Frankel Colt out of Simple Verse Tops Tattersalls Trade

High Street and online retailers may have dropped their prices to tempt Black Friday bargain hunters, but after a surge of big spenders descended on Tattersalls, the market at the Nov. 29 session of the December Foal Sale went markedly in the opposite direction.

Rare offerings were plentiful during the headline chapter of the four-day sale, and none proved more in demand than the Frankel colt out of two-time group 1 winner Simple Verse, who was offered by Tweenhills Farm and Stud.

As the regally bred youngster made his way around the ring, Longview Stud's Eugene Daly and John Gunther, standing on the rope with his daughter Tanya, traded six-figure bids at a packed Park Paddocks auditorium.

At the 600,000 guineas (US$813,389) mark, the gavel came down in favor of Gunther. After signing the session-topping docket, the U.S. Triple Crown-winning breeder revealed he had been acting on behalf of Tweenhills' David Redvers. The colt was bred by a partnership including Sheikh Fahad, and Redvers explained that the Qatar Racing chairman had bought out his fellow breeders.

"John was very kindly bidding on behalf of me as Sheikh Fahad wanted to buy out his brother," Redvers said. "Obviously, as the horse was being sold through Tweenhills, I couldn't be seen to be bidding myself, but John stepped in and did me a favor.

"Sheikh Fahad owns the mare in partnership with his brother, Sheikh Suhaim, and a chap called Mohammed Al Kubaisi. They didn't really want to keep Simple Verse to breed from her, but Sheikh Fahad talked them into it on the understanding that they sold the foals—that's why the foal is here."

Simple Verse joined the Qatar Racing fold having been bought by Redvers for €240,000 ($325,872) as a yearling. Under the ownership of the partners, the daughter of Duke of Marmalade landed the Ladbrokes St. Leger (G1) and QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1) during a fruitful 3-year-old campaign.

"She was our first domestic classic winner and she won on Champions Day, which was very special for the Al Thani family as they sponsor the event," Redvers said. "She's just a wonderful mare to be around. She's in foal to Roaring Lion. She looks amazing, and that's one of our most eagerly awaited foals."

Redvers also revealed that the sheikh hadn't stated his interest in buying the colt until the hours before the sale, having spent the week with his newly born daughter Najla, who arrived Wednesday.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if Sheikh Fahad was planning on buying the partners out until he came to see the foal here this evening," he said. "He's just had a baby girl, so he's run away from his daughter and wife for the first time to see this colt!"

Woodford Goes International

Buyers from the U.S. made a sizable impression on the market during the October Yearling Sale, and that trend continued Friday as the Florida-based Woodford Thoroughbreds went on a spending spree.

Topping the lengthy list of purchases was the Invincible Spirit filly out of Liscune offered by Bryanstown House Stud. John Sykes and Lincoln Collins weren't alone in their pursuit of the sister to group winners Music Box and Ektihaam, as they were forced as far as 440,000 guineas ($596,485) to see off Camas Park Stud's Tim Hyde.

"I don't know whether she'll come back to the sales or not," Collins said. "But with a filly like that, you have more options. She was expensive, but we really like her and she's got a pedigree we really like, too—she has the sort of pedigree we'd like in our broodmare band, so we have that option." 

Collins and Sykes also went to 400,000 guineas ($596,485) for the Sea The Stars filly out of Amazone offered by Castletown Stud. The filly boasted a major pedigree update. Her dam is a sibling to the dam of Alson, winner of the Criterium International (G1) since the publication of the catalog.

Earlier in the session, Woodford Thoroughbreds went to 230,000 guineas ($311,799) for the Lope de Vega colt out of Freedom March consigned by Ballyreddin and Kellsgrange Studs.

"He'll go to Mount Coote for now, and then he'll probably be reoffered next year, either here or in America," Collins said. "The sire is popular with Americans. Obviously, Chad Brown has done well with his progeny. He's a lovely horse. Needless to say, it was more than we wanted to pay, but I think all the big pinhookers were on him, and we've just managed to outlast them.

"As for Woodford Thoroughbreds, our operations have mostly been confined to the U.S.—with the exception of buying a few here—but Mr. Sykes and myself are very keen on international diversification."

Kingman Reigns

Also taking an international approach was Gestut Etzean, and the German farm was rewarded for bringing its Kingman colt out of Monami (GER) to Tattersalls when Mick Flanagan struck a winning bid of 340,000 guineas ($460,921) on behalf of Baroda Stud.

The colt is not the first progeny of the group 2-winning Monami to make a splash in the sales ring. Her Sea The Stars filly Miss Yoda, a dual winner for John Gosden, topped the 2018 Baden-Baden September Yearling Sale at €280,000 ($326,760) when bought by Westerberg through Blandford Bloodstock.

Baroda's David Cox will be hoping further sales ring success awaits. He indicated the colt would be reoffered at next year's yearling sales. He said: "The colt's dam was a very good racehorse, and his half sister, Miss Yoda, looks as though she's coming good—she could still be anything. We've had some luck with Kingman before, too, as we sold his son Roseman to Roger Varian for €650,000."

Godolphin in 'Dream' Land

Anthony Stroud was active on a host of the day's bigger lots and emerged victorious on the Oasis Dream colt out of Besotted offered by Knocktoran Stud after a bid of 320,000 guineas ($433,808) was struck on behalf of Godolphin.

The colt boasts a page full of black type, the majority of which can be found under the third dam, Mill Princess, dam of Last Tycoon and ancestress of major talents such as Immortal Verse, Sense of Style, and group 1-winning siblings Hydrangea and Hermosa.

Despite the colt's blue-blooded pedigree, Knocktoran's Brendan Hayes said the price surpassed all expectations. He said: "It was way beyond what we expected. We thought he might make 150,000 guineas on a good day."

Knocktoran raced the dam, whose career included victory at the listed level. Hayes added: "We bred and raced Besotted. She was quite good, and it's a family we know very well. We bred almost all the horses on the page. Knowing the family is such a big advantage.

"We had Mill Princess. She was bought from Moyglare and bred Last Tycoon and Astronef. We sold some of her daughters. Coolmore got Beauty Is Truth. It's a fantastic family that just keeps coming up with group 1 winners. It's a family that's had group 1 winners over six furlongs and a mile and a half."

Hayes has kept to a tried and tested route with Besotted's 2019 covering, having gone to Cheveley Park Stud stalwart Pivotal.

"Besotted is in foal to Pivotal and carrying a filly and is visiting Siyouni next year," he said. "Having her in foal to Pivotal is very pleasing as he's done so well with this family; Immortal Verse is by Pivotal, so are Go Lovely Rose and Beauty Is Truth. And, of course, he's a brilliant broodmare sire."

The December Foal Sale concludes Saturday with a session starting at 10am.