3 minute read
Colts by Sea The Stars and Kingman light up the ring at Tattersalls.
Two lots sold for seven figures on day two of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale - Book 1 on Wednesday with a colt by Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) selling to Charlie Gordon-Watson and Woodford Racing for 1,200,000 guineas and later on during the session MV Magnier and White Birch went to 1,100,000 guineas for a son of Kingman (Invincible Spirit).
The session topping colt was offered by Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber's Watership Down Stud as Lot 227 and is a son of Group Three winner So Mi Dar (Dubawi) who is herself a sister to Darley shuttler Too Hard Hot being out of three-time Group One winner Dar Re Mi (Singspiel).
Lady Lloyd Webber arrived at Park Paddocks just in time.
"I got here just in time in a taxi, I just walked in at the 600,000 guineas mark," laughed Lord Lloyd-Webber.
"We never expected to break the million guinea barrier, because no one ever does. Maybe Andrew is our lucky omen!" smiled a delighted Lady Lloyd-Webber. "It is very difficult to do that. The Dar Re Mi family is carrying on, and that is what it is all about from a foundation mare. We are now in the third generation, it is really wonderful to see this family keep going.
"He is a beautiful horse, hopefully he will win the Guineas! And then will carry on winning Group Ones like the rest of the family."
Purchaser Charlie Gordon-Watson said the purchase was the result of a last-minute phone call.
"Bill Farish rang me just an hour ago and said, 'What about this horse? What do you think?' I told him that I thought he was the best horse I have seen at the sale.
"I know the family backwards, as Bill does, and he is a great friend of Simon Marsh, but he did not want to Simon to know anything about it. Simon had no idea."
Gordon-Watson added: "It all happened in the last hour and a half. I think I got the valuation right as I told Bill that I thought he'd make between 800,000 guineas and 1.2 million.
"I have been involved in the family all the way through, I bought Darara and this colt is very typical of the family, perhaps a bit bigger because they are all slightly smallish, Darara was quite small. He is a very athletic horse, I have been going on about Lot 277 for a long time."
Of Farish's plans for his new colt and reasoning behind the purchase, Gordon-Watson said: "Bill liked the pedigree and the mare, everything is so international now. The horse will stay here, and no trainer has been decided as yet."
Later on in the session the Corduff Stud-offered Kingman colt out of Fastnet Rock's (Danehill) Group Two winner Turret Rocks became the second seven figure lot of the session. Sold as Lot 321, the colt is the first foal out of Turret Rocks who is also a half-sister to Beyond Thankful (Whipper), a Group Three winner in Australia.
Corduff Stud's David Egan was suitably delighted; "He is a magnificent horse, he really is. I am delighted they bought him, I was not sure they were on him, but they stood up and bought him. It is great.
"This horse was bred by John Corcoran and he bred the horse with Jim Bolger, and bought him out in training. John had a vision of what he wanted to do with the horse, he had a plan and facilitated a way to make it happen. He owned this horse in with his children, Andrew and Roseanne O'Grady Walshe, through Farmleigh Bloodstock.
"She is a beautiful mare, she is by Fastnet Rock, she is big, she is robust, she is strong. She was so honest on the track and John, unfortunately is not with us, but he was very involved in the mating. He chose Kingman, it is great.
"The bidding took a long time, but it got more enjoyable as we went on!"
After two days of selling Ballylinch Stud-based Lope De Vega (Shamardal) was the leading sire with 25 lots having sold for 6,970,000 guineas, at an average of 278,800 guineas, while the late multiple Champion sire Galileo (Sadler's Wells) led the way by average with seven lots selling at an average of 520,714 guineas.
MV Magnier was the leading buyer having spent 4,385,000 guineas on nine lots over the first two days while Godolphin were not far behind having bought eight lots for a total spend of 4,275,000 guineas.