By Brian Sheerin, TDN Europe
Cover image courtesy of Goffs
Enthralling is off to Japan
Enthralling, a Galileo sister to Derby winner Lambourn (Australia), lived up to her name at the Goffs November Mares Sale with Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm holding off a strong challenge from Ace Stud for the young breeding prospect at €780,000 (AU$1.39 million).
As well as being a sister to a Derby winner out of a high-class racemare in Gossamer Wings (Scat Daddy), Enthralling's pedigree is further enhanced by the fact her younger brother Action fits into the 'could be anything' category on the strength of his runner-up effort in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy behind fellow Ballydoyle-trained youngster Hawk Mountain.
Enthralling was sold in foal to Camelot and Tomo Tsuda, who was bidding on behalf of the Japanese powerhouse breeders, Northern Farm, was visibly delighted to have secured the Coolmore-bred filly from The Castlebridge Consignment.
“There is lots of promise for the future with this pedigree,” Tsuda said. “I love the 2-year-old colt (Action), and I think he's going to be really good next year. There's a lot of speed in the mare's bloodline and, to bring a mare like this back to Japan and cover her with our own stallions, that is our dream for the future.”
He added, “We had a lot of competition. She was the top mare in this draft – very athletic walk and strong back end. I love her. She cost a little bit over my budget! We haven't decided what stallion she will visit in Japan yet. We will see what the Camelot is like and then we can make a decision. We are going to travel from here to Tattersalls and then on to Arqana. European mares fit in very well with us in Japan.”
At close of play on Friday, the clearance rate stood at 85%, which was up by 6% on last year, while the €11,354,500 (AU$20.26 million) turnover was up by 5%. There were 17 horses who sold for €150,000 (AU$268,000) on the day, which was the same as 12 months ago, while the average dropped by 12% to €58,529 (AU$104,420) and the median by 23% to €30,000 (AU$53,520).
'The first thing that caught our eye was the cover'
Ace Stud has made no secret about its affection for the progeny of Night Of Thunder. That love affair has been ignited in no small part by its own Dewhurst Stakes winner Gewan and, after struggling to purchase yearlings by the Darley-based stallion, the Ace Stud team thought a little outside the box to pick up a mare in foal to the superstar stallion for €420,000 (AU$749,340).
The mare in question is no shrinking violet herself; the Moyglare Stud-drafted Liber Nauticus (Azamour) hails from a strong Ballymacoll Stud family. She won the G3 Musidora Stakes and was fifth in the Oaks while she has also produced a high-class runner in the shape of Group 2 winner Trevaunance (Muhaarar).
Ace Stud's Paul Curran said, “Her pedigree speaks for itself. Obviously, the first thing that caught our eye was the cover. We've had a lot of luck with the stallion this year and we were very happy to buy back into him. It was nice because you could buy at a price where, commercially, you could potentially return the foal to the yearling sales next year. However, we are end-users and the plan will be to foal the mare down, rear the foal ourselves and race it ourselves.
“Her (Liber Nauticus) pedigree speaks for itself. Obviously, the first thing that caught our eye was the cover.” - Paul Curran
“We tried to buy a lot of Night Of Thunders here (at the Orby) and at Book 1 and 2 in Newmarket. When you can buy a mare of her quality, and what she has produced – the likes of Trevaunance, to get a Night Of Thunder out of her, be it a colt or a filly, I think it made a lot of sense. In another year or two, we could be talking about astronomical figures (to buy a Night Of Thunder at public auction).”
He added, “We've no plans beyond all of that but she could possibly suit one of our own stallions, possibly even Shaquille. She's a little bit older and has been tested around with other stallions so there's no reason why we wouldn't do that but it's definitely early days to be thinking about that just yet.”
Terrific Recruit For Ballylinch Stud
Ballylinch Stud enjoyed something of a full circle moment when going to €300,000 (AU$535,250) to secure Galileo mare Terrific, who was sold by Moyglare Stud in foal to Sioux Nation. A sister to Grade I winner Together, Terrific is the dam of Moyglare's Grade II-winning Siyouni filly, Bellezza. Ballylinch boss John O'Connor was at Keeneland in 2015 when Moyglare's Fiona Craig bought Terrific for $1.9 million (AU$2.94 million). He was a fan of the mare back then and he remained a fan on Friday.
He explained, “Delighted to get her. We both liked the mare when Fiona bought her in America as a young mare, and at the same time, I bought Wonderfully. We both got very well-bred mares. She is a lovely mare, already a proven mare, and she can breed a Group 1 horse. We have stallions that can suit her. We will hopefully get some nice stock out of her and the plan will be to retain some to breed on from. It's an investment in the future really.”
Terrific | Image courtesy of Goffs
Craig was standing alongside O'Connor when he signed the docked and provided the winning bidder with further confidence in his investment by declaring the best could still be to come with the pedigree.
