Dubawi Colt Matches 2016 Topper

There was a strong sense of deja vu as Meon Valley Stud's Dubawi (Ire) colt out of the G1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Izzi Top (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) exited the ring at Tattersalls with a 2.6- million-guinea price tag on his head to lead the first day of Book 1. This time last year his close relative Emaraaty (GB)–a Dubawi half-brother to this colt's dam–made the same amount to share top billing at the October Sale and despite the inauspicious omen of being catalogued as lot 13, the latest member of the high-class family to be offered for sale again had a number of top-end buyers in pursuit.

“His first three dams are all Group 1 winners,” coaxed auctioneer John O'Kelly as the chestnut colt took his turn, but no such sales patter was required as first Alastair Donald and Roger Varian locked horns, before Sheikh Mohammed encouraged Anthony Stroud to signal his interest. The sheikh is not often outdone, particularly when it comes to acquiring sons of Dubawi, but he eventually gave way to his cousin and Dubawi's owner-breeder Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, for whom Varian was acting.

“We were rather concerned, being lot 13 and in so early in the sale, especially as there are a lot of Dubawi yearlings in the catalogue,” said Mark Weinfeld of Meon Valley Stud. “But if he's any good, he has a stallion's pedigree, and we know that John Gosden really likes Emaraaty.”

The eye-catching winner of a Newbury maiden recently, the Sheikh Hamdan-owned Emaraaty earned 'TDN Rising Star' status and is currently quoted at 25/1 for next year's Derby and is entered in the G1 Darley Dewhurst S. on Oct. 14. Sheikh Mohammed Obaid's new colt is hardly in need of updates, however, with the unbeaten Dreamfield (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) as a half-brother, as well the stallions Opera House (GB) (Sadler's Wells) and his full-brother Kayf Tara (GB) among his relatives.

Turnover was up by 8% during the first session of Book 1, with 119 yearlings sold from 154 offered for a total of 33,880,000gns. While there were plenty of blockbuster lots, the trade was selective at times, leading to a reduced clearance rate of 77%, down by five points from last year. The median figure rocketed, however, by 38% to 200,000gns, while the average of 284,706gns was also up significantly by 24%.

Donald Prevails For Talent Sister…

When you add the Frankel (GB) factor to the dam of an Oaks winner, you're creating the kind of page to stand out at any sale in the world, and that proved to be the case at Tattersalls on Tuesday when lot 155 stepped into the ring, and Alastair Donald of SackvilleDonald had the final say at 2.5-million gns. The agent declined to name his client, for whom he was making his third purchase of the day, having also bought a Sea The Stars (Ire) filly (lot 138) for 725,000, and a Shamardal filly lot 153 for 500,000gns. Donald said the client is building a stable of fillies to stay in England with residual broodmare value.

“It's a client that wants to keep out of the press, basically,” he said. “This is the filly he wanted the most and she's a gorgeous filly. The pedigree speaks for itself. She's a half-sister to an Oaks winner by Frankel, and she was an exceptional physique.”

That aforementioned Oaks winner is Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), who won the Epsom Classic in 2013. The dam, Prowess (Ire) (Peintre Celebre), has also produced the listed-placed Skilful (GB) (Selkirk). She produced a Dubawi filly this year before being bred back to New Approach.

The underbidder was Yohann Gainche, who was acting on behalf of Japan's DMM.com. Launched just this year, the racing club was active at the JRHA Sale in July, buying the ¥320-million foal full-sister to Gentildonna (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and the ¥160-million yearling full-sister to Real Steel (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

John Troy just brought one yearling to Book 1 but she was one he's got to know pretty well, having foaled the half-sister to Oaks winner Talent for her breeders Mark Dixon and James Rowsell of Ashbrittle Stud. He said, “Well, there are two Oaks winners on the page and she's by one of the hottest stallions. We knew she'd sell well but we didn't expect this. She has a wonderful temperament and she has taken it all so well, right through her prep. Her dam has a Dubawi foal this year and Talent has a colt by Dansili.”

