Yulong holds a controlling interest in G1 Neds Caulfield Guineas contender Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) and its colours will also be aboard the talented filly Hungry Heart (Frankel {GB}), who is an in-form G1 Schweppes Thousand Guineas prospect.

Yuesheng Zhang’s Yulong made its move for Tagaloa in the wake of the colt’s victory in last season’s G1 Blue Diamond S. while Hungry Heart is a homebred and poses the possibility of a future mating of the pair.

“Interestingly enough, I’ve thought of that already. Hungry Heart is out of a Pivotal mare and Tagaloa’s grand-dam is by Pivotal so you could probably do it,” Chief Operating Officer Sam Fairgray said.

“We would need to look into it a bit more with Pivotal being so close there, but it is an interesting one.”

The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Tagaloa will go into the Guineas third-up and all concerned breathed a sigh of relief when he drew gate three.

“This is the race Tagaloa has been aimed at so it’s time for him to step up. It’s the first time this prep he’s had a nice barrier so he’s not going to have to sit three wide and be working,” Fairgray said.

Rain-affected going at Caulfield isn’t of any concern to the team either.

“He’s really well and performed on soft tracks previously. He ran second to Farnan in the G2 Todman S. on soft going and he’s trialled on a heavy track and he handled it really well,” Fairgray said.

Tagaloa resumed from a tricky alley in the G3 McNeil S. and finished a brave third under 59.5kg and was then 1.8l off the winner from an outside gate in the G1 Sir Rupert Clarke S.

“His rating out of his last start against the older horses was very good because he carried 2kg over the weight-for-age scale and was wide and did a lot of work. He was still very strong through the line, it was an encouraging sign for Saturday,” Fairgray said.

Consistent form

Hungry Heart is trained by Chris Waller and last season’s G2 Sweet Embrace S. winner has returned to good and consistent form this preparation.

She was runner-up to Dame Giselle (I Am Invincible) in both the G2 Furious S. and the G2 Tea Rose S. and was again second last time out behind Montefilia (Kermadec {NZ}) in the G1 Flight S. The filly was ridden in all three runs by James McDonald who has suggested a gear addition.

“Hungry Heart came through her run in the G1 Flight S. really well and Chris has decided to back her up. James McDonald thought the blinkers may just help her so they’ve been added,” Fairgray said. “She’s got a nice draw so she should get a nice position in the run.”

Hungry Heart is the first foal of Harlech (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who was purchased for 60,000 gns (AU$114,000) at the 2016 Tattersalls July Sale, the ticket signed by Yulong and Sheamus Mills Bloodstock.

The mare has since produced a colt and a filly by champion stallion Snitzel.

“She wasn’t served last year and she’s been served this season by Alabama Express,” Fairgray said.

Harlech, who raced once, is a half-sister to the G3 Sandown Atlanta S. winner Maamora (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and they are out of the stakes winner Zoowraa (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}). The next three dams are also black-type winners.

Both Yulong representatives will have new jockeys with Craig Williams to ride Tagaloa and Hugh Bowman will be aboard Hungry Heart.

“It is exciting having a 3-year-old colt and a filly in the big races on Saturday and they both are a top couple of chances,” Fairgray said. “Both horses will be at their peak on Saturday and hopefully we can dream it will be a brilliant hour.”

Cover image courtesy of Cambridge Stud and Haras d'Etreham

The partners in multiple Group 1 winner Almanzor (Fr) teamed up in October of last year to purchase Hello Youmzain and eight months later, in his first appearance for them, triumphed in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S.

Hello Youmzain emerged as a top-class short course specialist when he won the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup to go with earlier successes in the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte and the G2 Sandy Lane S.

He retires as the winner of five of his 12 starts and also Group 1-placed in the Commonwealth Cup and Prix Maurice de Gheest.

“What we have got is a very, very good sprinter who won two Group 1s,” Cambridge Stud Chief Executive Officer Henry Plumptre said. “That’s as good a race form in the sprinting ranks to come to New Zealand in a very long time.

“He had amazing gate speed and a high cruising speed. He loved leading and when the pressure went on he responded very well.”

Hello Youmzain is also from a sire line that is enjoying a purple patch in Europe.

“He’s by one of the sires of the moment in Kodiac, who has gone to another level this year,” Plumptre said. “He’s had a Group 1-winning 2-year-old (Campanelle) and seven other stakes winners. I think we can look forward to a very good run with Hello Youmzain.

