s shortlist as earlier in the day the operation went to 475,000gns for a colt out of Angel Fairy from Norelands.

“He’s a very strong, well-made horse,” Stroud said of the session-topper. “It’s a wonderful family and he’ll be a nice staying horse for the future. He fitted the bill for Godolphin so he’ll go to Charlie Appleby, as will the other Sea The Stars. I thought he was a very nice horse from Norelands, very athletic. I thought they were the two standouts.”

Anthony Stroud: "It's a wonderful family and he’ll be a nice staying horse for the future"Credit: Laura Green

On the day’s headline price, Stroud added: “We were definitely stretched as that was more than I anticipated, but we’re very glad to get him.”

The session-topping colt is the first foal out of Bighearted, and Staffordstown representative Richard Frisby revealed the daughter of Farhh would follow her son into the sales ring later this year. “The mare is catalogued in the December Sale and this will freshen things up,” he said. “This colt was accepted for Book 1 but we felt that dropping him in here would help him stand out, and I think that’s what has happened.

“He’s a fine first foal. Obviously he’s a horse who’ll need a bit of time but he has been bred to be a Classic horse and that’s what you would expect to need to give him. I bought Bianca Nera as a yearling and it’s a family that has been very kind to us.”

Frisby added: “You never really know how much they’re going to make. The price at half of what he has made was a good sale, and who could forecast that?”

Norelands’ Harry McCalmont was another delighted vendor, and said after the sale of the 475,000gns Sea The Stars: “We loved the horse and he was a colt who could have gone anywhere. He could have gone to Goffs or Book 1 but we decided to put him in here. He’s a beautiful colt and we thank Mrs Tsui for sending us the mare and letting us look after the colt for her. It’s another good result for her as she’s had a good year.”

Reflecting on last week’s market, McCalmont added: “We bring very few to Book 1 normally because it’s so selective. This year I wish I had 30 yearlings in there!”

Amo aim up again

Amo Racing’s headline-grabbing recruitment drive, which took in 25 lots and a spend of 22,940,000gns at Book 1, continued into Book 2 when Kia Joorabchian’s operation secured the St Mark's Basilica filly out of Angelic Light at 600,000gns.

The dam won the Listed Bosra Sham Stakes during her time in training and has since bred two winners from as many runners.

The Yeomanstown Stud-consigned youngster was another purchase made in conjunction with Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani’s Al Shaqab Racing. The Amo-Al Shaqab axis spent 3,365,000gns on eight lots during Book 1. Anthony Ramsden’s Valmont outfit was also involved in the partnership’s purchase of an 800,000gns brother to Al Aasy.

The St Mark's Basilica filly out of Angelic Light on her way to selling to Al Shaqab and Amo RacingCredit: Laura Green

After signing for the St Mark’s Basilica filly, bloodstock agent Alex Elliot said: “Amo and Al Shaqab have teamed up again, which, as we saw in Book 1, they’ve done plenty. We’ve also honed in on a few of the better horses in this book. She’s a phenomenal 'physical', as you can imagine. She’s by a first-crop sire so there’s a bit of an unknown there, but she’s out of a fast Dark Angel mare and, physically, the whole team agreed she was giving us the Fairy Godmother vibes. You’d like to think she could be one for the royal meeting next year.”

Elliott continued: “She looked fast. St Mark’s Basilica has every right to be a decent stallion. He was a very good racehorse and that was the best filly I’ve seen by him. We underbid the brother to Ottery in Book 1, who Richard Brown bought for 950,000gns, so the sire’s yearlings are obviously selling well. We had to take on Coolmore, who obviously like supporting their own stallions when it's the best individuals. They’re hard to beat, but we beat them and hopefully we can beat them on the track too.”

Shadwell step in

Shadwell secured two lots during Book 1, with fillies by St Mark’s Basilica and Wootton Bassett secured for 370,000gns and 580,000gns respectively. And Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum’s operation made its third October Yearling Sale purchase during day one of Book 2 when Angus Gold bid 425,000gns for the Too Darn Hot half-sister to Kalpana from Whatton Manor Stud.