Ballymacoll Brings Curtain Down On Day One…

The star of the first five yearlings to be offered from the Ballymacoll Stud Dispersal was a first-crop daughter of Kingman (GB) (lot 168) out of Justlookdontouch (Ire), an unraced Galileo half-sister to the outstanding Islington (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) as well as the Group 1 winners Greek Dance (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and Mountain High (Ire) (Danehill). The bay filly will move from one high-class breeding operation to another, having been bought by Fiona Craig for Eva Maria Bucher-Haefner's Moyglare Stud for 1.7-million gns.

“It was a lot more than we planned to pay, but she's priceless; invaluable,” Craig said. “That's a pedigree for the next two to three decades. For a stud farm like ours, it won't come up again. She'll never be sold; she'll race, then we'll try to breed something out of her; we've already got her first mating planned.”

She added, “Eva couldn't come because she's actually working–she's the hardest-working person I know. I asked her to come but she was on the phone. [The filly] will go home to Ireland and go into our programme. Whatever happens there, she'll go on and be a broodmare for us for the future.”

“The one thing Eva keeps insisting to me is that we buy pedigree, so we're buying pedigree and she'll go to the best stallions down the road. Hopefully we'll get something out of her that will do the job. I had two bids. The first bid was meant to be the only bid.”

Immediately preceding the Kingman filly was her relative (lot 167), Islington's daughter of Sea The Stars (Ire), who will race for the Rabbah Bloodstock associates. Jono Mills went to 550,000gns to secure the grand-daughter of the great Hellenic (GB) (Darshaan {GB}) and just moments later bought for 65,000gns the final lot through the ring (lot 171), an Oasis Dream (GB) filly out of G2 Blandford S. winner Eleanora Duse (Ire), a descendant of the Oaks winner Sun Princess (GB).

The other filly among the quintet of yearlings, an Exceed And Excel (Aus) daughter of Group 3 winner Liber Nauticus (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) (lot 170), has also been bought as a long-term breeding prospect by John Pearce Racing and will be trained by Sir Mark Prescott. William Huntingdon and Liam Norris, acting on behalf of Edmund Bush, the great nephew of John Pearce who died earlier this year, went to 180,000gns for the relation to the multiple Group 1 winner Conduit (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}).

The sole colt (lot 169), a grandson of Hellenic by Shamardal, was bought by Suzanne Roberts for 80,000gns.

“I've bought him for an established client of mine in Hong Kong and we haven't decided yet where he'll be trained,” said the agent. “I love this family and I actually bought Greek Dance to stand as a stallion in Germany but sadly he was infertile. This colt reminded me quite a bit of him and I was amazed I was able to buy him at that price.”

Mayfair and Magnier Team Again…

The Dubawi colt may have held the lead throughout, but as the day started to draw in, a Galileo half-sister to Group 1-winning sprinter Garswood (GB) (lot 139) was the second of the session to breach the seven-figure barrier when selling for 1.6-million gns to Peter Doyle on behalf of the Mayfair Speculators and MV Magnier.

“She'll go to Aidan O'Brien,” confirmed the agent. “She's a gorgeous filly. We've been beaten on a couple today but she makes up for all of that.”

Consigned by Flash Conroy's Glenvale Stud, the chestnut filly is a daughter of the unraced Cheveley Park Stud-bred mare Penchant (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), who was sold for 21,000gns back in 2010, the same year Garswood was foaled.

Tally-Ho Stud sire Kodiac is routinely the toast of the Premier Sale at Goffs UK and he was also in the highest echelon at Book 1 thanks to his daughter of the Pivotal (GB) mare Queenofthefairies (GB), who was another sold to the Mayfair Speculators-Coolmore partnership for 925,000gns. Lot 161 was bred at Tally-Ho Stud by Tony and Anne O'Callaghan. Her dam, a half-sister to Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB}) and a stakes producer via G3 Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial winner Now Or Never (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire}), was bought at Tattersalls for 32,000gns in 2010, the year Dream Ahead had been sold by Tally-Ho.

