Nathaniel’s Chance to Shine as Filly Tops Tatts
by Emma Berry
Today is likely to be all about Frankel as four of his first-crop weanlings go under the hammer at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, but Thursday belonged to his old racecourse rival and fellow freshman sire Nathaniel (GB) (Galileo {GB}), whose regally bred daughter from the Arazi mare Our Queen Of Kings (GB) led the session at 300,000gns.
A solid clearance rate of 85%–up from 80%–helped to boost the day’s aggregate to 8,226,200gns, an improvement of 21% on last year, albeit for 34 more foals sold this time around. The average rose by 3% to 34,857gns ,while the median was the one sector to take a dip, down 4% to 26,000gns.
The robust chesnut star of the day was offered as lot 778 by Newsells Park Stud, home to both her sire and dam, which knows a thing or two about making a splash at the December Foal Sale, having topped the corresponding session last year with this foal’s half-sister by Sea The Stars (Ire), who sold for 320,000gns. That filly was bought by Tom Wilson, who resold her in October for 600,000gns and felt emboldened to spin the wheel again, instructing Charlie Gordon-Watson to see off under-bidder Angus Gold.
“We had luck with the Sea The Stars filly last year and she’s now in France in training for Al Shahania Stud,” said Gordon-Watson. “This filly is a great advertisement for her sire, who I have great faith in. She’ll be going to Watership Down Stud and we’ll decide whether to re-offer her next year.”
Newsells Park Stud’s General Manager Julian Dollar said: “It was a bittersweet sale really as she was a lovely filly and in many ways we’d love to have raced her. But we retained her 2-year-old Montjeu (Ire) half-sister [Queen Margherita, who is in training with Sir Michael Stoute] and hopefully there will be one or two more fillies to come.”
Dollar added of the 17-year-old, whose seven winners include G1 Sun Chariot S. heroine Spinning Queen (GB) (Spinning World): “The mare is still in great shape–she doesn’t look a day over 14. After we bought her for 500,000gns we discovered she had some foot issues, but we’ve kept on top of that and she’s done us proud–she’s made us an awful lot of money.”
Our Queen Of Kings is currently in foal to New Approach (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), but is set to return to Nathaniel next season; while her daughter Spinning Queen, who has already bred the listed winners Trade Commissioner (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) and Gallipot (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), is also responsible for exciting 2-year-old Peterhof (GB) (Dansili {GB}).
Six lots earlier, Richard Knight went to 85,000gns to secure another Nathaniel weanling, a half-brother to listed Hambleton S. winner Navajo Chief (GB) (King’s Best) from the New England Stud draft (lot 772).
Italian Connection for Cape Cross Filly…
Late in the session, the Italian duo of agent Federico Barberini and owner-breeder Franco Barberi went to 150,000gns for a well-related daughter of Cape Cross (Ire) (lot 830) offered by Ballybin Stud.
Describing himself as a “lively grandpa,” long-term breeder Barberi had made the trip from his stud farm in Piedmont, just a few miles down the road from Razza Dormello-Olgiata, the stud made famous by Italy’s most influential breeder, Federico Tesio.
“It’s good land where I am, but it’s a bit empty and I needed to find a nice filly to take home,” he said.
The filly is indeed nice. Her half-sister is German Group 3 winner Cherry Danon (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), while her dam is a sister to listed winner Sommernacht (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), whose offspring include stakes winners Sommerabend (GB), Sommertag (Ger) and Sinnerman (Ger).
Barberini added on his client’s behalf: “Mr. Barberi is particularly fond of stout pedigrees, so there was really only a handful of fillies in the book for us to look at.”
The strength of trade was felt right through to the penultimate lot of the day (845), a Dark Angel colt out of a half-sister to leading Spanish stallion Caradak (Ire) (Desert Style {Ire}), who was hammered down to pinhooker Michael Fitzpatrick for 90,000gns.
Tigress Colt Roars…
The first foal of Purple Tigress (GB) (Dubai Destination) (lot 754) by Lope De Vega (Ire) gave breeder Brian Kennedy plenty to smile about when selling for 150,000gns through his Meadowlands Stud to Eamon Reilly of BBA Ireland.
His 5-year-old dam was unraced, but is a half-sister to crack juvenile Taajub (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), the winner of five of his races and runner-up in both the G2 Gimcrack S. and G3 Cornwallis S. There was plenty of competition for the colt, with members of the O’Callaghan clan taking on Peter Doyle in the early exchanges before Richard Brown became involved and eventually had to give way to Reilly.
