Wertheimers Secure Tatts Top Lot

By Emma Berry and Catherine Austen

An early pace-setter during Monday's opening session of the Tattersalls December Mares' Sale was George Strawbridge's winning daughter of Oasis Dream (GB), Incahoots (GB) (lot 1532), who will remain in training in France with Freddy Head after being bought by the Wertheimer brothers for 420,000gns through manager Pierre-Yves Bureau. “It's a family we know well but we have nothing left from it – we all make mistakes,” explained Bureau of the half-sister to G1 Prix de l'Opera winner We Are (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) whose grandam Bellarida (Fr) (Bellypha {Fr}) won the G3 Prix de Royaumont for Jacques Wertheimer before her sale to Strawbridge. “She'll go back into training next year as she's come pretty close to earning black type,” he added. The 3-year-old, who won over a mile at Compiegne and was fourth in listed company on her last start on 3 Nov., was consigned for Strawbridge by his bloodstock advisor James Wigan, whose West Blagdon Stud topped last week's foal sale with its 800,000-guinea daughter of Dubawi (Ire).

Charlie Vigors was denied on the top lot but later gained compensation when buying lot 1667, Lamazonia (Ire) (Elusive City), for 210,000gns from Mount Coote Stud. The half-sister to GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. winner Grand Couturier (GB) (Grand Lodge) is in foal to Sea The Stars (Ire) and was selected by Vigors for a new, unnamed client. Exactly 200 lots were sold during the first of four sessions at Tattersalls this week – 11 more than on the corresponding day last year, leading to a small increase in turnover, by 3%, to 11,577,000gns. The clearance rate improved by two points to 80% but both average and median were slightly down, the former by 3% at 57,885gns, and the median by 5% at 38,000gns. When the dam of a Classic winner takes a turn in the sales ring there should be plenty of interest and this was certainly the case for Night Visit (GB) (Sinndar {IRE}) (lot 1694), who made her second appearance in a sales ring within two years and this time sold for 300,000gns to Barronstown Stud.

The 2004-foaled mare, dam of the Jim Bolger-trained and -bred Irish Derby winner Trading Leather (IRE), is recorded as fetching €975,000 at Goffs in February 2014, but on both occasions she was offered for sale by Bolger's Redmondstown Stud. Barronstown Stud's Diane Nagle said: “She's the sort of mare you want – she's bred a very good horse and you'd have a chance of making your money back. She looked great.”

Night Visit is the dam of two other winners as well as Trading Leather, and was sold with a Dawn Approach (IRE) cover. Her own dam, Moonlight Sail (Irish River [Fr}) was a full-sister to Group 1 winners Irish Prize and Hatoof.

Also on her way to Ireland is Hollywood Park listed winner Need You Now (IRE) (Kheleyf) (lot 1739), who made 275,000gns when selling to John O'Connor for Ballylinch Stud. The 5-year-old mare, out of a half-sister to French Group 1 winner Pearly Shells (GB) (Efisio {GB}), has a covering by Ballylinch resident Lope De Vega (IRE). As well as taking the Le Cke S. in July 2013, she also has a victory in Newbury's listed Radley S. to her name. “I liked her – she's a stakes-winning filly, and the Radley Stakes is a good race,” said O'Connor. “I'm also somewhat partial to the [covering] sire! Hers is a pedigree I know well and like a lot – it's a very deep pedigree. She's good-looking and a superb mover. She's for Ballylinch – we'll get her home and think about what to do next.”

Clenor ((Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}) (lot 1719), the first mare to sell in foal to champion 3-year-old Kingman (GB), went the way of Martin Wainwright's Highbank Stud when knocked down to Stephen Hillen at 210,000gns. The 4-year-old filly was Group 3-placed in Ireland before winning the Oak Tree Juvenile Fillies Turf S. for Doug O'Neill, and was offered for sale by the Castlebridge Consignment. Darrell Tampin, who manages the Yorkshire farm which is currently home to ten broodmares, said, “We came to see Kingman when we were in Newmarket for the October Sales and we decided to try to buy a mare in foal to him. We had four or five on our list and we're really pleased to have bought her.” Clenor's sale completed a trio of high-priced mares from Castlebridge after the listed-placed Liberating (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) (lot 1717) was sold carrying her first foal by Lope De Vega (Ire) to Sonia and Anthony Rogers of Airlie Stud for 220,000gns. A Kingman cover also proved a draw a little later in the session when John Warren, acting on behalf of Newsells Park Stud, went to 270,000gns to secure the listed Torrey Pines S. winner Wittgenstein (Ire) (Shamardal) (lot 1740). “We're thrilled to be buying a mare in foal to Kingman, who we all hold in high regard,” Warren said. “She's a beautiful individual and what made her of particular interest is that she's by Shamardal, who is interesting as a broodmare sire as there are plenty of options when it comes to matings.” Furthermore, Wittgenstein's half-sister is Endless Love (Ire) (Dubai Destination), the dam of Dutch Connection (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), a dual Group 3 winner who remains in training with Charlie Hills.