“We consigned Dream Ahead at the breeze-ups and decided to buy the mare because of him–we loved him,” recalled Tony O'Callaghan. “We couldn't get a bid for her Bushranger filly but that's Now Or Never and she turned out to be good. This filly has been very popular since she arrived here, she had so many vets.”

No Nay Never Colt Bound For Japan…

First-season sire No Nay Never enjoyed a moment in the spotlight when his lot 114 made 850,000gns from Japan-based agent Keisuke Onishi of JS Company. The colt, who was consigned by Baroda & Colbinstown Studs and bred in partnership by China Horse Club and Coolmore, is out of the unraced Muravka (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), who produced two stakes winners from her first three foals. The first of those was G1 Prix Morny and G2 Coventry S. winner The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), and he was followed two years later by French listed winner Miss Infinity (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), who was group-placed in England and Germany. Miss Infinity was bred back to Starspangledbanner this year.

Onishi signed for the colt on behalf of an undisclosed client. He will go into training with Ritto-based trainer Yoshito Yahagi, who was seat alongside the agent. Yahagi has trained the likes of champion 2-year-old and dual Group 1 winner Grand Prix Boss (Jpn) (Sakura Bakushin O {Jpn}), and the 2012 G1 Japanese Derby winner Deep Brillante (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

“He's a special colt,” said Onishi. “He had a very good walk, and there are some good runners by [No Nay Never's sire] Scat Daddy in Japan. I believe No Nay Never will be good for Japanese racing.”

Sheikh Mohammed Drops In…

Sheikh Mohammed has relied on his buying team of Anthony Stroud, David Loder and John Gosden at the yearlings sales so far this autumn but he appeared in person at Tattersalls on Tuesday morning and made his presence felt right from the start when buying lot 1, a Dansili (GB) half-brother to G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Rumplestiltskin (Ire) (Danehill) from Exclusive Equine for 340,000gns.

Three Galileo (Ire) yearlings were added to the team throughout the day. These included the first foal of G3 Fred Darling S. winner Maureen (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) (lot 92), bought for 800,000gns from her breeder Newsells Park Stud after John Gosden saw off attempts on the filly by John Gunther, Charlie Gordon-Watson and Peter Doyle.

“We bought Maureen privately. She's a sweet little mare and this is a cracking first foal,” said Newsells Park manager Julian Dollar. “She was as popular as any in our draft and of course we're very happy with her sale price but we'd have been equally happy to have kept her. She was just what you'd expect from her dam and nothing fazed her at all.”

Dollar added that Maureen has a filly foal this year, also by Galileo, and is now in foal to Dark Angel (Ire).

Lot 40, a filly out of Lady Springbank (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) bred on the same cross as the dual Classic winner Winter (Ire), was another Godolphin purchase for 575,00gns having been pinhooked by Philipp Stauffenberg at 300,000gns in the same ring last December. She followed lot 14, the Galileo colt out of G1 1,000 Guineas runner-up Jacqueline Quest, who was sold by New England Stud for 400,000gns.

Despite being outbid for the day's top lot, Sheikh Mohammed was successful in his pursuit of another Dubawi yearling (lot 23), a full-sister to the G2 Summer Mile winner Aljamaaheer (Ire) offered by her breeder Watership Down Stud and knocked down to John Gosden for 420,000gns.

In total, Godolphin bought 10 yearlings through the first session for 4,195,000gns.

