Early highpoints through the morning session of Day 1 Book 3
Tattersalls October Book 3, Day 1
Lot 1426: the filly by first-crop yearling sire Calyx is purchased by BBA Ireland for 105,000gns. She was bought for 12,000gns as a foal by Rockview Stables, who sold her today.
Eleanor Dunne of Rockview reported: “We just thought she was a very attractive, racy filly and she was out of a Dubawi mare. But we got very lucky with the update, we only knew that there was a colt in Tom Dascombe’s but he’s gone on and won a couple
of times again [since the catalogue was published] and then on Saturday he got the black type at York. She’s been fantastic since she got to the farm, thrived all the way through her prep: she has a wonderful temperament and has been a pleasure to be around.”
That update came courtesy of Felix Natalis – he is the mare’s first foal, has won three races as a two-year-old and collected a third placing in the Rockingham Stakes (L).
Lot 1420 and Lot 1421: the two consecutive lots are bought by Alex Elliott – Lot 1420 is by Sea The Moon out of the St Simon Stakes (G3) runner-up Mountain Bell (Mount Nelson), while Lot 1421 is by Masar and out of the winning Mediciean mare Movementneverlies.
The duo cost the agent 100,000gns and 68,000gns.
Elliott said: “The Sea The Moon is going to Ralph Beckett, who trained the dam. I actually bought the mare last year off Qatar and she was a very good race filly for Ralph. I thought this horse was a stand-out today, I thought he was more of a Book 2 horse.
“He has size, scope, he vetted well, and I am a big fan of the stallion. He is going to take a bit of time, but we don’t mind giving them that.”
Elliott purchased the colt for a young partnership named Valmont, and he outlined: “We have had a first year on the track this season, we generally buy three-year-old types. We have had a lot of good maiden winners, and we also just got beaten in the Oh So Sharp the other day. There is a little bit of a gap in the market if you’ve got the patience to do it.”
He added: “Then once you are on the wheel you’ve got the action – so early on next year we will have all that first batch running in Guineas Trials and Oaks Trials, and then this year’s purchases will come through after that. We thought the first year was going to be a bit slow, but luckily they have performed well – when you have Ralph Beckett in your corner it is a huge help.”
The horses will be traded at varying points in their careers: “We want good horses – for example we have Batemans Bay who was fourth in the Zetland. He will be a very good three-year-old, and Australians have got an interest in him already – he is by New Bay out of a Galileo mare. It is a run by one of my best pals so it is fun as well, especially when they run. It is huge for me and it is just really enjoyable.”
Lot 1421 was also bought by Elliott on behalf of a syndicate and he said: “He has been bought for The Lucra Partnership, a staying partnership we have with Ralph. We buy five horses a year, one of the first horses we had was New Mandate, whom we sold for a lot of money so everyone is on the pig’s back because of that!”
Of this purchase, Elliot said: “This was a little bit more than we usually spend, we have a 50,000gns budget for each horse but it has been impossible to buy a nice horse for 50,000gns – it seems that 50,000gns is the old 10,000gns! You used to be able to buy these stayers for 10,000gns, and now you can’t buy a nice horse for that. So we had to stretch. We have one more to buy so we will have to come under budget.”
Lot 1406: the Cotai Glory colt out of Maremmasanta (Kodiac) from The Forge Stables is bought by Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock for 55,000gns.
Maremmasanta won five races and was placed 18 times, including at Listed level in Italy. This is her third foal, she had a colt by the same sire this spring and was covered by him again.
Cotai Glory’s leading runner is the tough hardy two-year-old The Platinum Queen, winner of the Prix de l’Abbaye (G1). She is also out of a mare by Kodiac.
Lot 1384: the Whitsbury Manor Stud-bred and consigned Showcasing half-sister to Shouldvebeenaring, Havana Grey’s Ripon Champion 2yo Trophy winner, is bought by Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock for 115,000gns.
Brown said: “She has been bought for Sheikh Juma for whom we bought Swingalong for last year. He was very keen to buy another Showcasing, we have been beaten on everything we wanted to buy. I saw this filly yesterday morning, I immediately called my vet and then called the Sheikh and said that I thought we’d found one.
“I am delighted to get her, a good update and she comes from a very good farm in Whitsbury. She will go to Karl [Burke], who trains Swingalong. Funnily enough I was looking at her at quarter to eight this morning and Karl came into the yard and I thought, ‘I wonder where he will go?!’ He came over and pulled her out. So we aligned and luckily Sheikh Juma was willing to have a crack.”
Brown added: “If she is half as good as Swingalong we will be alright.”
The Group 2 Lowther Stakes winner Swingalong, a 2021 Tattersalls Book 2 graduate, bought by Blandford for 120,000gns, was fourth last time out in the Cheveley Park Stakes (G1).
“She was the biggest filly in the field there so I think she will get further next year,” reasoned Brown. “I would say she she’ll start in one of the Guineas trials. Will she get a mile? I don’t know, but I think 7f will definitely be within her range. If I was guessing, and it is not my decision, she might turn up at Newbury for the Fred Darling.”
Lot 1376: the first to 100,000gns this morning is this colt by Night Of Thunder, sold by Ballyhimikin Stud continuing the strong October Sale that James Hanley’s farm has enjoyed with the stallion’s yearlings.
This lad was bought by Nick Bell, who said: “He is for Peter Trainor, we have bid on a few horses over the last few weeks and hadn’t succeeded; I think he’d thought he’d got away without having to buy one! When I saw this horse I loved him and he will be going back to Michael Bell. He will be a nice fun horse for the summer.
“The stallion needs no introduction, and this looks a really solid horse and will hopefully provide a lot of fun. Buying has been tough, I did not think we’d have to give that much for him, but the nice ones you have to give a little bit extra for and I am delighted we have got him.”
Night Of Thunder was the leading sire at three-day Book 2 Sale by aggregate – 25 horses sold for a gross of 4,025,000gns.