“As a sprinting son of Danehill he’s a pretty viable alternative to a lot of the Hunter Valley stallions. It gives us something to promote to the local breeder base here and we can say 'rather than send mares there what about this horse?"

Hello Youmzain was trained throughout his career by Kevin Ryan, who said he was a delight to have in the stable.

“He was a lovely horse to train and showed his class and ability at a very early stage. He was such a sound horse all the way through his career. He had such a great temperament and proved to be very tough and genuine.”

A European fee for the Rabbah Bloodstock-bred entire will be announced at a later date and his book will be capped at 140 mares.

“We are delighted to welcome Hello Youmzain and offer his services to French breeders,” said Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d’Etreham. “He presents a rare profile as no sprinter of this calibre has begun his stud career in France since Anabaa.

“He is a high-class individual with a strong physique and fantastic movement. He will be supported by a powerful syndicate and should attract mares from Ireland and England.”

Hello Youmzain is a half-brother to the G2 Milan Gran Criterium winner and G1 German Derby placegetter Royal Youmzain (Fr) (Youmzain {Ire}), who was also twice successful at Group 3 level.

Their dam is the unraced Shamardal (USA) mare Sepasha (GB), a half-sister to stakes winner Persian Majesty (Ire) (Grand Lodge {USA}).

The family has already excelled in this part of the world with the G2 Phar Lap S. winner and multiple Group 1 placegetter Shania Dane (Danehill {USA}) and her brother Scintillation was a five-time stakes winner in Hong Kong on the pedigree page.

So too is the G1 Diamond S. winner Summer Passage (Snitzel) and the G2 Hobartville S. winner Man From Uncle (Uncle Mo {USA}).

“Hello Youmzain will be an exciting addition to the Cambridge Stud stallion roster and the New Zealand breeding industry next year,” Plumptre said.

“Through his exploits this year, he has added further significance to the partnership between Haras d’Etreham and Cambridge Stud, which began with Almanzor in 2018.”

Cover image courtesy of Tattersalls

At A Glance

>> A Newsells Park-offered daughter of Galileo (Ire) became the highest-priced yearling filly sold in the world this year when knocked down to MV Magnier for 3.4 million gns (AU$6.46 million) .

>> The final day clearance rate of 82 per cent was up by two points on the same day last year after 126 horses were marked as sold.

>> The median remained static at 150,000 gns (AU$285,075) and the average was down just three per cent at 263,952 gns (AU$501,640). The turnover for the day was 33,258,000 gns (AU$63.2 million), down five per cent.

>> For Book 1 as a whole, both the average and median contracted by 13 per cent to 223,266 gns (AU$424,317) and 130,000 gns (AU$247,065) respectively.

>> The clearance rate dropped, but only slightly, to 79 per cent, through the sale of 369 of the 466 horses offered across three days. At the final count, the aggregate stood at 82,385,000 gns (AU$156,572,690) which was a reduction of 20 per cent on 2019.

Filly fulfils expectations

The final day of Book 1 at Tattersalls received a huge early boost with a new top lot of 2.8 million gns (AU$5.32 million) within the first hour, but by early afternoon that had been surpassed when the Galileo filly widely expected to steal the show did just that.

Coronavirus restrictions on the number of people in the sales ring have robbed Tattersalls of some of its customary theatrical feel but, with the leading players assembled in the open air on opposite sides of the walking ring for Lot 436, a lengthy tussle ensued between Coolmore and Qatar Bloodstock for Newsells Park Stud’s sister to Group 1 winners Mogul (GB) and Japan (GB).

And, in a fairly predictable final act, she duly topped the Sale, with MV Magnier placing the final bid of 3.4 million gns (AU$6.46 million) on behalf of a partnership that will include Georg Von Opel of Westerberg.

The progeny of Danehill’s (USA) daughter Shastye (Ire) have as much of an affinity with the sales ring at Park Paddocks as the mare does with Galileo, who is responsible for her four Group winners.

The only extraordinary thing is that, despite both Sir Isaac Newtown (GB) and Mogul having sold for 3.6 million gns (AU$6.94 million) and 3.4 million gns (AU$6.46 million) respectively, neither of them topped the sale in their year.

“Firstly, I would like to say that Andreas Jacobs and his family have been great supporters of Coolmore for a long time,” said Magnier after signing for the fourth of the mare’s offspring who will end up being trained at Ballydoyle.

