Exceed and Excel filly paces record-setting Tatts Guineas
sale
Tattersalls’ second Guineas Breeze-Up Sale
in Newmarket Friday showed dramatic advances on the 2007 renewal, helped
along by five six-figure lots. The aggregate of 3,833,000 guineas was up 80 percent on
last year’s inaugural sale, while the 47,913gns average rose by 71 percent and
the 30,000gns median increased by 30 percent. But the 60.6-percent clearance
rate showed that not every vendor enjoyed a red-letter day.
Newmarket agent Dick
O’Gorman, acting for an undisclosed client, bought the two top lots — a
470,000gns Exceed and Excel filly and a 370,000gns Johar colt. Jamie McCalmont, standing with the Coolmore duo of Michael Tabor and
Paul Shanahan, was underbidder on both horses, who each showed marathon pinhook
profits.
The Exceed and Excel filly, who was consigned from John Hassett Jr.’s
Bloodstock Connection, was bought for 20,000gns at Doncaster in August, while
the Johar colt, offered from Willie Browne’s Mocklershill Stables, was a $40,000
weanling at Keeneland in November 2006.
“They are two different types of horse,”
said O’Gorman, who often represents Darley at sales. “The colt moved beautifully
and, although I don’t think he’ll be an early type, he was a fine, big scopey
horse. The filly breezed very well in a fast time on the worst ground at the
end of the day and I think she should be the type to go on with pretty soon. We
thought she’d make plenty of money.”
The sale-topping filly is out of Bois de
Citron (Woodman), a daughter of European champion juvenile filly Lemon Souffle
(GB) (Salse). The top colt is out of Dippers (Polish Numbers) from the family of
champions Committed and English Channel.
A Mr. Greeley filly, who had been
bought for $80,000 at Keeneland in September, realized 155,000gns second time
around when knocked down to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock.
“She’s for an
existing English-based client, but I don’t know where she’ll be trained,” Brown
said.
Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum was confirmed as the buyer of a 150,000gns
Exceed and Excel filly offered from Emma O’Gorman’s Seven Springs Stables and
knocked down to trainer Marcus Tregoning.
“I’ve got one by the sire at home that
I like a lot and this filly breezed very well,” Tregoning said after outbidding
agent Stephen Hillen. “She looks like she wants top of the ground and we’ll
crack on with her.”
Meanwhile a 120,000gns Refuse To Bend (Ire) colt will race
in the colors of Dubai-based owner Saeed Suhail after being knocked down to
agent Charlie Gordon-Watson.
At the end of selling, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony reflected: “This is only the second renewal of the Guineas Breeze-Up and
already it has achieved turnover second only amongst European two-years-old in
training sales to our Craven Breeze-Up. We felt that the outstanding Craven
Breeze-Up two weeks ago would benefit this sale, but not to the extent we have
seen today and it would be fair to say that the sale has come of age quicker
than anyone could have anticipated.
“Last year’s inaugural Guineas Breeze-Up made
a satisfactory start, but wide margin records have been set across the board
today and the top price of 470,000gns is a massive advance on the 90,000gns top
price here 12 months ago. It would be wrong to overlook the selectivity of the
market and we would like to have achieved a higher clearance rate, but equally
the sustained demand for quality two-year-olds has proved beyond any doubt that
the Guineas Breeze Up has a bright future.”