Cover image courtesy of Tattersalls

At A Glance

>> Australian breeder John Camilleri tops session when his Kingman (GB) colt offered by Norelands Stud sold to Anthony Stroud for 400,000 gns (AU$760,200).

>> The progeny of Churchill (Ire) were popular with seven offered selling for an average of 80,571 gns (AU$152,280) and a top price of 350,000 gns (AU$665,175).

>> Flemington trainer Danny O’Brien again teamed up with agent Jeremy Brummitt for three purchases with a Barton Stud-offered son of Farrh (GB) their most expensive at 130,000 gns (AU$247,065).

>> The clearance rate rose three points to 85 per cent as 216 of the 255 yearlings offered found a buyer.

>> The average dipped by 10 per cent to 70,539 gns (AU$134,060) and the median by five per cent to 52,000 gns (AU$98,826). The day’s aggregate of 15,236,500 gns (AU$28,956,968) was down by just five per cent.

Son of Kingman stars

On a day when Kingman was given the ultimate boost by being announced as the first suitor of Enable (GB), one of his sons played a leading role in the first session of Tattersalls October Book 2, following on from some notable returns during last week’s Book 1.

Godolphin has already had its share of success with the progeny of Kingman, notably through Group 1-winning colts Persian King (Ire) and Palace Pier (GB), and Anthony Stroud added another by the sire to Sheikh Mohammed’s string for next year when outbidding Joseph O’Brien at 400,000 gns (AU$760,200) for Lot 576.

The son of the 8-year-old Rip Van Winkle (Ire) mare Allez Y (Ire) was bred by Australian John Camilleri, best known in the racing world as the breeder of superstar Winx (Street Cry {Ire}), and was offered on his behalf by Harry McCalmont’s Norelands Stud.

“He is a well-balanced horse, he moves well and we have had a lot of luck with Kingman,” said Stroud. “He is from Norelands, who do such a good job, and he will go to France to be trained by Andre Fabre.”

McCalmont added that Allez Y has been covered by Lope De Vega (Ire) to Southern Hemisphere time and will soon be joining Camilleri’s broodmare band in Australia.

“I am delighted I have sold a good horse for him, very happy,” said McCalmont.

Allez Y is a daughter of the champion race filly L’Ancresse (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) and a half-sister to the Lloyd Williams-owned Master Of Reality (Ire), one of four Joseph O’Brien-trained horses to have arrived in Australia recently to contest the G1 Melbourne Cup in November.

The trade in Book 1, though reduced, was highly encouraging in the current circumstances and the same can certainly be said for the first of three Book 2 sessions.

The clearance rate rose three points to 85 per cent as 216 of the 255 yearlings offered found a buyer. The average dipped by 10 per cent to 70,539 gns (AU$134,060) and the median by five per cent to 52,000 gns (AU$98,826). The day’s aggregate of 15,236,500 gns (AU$28,956,968) was down by just five per cent.

D-Day for Churchill filly

The first book of dual Classic winner Churchill (Ire) included a mare of rare appeal. Date With Destiny (Ire), the sole offspring of the ill-fated George Washington (Ire), earned some small black-type herself when third in the Lingfield Oaks Trial and her subsequent mating with Galileo (Ire) produced the G3 Royal Whip S. winner Beautiful Morning (GB).

Newsells Park Stud sent the 12-year-old mare back to Coolmore to visit Galileo’s son Churchill and were rewarded with 350,000 gns (AU$665,175) for the resultant yearling (Lot 718). The filly was signed for by Anthony Stroud.

Date With Destiny raced in the colours of Julie Wood and was bought as a 3-year-old for 185,000 gns (AU$351,925) by Newsells Park Stud, who also owned her half-sister Flawly (GB) (Old Vic {GB}).

“We’d had some luck with the family before,” Stud Manager Julian Dollar said. “Flawly was one of the first mares we bought and she produced [Group 3 winner and Classic-placed] Best Name. We were very fond of the family so when the opportunity came to buy a bit more of it, we came in with her.

“The Churchill was an interesting mating going back to something familiar but to put in a bit more speed and precocity. The mare was herself quite precocious.”

Churchill has 21 yearlings catalogued in Book 2 and the seven offered on Monday were all sold for an average of 80,571 gns (AU$152,280).

O’Brien in for three

Flemington trainer Danny O’Brien and agent Jeremy Brummitt signed for three yearlings with Lot 792, a son of Farrh (GB) from Barton Stud their most expensive at 130,000 gns (AU$247,065). He is from the family of the G1 Middle Park S. winner and sire Dark Angel (Ire).