“This is a great result for everybody and I’m very pleased for Newsells to get such a good price for the filly. Japan and Mogul were both very good looking and good movers. The mare just produces really good-looking horses who are also good racehorses.”

He added that 3-year-old Mogul, who followed in his brother Japan’s footsteps by winning the G1 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris after the catalogue was printed, would remain in training next year, but that no plan had yet been decided upon for Japan.

The brothers were set to run against each other in last Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but were scratched at the eleventh hour along with all of Aidan, Joseph and Donnacha O’Brien’s runners for the day through concern over contaminated feed supplied by Gain.

Newsells Park Stud manager Julian Dollar paid tribute to his team at the farm who led the Book 1 consignors’ list with 15 yearlings sold for just shy of 6.5 million gns (AU$12.35 million).

“They have done a wonderful job, led by the yearling manager Mark Grace. He loves this filly so he will be sad to see her go,” he said.

“Sales like that make all the difference. I am sad because I am a stud manager and you want to breed horses like that, you want to race them and you want them back into your broodmare band and that would have meant an awful lot. But it is what it is, it is reality.”

Dollar, who divulged that Shastye has been barren to Galileo for two years and is now in foal to Dubawi (Ire), added: “Having sold her, I am absolutely thrilled that MV and the Coolmore team have got her, and that Aidan O’Brien is going to train her. He and Coolmore have done more than most to make the mare a success.”

Back in 2011, Shastye’s first Galileo filly was bought back at Book 1 for 230,000 gns (AU$437,115) but, later known as Secret Gesture (GB), she was second in the G1 Oaks and won the G2 Middleton S. and, since then, her siblings have not been overlooked.

Seven of Shastye’s yearlings have sold for a total of 14.2 million gns (AU$26.98 million) at Book 1 over the years, six of those being by Galileo and one by Street Cry (Ire). The achievements of Shastye’s own progeny fill two-thirds of the catalogue page, but there is also room for her own dam G2 Prix de Royallieu winner Saganeca (Fr) (Sagace {Fr}) and illustrious siblings, which include the Arc winner Sagamix (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}). Newsells Park Stud has retained three of Shastye’s daughters, by Galileo, Street Cry and Shamardal (USA).

The old normal, up to a point

Very little feels familiar in this strange year but million gns (AU$1.9 million) yearlings waltzing in and out of the ring during Book 1 did at least bring an air of normality to proceedings at Tattersalls, that is if you can look beyond the masked participants and copious bottles of hand sanitiser around the sales paddocks.

Lady Carolyn Warren, whose Highclere Stud had a memorable week at Tattersalls, perhaps summed it up best when saying: “This Sale has been incredible. It’s hard sometimes to remind oneself of the difficult times we are in and we are so appreciative of the people here who are investing in bloodstock.”

Her thoughts were echoed by Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony, who said in his closing statement: “First and foremost we would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who has participated at Book 1 of this year’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, in whatever capacity.

“Since the early part of this year every walk of life has been thrown into turmoil and the global bloodstock industry is no exception. The scale of the disruption which everyone has faced is best illustrated by the fact that this week’s Sale has been the first 2020 British, Irish or French yearling sale to have taken place at both its originally intended location and date.

“Nevertheless, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic we have worked collaboratively alongside Goffs and Arqana to explore every possible means by which to stage sales and to ensure that trade continues to take place as normally as possible.

“Everyone must take enormous credit for the way they have reacted to the difficult circumstances and responded to all the rules and regulations under which we have had to operate in order to provide the safest possible working environment for all concerned.”

During Thursday, the strongest session of the three, the clearance rate of 82 per cent was up by two points on the same day last year after 126 horses were marked as sold. The median remained static at 150,000 gns (AU$285,075) and the average was down just three per cent at 263,952 gns (AU$501,640). The turnover for the day was 33,258,000 gns (AU$63.2 million), down five per cent.

For Book 1 as a whole, both the average and median contracted by 13 per cent to 223,266 gns (AU$424,317) and 130,000 gns (AU$247,065) respectively.

The clearance rate dropped, but only slightly, to 79 per cent, through the sale of 369 of the 466 horses offered across three days. At the final count, the aggregate stood at 82,385,000 gns (AU$156,572,690) which was a reduction of 20 per cent on 2019.

