Duke of Roxburghe Floored

Duke of Roxburghe ‘Floored’… 
It didn’t take Sheikh Mohammed long to add to his haul of million dollar babies. Lot 237 kicked off a flurry of expensive Dubawi purchases by the Ruler of Dubai, and put the icing on the cake of a watershed week for the Duke of Roxburghe’s Floors Stud. 
Floors Stud, which is best known as the breeder of champion, dual Classic and five-time Group 1 winner Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}), sold its highest-priced yearling ever when its Oasis Dream (GB) colt out of Attraction’s sister Titivation (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) topped Tuesday’s opening session at 775,000gns, but that personal best was smashed yesterday when John Ferguson saw off John Warren, bidding alongside Charlie-Gordon Watson, to secure a half-brother to Group 1 winners Viva Pataca (GB) (Marju {Ire}) and Laughing (GB) (Dansili {GB}) for 1.4 million guineas. 
The Duke of Roxburghe was nearly lost for words moments after the transaction. 
“I don’t know what to say–I’m over the moon,” he said. The Scotsman was quick to pay tribute to his staff. “What I wanted to say yesterday is that I’m so pleased for all the staff, the team at home who’ve done all the hard work. I just take some of the bricks, but they’ve done all the hard work. I’m really thrilled for them because they’ve done such a fabulous job with all the horses and this has been the testament to their work.” 
He noted that both high prices were beyond his expectations. 
“Yesterday blew me away and today is the same,” he said. “I’d hoped he’d make 600,000gns to 700,000gns, so he’s made double what I thought he’d make. It’s just fantastic and unbelievably exciting.” 
The Duke of Roxburghe owns about 16 mares, some in partnership. His philosophy is to sell all the colts and retain one or two fillies every year. The Dubawi colt was bred in partnership with the Duke of Devonshire. He noted that Comic, who was bred and raced by himself in partnership, is back in foal to Dubawi, but no decision had been made on who she would go to next. 
“We bred the mare, so they’re all complete homebreds; they’ve been up in Scotland the whole time,” he explained. “[Comic] is one of the mares we’ve owned for a long time. She’s 19, so she’s getting on. She’s been fantastic, she’s been a dual Group 1 producer. I don’t know how many there were in the catalogue, but not many.” 
Floors’ Galileo (Ire) colt out of Flirtation (GB) (Pursuit of Love {GB}) (lot 297)–and therefore a half-brother to Attraction–provided the stud another reason to celebrate late in the session when knocked down to M V Magnier for 750,000gns. The colt sparked a bidding war that included John Warren and Grant Pritchard-Gordon, with John Magnier joining the fray at 650,000gns. The former parties continued to tussle, but in the end it took one final blow from Magnier at 750,000 to end the battle. Magnier is well familiar with the family, as the Coolmore partners race Attraction’s Group 3-winning son Fountain of Youth (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), purchased by Demi O’Byrne for 420,000gns here two years ago.