“He’s for a long-standing client and has been bought to race rather than pinhook,” Reilly said. “He’ll probably end up in training in Ireland with Jim Bolger. “I’m a big fan of the sire and there’s plenty happening in the family.”
Just nine lots later, the sum of 150,000gns was matched by Frannie Woods for an Invincible Spirit colt (lot 763) consigned through Charlie Mason’s Silfield Bloodstock.
The great grandson of G1 Yorkshire Oaks and G1 Prix Vermeille winner My Emma (GB) is another first foal, his dam Light Shine (GB) (Dansili {GB}) having won once in four starts for Peter Chapple-Hyam.
“He’s an outstanding colt by a sire we have huge respect for,” said Woods, who confirmed that he and his wife Niamh had bought him to go back to their Abbeylands Farm in Ireland. “He’s a great walking horse and he’d been well prepped by Silfield, who do a great job. We’ve had luck buying from them in the past.”
Sexton Steals the Show…
During the bloodstock sales, this correspondent spends hours on end sitting next to Racing Post blogger and pedigree guru Nancy Sexton, so it came as some surprise to see her at the opposite side of the ring waving her catalogue at 120,000gns for lot 679, a colt by the increasingly popular Showcasing (GB).
The late April colt, who was bought on behalf of pinhooker Jim McCartan, is a son of 2-year-old winner Gilt Linked (GB) (Compton Place {GB}), a half-sister to stakes winners Pastoral Player (GB) (Pastoral Pursuits {GB}) and Chil The Kite (GB) (Notnowcato {GB}) from a proven fast family which includes top sprinter Averti (Ire) (Warning {GB}).
We reported yesterday on a good first day at the foal sales for Chris Harper’s Whitsbury Manor Stud and their stallions Showcasing and Foxwedge, and the trend continued on Wednesday. This colt, a grandson of the Harper family’s “favourite mare” Copy-Cat (GB) (Lion Cavern) was at the head of the draft from the farm and another strong sale was registered on Thursday for the Showcasing colt out of Red Mischief (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}) (lot 681), who delivered a great return for his eight first-time breeders of the Red Mischief Partnership at 82,000gns.
The mare was bought as a yearling by Harry Dunlop from the October Sale for just 1,500gns.
“Harry bought her at Book 3 mainly because he thought she had lovely big ears,” said the trainer’s wife, Christina. “She won a race for her syndicate as a 2-year-old and then she was injured at three so some of them decided to stay in to breed from her and bought her privately for £3,000.”
With one of the members farming close to Whitsbury Manor Stud in Hampshire, the decision to send her to Showcasing was a fortuitous one as the young son of Oasis Dream (GB) is currently one of the hottest stallions in Britain.
Christina added: “This is the first time any of the mare’s owners have been involved in breeding. They thought he might have made 15,000gns, would have been amazed if he’d made 30,000gns but now they are absolutely blown away to have sold him for 82,000gns!”
Peace Passes on Star Quality…
The well-credentialed family of top-class racemare and broodmare Pass The Peace (GB) (Alzao) was in the limelight once again when her grandson by Darley newcomer Helmet (Aus) (lot 653) was the selection of agent Mick Flanagan, who had to stretch to 98,000gns to secure the bay colt.
Offered by the Castlebridge Consignment, his thrice-winning dam Malyana (GB) (Mtoto [GB}) is a sister to G2 Pretty Polly S. winner Tarfshi (GB).
“He’s a cracking colt by a horse who was a fantastic racehorse in his own country,” said Flanagan. “The dam won twice at two and it’s a really strong family.
He’s for Baroda & Colbinstown Studs and he’ll return next year and hopefully leave a few bob behind him.”
As well as Malyana and Tarfshi, Pass The Peace’s daughters include Embassy (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}), a former European champion juvenile filly, who is in turn the grandam of G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner King’s Apostle (Ire) (King’s Best).
Another first-season sire, this time Coolmore representative Excelebration (Ire), had a weanling among the top lots of the day when Paddy Twomey was pushed to 88,000gns for Yellowford Farm’s colt out of the Galileo (Ire) mare Quiritis (GB) (lot 770).
Though unraced, the 7-year-old mare owns a first-rate pedigree, being a sister to Group 3 winner and St Leger runner-up Mahler (GB) and from the family of Group 1-winning stallions Footstepsinthesand (GB), Power (GB) and Pedro The Great.
