Montjeu colt brings 650,000 guineas at Tattersalls

John Magnier's Coolmore team topped day two of Tattersalls' October Yearling

Sale on Wednesday in Newmarket when spending 650,000 guineas on Hip No. 294, a

Montjeu (Ire) half-brother to dual French Group 1 winner Vespone (Ire) (Llandaff)

and Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) runner-up Purple Moon (Galileo [Ire]). Blandford

Bloodstock's Tom Goff was underbidder on the colt, who was consigned through

Caroline Green's Templeton Stud on behalf of Marcel & Sibylle Egloff's Gestut

Sohrenhof in Switzerland.

"He's for the usual group at Ballydoyle and you just have to look at the page

and it's all there," Demi O'Byrne said after signing the buyer's ticket. "He was

a great-looking horse and you'd think he might be even better at three, like a

lot of these Montjeus. I think there are some really nice horses here this week

and I'm very pleased with what I've bought."

The yearling is out of Vanishing Prairie (Alysheba), a half-sister to the

dams of Group 1 winners Vallee Enchantee (Peintre Celebre) and Maids Causeway

(Giant's Causeway).

John Ferguson, accompanied to the sale by Sheikh Mohammed and Princess Haya,

dominated the day, spending 2,985,000gns on 17 lots, including when outbidding

O'Byrne for a 500,000gns Pivotal half-sister to the Sheikh's Group 2-placed

Mathematician (Ire) (Machiavellian) consigned as Hip 327.

There were again plenty of long-term breeders looking for fillies, including

Ruairi O'Coileain, owner of the County Meath-based Ennistown Stud. He outbid

Marcus Tregoning at 400,000gns for a Pivotal filly out of a sister to Group 1

winner Spartacus (Danehill) and Group 2 victor Johan Cruyff (Danehill) offered

through The Castlebridge Consignment as Hip 353.

"I've been involved with the stud for eight years and an owner for three

years," O'Coileain said. "This filly is going into training with Jim Bolger."

Just before the end of the sale, trainer Paul Cole spent 400,000gns on behalf

of Jim and Fitri Hay to outbid German agent Jurgen Albrecht for a Montjeu

three-parts sister to Fillies' Mile (Eng-G1) runner-up Fantasia (Sadler's Wells) bred by

Jean-Marc Charmat's Ronchalon Racing and offered through Highclere Stud as Hip

400.

"We're here to buy colts for the owner, but felt there was not a lot of

value," Cole said. "The owner has breeding interests and we thought there was

more value with fillies. She looks tough, she's a superb mover and there's a lot

of depth to the pedigree."