Prize purchase

Until the final session, Book 1 had been dominated by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation, which had accounted for 25 per cent of the turnover of the first two days.

Coolmore had been relatively reserved in its spending this season but, with some desirable Galileo fillies on offer in particular, MV Magnier certainly made his presence felt as Book 1 drew to a close. His first major acquisition of the day was Lot 374, the lone Galileo filly from Barronstown Stud.

David and Diane Nagle had bought her dam, the dual Grade 2 winner Prize Exhibit (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), for 775,000 gns (AU$1,472,887) at the December Sale of 2017 and her own good race record had plenty to recommend her.

But subsequent Group 1 updates in her immediate family have come in the ensuing seasons and, once you throw in Galileo as her first covering sire, the resultant filly had the wow factor that elicited a high-stakes bidding match between Coolmore and Qatar Bloodstock, which would be seen again later for the day’s top lot.

MV Magnier and his colleagues had taken up their usual spot in the bidders’ section and initially had opposition across the ring from their old friend Demi O’Byrne, who has been active at the European sales this season on behalf of Peter Brant. But as the bidding climbed, David Redvers jumped in with an offer of 2 million gns (AU$3.8 million), until eventually giving way to Magnier.

Pedigree boost

The pedigree of the filly in the spotlight had been enhanced this season by her dam’s full brother Mohaather (GB), winner of the G1 Sussex S. for Sheikh Hamdan and now a new stallion at his Nunnery Stud.

“David Nagle has been saying for ages what a lovely filly she is and we are very lucky to have been able to buy her with Michael [Tabor], Derrick [Smith] and Georg Von Opel,” said Magnier. “Galileo is such a good broodmare sire and a filly like this is a collector’s item."

Eleven lots later Magnier was back in action, outbidding Angus Gold for the full brother to the young Yeomanstown Stud stallion Invincible Army (Ire).

Bred by Tinnakill Bloodstock and Jack Cantillon, the colt (Lot 385) had been an expensive foal purchase by Mimi Wadham and Violet Hesketh at 375,000 gns (AU$712,687), but he rewarded the young consignors with their best pinhooking result to date when he brought the hammer down at 600,000 gns (AU$1.14 million).

Ryan secures filly

Another man with his eye on a regally-bred daughter of Galileo was Mike Ryan, whose list of 15 purchases at Tattersalls this week was headed by the last of them, the half-sister to G1 Haydock Sprint Cup winner Dream Of Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead {USA}).

Her sale price of 1.4 million gns (AU$2.66 million) provided a decent boost for Chippenham-based Old Mill Stud in its early days of ownership by Ibrahim Araci, who bred the filly (Lot 510).

“I thought she was unbelievable. The first time I saw her was Saturday in the rain and she blew me away. She looks a real runner,” said Ryan.

“I’m delighted we got her because how many more years are we going to see Galileo’s yearlings? She’ll go back to the States, but I can’t disclose the client at this stage. It was a no-brainer. There’s no real skill picking a filly out like that.”

The agent, whose purchases in Newmarket in recent years include the aforementioned dual Grade 1 winner Newspaperofrecord, said of this year’s Sale: “It’s held up very well. I’ve been runner-up to Shadwell, Godolphin, Roger Varian, Henri Devin, and we’ve run hard on some horses. But we’ve bought some very nice horses and I’m pleased with what we’ve got.”

O’Brien in market again

Flemington trainer Danny O’Brien and agent Jeremy Brummitt purchased a colt by Tamayuz (GB) and a filly by Nathaniel (Ire) on the first day of the Sale and they teamed up again to double their tally.

They were first in for a colt, Lot 366, by Sea The Stars (Ire) from Newsells draft for 200,000 gns (AU$380,100) and followed up with Lot 381, a son of Ulysees (Ire) offered by Hillwood Stud and secured for 70,000 gns (AU$133,035).

The Sea The Stars colt is out of the stakes-placed Praia (Ger) (Big Shuffle {USA}), who has produced the G1 Premio Roma winner Potemkin (Ger) (New Approach {Ire}) and the Listed winner Paraisa (GB) (Red Ransom {USA}).

The youngster by Ulysees is a half-brother to the Listed Blenheim S. winner Sir Boris (Ire) (Due Diligence {USA}) with their dam the two-time winner Queen’s Park (Fr) (King’s Best {USA}). It is the family of the G3 Saint-Cloud winner and Group 1 placegetter Abbatiale (Fr) (Kaldoun {Fr}).

