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| Staff Writer |
The Arqana Breeze-Up Sale witnessed an epic showdown as longtime rivals Coolmore and Godolphin engaged in a fierce bidding war. The object of their desire was a Justify colt from Norman Williamson's Oak Tree Farm, and it was evident that neither side was willing to yield. On one side, Nicolas de Watrigant, supported by M.V. Magnier and Paul Shanahan, represented Coolmore, while the Godolphin team of Anthony Stroud, Charlie Appleby, and David Loder strategized from below.
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Despite another confident gesture from De Watrigant to push the bid to €2.2 million, it was Godolphin's subsequent €100,000 increase that ultimately sealed the deal at an unprecedented €2.3 million
This final price surpassed the previous record set in 2017 when Kerri Radcliffe secured Walk in the Sun for €1.4 million on behalf of Phoenix Thoroughbreds at the same sale.
Saturday's outcome was a remarkable success for Williamson as he acquired the colt from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale last year for US$150,000 from Nursery Place.
The young colt, sired by Justify, is out of Inchargeofme, a British-bred mare by High Chaparral who finished third in the Gr.3 Mint Julep Handicap (2018). The Justify colt was bred by Nursery Place, along with Manfuso and Wilhite.
Williamson expanded on the colt's appeal at the yearling stage, saying: "I think he looked like a European turf horse. The Justifys in America are big, strong horses, like Eddie (O'Leary)'s horse that made a million earlier.
"That's what the Americans like, but I thought this fella would suit Europe. There's a lot of High Chaparral about him. I liked that as I had a good horse by him called Contributer, so everything was right for me anyway."
Stroud echoed those sentiments as he shared a buyer's perspective on proceedings, saying: "At the breeze-up sales you have, say, 200 horses and there's a percentage that perform very well. They will be in demand, but there's a percentage that don't hit the charts, so it's very polarized. If you're a consignor, it's a very difficult discipline to get right. But when it goes right, it can mean a big payday.
He continued, "They deserve everything they achieve because a lot of good horses have come out of the breeze-ups. Vandeek came out of these sales last year, Native Trail came out the year before. Over the years a lot of very good horses have come out of these sales."
During the initial phase of the sale, Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing made a significant impact by acquiring another Kentucky-bred Justify colt out of a Galileo sibling to Churchill for €1 million from Eddie O'Leary's Lynn Lodge Stud. Agent Alex Elliott, competing against Jamie McCalmont under the guidance of the Coolmore buying team, successfully surpassed the seven-figure mark to finalize the transaction for Lot 62 at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale.
"We've got a very big horse in the stable called King of Steel. If we can get this horse anywhere near emulating what he's done, then we'll all be very happy. He's got size, scope, strength, and pedigree, his dam's a sister to Churchill." Elliott said.
Ashford Stud's Justify has shown remarkable growth since his initial crop debuted on the racetrack in 2022. Currently, his stud achievements include 49 black-type performers and six Group/Grade One winners. The high-value colt shares a similar pedigree as City of Troy, last year's European champion 2-year-old colt, who maintains promising prospects for the Gr.1 Epsom Derby despite a setback in the Gr.1 Two Thousand Guineas.
"He's an unbelievable stallion, so it's great to have two of them this week," continued O'Leary."
The significant spending at the top end of the market resulted in an average price of €166,175 at the Deauville breeze-up sale, marking a new record and a 10% increase compared to the previous year. Total sales also saw a 2% rise, reaching €21,775,500, setting another record high for the event. However, the median price dropped by 9% to €100,000 from €110,000 a year ago, and the clearance rate fell from 83% in 2023 to 75% this year. Out of 174 juveniles offered, 131 found buyers, with 37 of those transactions occurring outside the auction ring.
The sale featured a notable representation of American sire lines, with six of the top 10 lots and half of the top 20 lots bred from American-based stallions such as McKinzie, Not This Time, Bolt d'Oro, and others. Blandford Bloodstock made a significant purchase of a McKinzie son out of Belle's Finale for €650,000, while Wycombe House Stud acquired the same colt for US$200,000 from Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky October Yearling Sale through Taylor Made Sales as the agent.