Scene Set At Tatts for Dramatic Book 1

SCENE SET AT TATTS FOR DRAMATIC BOOK 1 
By Emma Berry 
As the European bloodstock market braced itself for the three most important days of the yearling season, there was an expectant hush around the sales ring at Tattersalls on the eve of Book 1 of the October Sale. 
In the amphitheatre that last year saw the world record for a yearling filly broken when a 5 million guineas daughter of Galileo (Ire) was sold to Sheikh Joaan Al Thani of Qatar, the smell of new carpet is likely to give way today to the smell of money. More than 70 million guineas was spent during Book 1 last year, and following an ebullient start to the yearling sales season across the Northern hemisphere, it’s easy to believe that sum will have been improved upon by the end of this week. 

“You always approach Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale with a degree of cautious optimism and apprehension,” said Tattersalls Marketing Director Jimmy George Monday at Park Paddocks, which has played host to a number of the world’s major owners and breeders over the weekend as the consignments of yearlings arrived and showing began. 
“It kicks off the sales season for us here at Tattersalls, and Book 1 has been fantastic for the last few years,” George added. “Last year’s sale in particular set the bar very high, but this is a very good catalogue and results on the track have been terrific this year. We’ve had a Guineas winner, a Derby winner and a St Leger winner from the sale–two from Book 1 and one from Book 2–and that’s a tribute to the quality of yearlings on offer in this sale.” 

“Furthermore, the sire power in Britain and Ireland at the moment is as strong as most of us have known it in our lifetime,” he continued. “I think that’s recognized by the leading owners in the world, and hopefully it will be reflected in the likely participants over the coming weeks.” 

Along with the new carpet, new portraits adorn the wall of the sales ring depicting the aforementioned Tattersalls-sold Classic winners of the season–English and Irish Derby winner Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), sold for 525,000gns to Coolmore; Night Of Thunder (Ire), a 32,000gns son of Dubawi (Ire) who won the G1 2000 Guineas in May, and Kingston Hill (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), the St Leger winner who was bought from Book 2 for 70,000gns. 

Down towards the bottom of the hill in block AA, the same spot in which they were stabled with last year’s record-breaker, now named Al Namaah (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the gang from Ireland’s Lodge Park Stud are dodging rain showers and doing an equally good job of trying to avoid any pre-sales hype this time around. Al Namaah’s dam Alluring Park (Ire) has no yearling this year, but among the four horses consigned by her nursery is her relation, a Galileo (Ire) half-brother to Group 1 winner and young Coolmore stallion Alfred Nobel (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) (lot 312). His 2-year-old half-sister Stellar Glow (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) was still unraced when the catalogue was printed, but has subsequently finished a good second in a Leopardstown maiden and third in the G3 CL and MF Weld Park S. at the Curragh a little over a week ago. 

“She looks promising and hopefully she’ll be a Classic filly,” says Damian Burns, who runs Lodge Park Stud with his mother, Patricia, and brothers Patrick and Jamie. Another brother, Ronan, runs Herbertstown House Stud, which is selling three yearlings this week. 

The eldest of the quartet, Damian remained remarkably cool in the wake of last year’s memorable result and is similarly unflappable on the eve of this year’s sale. 

He says, “Genuinely, as I said last year, for us it really is all about what happens on the racecourse. Of course good sales results help–they mean we can keep the show on the road and use the stallions we want to use. We also picked up a few nice mares last year, but we really are geared towards the racecourse rather than the sales ring.” 

Despite the strength of the market, Burns warns that Book 1 is all about being extremely selective in the yearlings offered. 

“You have to get everything right–especially at this sale,” he said. “There’s no room for error. That’s the market generally, but particularly at Book 1.” 

Selective the market may be, but it looks as though it will once again be boosted by a hugely varied and international buying bench. Plenty of Americans have been patrolling the grounds over the last few days, including Alex Solis and Jason Litt, who were in action in Ireland at Goffs last week, as was Marc Keller. They have been joined by Andrew Rosen, Bobby Flay and Jon Kelly, while potential South African buyers include Jehan Malherbe and Mary Slack. 

Michael Wallace from China Horse Club spent €850,000 on a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt at Goffs, and augmented that purchase with a hefty spending spree at Arqana’s Arc sale on Saturday night, which included an outlay of €800,000 on G2 Prix de Chaudenay winner Auvray (Fr) (Le Havre [Fr}). He and fellow Australians Lee Freedman and Jeff Gordon are also in town, along with members of the Hong Kong Jockey Club buying team and Hong Kong-based trainers Chris So and John Moore’s son George. The Japanese bloodstock ranks are represented by potential buyers from Northern Farm and Big Red Farm. 

Taking into account various Qatari and Dubaian operations with significant racing and breeding operations in Europe, along with the stalwarts in camp Coolmore, it’s fair to expect plenty of high-stakes horse-trading in the small Suffolk town of Newmarket over the next few days. The dress rehearsals have taken place and Tattersalls is ready for curtain up.