Tatts Sale Kicks Off Guineas Weekend
By Emma Berry
The second of Tattersalls’ breeze-up sales gets underway Friday ahead of the two-day Guineas Festival just down the road at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile.
In a fiercely cold wind, around 150 juveniles were put through their paces alongside the famous Classic course on Thursday morning, with one unfortunate accident at the start of the breeze resulting in a work rider being airlifted to hospital with a broken leg.
A colt by Blame was a late addition to the printed catalogue and is slated to sell as lot 170A from Oak Tree Farm, with Norman Williamson having given $50,000 for the brother to recent Fair Grounds maiden winner Blame Angel at Keeneland last September. The late April colt is a son of For Spacious Skies (Golden Missile), who is a winning half-sister to GI Travers S. winner Afleet Express (Afleet Alex).
War Front has been a warm order at Tattersalls events over the last few seasons, and this time last year his Gaybrook Lodge-consigned daughter of Pastel Gal (Lemon Drop Kid) topped trade when selling to David Redvers for 270,000gns. Now named War Alert, she was a dual winner last year for Qatar Racing and trainer David Brown.
There is once again a lone War Front juvenile in the catalogue–a filly out of Gold Collection, who traces back the champion 2-year-old filly Outstandingly (Exclusive Native) and was twice a winner herself. Chad Schumer bought the February-born first foal for $52,000, and she is consigned today through Brown Island Stables as lot 175.
Having sold three breezers for an average of 116,667gns at the Craven Sale a fortnight ago, Johnny Collins of Brown Island Stables is happy with the 2-year-old sales season so far and consigns another three today, with colts by Showcasing (GB) and Dream Ahead completing his trio of offerings by popular young stallions.
“I’m pleased with how things went this morning–the breeze went very smoothly,” Collins said. “The colts both look fairly sharp and the War Front filly has a good action, though she’s more likely one for later in the year.”
He added, “We did really well at the Craven but I’m finding overall this year that the lower end of the market is still really tough. Fortunately there’s still good trade for the nice horses.”
Sir Percy (GB) 5-year-old Lady Pimpernel (GB) is a notable graduate of the Guineas Breeze-up, where she was purchased by her initial trainer Henry Candy for just 8,500gns. She proved to have been an absolute bargain for Candy, winning four times in the UK, including the Listed Upavon Fillies’ S., before being sold to race in the U.S. Now trained by Carla Gaines, she added the GIII Robert J Frankel S. to her resume back in December. Her Derby-winning sire has just one 2-year-old in the sale, a colt out of Princess Aurora (Mr Greeley) (lot 231), who stretched out impressively on the Rowley Mile turf on Thursday morning and is one of 12 consigned by Willie Browne’s leading Mocklershill operation.
Canford Cliffs (Ire), Dream Ahead, Frozen Power (Ire), Lilbourne Lad (Ire), Pour Moi (Ire), Roderic O’Connor (Ire) and Zoffany (Ire) are all currently locked in battle in the freshman sires’ contest and have representatives set to go under the hammer today, including a Zoffany filly (lot 163) from the family of impressive recent G2 Dubai Gold Cup winner Brown Panther (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}), who is consigned by Sherbourne Lodge Stud.
The breeze-up section of the sale is preceded by around 70 horses in training as well as a six-strong dispersal of horses on behalf of the family of the late Stefan Friborg, who died in February. The Swedish-born owner-breeder, who had significant Thoroughbred interests in Brazil, celebrated success in the 2010 G1 Dubai World Cup with Gloria De Campeao (Brz) (Impression {Arg}) and also enjoyed Group 1 success on the Rowley Mile seven years ago this weekend with G1 1000 Guineas heroine Natagora (Fr) (Divine Light {Jpn}). Energia Fox (Brz) and Energia Flavia (Brz), both by Agnes Gold (Jpn), are offered as horses in training, while the dispersal also includes four mares in foal, each to a representative of Lanwades Stud–Aussie Rules, Archipenko, Sir Percy and Leroidesanimaux (Brz). The sale gets underway at 10 a.m. local time.