Written by Lydia Symonds and TDN Europe
The Tattersalls August Sale is one of the newest horses-in-training sales on the circuit, but it posted rock-solid results with the global demand for horses at all levels evident during Wednesday's trade.
A total of 217 horses sold at an aggregate of 5,267,300gns (AU$8,968,400) and an average of 24,273gns (AU$41,300). The median was 14,000gns (AU$23,800) and the top price paid was 250,000gns (AU$425,600) for Operating (USA) (War Front {USA}) (Lot 299).
Lot 299 - Operating (USA) | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
The 3-year-old colt is a brother to G3 Round Tower S. hero Intelligence Cross (USA), the Irish/Hong Kong Listed winner Warning Flag (USA), who was third in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, and a half-brother to the Grade 3-stakes-placed Bay Of Biscay (USA) (Giant's Causeway {USA}).
The Castlebridge Consignment was not only responsible for that top lot, which was sold to Najd Stud, but it also drafted Mr McCann (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) (Lot 305), who fetched the second-highest price on the day, 210,000gns (AU$357,500) to SackvilleDonald. Fourth in both the G2 Superlative S. and the G2 German 2000 Guineas, the colt is a four-time winner and is rated 101.
Mostly Cloudy bound for Australia
Mostly Cloudy (Ire) (Harzand {Ire}) has been on an upward trajectory since rookie British trainer Gemma Tutty purchased him for 23,000gns (AU$39,200) at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale at the end of last year and the 3-year-old will now continue his career in Australia where he will join the Chris Waller stable after the trainer’s bloodstock agent, Guy Mulcaster, snapped him up for 150,000gns (AU$255,400).
Lot 120 - Mostly Cloudy (Ire) | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
Since joining Tutty’s yard, the colt has landed five successive races, but that unbeaten run came to an end when he was thrown into stakes company for the first time in the G2 Lonsdale Cup at York, where he eventually finished fifth and Tutty had mixed emotions after Wednesday's sale.
"It is bittersweet, my best horse is gone, but it has been an amazing return and hopefully the owners will reinvest," she said. "He has really put me on the map, and done wonders for the profile of Kings Bloodstock and myself in finding him and buying him. With all these sales upcoming, it is the right time of year to be getting returns like this so we can reinvest and owners can have confidence that we can find them.
Gemma Tutty | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
"He was always to 'trade', and although you never enjoy the moment when it comes, he was never to be a 'long-term' horse, I have never been dreaming of his 4-year-old career. At one stage, he could have been sold even earlier – it was after his Sandown victory that people really became aware of him, and he was only rated 65 then.
"His win at Ascot was an amazing day – all the owners were there and it was some buzz, we had all bought him together. For us all to enjoy it together was absolutely amazing, let's hope we can carry on doing it.
“It has been a hell of a journey, we are sorry to see him go but I hope he has a wonderful career in Australia."
“It has been a hell of a journey, we are sorry to see him (Mostly Cloudy) go but I hope he has a wonderful career in Australia." - Gemma Tutty
Tattersalls' Jimmy George, who was bidding on behalf of Mulcaster, added: "Mostly Cloudy was bought very reasonably here at last year's Autumn Horses In Training Sale, and Gemma has done a great job with him. He ran up a sequence and Gemma very much deserves the success she has had with him. He looks an ideal type to go on in Australia."
McKeever goes to 100,000gns for New Romance
Johnny McKeever made his presence felt late in the day when he paid Godolphin 100,000gns (AU$170,300) for New Romance (GB), an unraced daughter of Dubawi (Ire), who will likely now be covered by Juddmonte Farms’ star stallion Kingman (GB) on Southern Hemisphere time.
McKeever, who was working on behalf of his client, Perth-based Jeffrey Liu, told TDN AusNZ that the daughter of Dubawi’s pedigree was exactly what he was looking for.
Lot 228 - New Romance (GB) | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
"We were looking for a mare, I like the page a lot, I like the potential, I like the fact that things could happen. She will be covered by Kingman, but we may keep her for another year here, but she will eventually end up in Australia,” said McKeever.
“A lot of Australians seem to be getting the mares covered Southern Hemisphere time, foaling them down here and then covering them, before flying them back to Australia with the foal. So we might do that, but no decision has been made.”
Kingman covers mares Southern Hemisphere-time for £75,000 (AU$137,000) which is a far cry away from what he stands for Northern Hemisphere breeders, who have to fork out £150,000 (AU$255,400) to send mares to the son of Invincible Spirit (Ire).
“The fees of some of the best stallions in Europe are very attractive if you pay Southern Hemisphere-time,” said McKeever.
“The fees of some of the best stallions in Europe are very attractive if you pay Southern Hemisphere-time.” - Johnny McKeever
New Romance is the daughter of Beautiful Romance (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), who won a brace of races at Group 2 level including the 2016 edition of the G2 Zipping Classic at Sandown.
In 2020, Beautiful Romance produced a filly by Dubawi, who is called Fair Rosamund (GB) and is unraced, while in 2021 she foaled a colt by Lope De Vega (Ire) and she has a 2022 colt by Kingman.
McKeever said Godolphin had given him good reports about the mare’s siblings and half-siblings and he was hoping it could prove to be a very active family with lots of improvement.
Tommy Inglis, Kacy Fogden and Johnny McKeever | Image courtesy of McKeever Bloodstock
“She is quite a big, easy-moving mare and very attractive. Her sister, Fair Rosamund, is in training with Charlie Appleby and has some quite good notes. She has a nice Lope De Vega yearling colt and the Kingman is apparently nice too, and hopefully, we will have a three-parts brother or sister. So they could have chances to do something and obviously, they are in good hands with Godolphin.
“I hope the Kingman comes out and proves something and I wouldn’t be averse to sending her to Lope De Vega, who also covers Southern Hemisphere time, but with Brexit, moving them from Britain to Ireland is becoming more and more difficult.”
Solid results
At the close of trade, the Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented: “We saw records broken across the board at the recent Tattersalls July Sale and it has been encouraging to see the Tattersalls August Sale follow on in similar fashion.
Edmond Mahony | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
“This is only the third renewal of the August Sale and very much the smallest catalogue for this new fixture, but the level of trade has demonstrated the sustained global demand for horses in training at all levels of the market and the extraordinary ability of sales of this nature at Tattersalls to attract buyers from throughout the world with such consistency.
“Domestic British and Irish buyers have been competing strongly throughout the day and the diverse international participation has as ever made a huge contribution to a successful sale.
“Domestic British and Irish buyers have been competing strongly throughout the day and the diverse international participation has as ever made a huge contribution to a successful sale.” - Edmond Mahony
“The customary strong contingent from the Gulf region has been active from start to finish and the Gulf buyers have faced stiff competition from all corners of the world including Australia, Hong Kong, India and the USA, all of which is a source of encouragement as we turn our attention to the Tattersalls yearling sales season which starts with the Somerville Yearling Sale on September 6.”
