Newmarket Sale Enforces Strict COVID-19 Protocols

Britain staged its first socially distanced breeze-up in Newmarket June 22 as around 150 2-year-olds were put through their paces ahead of the combined Tattersalls Craven and Tattersalls Ascot Breeze-Up Sales, which begin in earnest June 25 at 11 a.m.

Despite an easing of lockdown measures across Britain, with some shops reopening and people now allowed to meet in groups of six in outdoor spaces, Tattersalls implemented strict protocols to allow the breeze to be conducted in as safe a manner as possible.

Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock was among the agents in attendance on the Rowley Mile, and said of his experience: "I had my temperature taken at the entrance to the sales ground, the entrance to the racecourse and again when I got back to Tattersalls.

"I've never had my temperature taken so many times. Tattersalls have put in very strict protocols, and rightly so."

Bloodstock industry professionals are generally a tight-knit bunch, but Brown reported that the social distancing measures were being adhered to, with buyers and sellers alike acutely aware of how fortunate they are that sales are going ahead at all.

"There's social distancing measures everywhere and from what I could see everyone was taking it very seriously," he said.

"At one stage it looked like a very real possibility that there wouldn't be breeze-up sales, so to be here and having them happening is great. We get this chance now and everybody understands that they've got to be very responsible."

Those sentiments were echoed by leading consignor Brendan Holland of Grove Stud, who is set to offer three lots at this year's Craven Sale.

He said: "It's a huge relief that the sales are on. At the start of lockdown I don't think we realized how bad it was going to get, no one did, but once we got into it it was horrendous. It's been an extremely anxious time for everybody."

Although those within the breeze-up sector have endured a tough time of it during a sales season ravaged by uncertainty, Holland stressed that he and his fellow vendors had not lost sight of the bigger picture during a global health crisis.

"There's no doubt it's going to cost us money but it'll be tough on a lot of people, and not just financially," he said reflecting on the last three months of disruption.

"We were lucky that it was easy for us to self-isolate on our farms, and we were in a healthier situation than a lot of people in Britain and Ireland.

"We were thankful for that and appreciated our rural life more than ever before. As far as I know, we've all come through this healthy, and at the end of the day that's the main thing."

Holland added that the increased safety protocols had not presented any issues for vendors, either in terms of showing horses or accessing the Park Paddocks site.

He said: "You have to be on the pre-authorized list to come in, but that's not a big deal because it's being run efficiently and is well organized so there's no aggravation.

"It's a very big complex here so it's very easy to maintain social distancing. That was never going to be an issue with viewing horses."

While some semblance of normality has resumed in Newmarket, what impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on the bloodstock market remains to be seen.

Brown, whose past breeze-up buys include group 1 winners Dream Ahead and Teppal, offered a pragmatic prediction as to the state of trade at the Craven and Ascot sales, but highlighted the ongoing success of breeze-up graduates as a reason to be optimistic.

He said: "It's highly unlikely the market will be up, I don't think anyone is expecting that. I think the top will be relatively unaffected but that we might see very polarized trade.

But trying to predict bloodstock markets is notoriously difficult; they've been amazingly resilient over time.

"And we're not dealing with a huge number of horses this year and the breeze-ups have been extremely successful over the last three years."

Holland said the buying bench already on the sales ground was a source of hope rather than confidence, and added that he would be taking a watching brief as to how that translated into prices in the ring.

He said: "I've never had less expectations because I've never had less of a handle on what trade is going to be like.

"There are people here looking and with orders to fill so there will be trade, I'm just not sure at what level.

"We're just glad and grateful that the sale is taking place and we hope it comes to a successful conclusion."

Among the Grove Stud lots who breezed on Monday was the second-most expensive pinhook in the catalog, a 310,000 guineas (US$410,180) colt by sire of the moment Kodiac (Lot 53). His pedigree received a notable boost on Sunday when his half brother, High Accolade, took his record to two-from-two with a comfortable success at Redcar.

"It's always a relief as much as anything when your breeze goes without a hitch," said Holland. "That's a hard part of the equation out of the way now, and I was very pleased with the Kodiac's breeze.

"Sometimes there's luck involved. What Kodiac did on Saturday was great and then this colt's half brother won on Sunday, too. The delay to the sales certainly hasn't been to his disadvantage."

The draft also includes an Invincible Spirit brother to Jaguar Cars Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) heroine Rosdhu Queen (Lot 49), who was sold by Grove Stud at the 2012 Craven Sale, and a War Front  filly out of the Galileo mare Tell Me Now pinhooked for $175,000 (Lot 132).

The way in which breezes would be timed at a socially distanced sale had been the subject of much debate, but Brown reported that it was business as usual on that front, with individual operations permitted to set up their own equipment.

"We got there an hour earlier than normal to set up the timing equipment but it was all very normal after that, apart from the two sales being amalgamated," he said.

"Everybody who normally has timing gear was there again, it was very much business as normal, though people were being very respectful of social distancing and there was never more than one person about one bit of kit at any one time."