Anthony Freedman will also be taking charge of Lot 433, a Lope De Vega (Ire) colt offered by Mounte Coote Stud and signed for by Stephen Hillen Bloodstock for 185,000 gns (AU$338,198). He is from the family of multiple Group 1 winner and sire Animal Kingdom (USA).

Born a queen

Eddie O’Leary is a noted pinhooker of foals and yearlings, but his Lynn Lodge Stud had a red-letter day with a filly bred by his brother Michael’s Gigginstown House Stud when the daughter of Kingman (GB) joined the rarefied clutch of seven-figure Book 1 yearlings.

Offered as Lot 416, the first foal of the Dream Ahead (USA) mare Sante (Ire) joined the long list of Godolphin purchases this week when Anthony Stroud came out best in the bidding at 1.45 million gns (AU$2.75 million).

“She’s made a queen’s price but, she was always a queen,” said O’Leary of the grand-daughter of Zeiting (Ire) (Zieten {Ire]), whose black-type offspring include Group winners Combat Zone (Ire) and Scottish (Ire) as well as Zut Alors (Ire), the dam of G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Precieuse (Ire).

Stroud signed for 22 yearlings on the Sheikh’s behalf over the three days of Book 1, with Thursday’s purchases including Lot 376, Cheveley Park Stud’s colt by Dubawi (Ire) out of a Galileo daughter of the Thompsons’ champion racemare Echelon (GB) (Danehill {USA}).

He was bought for 800,000 gns (AU$1.52 million), while Lot 445, the Lordship Stud-bred colt by Sea The Stars out of Smoulder (GB) (Redoute’s Choice), a half-sister to Classic winner Legatissimo (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), was recruited at 680,000 gns (AU$1.29 million).

Lope De Vega’s X-factor

Overnight between the second and third days of Book 1 a graduate of last year’s October Sale, Aunt Pearl (Ire), set a new track record when winning the G2 Jessamine S. at Keeneland and the enthusiasm shown for her sire Lope De Vega (Ire) showed no sign of abating in the ring at Tattersalls.

The leading light on Thursday was another from a very well received Highclere Stud draft, Lot 460, who sold to David Redvers of Qatar Bloodstock for 825,000 gns (AU$1.56 million).

The colt, out of the Sea The Stars mare Starlet (Ire), was bred by Lord Halifax and is a half-brother to Group 3 winner Love Locket (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) and Listed winner Raakib Alhawa (Ire) (Kingman {GB}).

“We were underbidder on almost everything, so it’s been a very frustrating day,” said Redvers. “The market has been very resilient for the top-end stock and this was a horse that we loved from the moment we saw him.

“He has a stallion’s pedigree and the mare has produced 100 per cent stakes horses. That’s exactly the sort of horse that we are looking to add to the team.”

Lope De Vega’s transatlantic appeal has been enhanced not just by Aunt Pearl, but by Klaravich Stables’ champion juvenile filly Newspaperofrecord (Ire), and another of his progeny may be making his way to America after Lot 412 was bought by Demi O’Byrne on behalf of Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm at 450,000 gns (AU$855,225).

Oneliner Stables made a splash last year at Tattersalls with its pricey pinhooks and this was another good result for the Lowry family’s Tipperary operation. Bought for 180,000 gns (AU$342,090) last December, the colt is the first foal of the treble winner and Listed-placed Sagaciously (Ire), whose fourth dam Saganeca (Fr) also features as the dam of the celebrated Shastye.

Lope De Vega’s 24 yearlings to have sold through Book 1 returned an average price of 265,583 gns (AU$501,195).

Another star for Gosden?

John Gosden has had plenty of success with the offspring of Sea The Stars, notably through Oaks winner Taghrooda (Ire), champion stayer Stradivarius (Ire) and Irish Oaks winner Star Catcher (GB), and he has at least two daughters of the Aga Khan Studs' stallion joining his stable from Book 1, including Lot 474.

The half-sister to listed winners Dawn Of Hope (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) and Ayrad (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) was bred by Diomed Bloodstock and offered for sale through Lodge Park Stud.

“She’s bred on the same Sea The Stars-Sadler’s Wells cross as Taghrooda and John Gosden will train her,” said Charlie Gordon-Watson, who bought the daughter of Sweet Firebird (Ire) for 700,000 gns (AU$1.33 million).