Cover image courtesy of Tattersalls
At A Glance
The different structure of the Sale saw the daily aggregate drop by 18 per cent to 4,374,000 gns (AU$8.6 million) compared to 2020.
The median (11,000 gns) (AU$22,000) and average (19,269 gns) (AU$38,000) were also both down, 27 per cent and 21 per cent respectively.
The rolling aggregate for the Sale is already far in excess of last year's entire Sale and is currently sitting just above 61.5 million gns (AU$120 million). Last year's total turnover was 43.1 million gns (AU$84.6 million).
Billy Jackson-Stops secured Bespangled (Ire), an unraced 3-year-old filly by Dubawi (Ire), for 330,000 gns (AU$648,000) on behalf of Elwick Stud.
Moroney and Bruggeman added mares by Frankel (GB) and Sea The Stars (Ire) for a combined 63,000 gns (AU$124,000).
Marcus Corban Bloodstock won out on a 2-year-old Lope De Vega (Ire) filly from the Shadwell draft, paying 35,000 gns (AU$69,000).
Moderate pace highlighted by Dubawi filly
There was a little bit more time to compose one's thoughts during the third session of the December Mare Sale following a blockbuster Tuesday when every other lot sold for the price of a modest family home.
A slight rejigging of the catalogue to include the second batch of the Juddmonte draft on Tuesday rather than in its traditional Wednesday afternoon slot, meant that the prices took a bigger dip than usual, but the demand remained just as strong and the list of buyers every bit as international.
Lot 2163 - Bespangled (Ire) purchased by Billy Jackson-Stops and Elwick Stud | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
In the absence of Juddmonte, fillies and mares from Godolphin and Shadwell took top billing, with the day's star turn being provided by Bespangled (Ire), an unraced 3-year-old filly by Dubawi (Ire) out of the Meydan Listed winner Pure Diamond (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}).
With the filly's grandam and great-grandam both being former Champion 2-Year-Olds in Germany, there was much to recommend Lot 2163 to breeders and it was Elwick Stud, recent winners of the G3 Bahrain International Trophy with their globetrotting grey Lord Glitters (Fr), who lasted longest in the bidding to 330,000 gns (AU$648,000).
Agent Billy Jackson-Stops was acting on behalf of the Turnbull family and said after securing Bespangled, “The team at Elwick Stud was very keen on her, she was an obvious standout in this session. They have had a lot of good horses along the way, and they are revamping the stock and this is one for them.”
“The team at Elwick Stud was very keen on her (Bespangled), she was an obvious standout in this session." - Billy Jackson-Stops
Elwick Stud was until last season the home of another of Geoff and Sandra Turnbull's top-flight winners, Mondialiste (Ire). The young son of Galileo (Ire) has his first runners on the track this year and stood the 2021 season at Haras d'Annebault in Normandy.
Jackson-Stops added, “I don't know what plans are, but as the farm has its own sire I would be tipping that she might visit him.”
Billy Jackson-Stops | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
Bespangled's juvenile half-brother Symbol Of Light (GB) (Shamardal {USA}) has won twice in the last two months for Charlie Appleby from just three starts, and their dam has offspring by Frankel (GB) and Kingman (GB) to follow. Pure Diamond is herself out of the G1 Deutsches Derby runner-up White Rose (Ger) (Platini {Ger}), who has also produced three other black-type performers
Australasian action
Paul Moroney and Catheryne Bruggeman had already secured one mare on Tuesday and were back in action again on Wednesday, with a pair of purchases.
Catheryne Bruggeman and Paul Moroney | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Attendant (GB) (Frankel {GB}), an unraced daughter of stakes winner Zuhoor Baynoona (Ire) (Elnadim {USA}), who is a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner and Cambridge Stud resident Hello Youmzain (Fr), was secured for 60,000 gns (AU$118,000) from the consignment of Cheveley Park Stud.
A half-sister to two winners, she was covered by Twilight Son (GB) earlier this year but is not in foal. The extended pedigree also includes Australian stakes winners Shania Dane (Danehill {USA}) and Risk Aversion (Encosta De Lago) and Hong Kong Group 1 winner Scintillation (Danehill {USA}).
Their other purchase was Sea Of Change (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), an unraced 4-year-old from the Castlebridge Consignment, who cost 3000 gns (AU$5900). She is a half-sister to stakes-placed Tighen (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and is from the extended family of Champion Miler Rakti (GB).
