Four Yearlings Shared Top Price at Tattersalls Book 3

With one seasoned judge describing Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale as "the strongest sale I've been to in 10 years," Book 3 had a tough act to follow.

Nonetheless, trade proved lively from the off and by the close of proceedings Oct. 15, there was a four-way tie for top-lot honors as a quartet of yearlings boasted a 130,000 guineas (US $177,610) price tag.

Remarkably, the clearance rate improved on the result generated on this day in 2019, with 237 of 270 offered lots selling at a clip of 88%, up from 86% 12 months ago.

Other metrics largely held steady, with turnover of 5,092,700 guineas ($6,957,795.58) down 2%, albeit from a 3% smaller offering; the average was down 1% to 21,490 guineas ($29,357.79) and the median was identical at 16,000 guineas ($21,859).

Among the four 130,000 guineas lots was the Churchill filly out of Purple Glow consigned by Keith Harte who went the way of Joe Foley and Clipper Logistics. The filly is closely related to three winners, most notably the five-furlong listed scorer Main Desire, a daughter of High Chaparral who also raced for Clipper.

"We loved her," said Foley. "She looked full of speed with a lot of quality, so we were keen to buy her, as you can see from her price. We bought Main Desire (for €40,000) at Fairyhouse; she was very fast, too. She was second (choice) for the Queen Mary when she broke a cannon bone, but she had the character to come back from that and win the Langleys Solicitors British E.B.F. Marygate Stakes in her next start.

"The mare has bred very fast horses by High Chaparral, New Approach, and Mastercraftsman, so she's put a lot of speed into them. Churchill is the fastest sire she's been to."

Main Desire has since joined Clipper's broodmare band and has a "very nice" Frankel filly foal and is carrying to Churchill. "We love Main Desire. She's one of our favorites," said Foley.

The six-figure Churchill filly was bred by Max Ervine, who purchased the dam, a listed-placed daughter of Orientate from a deep U.S. family, for 160,000 guineas at the 2011 December Mares Sale.

"We bought Main Desire from Max cheaply, so it's good to give him a proper price for a change!" joked Foley after receiving thanks from Ervine. The delighted breeder also had an update on Purple Glow.

He said: "She's in foal to Magna Grecia. I bought her off Jim Bolger here in the December Sale when she was carrying to New Approach. I got my money back out of that New Approach foal (Magical Effect, bought by John Ferguson for 180,000 guineas), and it's gone on from there. She's a wee bit difficult to get her in foal, but I think we've got the measure of her now."

Goff Gets Involved Early

It took just 12 lots for the six-figure mark to be hit as Blandford Bloodstock's Tom Goff went to 130,000 guineas for the Mehmas filly out of Araajmh offered by Kitty Cowhey's Loughmore Stables. The half sister to the listed-placed All Star Cast is set to join Ed Dunlop's stable.

"I saw her in the pouring rain yesterday and again this morning, and she's an absolute star," said Goff. "Ed Dunlop rang me at 9:50 a.m. from Warren Hill and asked if there was anything early, and I said, yes there was. Things happen fast in Book 3! She's a lovely mover and I bought one by the same sire on Monday; he's an absolute revelation."

The transaction proved fruitful for Cowhey and Luke Barry of Manister House Stud after the pair had partnered on the filly at €11,000 ($12,181) when she was offered by Cloneymore Farm at last year's Goffs November Foal Sale.

"She was a lovely filly with strength and a big walk, and we've liked her from the day we bought her," said a delighted Cowhey. "Obviously, Mehmas has had a very successful year, which was a huge help. I actually have a mare in foal to Mehmas because I liked this filly so much."

Despite an understandable amount of market anxiety ahead of the October Yearling Sale, Cowhey said the filly's inherent quality had been a big source of encouragement.

"I was always confident that there'd be a twist in her," she said. "I didn't think she was going to make that sort of money, but I liked her a lot and I'm not gobsmacked that she made it. She's come here and behaved like a queen and all the right lads were on her, so I'm delighted.

