Amo Racing and Godolphin continue Tattersalls Book 1 domination

Cover Image courtesy of Tattersalls

At A Glance

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It used to be a case of duels between Godolphin and Coolmore, but since Book 1 last year, Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing outfit has burst its way onto the scene and often fills the role of one or other of those two superpowers when the sleeves get rolled up in the ring. Those three big names are dominating the top of the buyers' board, with a combined outlay of 31.5 million gns (AU$67.33 million) – which accounts for more than a third of the turnover so far.

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Aside from its purchases in the name of Godolphin, Stroud Coleman Bloodstock has also signed for 14 horses for 4.77 million gns (AU$10.2 million), while Blandford Bloodstock, whose clients include Wathnan Racing, have bought 10 for 4.43 million gns (AU$9.47 million).

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After a tricky opening day for pinhookers, there were some sublime feats achieved on Wednesday, most notably in the case of Fearghal Hogan, whose €120,000 (AU$211,900) St Mark's Basilica colt rocked into 800,000gns (AU$1.71 million). It was Amo Racing who landed the colt.

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From a one-time low of £15,000 (AU$30,530) in the two years that he stood in Britain, Night Of Thunder has been riding high on a fee of €100,000 (AU$176,600) for the last three seasons and it is a gradual rise which looks fully justified. Poised to be champion sire in Britain and Ireland in 2025, the son of Dubawi has had 14 yearlings sold in the last two days for an average of 589,643gns (AU$1.26 million).

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It was a day where many younger operators enjoyed a large share of the spoils, including Loughtown Stud's Paddy Burns, who cleared 1.45 million gns (AU$3.1 million) on three well-bred yearlings. That haul far and away exceeded his previous best result in the ring.

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There have been 11 seven-figure lots through the ring at Park Paddocks this week and, amazingly, they've all been colts. The boys have definitely dominated at Tattersalls so far.

Godolphin and Amo continue to dominate

Day two of the Book 1 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale followed a familiar script on Wednesday when Godolphin and Amo Racing fought it out for the most sought-after bloodlines.

Amo secured two colts by Wootton Bassett – one from Marlhill House Stud and the other from Newsells Park Stud – for 2,200,000gns (AU$4.7 million) while Godolphin paid that exact sum for a Frankel colt from Fittocks Stud.

Gallery: Colts by Wootton Bassett purchased by Amo Racing for 2,200,000gns (AU$4.7 million) each, images courtesy of Tattersalls

All told, there were six different seven-figure lots on Wednesday, where the total turnover reached 47,258,000gns (AU$101 million) – which was up by 17% on last year's figures.

The day two average climbed marginally by 2% to 352,672gns (AU$754.000) while the median dipped by 10% to 215,000gns (AU$459,600). The clearance rate held up reasonably well at 85%, however, that figure represented a 5% drop-off from last year.

Fittocks Stud's 'Best Day'

Luca Cumani admitted to holding back the tears after he and his wife Sara enjoyed their greatest day in the sale ring when their Fittocks Stud-consigned Frankel colt sold to Godolphin for 2,200,000gns (AU$4.7 million) .

The Frankel colt was bred in partnership with Newsells Park Stud and Marina and Leonidas Marinopoulos, and it was Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida who filled the role as underbidder.

Cumani said, “It's fantastic, absolutely fantastic. It's the highest we have ever had. We sold one for two million last year, which was very exciting, and this is even better. He is such a lovely horse – never puts a foot wrong. He is a great-looking Frankel horse out of a mare who is already proven. I am delighted that he has gone to a very good home.”

“This is our best day at the sales. It is very emotional and we are especially thankful to the people who appreciate a good horse. I am also very thankful to my stud groom Martin Languillet. He and all of the staff have done a fantastic job.”

The Frankel colt is out of Motivator mare Innevera, who the Godolphin team know well as she is the dam of the outfit's Group 2 winner Ottoman Fleet.

Asked how the partnership came about, Cumani explained, “We were selling the mare on behalf of the Marinopoulos family. They wanted to stay involved but had to resolve their other partnership. At the same time, Graham (Smith-Bernal) said to me to keep an eye out if I saw something nice and maybe we could do something together. We said that this mare could be a good proposition for a partnership and that's how it came together.”

A great day for Fittocks Stud draft continued with the sale of Lot 218, the Dubawi colt out of G1 Nassau Stakes winner Lady Bowthorpe (Nathaniel), for 1,300,000gns (AU$2.78 million) . He became the first purchase at Book 1 this week for Coolmore.

The colt's breeder Emma Banks, who sold his full-brother to Godolphin at last year's sale for 2,000,000gns (AU$4.28million), said, “I'm so lucky to have a mare that has produced two beautiful yearlings. Her (Too Darn Hot colt) foal is lovely and she's in foal to Wootton Bassett, so it's exciting.”