Wittgenstein provided the highlight of a successful day for the Player family's Whatton Manor Stud, with four members of their five-strong consignment reaching six-figure sums. Stirring Ballad (GB) (Compton Place {GB}), who was offered as lot 1742 in foal to Lawman (Fr) on behalf of George Strawbridge, made 230,000gns, and Ed Player said: “We're over the moon. Stirring Ballad is a lovely, good-moving mare; so in-balance and such a good walker.” Another popular mare was the Group 3-placed Pastoral Girl (GB) (Pastoral Pursuits {GB}), whom Yeomanstown Stud purchased for 180,000gns.

Player continued: “We'd hoped for between 100,000gns and 150,000gns [for each of the three horses], so this is beyond our expectations.”

Magic Artist (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), a dual Group 3 winner in Italy and Germany was last seen adding to his international portfolio when fourth in both the G1 Mackinnon S. and Emirates S. during the VRC Spring Carnival at Flemington and his 10-year-old dam Artisti (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) (lot 1759) was another top-seller on Monday, fetching 230,000gns to a bid from Jeremy Brummitt. The agent's intent to buy the half-sister to Group 1 winners Mastery (GB) and Kirklees (Ire) was fuelled by the appearance of her Raven's Pass yearling filly at Tattersalls in October. He said, “I was the under-bidder on the Raven's Pass and she was the best filly I saw at October Book 1. The mare's done it before so I don't see what she can't do it again.”

Artisti's Raven's Pass daughter was sold for 420,000gns to Tony Nerses and the mare was offered in foal to New Approach (Ire).

Wesley Ward will be the new trainer of Glass House (GB) (Showcasing) {GB}, after the 2-year-old filly was bought for 205,000gns. From the family of Group 1 winner Untold (Final Straw {GB}), Glass House (lot 1771) was consigned by Tweenhills Farm & Stud for Qatar Racing. The winner of the valuable Tattersalls Ireland sales race at the Curragh in September, she was subsequently third behind GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Hit It A Bomb (War Front) in a listed contest on Dundalk's all-weather surface in October. Gatewood Bell, who signed the ticket on behalf of Cromwell Bloodstock, said, “Showcasing has done so well as a sire. She'll come to America to be trained by Wesley Ward.”

The first daughter of European record-breaker Magical Romance (IRE) (Barathea {IRE}) to come to auction sold for 170,000gns in foal to Nathaniel (IRE). 5-year-old Love Magic (lot 1635), by Dansili (GB), won on her debut in 2012 and finished second twice when trained by Sir Michael Stoute for her owner-breeder Lady Rothschild. Her dam, winner of the G1 Cheveley Park S. and a half-sister to Classic winner Alexandrova (IRE) {Sadler's Wells}), made 4.6 million guineas at Tattersalls in November 2006. Love Magic was purchased by Pat O'Kelly for her Kilcarn Stud in Co Meath, Ireland. Mrs O'Kelly recently sold a Raven's Pass (IRE) yearling filly from her famous Welsh Flame (GB) family to top the Goffs Orby Sale at €2million.

“I'm very happy to have her,” said Mrs O'Kelly, who has ten “quality” mares at Kilcarn. “I needed a mare, and she seemed to be a nice, kind sort and a good mover. The Nathaniel covering is something new to me – it's good to have something which isn't necessarily so easily available in Ireland.”

After the mares had strutted their stuff, the final horse, lot 1791 through the ring on Monday was the GI Woodbine Mile winner Trade Storm (GB) (Trade Fair {GB}), a valiant campaigner for Qatar Racing who won six races and more than £1 million in prize-money. The 7-year-old was sold for 65,000gns to Faisal Al-Thani and will embark on his second career as a stallion in Qatar.