'Very exciting time' for Amo with another top lot added to the team at Tattersalls

Cover image courtesy Tattersalls

At A Glance

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After spending close to 14 million gns (AU$30 million) at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Amo Racing picked up from where it left off at Park Paddocks on Monday, spending 525,000gns (AU$1.13 million) on a Starman filly (lot 771), which led the opening session of Book 2.

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Amo Racing's total spend on Monday was 2,135,000gns (AU$4.59 million) on nine yearlings.

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Turnover climbed by 16% compared to last year with a total of 24,988,500gns (AUS$53.7 million).

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The average compared to last year was up by 13% to 116,769gns (AU$251,000).

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The median jumped up by 38% from last year to 90,000gns (AUS$193,000), while the clearance rate nestled at a respectable 87%, which was down by just 3%.

Victorian trainers on the prowl

While the G1 The Everest draws ever closer for Lindsay Park Racing's War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel {Ire}) in Australia, the team were also active at Tattersalls during the Book 2 opener where they signed for a Lope De Vega colt (Lot 620) for 160,000 gns (AU$344,000) in conjunction with John Foote Bloodstock. Offered by Kellsgrange Stud, the colt is a full brother to juvenile Group 3 winner La Barossa and a half to French stakes performer Itsy Bitsy (Belardo).

The same price was outlaid for Lot 595, who goes home with Mick Price Racing and Foote. The Harry Angel colt, consigned by Norris Bloodstock, is a full brother to juvenile winner and Listed-placed Harry's Girl, out of an unraced half-sister to Listed winner Uncle (Harry Angel). Via Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr's X page, the March-born colt will fly to Australia in November.

Amo Racing springs for top Starman offspring

Amo Racing's session-topping Starman filly purchase prompted Kevin Philippart De Foy to share his excitement about the prospects of training next year's batch of 2-year-olds.

Philippart De Foy, who took over at Freemason Lodge this year, has been a key cog in Kia Joorabchian's travelling posse at all of the major yearling sales in Europe and America this autumn and will train Lot 771, the aforementioned Tally-Ho Stud-consigned Book 2 sale-topper.

Philippart de Foy said, “She was my pick of the sale. It is a very good dam side and she is a very easy-going filly and very racey. Obviously, Starman can do very little wrong and he had winners again today so I am delighted to get the filly.”

Few stallions burst onto the scene quite like the Tally-Ho resident has this year. Venetian Star, North Coast, Lady Iman and more have contributed to what has been one of the most memorable performances that any first-season sire has produced for many years and Starman has already been anointed as a stallion that is here to stay by a host of leading buyers at the yearling sales. None more so than Amo, who landed three six-figure yearlings by the stallion on Monday.

Asked about Amo's support of Starman, Philippart de Foy said, “I don't think it is only Amo, I think a fair few people are big on Starman. It looks as though they are horses who will progress as 3-year-olds – they are not small, racy 2-year-olds. They have size and scope, so hopefully they will progress on from what has been a very strong start.”

He added, “It's a very exciting time. From Deauville in August through to Keeneland and now Book 1 and 2 at Tattersalls, we have picked up some lovely horses with good pedigrees and by good stallions. So it's very exciting and we're looking forward to next year.”

Asked if he was getting used to his new boss, who was doing his best to distract him during the interview down in the chute entering the sales ring, the trainer joked, “you would never get used to him!”

The Starman filly is out of Emirates Empress (Dark Angel), a sister to two high-class performers in Royal Champion (Shamardal) and Outbox (Frankel), who Tally-Ho sourced for only 30,000gns (AU$64,500) at the December Mares Sale in 2022.

Tony O'Callaghan commented, “It is a great return on the mare's purchase and it is an exceptional trade here for fillies. We are obviously delighted with Starman's progress, they should stay a mile. He has such a great temperament.”

When two powerhouses go head-to-head on a horse, it usually spells celebration for the vendor, but in the case of Lot 727, Justin Casse and Amo teamed up to secure a 360,000gns (AU$776,400) Starman colt from Pier House Stud, which will go into training with Joseph O'Brien.

O'Brien has trained for Amo Racing in the past and Casse, who bought G3 Tyros Stakes winner North Coast at this sale 12 months ago, says he is hoping for similar luck with the stallion.

“The stallion has been good to me and to Joseph,” he said. “Starman has had a couple of Group winners, one of whom (North Coast) I bought, as well as a filly in France. Hopefully we can replicate that success. This colt was a standout for me today.”

Casse added, “This colt walks a little better than North Coast. We bought two in America with Amo. We are working individually, but if we land on the same one, we might get together.”

