Tattersalls to reoffer 475,000gns colt not paid for by Derby-winning owner at breeze-ups next month

One of the 17 juveniles unpaid for by Derby-winning owner Saleh Al Homaizi at the Tattersalls October Sales last year is being reoffered at the same company’s Craven Breeze-Up Sale in Newmarket next month.

A New Bay colt out of Hairy Rocket was one of the last lots through the ring on day three of the Book 1 Sale on October 6, when bloodstock agent Richard Knight went to 475,000gns to secure the chestnut on behalf of Al Homaizi.

That lot was one of 16 from Book 1, with another from Book 2, Knight signed for as part of a supposed spending spree of around 11,000,000gns, which originally made him the second biggest purchaser behind Godolphin at the auction.

Since the non-payment was announced by Tattersalls in January, all 17 horses have been offered for resale privately at Adam Kirby’s Vicarage Farm pre-training facility near Newmarket, where business has evidently been brisk with most of them sold.

The highest-priced lot Knight signed for was a Frankel-Bold Lass colt who lit up the bid board at 2,000,000gns, and has been subsequently sold privately to underbidder Godolphin, as revealed by the Racing Post.

Al Homaizi was also found to have reneged on paying for purchases at Keeneland - the sales house was on Thursday due to privately inform bidders of six reoffered horses whether they had been successful or not - Arqana and Goffs sales last year.

Aidan O'Brien: trainer of The Acropolis, who is a half-brother to the New Bay coltCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

The reoffered son of New Bay, who is lot 164 and consigned by Vicarage Farm, is a half-brother to The Acropolis, who was twice placed in Listed company for Aidan O’Brien last year. 

He is set to breeze on the Rowley Mile on Monday, April 17, and then come under the hammer for a second time at Park Paddocks two days later.

Bloodstock agent Tom Goff is among those to have recently made a private purchase from the Knight stock, having bought a Kingman-Wall Of Sound colt for breeders Chasemore Farm, who initially made a hefty 750,000gns.

He said: “I’d seen the Kingman colt three times since the beginning of January and he’d done incredibly well since Book 1. The client decided to buy the horse back and he’s still at Adam Kirby’s doing two canters at the moment. 

“The plan is to put him into training with Andrew Balding and I’m delighted the horse has found a nice home.”

On a more general note, Goff, a partner in Blandford Bloodstock, added: “It’s been a very difficult process for Tattersalls and I think they’ve done a tremendous job in dispersing the horses. They were in a terrible position and hopefully nothing like this ever happens to them again.

“Tattersalls have stood by their vendors incredibly well. They’ve paid them all out and behaved in an exemplary fashion. To move these horses on as they have has been very professional as at one time it was looking like there would be a lot going back through the ring.”

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