Gallery: Paul Moroney and Catheryne Bruggeman's mare purchases
Marcus Corban Bloodstock went to 35,000 gns (AU$69,000) for well-related Zawahir (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). Bred by Shadwell, she was unraced and is a granddaughter of G1 Breeders' Cup Filly And Mare Turf winner Lahudood (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), who is also the grandam of multiple Group 1 winner Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).
That's the family of one of Shadwell's most influential broodmares, Height Of Fashion (Fr) (Bustino {GB}), who is Sea Of Change's fifth dam.
Hazelwood buys Godolphin mare Ragsah
Ragsah (Ire) (Lot 2151), a Shamardal (USA) half-sister to Dubai Millennium (USA) (Seeking The Gold {USA}) was another leading pick from Godolphin, fetching a bid of 130,000 gns (AU$255,000) from Hazelwood Bloodstock on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum's Essafinaat UK.
Lot 2151 - Ragsah (Ire) purchased by Hazelwood Bloodstock and Essafinaat UK | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
Now 13, the chestnut mare was a winner in her juvenile season, when she was also placed in the G3 Firth of Clyde S. Her two winners to date include the Grade 2-placed Richmond Avenue (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), and she has fillies by Iffraaj (GB) and Camelot (GB) on the ground.
“She has been bought for an existing client, one of our greatest supporters,” said Adrian O'Brien of Hazelwood Bloodstock. “We are delighted to get a mare with that profile. She has not got a blemish-free breeding record, but she is a sister to an iconic horse. It is brilliant, it bolsters the team at home fantastically well. We will take her home, regroup and make a plan.”
“We are delighted to get a mare with that profile. She (Ragsah) has not got a blemish-free breeding record, but she is a sister to an iconic horse." - Adrian O'Brien
Dubai Millennium and Ragsah are out of the G2 Prix de Pomone winner Colorado Dancer (USA) (Shareef Dancer {USA}), herself a daughter of the blue hen Fall Aspen (USA) (Pretense {USA}), five of whose sons went on to be stallions.
Two of Ragsah's half-sisters are also proving themselves as broodmares, with Chaquiras (USA) having produced the G2 Lowther S. winner Threading (Ire) (Exceed And Excel), while Dubai Sunrise (USA) is the dam of Dee Ex Bee (GB). The latter, runner-up in the Derby and twice a Group 3 winner who has just joined Arctic Tack Stud, is a son of Farhh (GB), the last covering sire of Ragsah, though she was sold barren.
Nawassi set for Supremacy
Early in the session Robert O'Callaghan of Yeomanstown Stud went to 120,000 gns (AU$236,000) for another Dubawi mare, Nawassi (GB) (Lot 1960), this time from the Shadwell draft.
Lot 1960 - Nawassi (GB) purchased by Yeomanstown Stud | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
Members of the Yeomanstown team are on the lookout for mares to support the stud's new stallion, Supremacy (Ire), a Group 1-winning son of the popular Mehmas (Ire). Nawassi's foal, a colt by Yeomanstown's Dark Angel (Ire) had passed through the ring last week and sold for 100,000 gns (AU$196,000) to Philipp Stauffenberg.
“Her Dark Angel foal was very good so it will be bred on the same lines,” said O'Callaghan of the plan to send the mare to Supremacy next year. She is currently carrying to Eqtidaar (Ire), who is by Dark Angel's and Mehmas' sire Acclamation (GB).
He added, “We're trying to buy some nice fast mares for Supremacy. We've bought seven now. She's a very good-looking Dubawi, from a very good family as a daughter of a Queen Mary winner–that was a big draw. It makes it a lot easier to buy these mares when you can see what they're producing. She was the one today that we wanted to buy and we're very glad to get her.”
“We're trying to buy some nice fast mares for Supremacy. We've bought seven now. She's (Nawassi) a very good-looking Dubawi, from a very good family as a daughter of a Queen Mary winner–that was a big draw." - Robert O'Callaghan
O'Callaghan continued, “We're very excited about Supremacy. He's gone down extremely well with breeders so it is a very exciting year ahead. It is our first Group 1 winner since Dark Angel to go to stud; if he can be half as good as Dark Angel we'll be happy. We had a lot of showings and bookings. Generally we'd have two or three shows a day through December and January and then we can kick on in February and start covering.”
The December Sale concludes at Tattersalls on Thursday, with the final session beginning at 9.30am local.