She said, “Bellezza could win them a Group 1 – she stays in training. The sale has gone well, but it is sad, too. I hate selling the mares. It's very upsetting, unlike the foals. The mares I am attached to, but it was great [results-wise]. Compliments to everyone who bought them and I wish them all good fortune in the future – but excuse me if I go away now and have a cry!”
Moyglare Draft shines
Moyglare Stud ended the sale as the second-busiest vendor behind Castlebridge with 10 mares selling for €1,371,000 (AU$2.45 million). Along with Liber Nauticus and Terrific, Sparkling Sea (Starspangledbanner) became one of the most expensive lots of the day when selling to Charles Shanahan on behalf of Newstead Breeding for €310,000 (AU$553,100).
Sparkling Sea | Image courtesy of Goffs
Speaking about the Listed-placed daughter of Starspangledbanner, Shanahan said, “We have been waiting for her and she is for the partnership that bred Blackbeard. We had to give a lot for her. She had a lot of ability herself, and her sire has had an amazing year. She is a queen, a great mover, and has all the right attributes. We knew we would have to pay something like that for her. All the right people were on her. She will be brought home and covered in February. She could be one for Delacroix, who is very important, while she is an obvious one for No Nay Never.”
Bolger continues winding-down process with sale of Ceistiu
Jim Bolger continued his winding-down process at Goffs on Friday by selling Ceistiu (Vocalised), one of the best mares in his broodmare band, to Tally-Ho Stud for €260,000 (AU$463,900).
Ceistiu is the dam of Group 3 scorer Merchant (Teofilo) while her 2-year-old by Mehmas (Slaney View) is not without promise on the evidence of her runner-up effort behind subsequent Group 1 winner Power Blue in the first maiden of the year at the Curragh back in March.
The Irish translation for Ceistiu is questioning and, when you ask Tally-Ho's Roger O'Callaghan what stallion the mare will visit next year, he says the answer is obvious.
Roger O'Callaghan | Image courtesy of Goffs
“It's self explanatory – she'll be married to Mehmas,” he said, before his father, Tony, interjected, by saying, “Or she might go to Maranoa Charlie, possibly.”
Roger added, “In fairness to Jim, he says the 2-year-old (Slaney View) is good, and he sent the mare back to the stallion. It's Jim's family.”
Tony continued, “We have the second dam, Ceist Eile, too. We gave €145,000 (AU$259,000) for her and got €5,000 (AU$8,920) for the yearling! Unbelievable. Thankfully she's turned it around since.”
Asked to sum up trade this week, Roger said, “Mad,” he added, “It was crazy. Crazy but good.”
“Mad, It was crazy. Crazy but good.” - Roger O'Callaghan
Tony concluded, “Everyone got paid and the money keeps going around. One fella got €125,000 (AU$223,000) for his Starman foal on and he hadn't even covered the mare since. He was disillusioned with the industry so threw the mare out in the field and left her there. A week like this is good for everyone.”
Buy of the day
Sam Sangster recruited an exciting mare for Diego Velazquez from the Godolphin draft through Group 2 winner and 1,000 Guineas runner-up Lucida for €135,000 (AU$240,000). It's not like Lucida hasn't produced class stock already. Her son, Bedouin Prince (Ghaiyyath) is already highly-rated and is likely to pick up black-type for Charlie Appleby and the Godolphin team in Dubai over the winter. On top of that, Lucida is by one of the best stallions in the stud book in Shamardal and she is empty, so Sangster can plan an early cover for his exciting recruit to The National Stud in England.
Lucida | Image courtesy of Goffs
Sangster said, “I spoke to Charlie Appleby and he really believes in Bedouin Prince, who's rated Timeform 114 and goes out to Dubai, so has every chance of picking up black type. There's two more to run for us as well in a Night Of Thunder and a Ghaiyyath.”
He added, “She's a lovely mare, was a quality racehorse, and Shamardal has worked with Frankel, so she has a lot going for her. She's a really exciting booking for the stallion.”
“She's (Lucida) a lovely mare, was a quality racehorse. She's a really exciting booking for the stallion.” - Sam Sangster
Thought for the day
Is there a case to be made that, the more you know in this game, the less you know, certainly when it comes to judging a stallion on the evidence of their first crop of foals. Whilst enjoying a post-sale pint with a not-so-insignificant breeder, he openly admitted to getting excited about a number of stallions who went south, whilst canning some who took off. He even joked that he'd have been more profitable by sending mares to the sires of the first-crop foals he didn't like! The point of this conversation was purely to advise caution when it comes to judging a stallion purely on his stock – and we can all be guilty of that during the foal sales. What matters most is the results that they produce on the racetrack.