Frankel Colt For King Power…

The Grade III-placed Lady Linda (Torrential) has been a lucrative producer for her owners when it comes to the sales ring, with four six-figure yearlings to her credit, and the dearest yet for the 19-year-old mare came at Tattersalls on Tuesday when Alastair Donald went to 550,000gns for lot 35, Yeomanstown Stud's Frankel (GB) colt. The bay was bought for Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, a Thai businessman who owns horses under the King Power Racing banner and also owns the Leicester City Football Club. King Power has enjoyed success in Saturday's 32Red Gold Cup with Donjuan Triumphant (Ire) (Dream Ahead), and also campaigns the G2 Joel S. winner and progressive miler Beat The Bank (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}), and stakes winner Tisbutadream (Ire) (Dream Ahead).

“He's keen to buy a few horses at the top level,” said Donald. Of the colt, he added, “He's a lovely stamp, a typical good- looking Frankel. The client was very keen to buy a Frankel and he was a lovely horse.”

Lady Linda is the dam of seven winners from eight runners, headed by the 2013 G1 Preis der Diana scorer Penelopa (GB) (Giant's Causeway). She is a half-sister to three stakes winners, including the GII Arkansas Derby winner Sir Cherokee (Cherokee Run) and the triple Grade II winner Miss Isella (Silver Charm).

Pinhooking Punt Pays Off For Carmel…

Peter and Michelle Morgan of Carmel Stud took a punt on an Acclamation (GB) colt at 185,000gns at Tattersalls December last year, and their risk was rewarded back in the same ring on Tuesday when the colt (lot 105) fetched 500,000gns from agent Charlie Gordon-Watson, standing alongside Saeed Suhail. Peter Morgan said the result is the farm's best-ever pinhooking return.

“We pride ourselves on the way we prepare our horses and the hard work has paid off today,” he said. “He was a lovely, lovely horse to deal with. The sire has been in great form this season and he was looking great today. Hopefully he'll be very lucky for the new owners.”

Recalling the colt back in December, Morgan added, “He had a great walk, a great back-end, and was very powerful, so we just hoped he'd develop into the sort of horse he has.”

Carmel Stud has just one other yearling to pinhook: a colt by another sire of the moment, Society Rock (lot 1204), in Book 2 next week.

“We're trying to specialize on quality rather than quantity,” Morgan said.

More Queens For Kingman…

American agent Shawn Dugan managed to have her way when it came to lot 81, the highest-priced yearling of the session by Juddmonte freshman Kingman (GB). The second foal of dual listed winner Making Eyes (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) was bought for an undisclosed client for 400,000gns.

Dugan said, “She is one of the most stunning creatures I have seen–so smooth and all class. She was a really good physical specimen. All our horses go to Jamie Lloyd at Far Westfield to be broken in and then she will go into training in Europe. I'm really pleased to have bought her because trade here and at Goffs last week has been really strong for the good ones. We've been outbid quite a few times.”

Dugan wasn't the only overseas buyer to have her head turned by a Kingman filly as Australian agent Jeff Gordon, acting on behalf of Hong Kong-based Golden Farms, also went to 400,000gns to buy lot 130, a half-sister to the Group 2-winning sprinter Pearl Secret (GB) (Compton Place {GB}).

“Of course she's a half-sister to a good horse and the mare has bred plenty of winners. I'm excited by Kingman as he's by Invincible Spirit, who has the very successful I Am Invincible in Australia, but Kingman had a much better turn of foot than him. I like to see a good turn of foot in young stallions,” he said.

Six Kingman yearlings were offered during the first day of Book 1 for an average of 486,167gns to make him the leading first-season sire at the October Sale so far.

Brown Busy At Tattersalls…

Eclipse champion trainer Chad Brown, renowned for his prowess with turf runners, made a first visit to Tattersalls on Tuesday. He made the trip worthwhile, signing for two yearling for Klaravich Stables and three with White Birch Farm, while he could also be the beneficiary of a yearling filly by Galileo bought by Bob Edwards of e5 Racing.

