I'm A Gambler Tops Day 2 of Tattersalls Autumn Sale

A bidding battle that was in danger of going on all night eventually concluded with recent listed winner I'm A Gambler  (Lot 767) topping day two of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training at 850,000gns ($1,009,185).

Olly Tait, representing Wathnan Racing, was involved in driving the price skyward, as was Tattersalls' Jason Singh, who was taking instructions on the phone.

But matters boiled down to an arm wrestle between Tim Cohen of Californian operation Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal and Saud Al Qahtani, bidding on behalf of Saudi Arabian outfit Najd Stud.

Al Qahtani entered late in the fray, and when Cohen retaliated with a bid of 800,000gns ($949,822), young auctioneer Freddie McKibbin handled the situation with all the aplomb of a seasoned pro as he turned to the Najd Stud man and said: "You didn't expect to get him on one bid, did you?"

Al Qahtani duly bid another 25,000gns ($29,681), but when Cohen responded in kind there was no further response, and the gavel came down at 850,000gns.

The 3-year-old son of No Nay Never  raced 24 times for Charlie and Mark Johnston for nine successes, the most recent of which came this month when he landed the listed Guisborough Stakes by a length. That was his second consecutive victory following a gutsy win in the Sovereign Path Handicap at Leopardstown, for which he was awarded a career-high Racing Post Rating of 113.

"It's hard to find a solid 3-year-old, and obviously he's one of the highest-rated horses in the sale," said Cohen after signing the docket. "Physically, he's beautiful, too. I certainly didn't want to go that far but I also didn't come this far not to do something worthwhile!

"There's a few 3-year-old stakes left in California, he's had quite a few races recently, so we'll finish the year and then he'll get a little break. He's a quality individual, he's proved that, so if we can maintain his form, or maybe even enhance it, then that would be great. He doesn't have much left to prove to me, though."

When asked about his perspective on the mammoth bidding marathon, Cohen added: "The adrenaline goes, but you have to be rational about it, too. He was the best horse in the sale for us, though, so we had to reach."

I'm A Gambler boasts a deep pedigree to back up his progressive race record. He is the second foal out of the listed-winning We Are Ninety, who in turn is out of a Sadler's Wells sister to group 1-winning 2-year-olds Listen and Sequoyah, the latter of whom also bred Henrythenavigator.

The 3-year-old was a typically savvy purchase by the Johnston team. He was secured from the Goffs Orby Sale at just £47,000 ($46,307), having been pinhooked by Lynn Lodge Stud as a €72,000 ($70,938) foal.

"It was quite some theater, because bidders that seemed to drop out of the running suddenly came back for more," said a slightly stunned Charlie Johnston. "It just showed what high demand he was in. He's a phenomenal physical, a beautiful horse, and he's had no issues all the way through his career. He's been an easy horse to train as he's very sound and very tough and he's really taken off in the last four or five months. It's a phenomenal result.

"Watching trade I thought he was going to make four hundred [thousand guineas], maybe half a million on a good day, so the end result is quite fantastic. We bought him at the Goffs Orby when it was at Doncaster during Covid from Eddie O'Leary at Lynn Lodge."

The joint trainer added: "Normally, you wouldn't sell good horses like that, but the reality is, I spoke to John Brown (co-owner with Megan Dennis) a few weeks ago and his dream campaign for next year would involve winning the Lennox Stakes. Well, the horse has just earned five, six, or maybe even seven times the prize money of that race for selling the horse. It leaves a huge hole in our yard to sell a 110-rated horse, but economically it was a logical decision for the owner."