Craven Breeze Up Sale

The trials are already well underway in France and Ireland, and with a week of important action to come in Newmarket followed by Newbury, the Classics are now uppermost in people's minds. In the early days of breeze-up sales, there would have been no immediate connection between those auctions and potential Classic horses  but that has now changed quite significantly.  Twenty years ago, the DBS breeze-up graduate Speciosa (Danehill Dancer) became the first to go on to win a British Classic when veering across the Rowley Mile for a memorable...

Al Pacino's Inch By Inch speech in the film Any Given Sunday resonates strongly with jockey Killian Leonard, who has been making waves on the breeze-up circuit in recent years.  With the Miami Sharks down and appearing almost certainly out in the Super Bowl final, Al Pacino, who plays coach Tony D'Amato, tells his team that they can claw themselves back into the game, 'inch by inch, play by play'.  He goes on, "The margin for error is so small. I mean, one half step too late or too early,...

Tattersalls has released the catalogue for the Craven Breeze-Up Sale, which features 182 juveniles and takes place between April 13 and 15. High-profile graduates from the Craven Breeze-Up Sale include multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Vandeek, 1,000 Guineas heroine Cachet, Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint winner Believing and more. Commenting on this year's catalogue, Tattersalls Managing Director Matthew Prior said, "Al Quoz Sprint winner Believing was the sale's fifth individual Group 1 winner since 2022 and crowned another excellent year on the racecourse for the Craven Breeze-Up Sale, Europe's leading breeze-up...

DONCASTER, UK--The clock doesn't lie, nor do the results on the track. Goffs has come good on its promise to send owners and trainers to the hallowed ground that is the winner's enclosure at Royal Ascot with 10 graduates managing such an achievement in the last nine years.  Few sales companies can boast a similar roll of honour. Put simply, anyone with designs on rocking up to Royal Ascot in June will not have to think long and hard about speculating at Doncaster this week. Past performances are a barometer...

DUBAI, UAE--Owners Jim and Claire Bryce have admitted to feeling "like kids in a sweet shop" ahead of Saturday's UAE Derby where their own Heart Of Honor (GB) (Honor A. P.) could help jockey Saffie Osborne create history by becoming the first female jockey to win a race on Dubai World Cup night. Trained by Jamie Osborne, who won the same race 11 years ago with Toast Of New York (Thewayyouare), Heart Of Honor is the most high-profile Flat performer for the husband-and-wife owners who admitted to having mixed emotions...

Tattersalls has released the catalogue for the Craven Breeze-Up Sale, of which dual Group 1 winner Vandeek (GB), Champion Two-Year-Old Native Trail (GB) and more recently G1 Futurity Trophy winner Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) are alumni. The sale is set to take place between Monday 14 and Wednesday 16 April.  A total of 182 juveniles have been catalogued for the Craven Breeze-Up Sale, which features progeny by top-class sires like Dubawi (Ire), Blue Point (Ire), Kingman (GB), Mehmas (Ire), Too Darn Hot (GB), Wootton Bassett (GB), Havana Grey...

Jessica Harrington has described Classic contenders Green Impact (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) as two of the most exciting colts that she has had to look forward to for some time and revealed that the latter would get his campaign underway in a 2,000 Guineas--but the legendary trainer hasn't decided whether she will go to England, Ireland or France.  While Hotazhell is viewed as a Guineas prospect, Harrington admitted that she is "dreaming" that Green Impact can develop into a Derby horse this season....

Over a decade on from Pathfork recording a memorable Group 1 triumph in the National Stakes at the Curragh, the American-based Bonnie and Tommy Hamilton of Silverton Hill Farm are dreaming of further big-race riches in Europe with Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}).  If it has been a while between drinks for the Hamiltons in Ireland, Hotazehll appears as though he was worth the wait. Like Pathfork, Hotazhell is trained by Jessica Harrington.  He announced himself as a pretty serious colt with genuine Classic aspirations when landing the G3...

Nobody could accuse Katie Walsh of going around with her head in the clouds but, in the case of Tuesday's 525,000gns top lot, a colt by New Bay (GB), the leading breeze-up consignor revealed that she felt she had something worth dreaming about in the build-up to this year's Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale.  And so it proved after the colt was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin. Bought for 125,000gns from the Ogden family's dispersal at Book 1 last year, the already-named Anno Domini (GB) (lot 26)...

Respected point-to-point handler and ex-jumps jockey Charlie Poste says that he is "absolutely loving" his first endeavours into the breeze-up business and looks forward to consigning his first draft at the upcoming Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up and Goffs UK Doncaster Breeze-Up sales.  Poste trained over 100 winners between the flags in Britain, including talented chaser Third Time Lucki, but explained how the broad international market for breeze-up horses compared to the parochial feel to the point-to-point game made it a no-brainer to try his hand at the former.  The early indications...

The best dishes were worth waiting for late on Wednesday night at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale with Anthony Stroud going to 625,000gns apiece for back-to-back lots (198 and 199) by young sires Havana Grey (GB) and Blue Point (Ire). The Havana Grey colt was consigned by Roderick Kavanagh's Glending Stables while the Blue Point hailed from Norman Williamson's Oak Tree Farm and the latter will chart the same path as Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in joining Charlie Appleby for Godolphin Williamson said, "There were a lot of...

Joe Miller, the leading bloodstock advisor and American representative for Tattersalls, has put forward the value on offer in Britain comparable to America as one of the main reasons behind the increasing levels of interest among international buyers getting involved at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale. A number of top American buyers are reported to be making the trip to Newmarket for the Craven Sale in just over a week's time and Miller, best known in Europe for playing a leading role buying for Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal's racing...