Cover image courtesy of Arqana
Overnight in Deauville, France, former jockey, and now consignor Norman Williamson set a new record for the highest-priced horse sold at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale when his Justify (USA) colt offered as Lot 110 was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin for €2.3 million (AU$3.7 million) on what was a banner day for the Coolmore stallion.
Earlier in the sale, the Lynn Lodge Stud-consigned Justify (USA) colt (Lot 62) was sold to Alex Elliott on behalf of Amo Racing for €1 million (AU$1.6 million) before the same outfit sold a filly by the stallion to Coolmore deep into the session for €800,000 (AU$1.3 million) (Lot 187).
Lot 110 - Justify (USA) x Inchargeofme (GB) (colt) | Image courtesy of Zuzanna Lupa
The North American Triple Crown winner has sired 30 stakes winners globally, and six individual Group 1 winners. Justify will not return to Coolmore’s Australian base this spring. However, the son of Scat Daddy (USA) will be available to cover mares to Southern Hemisphere time.
However, while such sales exemplify the booming trade at the top, the theory that Brexit was to blame for the shakey underbelly to the market at the breeze-up sales in Britain this year was kicked to the curb with just a 76 per cent (down from 83 per cent last year) clearance rate posted on Saturday after a significant number of private sales. The aggregate did climb 3.5 per cent to €21,836,500 (AU$35,600,100) while the average was up by 9 per cent to €165,428 (AU$269,800) and the median fell by €10,000 (AU$16,300) to €100,000 (AU$163,100).
Price leaves Williamson emotional
Williamson is no stranger to big-ticket results and can point to Irish 2000 Guineas winner and Darley shuttler Native Trail (GB) as being the most high-profile horse that has charted a path from his renowned Oak Tree Farm to Godolphin, but even he admitted to feeling the pressure this breeze-up season.
The son of Justify is from the three-time winner Inchargeofme (GB), a daughter of High Chaparral (Ire) and from the family of the Group 1 winner Miss Keller (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}).
The visibly emotional consignor said shortly after the sale, “It's been a stressful week to say the least. He (Lot 110) pulled a shoe after the practice breeze and stood on the nail so we have been minding that for a few days. But then he breezed exceptionally well. His breeze was out of this world-as we all know, he did the fastest time here.
“It's been fabulous-I couldn't have dreamed of a result like that. I knew all the right players were on him but I didn't think he'd go to that. But he is by the right sire and he is very good-looking. Godolphin has been lucky with me on Native Trail.”
“It's been fabulous-I couldn't have dreamed of a result like that. I knew all the right players were on him but I didn't think he'd go to that. But he is by the right sire and he is very good-looking.” - Norman Williamson
Williamson added, “It's very emotional because so much work goes in behind the scenes. It's probably worse for me because I ride them all myself and know what they are capable of. It's a tough business but it's a great business when it works. It's tougher than ever. They (the buyers) are very particular on times and other things. You need the good horses to pay for the others.”
The Justify colt represents an outstanding piece of pinhooking from Williamson. Sourced at the Keeneland September Sale for just US$150,000 (AU$227,200).
Justify (USA) | Standing at Coolmore, USA
Williamson said, “He looked like a turf horse when we bought him whereas the Justifys in America are big, dirt horses. Like, Eddie's horse who made a million earlier, he's a big, strong horse and I think that's what the Americans like. I think this lad will suit Europe and there's a lot of High Chaparral to him. I liked that about him. I had a very good horse by High Chaparral called Contributer, so everything was right for me anyway.”
And everything was right for Godolphin, too. Lot 110 is now set to be trained by Charlie Appleby with Stroud left tipping his hat once again to the consignor for coming up trumps with another high-class prospect.
Anthony Stroud | Image courtesy of Arqana
He said, “He's a very nice horse and we loved his breeze. The consignor sold us Native Trail so he was one horse we wanted to take home to Moulton Paddocks. It's early days yet but Justify is truly a remarkable stallion.”
Asked if he was expecting Coolmore to stage such a staunch counter effort to Stroud's bidding, he replied, “I wish it hadn't (gone to such a level). Coolmore are fantastic judges so you were going to be bidding against them because he was an outstanding horse.”
On the market, he added, “At breeze-ups, there is a percentage who perform very well, so they will be in demand. There is a percentage who don't hit the chart so it is very polarised.
“At breeze-ups, there is a percentage who perform very well, so they will be in demand. There is a percentage who don't hit the chart so it is very polarised.” - Anthony Stroud
“For the consignor, it's a very difficult discipline to get right but, when it does go right, it's a big payday for them. They deserve everything that they achieve, and a lot of good horses have come out of the breeze-ups. Vandeek came out of the breeze-ups last year and Native Trail came before him. Over the years, a lot of very good horses have come out of these sales.”