Nuthurst’s Cracking Trio…
It seemed that 85,000 was the magic number at Tattersalls during the second session of foals. Nine weanlings sold for that sum, including all three offered on the day by Tim Cooper’s Nuthurst Farm Stud, which is based near Straford-upon-Avon.
First through the ring was lot 672, a colt by the sought-after Dark Angel (Ire) out of a Danehill Dancer (Ire) half-sister to Australian listed winner Skiddaw Peak (Aus). After Jimmy Murphy of Redpender Stud had placed the winning bid, the colt was followed by a first-crop son of Sepoy from the listed-placed Nayef mare Syvilla (GB) (lot 673), whose half-sister La Martina (GB) (Atraf {GB}) is the dam of nine-time winner Jo’Burg (Johannesburg), the top lot of the same session for Cooper 10 years ago when fetching 200,000gns. He will join the team of pinhooks for Peter and Michelle Morgan of Carmel Stud in Somerset.
The trio was completed by a Showcasing filly (lot 674) from the same family–her dam being a grand-daughter of La Martina named Thankful (GB) (Diesis)–who was bought as a pinhooking prospect by by Yeomanstown Stud.
“We chose Dark Angel as a proven sire for the maiden mare Spate, we liked Sepoy’s international pedigree and thought he might be good over a mare with a stouter pedigree, and then we picked Showcasing again for Thankful as Munfarrid, her 2012 colt by him, was a belter,” a delighted Cooper said. “Of course, you don’t know they are going to be commercial stallions when you get your mare covered. It’s all a game of ups and downs so it’s nice to have a good day.”
Norris Gets His Lope…
Another to reach the 85,000gns mark was the Ringfort Stud-consigned son of Lope De Vega (Ire) (lot 609), a first foal of the winning Authorized (Ire) mare Jamhara (GB). The colt, bought by Liam Norris, counts a talented close relative by Lope De Vega’s sire Shamardal in G3 Fred Darling S. runner-up Sharnberry (Ire), a half-sister to his dam.
“He was bred by Gordon Thom of New Hall Stud and I always like to buy from good breeders,” said Norris of the man responsible for breeding Donna Blini (GB) (Bertolini), the dam of this weekend’s Japan Cup favourite Gentildonna. “I’ve been wanting to buy one by this sire for a long time, but I haven’t been able to. I’m delighted to get this one though–he’s a really good, strong colt and we’ll bring him back next year.”
Early morning trade was brightened by consecutive lots, 586 and 587, also each reaching 85,000gns. The former, a colt by Dutch Art (GB) out of the unraced Providencia (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), was added to the Darley ranks when signed for by Richard O’Gorman; while Timmy Hyde of Camas Park Stud bought the Rip Van Winkle (Ire) colt out of a Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) half-sister to G1 Prix de l’Opera winner Lily Of The Valley (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
Whitwell Strikes on Watch…
Harbour Watch’s most expensive weanling to date (lot 607) was bred and consigned by Nicky Howarth and Chris Murray of Whitwell Bloodstock, and knocked down to Joe Hartigan of Epona Bloodstock at 78,000gns.
The colt is the fourth foal of Blue Beacon (GB) (Fantastic Light), a daughter of champion 2-year-old Blue Duster (Danzig), a sister to Zieten and ancestress of black-type winners Fantasia (GB), Pink Symphony (GB) and Western Hymn (GB).
“We bought the mare in foal to Acclamation and she’s been good to us all the way. It’s a great family and it just keeps getting better,” said Howarth, who runs Whitwell Bloodstock with Murray from the Van Cutsem family’s Hilborough Stud in Norfolk.
She added: “This was the best foal she’s had so far – he’s a really good strong colt. We decided to use Harbour Watch because he’s a good-looking horse with real strength and the mare had a good filly by his sire, Acclamation (GB).”
That juvenile filly is named Light Fantastic (GB) and won earlier this year for Ed Dunlop, while Blue Beacon’s yearling colt by Approve (Ire) was sold for 35,000gns at this sale last year before realising 70,000gns at the October Sale. He is now in training with William Haggas.
The continued lure of Frankel (GB)–who is the sire of lots 1059, 1087, 1103 and 1113 selling today–is illustrated by the fact that the BBC Breakfast Show will include live television broadcasts from Tattersalls this morning at 7:50 am and 8:50 am ahead of the start of the third session of the December Foal Sale at 9:30.