A less cosmopolitan crowd than had been at the
Craven Sale a fortnight earlier
gathered on Newmarket’s Rowley Mile Thursday morning to watch the juveniles
work ahead of Friday’s Guineas
Breeze-Up Sale at Tattersalls, although there was no shortage of would-be buyers
around.
Sheikh Mohammed, buying
through a number of different agents, provided the backbone to the select Craven
Sale and his representatives were
busy viewing two-year-olds at Tattersalls’ Park Paddocks site Thursday.
This is
the fourth year that Tattersalls is
staging its second breeze-up sale and, with 147 lots listed, it is the smallest
renewal to date. A selective market is
anticipated at a sale that last year saw a clearance rate of just 53 percent,
although there looks sure to be strong
demand for the better lots.
Among those to impress in the breeze was a late addition to the catalogue, Lot
No. 73A consigned from Willie Slattery’s
Meadowview Stables. An Invincible Spirit full brother to listed winner Stevie Gee, he cost 48,000 as a
yearling at Goffs and was withdrawn from the Craven Sale. Street Cry’s (Ire)
only representative, Lot 49, a colt
consigned from Ken Condon’s Friarstown Stud, was another to go well in the
breeze, as did Lot 34, a Shamardal filly
who should comfortably recoup her 8,000 yearling cost when appearing from John
Collins’ Brown Island Stables.
Those who have cost rather more on previous sale ring appearances include Lot
62, a full brother to Group 3 winner
River Proud (Proud Citizen), who cost $70,000 as a yearling at Keeneland in
September and is offered from Willie
Browne’s Mocklershill; and Lot 90, a Speightstown colt who made $95,000 at the
same sale. Lot 69, a Mr. Greeley colt
appearing from Eddie O’Leary’s Lynn Lodge Stud, made $170,000 as a weanling,
while Lot 125, a Sakhee half-brother
to Harbinger (Dansili [GB]) was bought for 52,000gns at Tattersalls in
October. He is reappearing from Ecurie
du Grand Mainguet in France.
“This is a sale that has produced a whole host of decent winners, including
group scorers, for reasonable prices in the
past, and I’m sure that this year’s sale will be no different,” Tattersalls
Marketing Director Jimmy George commented.
“The leading StanJames.com One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) contender Puff
(Camacho) and Our Jonathan (Invincible
Spirit) came out of last year’s sale, and both are good examples of the value
buyers can expect to find.
“The two-year-olds breezed professionally on Thursday morning, and most
of those on offer are eligible for
some type of bonus, offering buyers a further incentive.”
The 2009 sale saw 74 lots sold for 2,819,200gns at an
average price of 38,097gns and a
25,000gns median.
For the catalog and video replays of the breezes, go to tattersalls.com.