Archipenko Colt Tops Tattersalls Book 2 Second Session

Mick Kinane's purchase of a well-related son of Archipenko (Lot 910) for 425,000 guineas (US$562,343) on behalf of the Hong Kong Jockey Club proved the high point of a solid second session of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket Oct. 15.

Prices may not have threatened Monday's record-breaking high, when Shadwell secured a 1.05 million guineas ($1,392,683) Dark Angel filly, but six-figure bids continued to come thick and fast.

The session finished with a clearance rate of 86%, with 207 of 240 offered lots finding a buyer. 

The colt signed for by Kinane held obvious appeal for the Hong Kong market, as he is a full brother to Archie McKellar, who landed the Premier Cup (G3) at Sha Tin earlier this year.

Moreover, the progeny of Archipenko have found a real niche in Hong Kong, thanks in no small part to Hong Kong Cup-winning siblings Time Warp and Glorious Forever, both of whom are by the late Lanwades Stud sire.

"He's a beautiful model and he works for us in Hong Kong," said Kinane. "I had plenty of company in the ring but the horse sold himself. The stallion goes really well there—and somebody said this colt is a better model than his dad."

The iconic rider then added arguably the ultimate compliment, saying: "I'd like to be able to ride him myself!"

The colt may now be bound for Hong Kong, but he was bred just 10 miles from Tattersalls by Strawberry Fields Stud, which has been owned for the last 10 years by Gary Robinson, who was among those in the Park Paddocks ring when the well-related youngster came under the hammer.

"We thought he'd make between two or three (hundred thousand)—we'd have been delighted with anything above 300,000 guineas so we're thrilled with this," said stud manager Stuart Millar. "We've liked him for a long time. Jodie Allen has done all the hard work with the horse, so she deserves the credit.

"The owners have loved Archipenko for a long time and have used him a number of times."

The six-figure colt is out of the Green Desert mare Desert Berry, who has a Nathaniel colt foal and is in foal to Al Kazeem. Millar went on to explain that the stud not only breeds session-toppers, but also maintains a string of horses-in-training.

"Anything that doesn't reach our valuation, we'll race ourselves," he said. "We try to keep the fillies and have horses with a few different trainers: Rae Guest, Sir Mark Prescott, Charlie Wallis, Chris Wall, and John Oxx over in Ireland too."

Kinane was back in action later in the day when going to 300,000 guineas ($396,948) for the Acclamation colt (Lot 975) out of Folk Melody offered by Corduff Stud.

Gordon-Watson Gets in Early

Kinane was the second buyer to strike a winning bid of 425,000 guineas ($562,343) on the day, after Charlie Gordon-Watson was fast out of the blocks and landed the very first lot into the ring, a Night of Thunder filly (Lot 817) consigned by Longview Stud, for the same price.

Pinhooked by Brysheil Stud for €77,000 ($88,204), the filly is out of Blanche Neige, a Halling full sister to group 2 winner Harland and half sister to the group 1-placed Musis Amica.

"She's for a new UK-based project," said Gordon-Watson after outbidding Angus Gold. "She's a very nice type with a good back pedigree and by a stallion who is doing well. It's all there."

Craven Dreams for Holland's Kodiac

Brendan Holland has proved himself a past master when it comes to selling future talent at the breeze-up sales, and if his reaction to securing a striking son of Kodiac (Lot 1041) for 310,000 guineas ($410,180) is anything to go by, he may well have just found Grove Stud's next group 1-winning graduate.

"I love him, just love him, he's as good a physical as you'll see, never mind just by Kodiac," he enthused. "Fingers crossed he can run but the mare's thrown two winners by lesser stallions than Kodiac and he's just a fantastic physical.

"He was my pick of the three days; he moved great, looked great, and vetted great."

Out of the Pivotal mare Honeymead, the colt is a half brother to two winners, including this year's juvenile scorer High Accolade. The transaction also continued a good week for James Hanly's Ballyhimikin Stud, who 24 hours earlier broke the Book 2 record when selling a Dark Angel filly to Shadwell for 1.05 million guineas.

