Archangel Gabriel Tops Day 1 at 800,000gns at Tatts

It was one of those nights at Tattersalls Nov. 28 as the opening session of the highly anticipated December Mare Sale drew a heaving crowd and a slew of significant prices.

It was standing room only inside the Park Paddocks auditorium shortly before 7 p.m. as the elite fillies and broodmares from the inaugural Sceptre Session graced the stage, and the biggest bid of the day came from Hunscote Stud manager Andy Lloyd who went to 800,000gns (US$1,015,148) for the proven producer Archangel Gabriel .

The Norris Bloodstock-consigned mare (Lot 1622), who was offered to dissolve a partnership between Hunscote Stud and Humber Bloodstock, has bred two winners, including the 2021 Newmarket Pony Academy Pride Stakes (G3) scorer Ville de Grace , who will be offered Nov. 29 as Lot 1893.

Although the 9-year-old Archangel Gabriel did not make the track, she is an Arch sister to Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap (G1) winner of 2005, Prince Arch. Her yearlings have generated 795,000gns ($1,008,804) in Tattersalls receipts and she was offered in foal to St Mark's Basilica .

"We were one of the partners, so obviously, we were paying 50p in the pound," said Lloyd. "She's a gorgeous mare, you don't get many chances and we had one. I think she's a decent buy for us on what she's bred. She has got a good cover and the family is very active, so we're very lucky to keep her.

"Her progeny have made six figures multiple times, so we will see what the St Mark's Basilica foal brings in March. We have no plans as yet for the spring; you don't make plans unless you've got something, and now that we have got her, we can make a plan."

Southcourt Dispersal Takes Center Stage

Buyers queued up to secure a piece of the partial dispersal from the late Sir Evelyn de Rothschild's Southcourt Stud, and the leading light from the draft, which was offered through New England Stud, was Crystal Zvezda  (Lot 1618), who drew a bid of 775,000gns ($983,425) from Stroud Coleman Bloodstock.

The 10-year-old daughter of Dubawi  was a classy performer on the track, winning twice, including a Newbury listed event. She has got her second career off to a promising start too, as she has bred two winners from as many runners. Her second foal, the Frankel  filly Crystal Caprice , added further black type to a pedigree packed with stakes form when third to Zanbaq  in a listed contest at Newbury. Crystal Caprice is another to be offered at Tattersalls on Tuesday, as Lot 1895.

"She's a beautiful mare from a very good breeder," said Anthony Stroud. "Crystal Caprice is very highly regarded—you will see her tomorrow. This mare has been bought for a long-established client who's looking for some very good mares and she stays in England.

"It's a fine pedigree developed by Sir Evelyn, but it also shows what Sir Michael Stoute has done for the family and the pedigree, too. He's produced all these horses with his patient approach."

Crystal Zvezda was preceded into the bustling ring by her dam's half sister to Waila  (Lot 1617), who was knocked down to BBA Ireland's Adrian Nicoll at 550,000gns ($697,915). The 12-year-old daughter of Notnowcato , offered in foal to Pinatubo, landed the Newsells ParkStud Aphrodite Stakes during her time on the track and is a half sister to Crystal Star , dam of the brilliant Crystal Ocean  and his grade 1-winning sibling Hillstar .

Another piece of the family, Waila's Sea The Stars  filly foal, sold to Johnny McKeever and Ballyhimikin Stud for 400,000gns ($508,790) just three days earlier, while her promising 2-year-old daughter Infinite Cosmos (Lot 1954) is set to come under the hammer on day two of the December Mares Sale.

"She's a lovely-looking mare and she's a stakes winner so I'm very happy," said Nicoll. "She's going to Ireland for a partnership. We've not decided what we're going to do yet with regard to next year's stallion, but she's a lovely mare and a great reflection of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild's breeding program. She's one of the picks of the day."

New England Stud's Peter Stanley reflected on the evening's offerings by saying: "They're lovely, lovely mares from Southcourt. I'm so sad that these lovely ladies are leaving us. They're gorgeous mares; each one is a queen. It's not often that you see such a beautiful group of mares together, each one athletic, every one with depth and substance and bone, just gorgeous.

"I think the testament was the four foals who sold so well last week. They showed the type of horses that they were breeding. You can't complain about the prices, but it's terribly sad when things come to an end."

The same draft was also responsible for Crystal Starlet (Lot 1634), a winning daughter of Frankel and Crystal Zvezda in foal to Palace Pier . Sam Haggas's Hurworth Bloodstock signed the ticket at 425,000gns ($539,298).

