Cover image courtesy of Tattersalls
If ever there was indication of the influence that the Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale has on racing in Australia, it’s that for the past nine weeks in succession, at least one graduate from the sale has won a Saturday race in either Melbourne or Sydney.
You need only look at Saturday’s results to find two perfect examples of the quality that can be sourced from the world’s largest auction of its kind, with 2018 graduate Buffalo River (USA) (Noble Mission {GB}) winning the G3 Moonga S. at Caulfield for the second time to take his career earnings past the $1 million mark, whilst last year’s graduate Unspoken (Ire) (Territories {Ire}) made it three wins on the bounce with a dominant 3.9l success in the $160,000 Filante H. at Royal Randwick.
The latter, who was sourced for 170,000gns (AU$344,000) by bloodstock agent Will Johnson in conjunction with Snowden Racing, has been a revelation since returning from a spell in September, building on the promise he showed during his first preparation in Australia earlier in the year.
Like many of the European imports that have graced the turf Down Under, Johnson feels that Unspoken has improved out of sight with the benefit of his first Australian preparation under his belt, and with Saturday’s wide-margin success still fresh in his mind, the bloodstock agent is relishing the prospect of Unspoken tackling the $2 million The Five Diamonds on November 11, a race for which the son of former Darley shuttler Territories (Ire) is now favourite with some bookmakers.
“Having bought these imports with Peter and Paul (Snowden) for the last two years, we have found that each horse has improved significantly in their second preparation,” Johnson told The Thoroughbred Report.
“That first prep is really just jet lag, like how we feel jaded for a few days when we travel. For a horse that’s clearly a couple of months, but once they’re over that they really hit their straps.
“That first prep (for internationals) is really just jet lag, like how we feel jaded for a few days when we travel. For a horse that’s clearly a couple of months, but once they’re over that they really hit their straps.” - Will Johnson
“They have often shown ability in the morning and in trials in that first prep, but after a couple of runs and a spell they seem to come back the finished article, which has been great to see with this horse (Unspoken).
“When you have picked up a horse who came here rated 76 and is now a favoured runner in a $2 million race against similar profile horses, some of which cost considerably more than him, it is obviously very pleasing.”
The introduction of races like The Five Diamonds, an 1800-metre contest restricted to 5-year-olds, combined with the continuing success of European imports in Australia, has helped increase the appetite for horses like Unspoken according to Johnson, who is happy to look outside of the obvious in the horses in training market in a bid to find some value.
Will Johnson | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“It’s fantastic that Racing NSW has put on so much prizemoney over the last couple of years and the races are there to be won,” he added.
“If they have programmed a $2 million race for 5-year-olds, it’s a trainer and a bloodstock agent’s job to go and identify the right horse and try and win that race, it’s as simple as that. It’s very competitive, but it’s also very rewarding.
“If they (Racing NSW) have programmed a $2 million race for 5-year-olds, it’s a trainer and a bloodstock agent’s job to go and identify the right horse and try and win that race, it’s as simple as that.” - Will Johnson
“We’re always trying to find that horse with unknown upside. Often you buy a horse rated 105 and 110 and there are very few hiding places for it if it doesn’t measure up, whereas a horse like this can settle into Saturday races and if they go the right way you end up winning some very solid prizemoney on the way through.
“The last 20 years of Australian racing has shown that if you want to be competitive over a mile-plus as an older horse, you have to be buying them from Europe, and there is no better place than scouring the grounds of Tattersalls in Newmarket.”
Insatiable demand
As well as the untapped Unspoken, Johnson and the Snowden stable have also enjoyed recent success with fellow Autumn Horses in Training Sale graduate Old Flame (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who was secured for 250,000gns (AU$505,000) two years ago from the fiercely contested Juddmonte Farms draft.
Old Flame won the G2 Linlithgow S. at Flemington almost 12 months ago to the day, before running a cracking third behind Group 1 performer Riodini (NZ) (Proisir) in the $1 million The Gong at Kembla Grange. The 6-year-old, who is still an entire, has earned his new connections in excess of $600,000 since arriving on Australian soil, a figure that dwarfs the £8323 (AU$16,000) he earned during his four starts in Britain, of which he won two.
