Half Sister to Chaldean Stars at Tattersalls Day 3

"Here's the star of the show, according to me anyway," said auctioneer Alastair Pim as the Kingman  half sister to Darley Dewhurst Stakes (G1) winner Chaldean  took to the Tattersalls stage shortly before 4:30pm on Day 3 of the December Foal Sale.

After a theatrical round of bidding Juddmonte revealed they were in complete agreement as the operation's general manager Simon Mockridge bid 1,000,000gns (US$1,269,991) to add the blue-blooded filly to the Abdullah family fold.

It was, of course, Juddmonte who bid 550,000gns ($771,324) to secure Chaldean at this sale two years ago before the son of Frankel  was sent into training with Andrew Balding, for whom he won the Tattersalls Acomb Stakes (G3), Coral Champagne Stakes (G2) and Dewhurst Stakes.

There was a palpable sense of anticipation as his half-sister strode purposefully between the acorns adorning the entrance to the Park Paddocks ring and an opening bid of 200,000gns ($253,998) suggested plenty among the crowd meant business.

The tension rose in line with the price right until Coolmore's Eddie Fitzpatrick momentarily obstructed Pim's view of a key protagonist, prompting the auctioneer to say, "Eddie, you're in my way!"

Mockridge was involved from early on, as was Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong Investments, sitting with adviser Michael Donohoe in the seats to Pim's left. At 825,000gns Pim turned to the audience and said, "Does anybody else want to join in? Don't be shy!", at which point David Redvers obliged with a waft of his iPad from the middle of the bidders' area.

However, when Redvers went to 950,000gns it was Mockridge, positioned at the back of the crowd against the back wall, that delivered the sole seven-figure bid with an authoritative nod of the head.

"It was always going to be expensive buying a filly like that, particularly when you've got a new group 1 winner on the page," said Mockridge after signing the ticket. "Chaldean is very exciting and we were delighted to buy him from Whitsbury Manor, the Harpers do a great job, and I'm very pleased for Ed and his team.

"The (Abdullah) family want to reinvest in new families and this is a very strong page. And with Chaldean on there, who knows what's going to happen next year, but she could be a very valuable filly going forward.

"Chaldean was a slightly smaller horse, she's bigger and has a great big backside on her and she looks faster. She's an exciting filly. Kingman has had such a good season with two group 1 winners and 14 individual group winners. He's going from strength to strength."

Chaldean and his seven-figure half sister were sold by Whitsbury Manor Stud and bred from the operation's budding blue hen Suelita, a daughter of Dutch Art  bought for just 21,500gns ($36,922) in 2013.

She has bred six winners by five different sires, with Chaldean joined by Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes (G2) winner Alkumait  and the listed-placed Get Ahead, both of whom are by Showcasing , Committed Stakes scorer The Broghie Man , by Cityscape , Mukhadram 's listed-placed son Gloves Lynch and winning Pivotal  mare Praised. The 13-year-old Suelita has generated Tattersalls receipts of 2,377,000gns ($3,018,768) for Whitsbury Manor.

"It's felt like a long time since the Dewhurst!" said Whitsbury's Ed Harper. "Thank goodness we had her entered in the sale as I don't think I could have hung on another year waiting to sell her. To get a big, round figure like that is fantastic and we really appreciate Juddmonte's support.

"They supported us by buying Chaldean and they've done it again. Hopefully she can repay that and be a bit of sport on the racetrack before going to Frankel in a couple of years time. She's a nailed on broodmare for Frankel, not just on pedigree but physique as well, but hopefully she wins a couple of group 1s before that happens. I'm very happy and have no regrets (about selling her)."

On the subject of Suelita, Harper added: "She was the last mare that Dad bought, which wasn't a bad way to finish off his buying career! She's in foal to Showcasing and might be heading to Frankel next year."

That purchase capped a 2,425,000gns ($3,079,728) spend by Juddmonte on the day, with the four-strong haul featuring two 500,000gns ($634,995) lots, including the Frankel filly out of dual listed scorer and Beverly D. Stakes (G1) runner-up Awesometank  from Heatherwold Stud.

The farm's bloodstock advisor Jeremy Brummitt said: "It's a bitter-sweet sale really because she's the final youngster to be sold from Heatherwold Stud under Mick Caddy's ownership—he's ceasing operations and has gone out with a bang!"

Explaining the backstory to the family, Brummitt continued: "I bought the granddam Janey Muddles, I remember seeing her win first time out at the Curragh, I think she was Lawman's first winner as a 2-year-old. She passed the whole field and was on the slowest of the ground.

"I never forgot her and when the owner came around to sell her she was carrying her second foal, which was an in-house covering to Intense Focus. I bought her here for 115,000gns ($188,962) in 2014. That foal became an absolutely lovely yearling, was named Awesometank—we bought her back at the sales and raced her.

"She took us to Canada and Chicago and was second in the Beverley D. and now she's breeding. She lives in a field with her dam and they're two of the happiest mares I have ever seen."

Juddmonte Land 'Very Popular' Lope de Vega Filly

Earlier in the session Mockridge had to see off a determined Philipp Stauffenberg when Langton Stud presented the Lope de Vega  filly out of Visionsport.com Oh So Sharp Stakes (G3) winner Poet's Vanity . After a lengthy discussion with his wife, Marion, Stauffenberg mustered a last bid of 480,000gns but was immediately bested by Mockridge, who delivered the winning play of 500,000gns from his position on the stairs by the bidders' area.

"I knew she was very popular, everybody liked her," said Mockridge. "She's a real athlete, a great walker with strength and depth who was well produced by Giles (Wates) and the team at Langton, so we thought we'd have to be strong on her.

"For us she's got an outcross pedigree, thinking of the longer term, and she's a beautiful filly so hopefully she can be a racehorse and then come back home. It's a beautiful pedigree so it's easy to see why we liked her. At the end of the day, she's got everything."

Poet's Vanity, who joined the Langton broodmare band through Blandford Bloodstock at 200,000gns ($321,678) in 2015, is a sibling to six winners, most notably Ballyogan Stakes (G3) scorer Lesson In Humility , who in turn bred the group 3-winning and Lexus Melbourne Cup (G1) runner-up Tiger Moth  and listed scorer and Norfolk Stakes (G2) second Coach House .

The result was a personal best for the Dorset-based Langton Stud, whose Giles Wates said: "I'm just about getting my breath back! It has been great but it's been quite stressful too. She was vetted 13 times so it's been one of those days! It's been a few years getting here but we've got there now, we're on our way and the team has done a great job."

He added: "It's a real compliment that Juddmonte have bought her and I hope now our farm is going the right way. We made a decision around 10 years ago to sell the stock as foals and it has been a good move."

Juddmonte were also among the thick of the action when going to 425,000gns ($539,746) for the Kingman half sister to Premio Lydia Tesio (G2) winner Angel Power , who was offered by Anita Wigan through James Read's Selwood Bloodstock.

"I'm delighted with that price, it's fantastic and I'm really pleased for Anita Wigan," said Read. "She's a beautiful filly and I'm delighted to get Anita such a great price. It's the best price we've had for around 10 years. The mare is not in foal but is going to Baaeed  next spring."