"I hope she's lucky for her new owners. Book 2 has been very strong, which is amazing when you see what else is going on in the world. We have to be grateful we're here trading at all."

Holland Hits the Mark

The 130,000 guineas mark was hit for a second time a short while later when Brendan Holland of Grove Stud secured the Night of Thunder colt out of Dominike consigned by Hazelwood Bloodstock.

"He's a good type by a leading sire," said Holland, who confirmed the colt would be prepared for a tilt at next year's breeze-ups. "He's a lovely, clean-limbed horse, and he definitely would've matched up against the horses from Books 1 and 2. Fingers crossed, he's lucky."

Holland added: "I've bought 19 for next year's breeze-ups, so we're at our normal level. It was unbelievably strong trade at Book 2—no one could have predicted how strong it was. It was great to see as it gives everyone a bit of confidence, especially ahead of the foal sales as there was definitely a bit of concern about those. Hopefully it carries through into the breeze-ups, too."

The colt, out of an Italian-bred daughter of Duke of Marmalade, turned a tidy profit having been signed for by Troy Steve Bloodstock as a foal at 20,000 guineas ($37,157). Hazelwood's Adrian O'Brien noted the youngster had made giant strides since the foal sales but said the successful pinhook owed plenty to the draw of the sire.

"Let's face it, it's all about the stallion this year," said O'Brien. "He looks a fantastic sire. He's had a sensational year. We'd like to thank Night of Thunder! It's an amazing result, but he's grown beautifully from foal to yearling and the lads at home—Tom Hughes and the team—have done a huge job with him.

"We saw potential in the horse, and I bought him with a couple of friends as a fun horse. Trade for us has been steady (during the October Sale), but that caps it off."

Foundation Family to the Fore

A third lot fetched a final bid of 130,000 guineas when Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock snapped up a Farhh colt from Car Colston Hall Stud's famed Wiener Wald family.

The foundation mare, the second dam of this colt, has bred nine winners, including Racing Post Trophy (G1) hero Crowded House, listed scorer On Reflection, and Argent Du Bois, the dam of Brando and Sant Elena, herself the dam of Reckless Abandon and granddam of West End Girl. Erasmo, another son of Sant Elena, further enhanced by pedigree when winning the listed Prix Saraca for Andre Fabre on Sunday.

"It's a wonderful family, and Car Colston are great breeders. A stakes horse seems to pop up on that page every year," said Coleman. "He's been bought for a client of Anthony's and mine and will go into training in France.

"He's a big, lovely moving horse, and Farhh's statistics are fantastic. We were keen to get him, and hopefully he'll be a lovely staying prospect. He's a great first foal, and I thought there was a lot of Pivotal in him."

The colt is the first foal out of Fair Daughter, an unraced daughter of Wiener Wald and Nathaniel.

"He's the first foal out of Fair Daughter, who was the penultimate foal out of Wiener Wald," said Car Colston Hall stud manager Jonathon Smithers. "Wiener Wald has been phenomenal for us, and it's a pedigree that just keeps improving, especially with Erasmo winning a stakes race for Andre Fabre.

"I'm glad this colt made the kind of money he deserved. We had a difficult Book 1 and 2, but we're delighted with him and I hope he's lucky for his new owners."

Havana for Hassett

Having come up against stiff competition in Books 1 and 2, plenty of breeze-up consignors were on the hunt for ammunition for next year's 2-year-old sales. Among those who struck Thursday was the Bloodstock Connection's Johnny Hassett, who landed a Havana Gold colt offered by Hegarty Bloodstock for 55,000 guineas ($75,143).

"I loved him," said Hassett. "I've found it hard to get horses of that quality for the last three weeks. Not because they weren't there, but because I couldn't afford them—55,000 guineas wasn't buying you much in Book 2."

The colt, from the first of Havana Gold's more expensively bred crops, is out of Cape Cay, a daughter of Cape Cross from the family of Balisada and Poet's Word. The youngster was pinhooked through Stroud Coleman for 19,000 guineas ($25,666) at last year's foal sale.

Book 3 continues Friday at 10 a.m.