Mangan keeps standards high for Thoroughbred Corporation

After drawing a blank at Book 1 on behalf of the Thoroughbred Corporation, Jane Mangan opened up about how Prince Faisal Salman has remained patient through to Book 2, where the pair came away with a Night Of Thunder filly (Lot 757) from Plantation Stud and a St Mark's Basilica filly (lot 741) from Linden Bloodstock for a combined 800,000gns (AU$1.7 million).

Speaking after securing the Night Of Thunder filly for the sum of 450,000gns (AU$967,000), Mangan said, “Last week, we failed. We underbid five last week. I suppose, The Corporation are looking for well-bred (yearlings) and good physicals. We value them as individuals and we met a lot of good company last week. To be honest, this filly was our pick of the entire sale.

“The sire needs no explanation and she comes from a great farm. Physically, she is exactly what we are looking for. It was a lot of money but it's good to get her.”

She added, “You need to keep your standards where you want them – don't settle and don't buy a horse you don't want to buy. The Prince is very diligent in terms of valuing each horse individually – not buying the market, buying the horse. Buy a horse that you want to look at in the spring. We've got two today and (we are) very happy to get them.

Night Of Thunder continues to brew up a storm

Night Of Thunder produced one of the performances of Book 1 with 23 yearlings selling for over 14 million gns (AU$30 million) and that momentum carried over into Book 2. Night Of Thunder was responsible for four of the 10 most expensive yearlings sold on Monday, including a 425,000gns (AU$913,000) colt (lot 719) that was consigned by Cheveley Park Stud that was knocked down to Godolphin.

Anthony Stroud commented, “He's for Godolphin and will go to Moulton Paddocks. He's bred very similarly to the Dewhurst winner (Gewan) on Saturday. Night Of Thunder has done amazingly well. He's going to be champion sire and he's got so many good horses.”

Speaking on the prowess of the stallion, Stroud added, “They seem to win over all sorts of distances; they're very versatile and seem to have excellent temperaments. The progeny from his better books of mares are coming on-stream now so his results are only going to get better and better. It really highlights how important Dubawi is as a sire of sires.”

Stroud also landed a Night Of Thunder colt (Lot 571) from Genesis Green Stud for 350,000gns (AU$752,000) on a day when the Darley-based stallion was responsible for eight yearlings who sold for an average of 281,875gns (AU$606,000).

You won't learn that at school! Teenage pinhookers make half a million

The young pinhookers behind the 450,000gns (AU$967,000) Minzaal filly that lit up Book 2 will face an interesting proposition when they return to school on Tuesday given the teenagers each walked out of Tattersalls on Monday with more money than their teachers will earn in a year.

Fionn White (16) and brothers Jack (17) and Max Galway (13), whose father Richie is racing manager at Punchestown and son-in-law of Jessica Harrington, will do well to ignore sales catalogues for school books from this day on given the three whippersnappers turned their €85,000 (AU$151,000) investment into more than €500,000 (AU$895,000) at the current exchange rate.

The Baroda Stud-drafted Lot 668, who was knocked down to Karl Burke, benefited from a major pedigree update given the sister, Saratoga Special (Mehmas), won a Listed race for trainer Jessica Harrington.

Shortly after the hammer fell, Harrington's daughter and assistant trainer Kate joked that, “There was more pressure on Saratoga Special than any other horse in the yard this year!”

However, while White might only be 16, he doesn't do pressure and took the life-changing sum in his stride.

“(I) didn't expect it all,” he cooly said. “(I) can't get over it – can't even put it into words. Jack, Max, and I went around the foal sales together. Jack and Max had to go back to school but, because I was in transition year, I had the year off and spent that with Baroda Stud. I really liked her as a foal so I followed her in. I rang Richard to ask him how Saratoga Special was getting on and he told me that she was very nice and would win this year. Saratoga Special won a Listed race – it always helps, doesn't it?”

Buy of the day

Plenty of breeze-up handlers got in on the action on the opening day of Book 2 and Justin Timmons of Dolmen Bloodstock can dream with the New Bay colt (lot 566) he sourced from Highclere Stud for 100,000gns (AU$215,000). Up relatively early in the sale, the New Bay colt is out of a Kingman mare, who has already produced a winner, and from the family of Baaeed and Hukum. He boasts plenty of quality and could be one for Arqana or one of the later breeze-up sales.

Thought for the day

A quick read of the pinhookers' table would put hairs on your chest. While the 450,000gns Minzaal would provide just about anyone with the confidence to plough into the pinhooking game, there was some reality in the figures given just 48% of the 65 pinhooks made profit.