Juddmonte’s Kalpana was catalogued as a three-time winner, with her biggest victory having come in the Listed Glasgow Stakes. However, the daughter of Study Of Man subsequently registered her fourth career success with a wide-margin victory in the Group 3 September Stakes. She is short odds to land her fifth race in the Group 1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

“She’s a nice filly with a lovely outlook,” said Gold. “Obviously she’s a bit immature as she’s a late foal [April 26] but the mare’s already produced a good filly, and if Kalpana could win a Group 1 on Saturday that would be a huge update. Sheikha Hissa liked the filly and the stallion is doing very well. We’ve had a bit of luck with him and we believe in him.”

Angus Gold on duty for Shadwell at Park Paddocks on MondayCredit: Laura Green

On his Tattersalls talent search, Gold added: “We’ll probably have 30 homebred yearlings to go into training this year and we want to try and find a few to bolster the racing team, if possible.”

The six-figure filly is out of Zero Gravity, a sister to Zambezi Sun who was added to the Whatton Manor broodmare band at a cost of just 35,000gns in 2021.

“Richard [Brown, Blandford Bloodstock] helps us buy mares and he picked this one,” said the stud’s Ed Player. “At the time there was a very good half-sister in Dermot Weld’s yard. Apparently she’d been working incredibly well and we bought her on the back of that, but she got injured and never ran so we thought we were in trouble.

“Thankfully Kalpana has come up with an amazing update, so the mare has proved she can do it. Kalpana has a very good chance on Saturday, but I think next year, when she strengthens up, she could be a very nice filly.”

Brown joins Night Of Thunder fanclub

Shadwell’s purchase was the second 425,000gns lot in quick succession, with Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock hitting the same mark for a Night Of Thunder filly out of Zain Hana from Highclere Stud just two lots earlier.

The Night of Thunder filly out of Zain Hana in the ring in Newmarket on MondayCredit: Laura Green

The filly, whose pedigree has been boosted by the emergence of Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes winner Shadow Of Light, will carry the familiar blue and yellow colours of owner Saeed Suhail.

“I’m a big fan of the stallion and he had a great weekend,” said Brown. “Saeed is here today and I showed him the filly out in the parade ring and he fell in love with her. She’s an outstanding individual and out of a Shamardal mare. We were keen to buy a Night Of Thunder, although I don't know who’ll train her yet.”

Night Of Thunder registered his fifth Group 1 winner when Desert Flower landed the Fillies’ Mile on Friday. The Kildangan Stud resident could be in for another big weekend with his highest-rated son Economics looking to add to his Irish Champion Stakes success in the Ascot equivalent on Saturday.

Sumbe strike

The owner-trainer combination of Nurlan Bizakov and Roger Varian kicked off what could be a significant week with stable star Charyn by adding a 375,000gns recruit to their ranks. Tony Fry, general manager of Bizakov’s Sumbe operation, struck the decisive bid for Deerfield Farm’s Pinatubo colt out of Group 3-winning Dibajj.

The Pinatubo colt out of Dibajj whom the Sumbe team took a shine toCredit: Laura Green

The dam has already produced four winners, most notably Embesto, who Varian saddled to dead-heat in the Group 3 Sovereign Stakes.

“I’ve got some faith in the stallion,” said the trainer. “We’ve got some Pinatubos at home that we like and I think he’s gaining momentum. I’m a believer in the stallion and I’ve also trained a good horse out of this mare in Embesto.

“This colt is a very good physical and looks every inch an athlete. I’m very grateful for the support from Sumbe and Nurlan Bizakov. He’s stepped up and the team had to pay for him, but I’m very glad they did and I’m excited to train him.”

Pinatubo is second in the European first-season sire standings by number of winners having supplied 16 successful runners. Among those is Sumbe’s homebred Saint-Cloud maiden winner Nizam, who went into plenty of notebooks when making a successful debut by three and a half lengths.

Varian also gave an update on Charyn ahead of his tilt at the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday, saying: “He’s in great form and we’re looking forward to it.”

The 375,000gns Pinatubo colt was one of three purchases Sumbe made on the day, with the trio costing a combined 720,000gns. 

First-day figures

The key market indices told the tale of decidedly solid trade. Turnover reached 21,596,500gns, which was up 17 per cent against the comparable session 12 months ago. That gain was achieved despite two fewer lots changing hands than in 2023. The average price rose by 18 per cent year-on-year to 103,830gns, although the median went in the opposite direction, albeit by only six points to close at 65,000gns.

The clearance rate also improved, with 232 yearlings offered and 208 finding a buyer at a clip of 90 per cent, compared with 84 per cent last year when 210 sold on the opening day. 

Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues on Tuesday at 10am.

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