Wuqood Tops Tattersalls February Sale on Final Day

The Shadwell draft again came to the fore on the second and final day of the Tattersalls February Sale Feb. 4, with the group-placed Dubawi  colt Wuqood  making the sole successful six-figure sum when selling to Saud Al Qahtani on behalf of Najd Stud for 170,000 guineas (US$240,356). 

It was not the first time Najd Stud has made the headlines at Park Paddocks, having been a prominent spender at last year's Autumn Horses in Training Sale, including when buying the 700,000 guineas ($1,011,721) sale-topper Grocer Jack and the 400,000 guineas ($578,102) Juddmonte-consigned Boltaway. 

This colt's 2-year-old Sea The Stars  half brother had sold to Tally-Ho Stud the previous day and the 4-year-old is now set for a flight over to Saudi Arabia to continue racing.  

Al Qahtani, on behalf of the stud, said: "I think this horse has a small issue with his wind but we think, inshallah, he might improve on the dirt and also with castration. He'll be trained by Abdullah Mishref Al-Kahtani."

Wuqood won on his debut for Dermot Weld and Hamdan Al Maktoum at 2, and finished a close second in the Eyrefield Stakes (G3) that October. He was listed-placed last autumn when second in the Manguard Plu Trigo Stakes at Leopardstown.  

He is out of the Moyglare Jewels Blandford Stakes (G2)-winning Teofilo mare Tarfasha, who was also second in the Investec Oaks (G1) to the great Taghrooda. She is the dam of the listed-winning Sea The Stars colt Rakan, as well as being a half-sibling to Artemis Goodwood Cup (G2) winner and Ascot Gold Cup (G1) third Saddler's Rock  plus the listed winner Allexina, and is a close relation to Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1) second Galileo Rock. 

Another lot, the unbeaten White Marlin, a supplemented Mastercraftsman  half brother to Derrinstown Stud Flying Five (G1) winner Romantic Proposal , had reached 145,000 guineas ($204,933) earlier on but was ultimately bought back. 

Boughey at the Double

Also from the popular Shadwell draft, the Barton Sales-consigned Lahiq was one of two purchases who will now be heading to the yard of George Boughey. 

Having gone to 26,000 guineas ($36,757) for the previous lot, the unraced Kodiac  gelding Ensaat, a relation of top-class sprinter Kingsgate Native and Jebel Hatta Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) third First Contact, the trainer went to 40,000 guineas ($56,533) for Lahiq, a 3-year-old Quality Road   colt out of the listed-winning Sea The Stars mare Beauly. 

Boughey said of the pair: "They've been bought on spec. We've had some success from the last couple of Shadwell drafts, while we're looking to buy some nice 3-year-old types as we had lots of 2-year-old types last year.

"They're some nice pedigrees to get into. They're different types of horses to the ones we have, they might get a bit further and they're blank canvases really. The Kodiac is a half brother to Hype, who was better at 3 and was rated 90, while he's also out of a Galileo mare."

There was plenty to like about Lahiq, who was picked up by Shadwell for $400,000 as a weanling from the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale when offered by Hunter Valley Farm. The 3-year-old is a grandson of American grade 3 winner Pickle and from a family that includes Gale Force Ten.

Boughey added: "The Quality Road colt is a big, scopey horse who I can imagine never did a huge amount at 2 and he's probably going to come into himself only in the summer."

Sydney on His Travels Stateside

The progressive Sydney Street is set to continue his career in the United States after selling to Conall Meegan of Beechmore Bloodstock on behalf of Shawn Dugan for 85,000 guineas ($120,133).

Bred by New England Stud and bought back by the vendor at Tattersalls Book 1, the son of Dark Angel  has a pedigree to go with his talent. His immediate family page received a boost with the success of the Gredleys' She Do  in last season's Dubai British E.B.F. Boadicea Stakes at Newmarket.

The 3-year-old is a dual winner himself, landing his first success for Hugo Palmer and Chelsea Thoroughbreds in a Kempton handicap in December before doubling his tally over course and distance last month.

Meegan said: "He goes to California and looks ready made for racing there. He was my pick of the sale and let's hope it works out. He has a great demeanor, has plenty of size, is clean limbed, and we have watched his form and liked what we saw. Hopefully he'll be up to stakes class right away."

Sydney Street is out of the winning Lawman mare Minnaloushe, a daughter of French listed winner Traou Mad and a half sister to Roscoff, the dam of Bet365 Lancashire Oaks (G2) winner Manuela de Vega , champion Italian colt Hero Look, and Matchbook VIP/British E.B.F. Daisy Warwick Stakes winner Isabel de Urbina . Under the third dam, the stakes-winning French One Thousand Guineas (G1) second Pont-Aven, is dual group 2 winner and Prix de l'Abbaye Longchamp (G1) third Sainte Marine. 

Statement 

Overall, 158 lots sold for turnover of 2,736,300 guineas ($3,867,594), an average of 17,318 guineas ($24,474), and a median of 11,000 guineas ($15,550). 

Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said: "It is good to have made a positive start to 2022. Last year's Tattersalls February Sale was conducted under particularly trying circumstances, so significant increases in all the key indicators were to be expected, but nevertheless for this year's February Sale to produce a record median, turnover and average bettered only once, and a clearance rate of 85%, is a clear indication of a robust market.

"The quality consignments from Godolphin and Shadwell have again drawn widespread international participation and it is a tribute to the enduring appeal of stock from these two outstanding operations that all of the top 10 highest prices at the sale were owned or bred by either Shadwell or Godolphin."

He continued: "The obvious highlight of the past two days was the 175,000 guineas ($248,985) Shadwell-bred Night of Thunder  yearling out of Elshaadin, who was the second highest-priced yearling ever sold at the February Sale, but as is so often the case at Tattersalls sales of this nature, the remarkable diversity of the buyers has been the outstanding feature. 

"Buyers from throughout Europe, the Gulf region, and further afield have all made a significant contribution, either in person or bidding online, and the domestic demand has also been a source of encouragement for the wider industry as we look forward to a year of trading hopefully largely unencumbered by the challenges which we have all endured over the past two years."