 |
|
| Sumita Pawar |
 |
On the first day of the Tattersalls Book One Sale, Godolphin purchased 11 of the top lots, which included two lots that cost over one million guineas. One of these lots was a colt by GHAIYYATH, who was the top lot of the day.
The sale saw an increase in both average and median prices compared to the corresponding session last year, but the turnover was slightly down. The GHAIYYATH half-brother to the Group One Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner VICTORIA ROAD was sold for 1,050,000 guineas to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin, despite a determined effort by underbidder MV Magnier.
Breeder Trevor Stewart was thrilled with TICKLED PINK, the dam of the GHAIYYATH colt, as she is a daughter of the Gr.2 King's Stand Stakes winner CASSANDRA GO and a half-sister to the Classic winner HALFWAY TO HEAVEN, the dam of the Group 1/Classic winners MAGICAL and RHODODENDRON.
"I am so lucky, it is the fourth over a million that I have got from the family. I did not expect it, but he was a gorgeous horse and it is wonderful that he is going to Godolphin," smiled Stewart. "The family seems to go on, we were very lucky with Victoria Road and I could not be more thrilled."
Of the choice of the young stallion for the mare Stewart outlined, "Some of Tickled Pink's progeny have been a little on the neat side, so we thought we need to get a bit more height and length into the foals. Ghaiyyath was obviously a great racehorse and it is risky going to a first season sire, but time will tell. And then she produced this cracking colt..."
Stewart reflected, "It is a wonderful figure and I hate to say it, but after number four I am getting used to it, at least the bank manager will be happy again, for a little while! I have been so lucky - two of the daughters of Cassandra Go sold for over a million and I have two others - one has just gone to stud and there is another two-year-old, hopefully there are plenty more to come along."
Of TICKLED PINK he updated, "She has an outstanding Saxon Warrior colt foal, he is actually like a twin of Victoria Road, his markings are exactly the same. She is in foal to Saxon Warrior, hopefully carrying a filly but I don't know. We decided not to scan her - there is always a slight risk - it will be a surprise and I will pray!"
The successful purchaser Anthony Stroud said, "He is an extremely nice horse from Ballyhimikin Stud that has produced so many good horses, and this family is second to none. We also feel very strongly as to how good a stallion Ghaiyyath is."
Godolphin acquires SHASTYE's final foal for 1,000,000 guineas at Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The yearling, sired by DUBAWI, was the first lot to reach the one million guineas mark at the auction. SHASTYE has previously produced five other million-dollar lots, three of which were sold for over 3.4 million guineas. Her offspring include Group 1 winners JAPAN and MOGUL, as well as Oaks runner-up SECRET GESTURE. The purchase was made by Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin.
"He is by Dubawi whom we have huge regard for, and out of an incredible mare," said Stroud. "She has produced so many great horses, and although he is out of a mare who was a bit older he looks incredibly well. We all looked at him and the boss looked at him, and we felt we had to go for it. He is a very good looking, very correct, good walking horse and very athletic, he fitted our criteria."
Julian Dollar, General Manager of Newsells, had mixed emotions regarding the sale which brought an end to an era for the farm:
"The money does not really matter, but the figure of a million is a nice bookend for the mare. She was such an amazing mare for Newsells, and for me really... jokingly I have said she kept me in a job for 15 years! But the fact that she produced such a good looking foal as her last one, he came here and Sheikh Mohammed has bought him for a million, it is really 'nice' for want of a better expression."
He added, "We are all in this business because we love horses and for that reason it is a nice three-quarters end to the story - there is still 25 per cent to come when he races. For us it was a nice sign off and fitting for the mare because she did a lot for us."
Comparing this yearling to the mare's previous progeny, Dollar said: "He was a bit stronger, a bit deeper, a bit thicker through his middle and shoulder and quarters, like the Dubawis can be. But he had the same great temperament, the same class when he came to the sale and that same aura. She was just such a remarkable mare and nice to see Dubawi have a recent Group 1 winner out of a Danehill mare – so we know the cross works."
He concluded, "She was a superstar, and I will never find another one. I know that, I’m not that greedy, but I will treasure the days we had here and at the racecourse, she was a commercial stud farmer’s dream."
In 2021, Graham Smith-Bernal, the owner, purchased Newsells Park Stud, which included SHASTYE as part of the acquisition. Unfortunately, SHASTYE passed away at the young age of 21, just a year after Smith-Bernal bought the farm. The colt was born in the morning, and Smith-Bernal saw her with the foal that same day.
Despite looking healthy at the time, she later hemorrhaged and passed away that night. Julian informed Smith-Bernal that evening, and he went to bottle-feed the colt. The team has done an excellent job rearing him, and he is not an old mare's foal. Smith-Bernal is thrilled to be associated with this family, and the colt has taken everything in stride.
Godolphin purchased the FRANKEL colt out of the mare POPLIN for 900,000 guineas, making him the most expensive horse that Oakgrove Stud has ever sold. The POPLIN mare was bought as a maiden mare for 320,000 guineas at the 2013 Tattersalls December Mares Sale and has produced five winners, including the Listed-winning and Group Two -placed ALKANDORA.
The KINGMAN colt out of SHIROCCO STAR sold for 750,000 guineas to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin. SHIROCCO STAR was a dual Group One runner-up, and her offspring include three Group/Listed winners, including AL SUHAIL and TELECASTER.