Across-The-Board Rises At Tatts Opener

French listed winner Riskit Fora Biskit (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (lot 101) was the leading lady of a lively opening day of Tattersalls’ July Sale when topping trade at 230,000gns. Chris Wright and Catherine Corbett’s five-time victrix proved instantly popular, with Hugo Merry serving up an opening bid of 100,000gns as Suzanne Roberts and Peter Fagan joined the fray and were followed in by eventual under-bidder Stephen Hillen. Anthony Stroud had the final say on behalf of Ed Stud, and said that the 5-year-old mare, who is carrying her first foal, will be off to Chester. He added, “She’s a nice young mare who was a good racehorse and this is a good covering.”

A striking dark bay mare, Riskit For a Biskit was sold in foal to Dark Angel (Ire), who also raced successfully for Wright and Corbett, winning the G1 Middle Park S. and G2 Mill Reef S. before retiring to stand at Morristown Lattin Stud.

Formerly operating as Anthony Stroud Bloodstock, Stroud this week announced a change of name for his company to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock to include his colleague Matthew Coleman. He said, “Matt has worked with me for over eight years and has gone from strength to strength. This is recognition of Matt’s hard work and contribution to the business. He has developed a good eye for a horse and a real understanding of the business whilst cultivating a good client base.”

Just two more horses were sold this year compared to the corresponding session of 2014, but the aggregate improved by 30% to 4,213,700gns for 205 lots to change hands, bringing a clearance rate of 86%. The median soared by 41% to 12,000gns, while the average of 20,555gns represented a rise of 29%.

Head of the horses-in-training section Wednesday was the juvenile Scat Daddy colt Barbarous Relic (lot 306), who sparked a late Qatari bidding war between Jassim Al Ghazali and Hamad Al Attiyah, with the latter gaining the verdict at 170,000gns. A winner since the publication of the catalogue at Ayr on June 20 and subsequently fourth in the Listed Dragon S., the Karl Burke-trained colt will be raced in Qatar eventually but first will head to the G3 Molecomb S. at Glorious Goodwood, which has this year received an enormous prize-money boost to the five-day festival following the signing of a generous sponsorship deal with Qatar.

Al Attiyah, a racehorse owner and president of the Qatar Equestrian Federation, was instrumental in the deal with Goodwood and said of his purchase, “I’ve been coming to Tattersalls for a long time now but this is my biggest purchase. We’re very excited about the Qatar Goodwood Festival and just before that there is a major show jumping competition at Hickstead, so we will be here for a while.”

Another to breach the six-figure barrier was the grey Red Ransom mare Scarlet Empire (Ire) (lot 142), who will move from one Suffolk stud to another having been bought by Robin Sharp of Houghton Bloodstock for 105,000gns from Dwayne Woods of Brook Stud.

“She has a lovely pedigree but she’s just been a bit unlucky,” said Sharp of the 9-year-old half-sister to G1 1000 Guineas winner Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}), who was covered on May 6 by Showcasing (GB). Her first foal is the dual winner and multiple stakes-placed Danchai (GB) (Authorized {Ire}), but two subsequent foals have died at two and three, respectively, while the mare has also had two barren seasons.

The sale of Tautou Montjeu (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) (lot 137) will doubtless be remembered as a red-letter day by 28-year-old Ciaran de Barra. The Irish National Stud graduate recently started a family pinhooking syndicate with his brothers and fiance, with the 4-year-old filly being just the second horse offered for sale. Knocked down for 100,000gns to David Redvers, she left a big smile on the face of her young vendor, who said, “This is the first six-figure horse I’ve sold but she’s only the second horse we’ve pinhooked. I knew there was a lot of interest in her but I’ve been walking my box all day so this is a huge relief.”

A winner at three in the Czech Republic, the half-sister to Godolphin’s recent listed winner Tha’ir (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) emanates from the Meon Valley Stud Reprocolor dynasty and was bought privately by De Barra earlier this year.

Lanwades stallion Sir Percy (GB) enjoyed a good weekend when represented by group winners Lady Tiana (GB) and Wake Forest (Ger), and his daughter Pernica (GB) (lot 186) fetched 100,000gns in the ring to continue the good run. The half-sister to German Group 1 winner Neatico (Ger) (Medicean {GB}) was sold in foal to Dream Ahead (Ire) to Denis Brosnan’s Epona Bloodstock.

Two-time winner Lady Brigid (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) (lot 144) was another on the shopping list of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock–the leading buyer of the session with four purchased for 406,000gns–and her price tag was pushed to 95,000gns when offered by Lavington Stud in foal to Cheveley Park Stud stalwart Pivotal (GB). The 4-year-old mare boasts a desirable pedigree: her dam Brigids Cross (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) is a full-sister to champion juvenile filly Listen (Ire) and to Sequoyah, the dam of Henrythenavigator (Kingmambo) and Group 3 winner Queen Cleopatra (Ire) (Kingmambo).

Another of Meon Valley Stud’s foundation families was to the fore when the former Coolmore-owned Precious Dream (Mr Greeley) (lot 152) was knocked down to BBA Ireland for 90,000gns on behalf of Hertfordshire-based breeders Colin and Melba Bryce of Laundry Cottage Stud. A descendant of Odeon (GB), the winning sprinter’s dam is the Oaks heroine Lady Carla (GB) (Caerleon), and the 6-year-old was sold with an April cover to Dawn Approach (Ire) having already produced fillies by High Chaparral (Ire) and Iffraaj (GB).

Marco Botti has trained a number of horses with the late Stefan Friborg’s stud prefix of Energia, and among the three Brazilian-breds offered as part of a dispersal sale this week was the pretty mare Energia Fribby (Brz) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}) (lot 147). She has the ability to go with her looks–in her native country the 5-year-old won the G1 Grande Premio Diana (Brazilian Oaks) and this was followed by a listed win at Chester last year after switching to Botti’s Newmarket stable. She will now race on in California under the tutelage of Neil Drysdale having being bought by Hugo Merry for 80,000gns. –by Emma Berry