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Sweet And Lovely sells for 350,000gns to BBA Ireland to top Tuesday's opening session
The 2023 Tattersalls July Sale got off to a strong start on Tuesday, eight lots selling for 200,000gns or more and Galileo (Sadler's Wells) mare Sweet And Lovely topping the session when bought by BBA Ireland for 350,000gns.
The four-year-old mare is an unrated sister to Classic winning filly Seventh Heaven, being out of Grade 3 winner La Traviata (Johannesburg).
"She's from the family that sold well early today [Lot 143], and it's a good looking, active, happening family," said today's leading buyer Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland.
"She has a good cover to Wootton Bassett and he looks as though he is fulfilling his promise. She is carrying a colt and, if everything goes right, she might not be a bad investment - a nice yearling colt at the sales by him and we'd be in with a chance of getting the investment back in one go.
"She will go to board at Baroda Stud in Ireland. We will foal her down and make a decision as regards stallions. She could go back to Wootton Bassett - the lads in Coolmore are really banking on the Wootton Bassett cross, and John Magnier can certainly make these stallions! We will see what the foal looks like but I wouldn't bank against her going back to him."
BBA Ireland was the leading buyer on Tuesday, spending 1,343,000gns on seven lots.
Earlier in the day, Donohoe went to 330,000gns for another Galileo mare, Different Light. The sister to Grade 1 winner Deauville has run twice in France this year as a three-year-old.
"She is a good looking filly, and it's a family I know well as I bought out of the family before - I bought a sister for a good client in Cork," said Donohoe.
"The family gets good looking horses and she is typical."
"The client for this filly has mares in the southern and northern hemispheres and we will pick a European stallion for her, possibly Baaeed or Siyouni. The Siyouni-Galileo cross has worked pretty well, and we also think that this mare and Baaeed could match well physically. I know it is a bit of an in-cross Baaeed, Galileo and Urban Sea, but Shadwell has been sending some Galileo mares to him.
"The probable choice will be Siyouni - he has achieved so much in particular this year - and then Baaeed. She is tall, there is plenty of size and scope to her, and she has good action. She will suit either stallion."
Of immediate plans for the three-year-old Donohoe said: "For the time being she will stay in Newmarket with Castlebridge, they look after the client's mares here."
Overall on Tuesday, 188 lots sold for 7,179,300gns. The average finished at 38,188gns and the median was 16,000gns.