O'Leary hails potential freakish Justify colt
Eddie O'Leary was left thanking his lucky stars about the fact that he was able to get in on Justify before the share price skyrocketed. Bought for US$135,000 (AU$204,500) at the September Yearling Sale at Keeneland, Lot 62 is out of Galileo (Ire) mare Curlylocks (Ire), herself a full sister to the Group 1-producing sire Churchill (Ire), and the colt certainly lived up to his billing when going the way of Amo Racing.
“I was expecting him to sell well as he was very popular and the right guys were on him,” O'Leary said. “It was a magical result. I hope he is seriously lucky for Amo and I thank them very much. He's a double of his Dad. I even have a photograph of his Dad as a yearling to show people how alike they are. Listen, Justify is an unbelievable stallion and we won't be able to buy them again. It's great to be able to sell two of them this week and hopefully they go on to be lucky.”
Asked if he was expecting Justify to take off in the way that he has over the past six months, O'Leary added, “No, but I was watching. You could buy a Justify at Keeneland last September. We'll never be able to buy them again. It's magic, but it won't happen again, so we better enjoy it.”
Lot 62 - Justify (USA) x Curlylocks (Ire) (colt) | Image courtesy of Zuzanna Lupa
Lynn Lodge Stud has sold horses for more than a million before but never at a breeze-up sale meaning even O'Leary could admit that Saturday's result was a special one.
He concluded, “Sure it's great-I'll take a million anywhere! It's a fantastic result but what they all make put together is what counts. I've never got this sort of money for a breezer. I got 760,000gns (AU$1.5 million) for Great White Eagle and 800,000gns (AU$1.6 million) for a Kingman filly at the Craven but never got a million for a breezer before this. Breezers don't make that sort of money so it's just fantastic.
“... (I) never got a million for a breezer before this (Lot 62). Breezers don't make that sort of money so it's just fantastic.” - Eddie O'Leary
“For a big horse to do what he did, he must be an unnatural talent. He could be a freak-he's so big but yet he's so agile and he knows where his feet are. His knees are closed and his joints are like steel. He found me, I didn't find him.”
The Justify colt headlined a strong afternoon's buying by Amo boss Kia Joorabchian. As well as that lot, which was signed for by Elliott, the team also struck early in the session for a Too Darn Hot (GB) filly from Yeomanstown Stud for €800,000 (AU$1.3 million).
On the Justify colt, Elliott commented, “He's a standout horse for us. What can you say about a horse you think has everything? For the way the stallion has gone, even since September when this horse was bought, he's been doing unbelievable things. He's been bought for Amo Racing and we're trying to buy the best we can. Hopefully he's one of them.
“He's (Lot 62) a standout horse for us. What can you say about a horse you think has everything? For the way the stallion (Justify) has gone, even since September when this horse was bought, he's been doing unbelievable things.” - Alex Elliott
“We've got a very big horse in the stable called King Of Steel. If we can get this horse anywhere near emulating what he's done then we'll all be very happy. He's got size, scope, strength, pedigree, his dam's a sister to Churchill. When you give that money for a horse you need to be pretty sure you're buying the right article and we're all hoping, but, and it's an awful cliche, he's ticked all the boxes.”
He added, “Kia is very keen to buy the best he can and hopefully that's what we're doing as a team. You never know what these horses might make, it's just a case of whose appetite is there for the horse. You never really know where they're going to fall but that was what we were thinking he'd cost. If he's good, he could look cheap.”
Meanwhile, it was Robson Aguiar who signed for the Too Darn Hot filly, with the Brazilian native revealing that Lot 19 would likely be trained by Dominic Ffrench Davis.
Coolmore had to be patient to sign for a Justify of their own, but Lynn Lodge Stud's filly (Lot 187) by the stallion may have been worth the wait.
Lot 187 - Justify (USA) x Sarah Lynx (Ire) (filly)
It was Elliott again who signed for the daughter of G1 Canadian International winner Sarah Lynx (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), bought by Mags O'Toole at Keeneland in September for US$110,000 (AU$166,600).
“There's a little bit of deja vu from earlier in the day,” said Elliott. “She's a beautiful filly by Justify out of a Grade 1 winner. She breezed exceptionally well but I think she'll take a bit of time as she's more of a 3-year-old type. For her to show that pace and balance and poise in the breeze, she's got the potential to be an exceptional filly.”
He added, “We did well here last year buying a filly called Classical Song who ran fourth in the Fillies' Mile. Hopefully this filly can win her maiden and go along the same lines as a two-year-old, but I see her being a Classic type of filly at three. She's been acquired by Coolmore, and everyone was keen to get her, but no trainer has been decided yet.”