Innevera Heading To Newsells Park

The second lot of the Sceptre Session was the Fittocks Stud-consigned Innevera (Lot 1612), who brought a final bid of 750,000gns ($951,702) from agent Jill Lamb, standing with Newsells Park Stud's owner Graham Smith-Bernal.

The 8-year-old daughter of Motivator  won twice in France and is already the dam of Ottoman Fleet , the son of Sea The Stars whose record includes victories in the Denbury Homes Fairway and National Stud Welcomes Stradivarius James Seymour Stakes. The mare was offered in foal to the exciting Zarak , who will stand the 2023 covering season at a career-high fee of €60,000 ($62,340) at Haras de Bonneval.

"We're really pleased to get her as we were targeting her," said Lamb after signing the docket. "She ticks every box; she's a lovely individual, she's bred a stakes winner with her first foal, who's very highly rated, and I loved her Le Havre  yearling (filly, bought by David Redvers for 350,000gns ($416,346) at Book 1), she's a beauty and I think she's going to Ralph Beckett, so she's in safe hands.

"I like the cover too, as we have a mare in foal to Zarak. We don't have a mating plan in mind at the moment, but that's the nice thing about her, she's a nice outcross so you can go almost anywhere. We're delighted."

The very next lot into the ring brought 300,000gns ($380,681) as Hillwood Stud's Charlie Vigors landed Achelois , who was offered by Andrew Balding's Park House Stables on behalf of Thurloe Thoroughbreds as Lot 1613. The owners are donating 20% of her sale price to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. The 4-year-old daughter of Zoffany  won four races during her time in training, including this year's British Stallion Studs E.B.F. Lyric Fillies' Stakes at York.

"She'll come home to be a broodmare for an existing client," said Vigors. "We'll need to work out a covering plan later on."

It was not just the bloodstock that had the auditorium transfixed, as a maquette of the late Queen Elizabeth II with a mare and foal, 60-cm scaled-down version of the statue that stands at the entrance to Newmarket's Rowley Mile racecourse, was knocked down to Jamie McCalmont at 165,000gns ($209,374) ahead of the first Sceptre Session offering.

Proceeds from the sale of the piece, which was made by renowned sculptors Etienne Millner and Charlie Langton, are being donated to the National Horse Racing Museum.

BBA Ireland Buying Spree Continues

There were plenty of six-figure transactions throughout the day and for a large chunk of the session the market was topped by the Godolphin-consigned Violante (Lot 1535), who was signed for BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe at 330,000gns ($418,749).

The 14-year-old daughter of Kingmambo has bred two winners, most notably the 2019 Prix Messidor (G3) scorer Impulsif , and is out of Allez Les Trois, making her a sibling to Prix du Jockey Club (G1) hero Anabaa Blue and to the dam of Tamayuz . Allez Les Trois is, of course, a half sister to the great matriarch Urban Sea, meaning her influential sons Galileo and Sea The Stars appear back in the pedigree.

Violante is set to be among the high-quality book of mares being assembled to support Yulong Investments' Lucky Vega  in his second season on duty at the Irish National Stud.

"She's for Lucky Vega," confirmed Donohoe. "They don't make Kingmambo mares any more and it's a great family. I believe the Kingman  (yearling colt) and the Frankel (colt foal) out of her are nice, the reports are quite good. She should suit Lucky Vega physically and we think the nick of Mr Prospector will work with him too."

Godolphin sold 31 mares during the session, with the draft generating receipts totaling 1,985,500gns ($2,519,471) and an average price of 64,048gns ($81,272).

A short while later BBA Ireland struck an online bid of 380,000gns ($482,195) for the John Troy-consigned Divine Herald (Lot 1594), who was offered in foal to sire on fire No Nay Never . The 4-year-old Divine Herald did not make the track but is by Frankel and out of two-time Stanjamesuk.com Dahlia Stakes (G3) winner Heaven Sent , which makes her a sister to the five-time winner and listed-placed Seven Heavens .

Donohoe and Yulong's Lucky Vega Syndicate were the leading buyers at the recent Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale, where a €5.625 million ($5,844,375) spend took in 19 fillies and mares, including the sale-topping Aspiring at €790,000 ($818,843).

The December Mares Sale continues Nov. 29 with a session featuring the likes of Alcohol Free —(Lot 1904), Desert Crown 's dam Desert Berry-Lot 1891, and Saffron Beach -Lot 1878. Selling begins at 9:30 a.m., with the Sceptre Session due to commence around mid-afternoon.