 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Havana Grey's progeny continued their domination of the breeze-up season as the European sales circuit maintained its record-breaking momentum at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale.
A filly by Havana Grey recorded the fastest breeze on April 30, continuing the sire's remarkable run at the sales. The grey half-sister to dual Australian Group Three winner Future History from Ballynure Park Stud was later secured by Middleham Park Racing in tandem with David Easterby for US$138,000.
"She timed very well. We probably had to stretch a bit more than we wanted but it's been hard going this sales season, so you've got to be that bit punchier on the ones you really want," said the syndicate's Tom Palin.
This purchase completed a notable double for the Middleham Park operation, coming just two lots after they had made their standout acquisition of the day.
The headline act at Park Paddocks was a daughter of Calyx from Albany Stud who topped proceedings at US$216,095 when also falling to Middleham Park Racing.
"She's got a lot of size and substance to her," Palin said. "I hate the clichés, but she was a bit of a queen. She was a standout here physically and she heads to Richard Fahey, who's had success for us before with Calyx. She was sold by Albany Stud, and hopefully that's the race she ends up running in!"
The six-figure transaction represented a triumph for family-run Albany Stud, who identified the homebred as a likely breeze-up prospect from an early stage.
"She was always easygoing," said a delighted Paul Commins, who was on duty in Newmarket with his father, Don. "She was never entered in the foal or yearling sales, we were always going breezing. From the minute she was broken everything has come easy to her. We've never got her off the bridle at home. Not once. We brought her back from the breeze yesterday and she beat me through the stable door to get to her food! She's so laid-back that you wouldn't think she's a sprinter."
The Guineas Sale maintained the extraordinary momentum established at earlier fixtures, with trade at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale reaching unprecedented heights. Turnover there hit US$26,137,560 with the average at US$219,644, both personal bests for the Newmarket auction.
The Craven market was headed by two seven-figure lots; the US$2,432,500 Havana Grey colt bought by Amo Racing and the US$1,946,000 son of Acclamation who went Godolphin's way. Both eclipsed the previous record for the sales.
Mehmas has been another standout sire this sales season, with his progeny particularly sought after. A daughter of the sire out of a sister to Group One winner Digital Age (Lot 199) from Oaks Farm Stables was among the notable offerings at the Guineas Sale.
Business continued in similar vein in Doncaster, where turnover reached US$15,691,340, average US$112,082, and median US$49,875, all new high marks.
The previous record price was smashed on three separate occasions, first by a US$864,500 Mehmas filly bought by Blandford Bloodstock, then by two Mehmas colts bought by Godolphin. The first fetched US$957,600 and the latter brought a cool US$1,330,000, earning the distinction of being the most expensive lot ever sold at any sale in Doncaster history.
The breeze-up section of the Guineas catalog was preceded by the horses-in-training session, featuring 165 entries. These included some notable wildcard additions such as Cast Party, a well-related daughter of Sea The Stars last seen winning a Southwell maiden for John and Thady Gosden (Lot 164, The Castlebridge Consignment), and the 95-rated King's Call (Lot 165, Consign).
This robust trading at the mixed sale demonstrates the continuing strength of the European bloodstock market across all sectors, with both established racing prospects and untried juveniles finding ready markets.
In his end-of-sale statement, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said: "The momentum from the recent, record-breaking Craven Breeze Up Sale has been well and truly carried into the Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale, which has seen a record number of 50,000-guinea lots and a record-equaling median for the breeze-up section. Buyers continue to be drawn to a sale whose recent results include three individual group/grade 1 winners and 42 group or listed performers since 2022—arguably making it the best value breeze-up sale in Europe."
Turnover for the one-day Guineas sales was US$7,035,647, with an average of US$55,052, and a median of US$41,825. The clearance rate was 78%.
"We have welcomed a diverse and international group of buyers to Tattersalls—a hallmark of our sales at Park Paddocks," Mahony added. "This follows promotional visits in recent months to America, Australia, Bahrain, Dubai, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Malaysia, Norway, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Sweden in conjunction with our extensive network of overseas representatives."
All told, US$42,039,847 has been spent across the three sales, representing a 22% year-on-year increase in investment despite the fact the number of sold lots has actually dropped. This year has seen a combined 259 2YOs traded at the Craven and Doncaster sales, compared to 274 last year, indicating stronger competition for quality stock.
The highest-grossing Guineas Breeze Up Sale was staged in 2023 when US$8,260,775 was traded on 141 sold lots. The peak average price was set at US$66,592 back in 2008, when Dick O'Gorman, a regular buyer for Sheikh Mohammed at the time, also set a record price for the auction when giving US$653,300 for an Exceed And Excel filly from The Bloodstock Connection.
The second-most expensive Guineas Sale breezer sold to the same buyer several lots earlier, with the Johar colt Film Set realising US$514,600. Recent market form suggests those records could well be under threat at future sales this season.
The breeze-up market has been buoyed by the success of its graduates on the track, with buyers increasingly confident that these athletically proven youngsters can deliver at the highest level. The commercial appeal of sires like Havana Grey and Mehmas, whose progeny has excelled both in the sales ring and on the racecourse, has been a driving factor in this year's remarkable results.
Mahony concluded: "We now look forward to the Tattersalls July Sale, Europe's leading midsummer sale, which offers buyers an enticing mix of top-class horses in training and high-quality breeding stock on the eve of the July Festival at Newmarket Racecourse."
With the Flat season now in full swing, many of these high-priced breeze-up purchases will be aiming to quickly repay their connections' investment on the track in the coming months, targeting lucrative juvenile races throughout Europe.