MV Magnier said of his latest purchase, which was made in conjunction with Pater Brant's White Birch Farm, “He's a lovely horse and Lady Bowthorpe was a very good race filly, as we all know. It's a great result for Emma Banks. She's a very nice lady and well done to her.”

He added, “Dubawi is still going very well and we are going to retire Delacroix this year. Delacroix is probably one of the most important horses we have retired in Ireland in a good while. He has everything: race record, pedigree, and he's a complete outcross, so we can really get behind him.”

Late-Session flourish for Newsells Park

Newsells Park Stud has been the leading consignor at Book 1 each year since 2014 and looks set to do the same this time around. After selling Tuesday's second-top lot for 3,600,000gns (AU$7.70 million) , the stud was involved in two of the joint-top lots on Wednesday. As mentioned above, Newsells Park was the co-breeder of the Fittocks Stud-consigned Frankel colt, and on behalf of breeder Al Shahania Stud it consigned lot 349, the Wootton Bassett colt who made a late splash at 2,200,000gns. The son of the G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes winner and Classic-placed Qabala (Scat Daddy) was signed for by Alex Elliott on behalf of Amo Racing.

“I think we bought two serious Wootton Bassett colts today: one from Marlhill House Stud and then this one out of Qabala, who was a very good filly for Roger Varian,” Elliott said. “Her son by Persian King (Raammee) appears to be a bit of a freak. His performance at Kempton (on debut) appeared to be very special and then he came back and won at Newcastle. Wootton Bassett is an upgrade on most stallions so, with the pedigree going back to a huge Juddmonte family, I think he has the potential to be a very special horse.”

Newsells Park Stud's general manager Julian Dollar paid tribute to the colt's breeder, Qatar's Al Shahania Stud, which is in the process of dispersing its thoroughbred stock.

“They're just going to focus on the Arabs, so they've got some lovely foals and mares coming through in December, including Qabala and her Ace Impact foal,” he explained.

We've had a lovely association with them. Bertrand Le Metayer looks after them, and he's brilliant to deal with. And they have an exceptional manager in Arnaud Leraitre. He is an exceptional horseman and they send these lovely horses over that we have the pleasure of selling. But Arnaud deserves all the credit. He's a lovely guy and he does a tremendous job.”

Amo has the force

Having endured bad luck with Crypto Force (Time Test) after his G2 Beresford Stakes victory as a juvenile, Kia Joorabchian will be praying that things pan out more smoothly for the Wootton Bassett half-brother who cost the Amo Racing founder 2,200,000gns (AU$4.7 million) during the second session at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Offered as Lot 247, the colt is the fourth foal out of the winning Galileo mare Luna Mare, from the family of Lord Weinstock's globetrotting champion Pilsudski. Her first foal was the aforementioned Crypto Force, who won two of his three starts as a juvenile and later finished third in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup after missing his entire 3-year-old campaign.

Luna Mare was bought by Marlhill House Stud for 500,000gns (AU$1.07 million) at the 2022 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, just a couple of months after Crypto Force's win in the Beresford. She has a filly foal, also by Wootton Bassett, but is not in foal this year, according to Marlhill House manager Brian McConnon, who was understandably delighted with the result.

He said, “The plan always was, when we bought the mare here three years ago, that we'd send her to Wootton Bassett. She was a young Galileo mare, and Crypto Force was one of the flagbearers for her, so she had a great profile.

“This is the first Wootton Bassett we got out of the mare, so the plan came to fruition. It's fantastic. We were hopeful that he'd sell well, but you obviously don't know until you get here. Then all the right people vetted him and you just need them to step up. We were obviously delighted that Coolmore and Amo Racing locked horns again.”

Having been pushed all the way by the Coolmore team, Joorabchian admitted that the colt had proved harder to get his hands on than he had originally hoped.

“To be honest with you, I was hoping it would be half of that (price),” he conceded. “Unfortunately, when you're bidding against the other big guys, you have to really go for it. You don't have a choice.

“We own the half-brother, Crypto Force, and he won a Group 2 for us in Ireland. So, we know the mare and we know she can produce a good horse. We love Crypto, really. He's been a bit fragile for us. He had a couple of bad injuries at the end of his two-year-old career and never really managed to pick up that velocity that he had as a two-year-old.

Having made an instant impact on the opening day of the sale, Amo Racing continued its spending spree, which, after two days, now runs to nine yearlings bought alone or in partnership for 12,045,000gns (AU$25.74 million) .

These included Lynn Lodge Stud's Night Of Thunder colt (Lot 275), who was widely expected to ring the bell, and so he did, to the tune of 1,700,000gns (AU$3.64 million).