White Birch's haul was topped by a 425,000gns Dubawi (Ire) colt out of Loveisallyouneed (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) (lot 64), whose full-sister topped this sale in 2015 at 2.1-million. Peter Brant's operation also signed for an Invincible Spirit (Ire) filly out of a half-sister to Kingman (GB) (lot 145) for 300,000gns, and a Declaration Of War colt (lot 16) for 170,000gns.

“Mr. Brant has participated here before,” Brown said. “It's my first time here and it's been a wonderful experience. everyone has been so accommodating and it's an outstanding group of horses. With how prominent we are on the turf back home in the U.S., it really made sense for me to eventually come over and try to get into some of these bloodlines for my clients and bring them back home.”

Brown was speaking after signing for lot 146, a Kingman filly, for 120,000 for Klaravich Stables. Brown trains the likes of this year's GI Preakness S. winner Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) and dual Grade I winner Practical Joke (Into Mischief) for Klaravich.

“Klaravich Stable has never bought anything over here before,” said Brown. “Seth Klarman wanted to participate over here as well, so between him and White Birch we're getting some horses bought.”

“It's been a great experience and l look forward to doing more over here in the future,” he added. “It's a short trip this time but I look forward to coming back and it makes sense for our stable to start expanding into this market.”

E5 Takes Home Galileo Filly…

Bob Edwards of e5 Racing enjoyed success with his first European bloodstock acquisition when his Landshark (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) won on debut at Leopardstown in August. That one, the €210,000 Goresbridge breeze-up sale topper in May, went on to finish second to the subsequent G1 Middle Park S. winner US Navy Flag (War Front) in the G3 Round Tower S. at The Curragh three weeks later for trainer Jessie Harrington, but Edwards noted the Galileo (Ire) filly he signed for at Tattersalls on Tuesday will not be joining Landshark in that yard; she is headed Stateside.

“We're shipping her to Stonestreet,” said Edwards of lot 56, a daughter of Like A Dam (GB) (Danehill) that cost him 340,000gns. “I loved the filly, she vetted well, and that Galileo/Danehill cross is unbelievable.”

Not only is the filly bred on a proven cross, but her dam is also a proven producer, having already supplied the G3 Atalanta S. winner Ladys First (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}).

Edwards said he has not decided on a trainer for the filly, but Chad Brown, who was also in attendance at Tattersalls, is certainly in the running. Brown has already been successful for e5 with the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and GI Belmont Oaks winner New Money Honey.

“Chad's been doing real well for me,” Edwards said. “He's been on fire and he's here, he saw the filly as well.”

Edwards, who was at the sale with his American-based agent Mike Ryan, was visiting Newmarket for the first time.

“I usually never get out of London, I'm always on business and never get out of London,” he said. In addition to Tattersalls, a visit to Juddmonte Farm was also on his agenda.

“I went to Juddmonte; it was phenomenal to see Frankel, Bated Breath and Kingman,” he said. “It kept getting better and better as they kept bringing horses out.”

He also attended racing at Newmarket on Saturday.

“It was the first time I've seen European racing live; it's a straight and wait kind of scenario, not like at home,” he said. “It's a lot of fun. It's different, it's a really good fan base, a very knowledgeable fan base. We were also watching the racing in France, which was incredible. The Arc just went on my bucket list. This is my second year in racing and I haven't had the opportunity to see some of these tracks, and to see it on TV, I was blown away.”

Edwards also provided an update on Landshark, who was bought at Goresbridge by Eamonn Reilly of BBA Ireland.

“We've had great luck with him, he won his first race and then placed behind the winner on the weekend, US Navy Flag, a great horse,” he said. “We were actually going to run in that race as well but they felt like maybe he'd go a little longer, so we're going to run him late October in Leopardstown [in the G3 Killavullan S. on Oct. 14].”

Edwards later in the session added an Invincible Spirit (Ire) filly (lot 124) for 260,000gns. The daughter of the Galileo (Ire) mare Night Fever (Ire) from Barouche Stud will stay in Ireland and join Landshark in Jessie Harrington's stable.