Lot 785 from Aughamore Stud was secured for 85,000 gns (AU$161,542) and is by Camelot (GB) from Firstclass (Ger) (Lawman {Fr}). The stand-out name on the pedigree page is the G1 Cox Plate winner and sire Adelaide (Ire).

O’Brien and Brummitt had earlier combined to purchase Lot 623 out of Barton Stud’s consignment for 40,000 gns (AU$76,020). He is a colt by Australia (GB) out of a half-sister to the G1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club and G2 Moonee Valley Cup winner Ventura Storm (Ire) Zoffany {Ire}).

Model start for Delevigne

Model Queen (USA) (Kingmambo {USA}) has already heaped reflected glory on Highclere Stud, notably through her G1 July Cup-winning son Regal Parade (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), and the baton passed to another of her offspring on Monday at Tattersalls.

The 5-year-old mare Delevigne (GB) (Redoute’s Choice) may have retired to the paddocks unraced but her first foal became one of the most expensive fillies of the day when bought by Alastair Donald for 350,000 gns (AU$665,175).

The Dark Angel filly will join the King Power racing team, which enjoyed a stellar Saturday on the Rowley Mile with a hat-trick of Group wins on Future Champions Day.

“I loved her. She was my favourite filly in the sale. We stretched a bit to get her, everyone was on her. She walks for fun and it is a lovely family to be involved with,” Donald said.

David Redvers had eyes for another daughter of Dark Angel and jumped in when the bidding reached 360,000 gns (AU$684,180) for Lot 767, the sister to German Listed winner Dark Liberty (Ire). The agent was pushed to 390,000 gns (AU$741,195) to secure her for Qatar Racing.

“She’s one for the long term, for our breeding plan. She looked all speed, a little cracker,” he said of the Yeomanstown Stud-bred filly whose half-sister Queen Of Love (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) won the Listed Prix Coronation at Saint-Cloud after the publication of the catalogue.

Mehmas success story continues

The popularity of Tally-Ho Stud’s young stallion Mehmas (Ire) has grown with each winner he has notched this season, and he now leads the first-crop sires of Europe with 35 individual winners to his credit, including the G1 Middle Park S. hero Supremacy (Ire).

Another milestone was passed on Monday when Lot 600, a half-brother to the stakes-placed Ziarah (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), became his most expensive yearling at 320,000 gns (AU$608,160).

The colt, who is out of the unraced Ashtown Girl (Ire), an Exceed And Excel half-sister to classy sprinter Hot Streak (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), was signed for by Tom Goff, who was standing between John Gosden and Kia Joorabchian of Amo Racing.

“I think we can say that Mehmas has been something of a revelation,” Goff said. “Some people wrote him off as cheap speed, but he has defied that. My brief was to buy a colt who would make a sharp 2-year-old and this is a lovely colt out of an Exceed And Excel mare. He will go to John Gosden.”

The colt, bred by the Noonan family, was “the busiest of the Sale” according to John Noonan of Cregg Stud, who consigned him.

Derby dreams for Strawberry Fields

Gary Robinson of Strawberry Fields Stud brought just one yearling to Book 2 and the strapping son of Nathaniel (Ire) made the top 10 on Tuesday when selling for 280,000 gns (AU$532,140) to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock.

“He is an exceptional mover,” said Brown, who did not divulge the horse’s new owner. “He is going to need some time but he looks a real Classic type.”

Robinson, who raced the colt’s half-sister, six-time winner Rose Berry (GB) (Archipenko {USA}), said with a smile, “I bought the mare from Chris Dwyer and she’s been good to us. He looks a real Classic colt, I expect to see him win the Derby.”

Back at Strawberry Fields Stud in Fulbourn, just outside Newmarket, Desert Berry also has an Al Kazeem (GB) filly foal and is in foal to Study Of Man (Ire).

Holy pinhook

Bloodstock agents Johnny and Susie McKeever have been absent from the European sales circuit this year as Susie continues medical treatment in Australia, and the couple received a great pick-me-up with a foal pinhook purchased last year in partnership with James Hanly of Ballyhimikin Stud.

The Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) relation to Anna Salai (Dubawi {Ire}) and National Defense (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), sold near the end of the session as Lot 783, had been purchased from breeder Stuart McPhee as a foal last November for €30,000 (AU$49,156) and sold on Monday for 235,000 gns (AU$446,617) to Sackville Donald.

“The McKeevers and I picked him out together. Johnny and Susie are in Australia and they were watching on. They are thrilled,” Hanly said.