“A good day's work, gotta be lucky,” said Lynn Lodge's Eddie O'Leary who was consigning on behalf of his brother Michael's Gigginstown House. The colt's full-sister Evolutionist, trained by Karl Burke, is set to run in Friday's G1 Fillies' Mile for Yuesheng Zhang. “He's an absolutely beautiful horse. He has a magnificent mind, too. The sire is obviously very, very good. I hope the filly is good – she runs in the Group 1 on Friday.”

O'Leary continued, “She looks a good mare and we bought her in foal to Kingman. She produced a stunning filly last year and a stunning colt this year. It's a brilliant day but we've got more to sell now. You are never confident but you hope all the people show up and they showed up. It's brilliant. I hope he's very lucky. I'd like to thank all the lads at home as well for all of their hard work. It's very much appreciated.”

The very next lot through the ring was also from Lynn Lodge Stud and the daughter of Wootton Bassett and Mohjatty, an unraced Awtaad half-sister to Classic winner Taghrooda (Sea The Stars), duly sold for 500,000gns (AU$1.07 million) to Tsunefumi Kusama. The Japanese owner had also been active through the first session and has now signed for three well-bred fillies for a combined 1,300,000gns (AU$2.78 million) .

Stars Align for Millisle's No Nay Never colt

The Coolmore partners made their second seven-figure purchase of Wednesday's session when going to 1,700,000gns (AU$3.63 million) for the No Nay Never colt out of the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Millisle (Starspangledbanner).

Consigned by Watership Down Stud, Lot 266 was bred by Stonethorn Stud Farms and is the third foal out of Millisle, who also won the G3 Ballyogan Stakes as a three-year-old. Her first foal, Alfareqa (Frankel), successful once in five career starts, was herself a Book 1 yearling when bought by Shadwell for 1,600,000gns (AU$3.42 million) in 2023.

Simon Marsh, manager of Watership Down Stud, said of the No Nay Never colt, “To get all the stars to align is very difficult, but this is a lovely horse and he was on a lot of lists. It is a wonderful price, but now we need him to be a good racehorse.”

Another purchase signed for by MV Magnier was lot 230, Glenvale Stud's half-brother to G1 Flying Five Stakes winner Arizona Blaze (Sergei Prokofiev), who fetched 500,000gns (AU$1.07 million). He belongs to the first crop of Coolmore stallion Blackbeard, a son of No Nay Never.

“No Nay Never is having another great year with the likes of Charles Darwin, who's very good, and True Love,” said Magnier. “The mare was very good.”

He added, “Blackbeard is having a good sale and there's plenty of good words for the Little Big Bear foals. The best ones by Blackbeard that we have will be going to Ballydoyle.”

Hogan: 'My Legs Went to Jelly'

It can be easy to read the headlines from Book 1 and conclude that this is a sale for the big boys and, unless you have millions in the bank, you cannot compete.

Pinhooker Fearghal Hogan put that theory in the bin on Wednesday when a St Mark's Basilica colt that he bought for €120,000 (AU$211,900) sold for a whopping 800,000gns (AU$1.71 million) to Amo Racing.

It was the type of pinhooking profit that left Hogan puffing for air down in the gangway as the numbers kept on climbing. And when the gavel eventually fell, the man behind Apollo Bloodstock nearly collapsed to his knees.

“My legs just went to jelly,” Hogan said. “I don't even know what was going through my mind. I couldn't believe it – it's just an unbelievable feeling. I knew the horse was going really well yesterday. We had 20 vets on the horse. And today, he just took off again. I had a good feeling going to bed last night that something good was going to happen. Now, I didn't think he could go and make 800,000gns. But I thought that maybe he might make half of that.”

Hogan purchased the St Mark's Basilica colt at the Goffs November Foal Sale last year. He agreed that taking a chance on the progeny of a stallion's second crop was a big risk but qualified the six-figure outlay by saying he was a massive fan of St Mark's Basilica as a racehorse and that this colt was an excellent model by the multiple Group 1-winning son of Siyouni. On Sunday, there was some reward when St Mark's Basilica was represented by his first Group 1 winners, the Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Diamond Necklace.

Hogan explained, “Spending €120,000 on a foal, that's a big throw for me. And people were laughing at me during the summer when St Mark's Basilica wasn't going as well as he is now. Everyone kept reminding me that St Mark's Basilica was a half-brother to Magna Grecia, but I kept telling them to keep the faith. I loved St Mark's Basilica as a racehorse and I loved this foal at the sales. Basically, I just took a chance, and St Mark's Basilica has enjoyed an excellent second half to the season. He looks as though he's going to be a very good stallion.

“The first-season sires are so dangerous, and often times you can be either a hero or a zero when you pinhook a foal by one of them. But I loved everything about St Mark's Basilica so I wanted to take a chance on him, basically, and that's what happened. There were one or two other people involved and I am delighted for them. Fair play to Pa Doyle of Galbertstown who consigned him for me as well – he's done a brilliant job.”