Tattersalls' midsummer highlight begins today with the three-day July Sale, which offers a selection of broodmares and fillies as well as horses in training.
It's an auction with draws together people from all around the world, many combining the chance to add a young jewel to a broodmare band with a week of fantastic racing, stallion parades and parties, while it also attracts buyers from the National Hunt world looking to convert a staying Flat performer into the next Champion Hurdler.
Close to nine million gns was traded last year for 486 horses, with a top price of 230,000gns for the listed winner Riskit For a Biskit (Ire) (Kodiac {Ire}) sold in foal to Dark Angel (Ire). With Thursday's and Friday's trade divided into two sessions pre- and post-racing, today's action takes place uninterrupted with just less than 300 horses to be offered after withdrawals, beginning with fillies and mares.
A sizeable and enticing draft from Godolphin, which offers 72 lots today, includes some well-related individuals. Among the in-foal mares is the three-time winner and listed-placed Desert Snow (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) (lot 159), a grand-daughter of Alruccaba (GB) who is one of 11 mares in the sale carrying to Darley's young 2,000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder (Ire), while a young mare from a solid German family is the 4-year-old Budding Rose (New Approach {Ire}) (lot 160), a half-sister to three black-type winners who is carrying her first foal by Slade Power (Ire). Eddie Lynam's G1 July Cup-winning sprinter is also the covering sire of the G1 Nassau S. winner Favourable Terms (GB) (Selkirk), now 16, who is catalogued as lot 163.
An opportunity to buy into the superb Ballymacoll Stud family responsible for the likes of another Nassau S. winner, Islington (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), as well as G1 Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) is presented with the sale of unraced 3-year-old Paper Round (GB) (lot 183), a daughter of the late Street Cry out of the G3 Brigadier Gerard S. heroine New Morning (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), while a sister to Derby runner-up Libertarian (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) is slated to sell two lots later (185). There's also likely to be plenty of interest in the Street Cry (Ire) half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Raven's Pass. Named Carte De Visite, the unraced 3-year-old is lot 263.
Away from Godolphin's selection, Janine's Approval (Ire) (Approve {Ire}) (lot 195) holds a unique claim in the catalogue as the half-sister to crack sprinters Tax Free (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) and Inxile (Ire) (Fayruz {GB}) is offered in foal to Gainesway's young G1 Breeders' Cup Mile winner Karakontie (JPN) (Bernstein), while lot 215, the dual winner Graphic Guest (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), is the sole mare in foal to popular French sire Siyouni (Fr).
Another rarity is Grove Stud's 3-year-old daughter of Kitten's Joy (lot 517). Out of the Tale Of The Cat mare Tiger Cat Lilly, her owners have retained the feline theme by naming the attractive chestnut Purr Pleasure. Unraced to date, she is offered in training and is the only filly by her increasingly international sire in the sale.
Juddmonte's is another draft which is a perennial favourite among breeders and trainers and one of the farm's early offerings from a 35-strong consignment is lot 121, Tarentaise (GB), a 7-year-old Oasis Dream (GB) half-sister to the young stallions Bated Breath (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and Cityscape (GB) (Selkirk) who is to be sold carrying an early March covering to Champs Elysees (GB).
Among the horses in training section, Jim Bolger's Glebe House Stables presents a draft of 12, including lot 533, Landlocked (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}), an unraced 3-year-old half-brother to multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB}).
By lunchtime on Monday, there was already a number of potential international buyers on the sales grounds, including Qatar's champion trainer Jassim Al Ghazali, a regular big-hitter at the July Sale, as well as Australian owner-breeder Paul Makin and Americans Freddie Seitz and Justin Casse.
It is anticipated that the fall in value of sterling following Britain's decision to leave the EU could have a positive effect on bloodstock sales in the country by encouraging buyers from continental Europe and farther afield to take advantage of the weakness of the pound.
Tattersalls' Marketing Director Jimmy George said, “It's the largest July Sale catalogue since 2007 and there's plenty of quality, particularly among the fillies. With currency now very much in favour of the overseas buyers we look forward to seeing plenty of competition among the visitors to the sale from abroad.”
He continued, “It's always a popular sale that attracts buyers from all over the world and one of the consequences of the EU referendum is that horses being sold in Britain are now the best value they've been for years.”
Selling gets underway in Newmarket at 9.30am.
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