As on the first evening of Tattersalls’ Craven Breeze-Up Sale, owner Sir
Robert Ogden bought Thursday night’s sale-topper, an American-bred
320,000-guinea Distorted Humor colt offered from Willie Browne’s Mocklershill
operation.
“This was a beautiful, refined horse that did a great breeze,” said Barry
Simpson, Ogden’s racing manager. “We have still to finalize a trainer for him,
but he will head to Sir Robert’s Sicklinghall Stud in Yorkshire now for a short
time.
“Although this is a breeze (-up sale), we like the fact that horses from this
vendor have not been pushed too hard and we had seen this colt in Ireland
beforehand.”
The April foal is a son of Stupendous Miss (Dynaformer), a two-time winner in
Europe before her repatriation to the United States, where she added the All
Along S. (G3) in 2005. Hip 152 was bred by Jim and Alice Sapara, who acquired
Stupendous Miss for $1.3 million out of the 2006 Keeneland November sale
carrying a foal by Distorted Humor. The mare’s first produce, Do It All,
realized a final bid of $900,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga in 2008.
Big-spending young Qatari royal Sheikh Fahad al-Thani, whose QIPCO company is
behind the recent sponsorship of Britain’s new Champions Series, paid 200,000gns
for a son of Pivotal offered from Paddy Twomey’s Hawthorn Villa Stud.
Sheikh Fahad’s advisor David Redvers was in Australia, and it was left to his
assistant Hannah Wall to strike the successful bid. Charlie Gordon-Watson and
Crispin de Moubray also tried for the colt, who had been bought as a foal for
160,000 by Twomey, but it was BBA Ireland agent Eamonn Reilly who was
underbidder to Wall.
“David was at the practice breeze on Monday and liked him then,” Wall
commented. “He did a good time and is a big horse and won’t be rushed. He’ll
have a break at Tweenhills Stud before a trainer is decided.”
Seamus Burns of Lodge Park Stud in County Kilkenny saw off Gordon-Watson at
180,000gns for a Dynaformer colt out of stakes-placed Juke (Mr. Prospector)
prepared at Norman Williamson’s County Meath-based Oak Tree Farm.
“My son bred a horse called Buxted by Dynaformer, and I know he breeds good,
strong horses that can go on turf. I just liked this colt,” said Burns, who has
yet to decide on a trainer for his purchase, a $100,000 Keeneland September
yearling.
Newmarket trainer John Gosden paid 150,000gns for a Medaglia d’Oro colt sold
from Gay O’Callaghan’s Yeomanstown Stud.
“This was a proper horse by a proper stallion and it will be even better if I
get him sold to an owner,” Gosden said.
With a slightly larger catalog than last year, the Craven Sale finished with
turnover up marginally to 7,987,000gns although there was a decline in the
remaining indicators. The clearance rate dropped 1 percent to 68 percent, while
the 60,000gns median was down 14 percent and the 71,313gns average dipped by 11
percent.
“There have been a number of positives to take from the trade at this year’s
Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale,” Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony
commented. “Having taken the decision not to stage the Guineas Breeze-Up Sale
this year, we compiled a larger and more diverse Craven catalog and this has
attracted buyers at all levels of the market from throughout the world.
“We have seen an increase in turnover, and the extra numbers have not had an
adverse impact on the all important clearance rate which has held up well. While
the larger catalog has understandably produced declines in other key indicators
it would be fair to say that the average purchase price of the two year olds
coming into the sale was less than in recent years and we have seen some
spectacular pinhooking successes over the past two days.
“The top end of the market has been particularly competitive with domestic
buyers facing stiff opposition from their overseas counterparts, and the
increased participation from Hong Kong buyers has been one of the most
encouraging features of the sale.”
For complete results, log onto
tattersalls.com.