Perhaps understandably the overall figures declined however the elite end of the commercial market is still strong with four lots sold for 1,000,000 guineas or more in Book1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Tuesday.
Leading the way was the Kingman half-brother to the 2,000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold who was knocked down to Oliver St Lawrence for 2,700,000 guineas. The colt, who was consigned by Robin Sharp’s Houghton Bloodstock on behalf of Colin Murfitt’s Pantile Stud, was purchased on behalf of Fawzi Nass and Bahraini interests.
The colt will enter training with Roger Varian St Lawrence later confirmed.
“He has been bought for Fawzi Nass and Bahraini interests. He is a gorgeous horse, he has a stallion’s pedigree and he will go into training with Roger Varian.”
The second highest priced lot on the opening day was the Dubawi colt out of the Grade 3 placed Cushion, a Galileo daughter of the dual 1,000 Guineas winner and Floors Stud stalwart Attraction.
The colt was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin for 2,100,000 guineas after a prolonged bidding battle with underbidder MV Magnier, the pair going head-to-head via bid-spotters from outside the sale ring.
“This is a lovely horse, obviously by Dubawi,” said Stroud. “He moves incredibly well, he is from a very good stud, and we collectively all really liked him. It just shows that when a very nice horse comes up to the ring, there are lots of good people there for them, they are collectors’ items.”
“It is so sad that the Duke is not here because he was a wonderful breeder, a wonderfully good friend, a wonderful enthusiast – he would have loved to have been here, and he’s done a fantastic job. He is probably looking down.”
Floors Stud had earlier been celebrating when their Frankel colt out of the aforementioned five-time Group 1 winner Attraction topped a million guineas when selling to Godolphin after Anthony Stroud outbid trainer Andrew Balding at 1,100,000 guineas.
Attraction was also bred by Floors Stud, the farm so successfully developed by the late Guy Innes-Ker, the 10th Duke of Roxburghe, and Chris Gillon, the Floors stud manager was at Tattersalls today to oversee the sale of this colt. A stand-out on pedigree ahead of the sale, the good-looking colt certainly lived up to his star billing.
“It’s absolutely brilliant, absolutely fantastic,” said Gillon, who has been stud manager at Floors for eight years. “We loved him as a foal and he came perfect all the way through his prep. He got down here and everything went so well.
“He is a beautiful-looking colt. He never stopped and was so popular with everyone. Just to see him go through the ring and do that – it is the icing on the cake.
The top priced filly for the day was the Frankel sister to the 2015 Derby winner and European champion three-year-old colt Golden Horn who was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin for 2,000,000 guineas.
Stroud secured the daughter of Fleche d’Or after seeing off a determined underbidder in Oliver St Lawrence. The filly was consigned by Norelands Stud.
“We were really in two minds whether to race her or sell her, we’d have been very happy to have raced her,” said Harry McCalmont of Norelands Stud.
“We were only going to sell her if we felt she was fetching what we thought she was worth. If we had kept her to race she was going to John Gosden, so we thought we might as well bring her to Newmarket – if we didn’t sell we could have taken her straight to John’s!”
“We are delighted that Sheikh Mohammed has bought her and delighted to see him here.”
Turnover of 27,750,000gns was down 22 percent, while the average dipped 14 percent to 223,790gns and the median fell by a third to 120,000gns.
Session two commences on Thursday.