"He comes from a great farm too, James is a great breeder and I love buying off good breeders," continued Holland, before revealing his punchy pinhook would indeed now go through his breeze-up program. "The plan is he'll come back to the Craven next year."

While many will think 310,000 guineas represents a huge risk, Holland spoke candidly about his intuitive approach to spending such a sum with a view to resale.

"There's no big plan, you can only buy what you like and pay what you feel is right," he said. "We've had a great run with our horses on the track lately and I hope it continues. People expect you to line-up nice horses so year in, year out we've tried hard to get better stock.

"It's an enormous amount of money but to me, right now, it makes sense. I hope when I wake up in the morning it still makes sense! If a horse like that wins a maiden on a Saturday, believe me, 310,000 guineas won't buy him. It won't come near."

New Bay Colt to Beckhampton

The debut crop of yearlings by Ballylinch Stud's New Bay, the Prix du Jockey Club (G1)-winning son of Dubawi, received a big vote of confidence from Roger Charlton, who went to 300,000 guineas ($396,948) through Amanda Skiffington for a colt (Lot 999) offered by Aughamore Stud.

The colt, who was pinhooked by Hamish Macauley and Aughamore at 80,000 guineas ($107,722) guineas, boasts a sublime back pedigree, sharing his page with the likes of Enable, Flintshire , and the Charlton-trained Headman.

"He's very Dubawi," said Charlton. "I thought he was extremely active and attractive, and naturally I like his page, which includes a lot of good Juddmonte horses like Enable and Headman.

"He's been bought for a partnership of Beckhampton owners and Ballylinch Stud."

The sale marked a personal best for young consignors Michael and Laurence Gleeson of the Mullingar-based Aughamore Stud.

"We were trying to get a more commercial type of foal here last year but kept getting beaten, so we decided to go up a grade and came across him," explained Michael Gleeson.

"He was the best of the New Bays and has a great walk. You have Enable in the family and also the half-sister, Huboor, was with Mark Johnston. We blew our budget at 80,000 guineas, before then 30,000 guineas was the most we'd ever paid for a foal."

A Marnane Family Affair

Another first-crop sire to enjoy a big result was Prince of Lir, as Alastair Donald went to 260,000 guineas ($344,022) for the three-parts brother (Lot 974) to Fox Champion. The transaction also gave the Marnane family plenty of cause for celebration, with breeze-up doyen Con Marnane having bred the six-figure yearling and his daughter, Amy, tasked with consigning duties at Tattersalls.

Prince of Lir topped the 2016 Doncaster breeze-up sale when sold by Con Marnane to the Cool Silk Partnership for £170,000 ($244,783), before the son of Kodiac went on to land the Norfolk Stakes (G2). He now resides at Joe Foley's Ballyhane Stud.

"This horse is nearly more closely related to Con than I am!" joked Amy Marnane after Donald had signed the docket. "He's by Prince of Lir, who we breezed, we raced the mare, bred Fox Champion, and also breezed Dandy Boy, who won the Wokingham and is below the second dam.

"I'm absolutely delighted and we wish Alastair and the new owners the best luck with him."

The colt is out of Folegandros Island, a daughter of Red Rocks who was placed twice in France for Matthieu Palussiere. Marnane added that the promising young producer is due to be represented by another exciting prospect later in the year.

"The mare is big and strong and extremely good-looking and this colt is very like Fox Champion," she said.

"The mare has a very nice Cotai Glory colt, who's coming here in December, he's a very special foal. We didn't cover the mare this year but she's going back to Kodiac to breed a full-sibling to Fox Champion."

Total receipts for the day came to 17,230,500 guineas ($22,798,697), up 3% over last year's figures. The average was up 6% to 83,239 guineas ($110,139) and the median was up 13% to 65,000 guineas ($86,005). 

Book 2 concludes Oct. 16 with the session beginning at 10 a.m. local time.