Results like that, combined with the Group 1-winning exploits of the stable’s private purchase Huetor (Fr) (Archipenko {USA}), has seen the demand for European imports skyrocket amongst the Snowdens' client base, and Johnson revealed that there has already been plenty of interest registered ahead of this year’s sale, which gets underway on Monday at 9.30am GMT.
“There is definite eagerness to buy, especially from the Snowden stable and from the partners that have had luck with Huetor, Old Flame, Unspoken, Tazaral and a couple of others we have bought, so hopefully we can buy a few horses this week,” he said.
“It was very kind of Peter and Paul to give me the opportunity to buy these imports a couple of years ago. As an outsider looking in, I thought that they were more than capable of training horses other than being renowned for those 2-and-3-year-old sprinters, and it has shown their versatility as trainers.
Huetor (Fr) | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
“Ultimately they have done the hard yards at 3am to get these horses performing, which is a credit to their team. Colum McCullagh and I sift through the catalogue and then the buck stops with Peter and Paul so to speak, so it’s a real team effort to make sure that we are all on board with the horses we are buying.
“Like anything, four minds looking at them is much better than one, and it’s working well. It’s very satisfying to have set about trying to achieve something and be enjoying the rewards thus far.”
Last year’s Autumn Horses in Training Sale saw records tumble across several metrics, with the market buoyed by significant investment from some of the world’s wealthiest racing jurisdictions in the Arabian Gulf.
With that investment showing no sign of relenting, Johnson, who has worked the Autumn Horses in Training Sale remotely ever since he returned to Australia after working with Hubie de Burgh in Europe, is unsurprisingly forecasting more fireworks this year, though he remains optimistic about getting on the buyer’s sheet.
“I’m anticipating a much stronger market with new and renewed enthusiasm and purchasing power from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Bahrain with their very strong winter carnivals from December through to March,” he said.
“I’m anticipating a much stronger market (at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale) with new and renewed enthusiasm and purchasing power from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Bahrain with their very strong winter carnivals from December through to March.” - Will Johnson
“It’s fantastic for the European model to have viability trading horses. Whilst they don’t run for much money, the trading dollars are very strong, if not stronger than here in Australia.
“I’m anticipating it to be difficult with the Australian dollar, but having said that, 12 months ago we faced similar competition, so it’s just a matter of following the right horses through and having a bit of luck.”
Australian invasion
Off the back of last year’s record-breaking sale, which saw new benchmarks set for both turnover and average as well as a clearance rate in excess of 90 per cent, there is plenty of optimism on the grounds at Park Paddocks that this year’s rendition will be equally as ferocious.
The buying bench is shaping up to be as strong as ever according to Tattersalls’ Marketing Manager Jason Singh, who is expecting a typically strong showing from the Australian contingent.
“We hope that there will be good demand from all different parts of the world, which in my 23 years at Tattersalls, this sale has never really been anything other than that,” he said.
“The Horses in Training market is always a very strong and vibrant market, and typically we attract people from somewhere between 30-40 different countries, including a very strong contingent from the gulf as well as Australia and America.
“The (Tattersalls) Horses in Training market is always a very strong and vibrant market, and typically we attract people from somewhere between 30-40 different countries, including a very strong contingent from the gulf as well as Australia and America.” - Jason Singh
“Given how many people we know are coming from Australia, we are very positive, and with Saudi (Arabia) becoming a stronger force in the Middle East, the demand from that part of the world is only increasing as well.
“It’s not by accident the number of good horses that come out of this sale and keep winning in Australia, everybody notices that, and it does seem that there is a good bunch of people that are going to be active this year.”
Australian buyers accounted for over 6,000,000gns (AU$12.1 million) of the total aggregate at last year’s Autumn Horses in Training Sale, a figure which equated to just north of 16 per cent of the market share.
Jason Singh | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
Much to Singh’s delight, more of the same is expected over the next week, with this year’s list of intended participants once again reading like a who’s who of the Australian bloodstock industry.
“We don’t normally get the trainers themselves here, but people buying for the Australian market here include Guy Mulcaster, who’s been coming for years looking for Chris Waller, and Craig Rounsefell of Boomer Bloodstock, who will likely have dual hats on for both America and Australia,” Singh added.
“We’re also expecting Will Bourne looking after the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable and Claudia Miller is coming up to represent the Gai Waterhouse stable, who have had a big boost with Just Fine winning The Metropolitan a few weeks ago - she’ll be up here to help Johnny McKeever.
“Phil Marshall is around, I think Luke Murrell from Australian Bloodstock is in town and we’re expecting Domeland to play - and they’re just the people who are here. We’d expect the Snowdens, who have very good success with Old Flame and Unspoken out of this sale, to be active as well as Annabel Neasham and David Hayes, both probably via Stuart Boman.
“I don’t think there is anybody among the leading trainers in Australia who isn’t active, as well as other agents who are doing bits and pieces for down there as well.”
Unrivalled record
The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale has certainly been a happy hunting ground for Australian buyers in the past decade, and a look at the country’s middle distance and staying ranks both past and present gives a sense of the true extent of the sale’s influence Down Under.
Recent Group 1 winners Just Fine (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) and Knights Order (Ire) (So You Think {NZ}) have all flown the flag for the Newmarket-based auction at the highest level, whilst the likes of and Fierce Impact (Jpn), Spirit Ridge (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) and Buffalo River have all earned in excess of $1 million in prizemoney since their arrival on Australian shores.
The latter, who was snapped up by Paul Moroney Bloodstock for 180,000gns (AU$364,000), is a horse that typifies the beauty of the Autumn Horses in Training Sale according to Singh.
“Buffalo River has now won over a million dollars in prizemoney - he might not be operating at the highest level, but I think that’s one of the things that is so appealing about this sale,” he said.
“You don't have to buy a Group 1 winner. It’s nice when you do, and they do come, but if you can get a horse down there who can win a few races and be competitive on a Saturday, they can pay for themselves.
“It’s not just the big prized lots anymore, it’s all different levels. Chris Waller did it first 15-odd years ago when he was buying horses from here for 10 or 20 grand, and then going back to Australia and winning metropolitan races with them.
“It’s not just the horses coming from this sale, but the number of European horses in general that are constantly winning down there and filling the race fields in all the top-quality Group races, it’s not a secret anymore and I think everybody realises that.”
“It’s not just the horses coming from this sale, but the number of European horses in general that are constantly winning down there and filling the race fields in all the top-quality Group races, it’s not a secret anymore and I think everybody realises that.” - Jason Singh
A staggering 87 Group or Listed winners have emerged worldwide from this sale since 2020, including eight Group 1 scorers, and there is plenty of evidence in this year’s catalogue to suggest that such an impressive figure will increase markedly in the next 12 months.
Regally bred individuals in large drafts from the likes of industry titans Coolmore, Godolphin and Juddmonte are sure to prove as popular as ever, whilst mammoth offerings from The Castlebridge Consignment, Baroda Stud and agent Jamie Railton have helped push the sale to a five-day format for the first time since 2017.
Wildcard entry Jack Darcy (Ire) (Glengeagles {Ire}), who is catalogued as Lot 1131A, is expected to feature prominently among the top lots, with the recent Group 2 winner having his form franked at Ascot on Saturday when the talented Horizon Dore (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}), who beat him in the G2 Prix Dollar on his penultimate start, finished a gallant third in the G1 Champions S.
Whether a representative from Down Under can land the winning bid for the progressive stayer remains to be seen, but Singh is anticipating that Australian buyers will face fierce competition from the Middle-Eastern contingent throughout the five days of selling at Park Paddocks.
“All the different countries in the gulf are all relatively strong at the moment,” he said. “Last year we had Wathnan making their debut in the sales ring buying quite a lot of horses for the Qatari market, and subsequent to that we have seen them make a real splash both in the private and public markets.
“We hope that they will be very active along with leading Saudi buyers as well, and of course the Australians. It will be interesting to see who manages to secure the prized lots.
“We hope that they (Wathnan) will be very active along with leading Saudi buyers as well, and of course the Australians. It will be interesting to see who manages to secure the prized lots.” - Jason Singh
“The demand from Australia is so strong and, like with any sale, we hope that they are successful in getting what they want. The auction ring is a competitive place and everybody from different countries has different economies of scale. At the moment, the Aussies have prizemoney backing them up and that’s what makes their buying power so strong I guess.
“Whilst we’re disappointed with our domestic prizemoney, one of the benefits is at least there is a vibrant horses in training market in the UK. Thankfully we have the largest sale of that kind in the world and it attracts everybody.”
