RELIEF Rally and Indian Run struck a double blow for the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale when they won the Group 2 Lowther Stakes and Group 3 Acomb Stakes respectively at York last week.
The Lowther winner, a 58,000gns purchase, had already won the £250,000 Weatherbys Super Sprint earlier in the season and she was only beaten by a nose in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Indian Run was a 75,000gns purchase at the Somerville Sale by Joe Foley, acting on behalf of Steve Parkin-led Bronte Collection.
These York victories came just days after Anisette’s Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks victory. She was a 26,000gns purchase at the Somerville Sale.
It’s all the more remarkable as the sale is only two years old and the first edition contained Bradsell, winner of the 2022 Coventry Stakes and this year’s King’s Stand Stakes. He cost a mere 12,000gns.
Already the sale has produced 106 individual winners in 2023 including two Group/Grade 1 winners and 16 group race or listed race performers.
This year’s Somerville Yearling Sale takes place next Tuesday, September 5th. There are 314 lots catalogued, all of which are eligible for the £100,000 Somerville Auction Stakes and the £150,000 October Auction Stakes.
The 2023 running of the Somerville Auction Stakes took place at Newmarket last Saturday and attracted 15 runners. It was won by the Tom Ward-trained Woodhay Wonder, a 26,000gns purchase, and he won over £54,000 for connections on Saturday.
This year’s catalogue contains own or half-brothers and sisters to 49 group and listed performers, and 77 yearlings out of group/listed performing mares.
Among the highlights are own-brothers to the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes winner Quick Suzy and to Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas third Decrypt, by Profitable and Dark Angel respectively.
They will be joined by the Bated Breath half-brother to Group 3 Jersey Stakes winner and Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas runner up Gale Force Ten, the Showcasing half-brother to the high class US stakes winner Unanimous Consent and the Havana Grey half-sister to Royal Ascot and Group 2 Superlative Stakes placed two-year-old Oddyssey.
High class juvenile form again features prominently with the Showcasing filly out of Group 3 winner Melody Of Love, the Dark Angel filly out of Group 3 winner Shaden and fillies by Kodiac, Mehmas and Advertise respectively out of the listed race winners Lorelei Rock, Mild Illusion and Brevity.
Other progeny of high class mares catalogued include the Kodiac colt out of the Group 2 Park Hill Stakes winner Meeznah, the Sergei Prokofiev colt out of Group 3 winner Buonasera and the Too Darn Hot colt out of the listed winner Eastern Belle, herself a half-sister to Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Golden Horn, and already the dam of dual Group 3 winner Megallan.
The list of sires with yearlings catalogued includes proven Group 1 producers Acclamation, Aclaim, Ardad, Bated Breath, Bungle Inthejungle, Camacho, Churchill, Cotai Glory, Dandy Man, Dark Angel, Fastnet Rock, Galiway, Havana Gold, Iffraaj, Kitten’s Joy, Kodiac, Make Believe, Mastercraftsman, Mehmas, Oasis Dream, Saxon Warriorr, Showcasing, Starspangledbanner, Tasleet, Territories and Zoustar.
Whitsbury Manor Stud’s first season sire Sergei Prokofiev leads the way numerically with 17 lots catalogued, followed by his barn mate and last year’s champion first crop sire Havana Grey, and Tally-Ho Stud’s record breaking young sire Mehmas, with 16 each.
Other stallions with their first crop of yearlings catalogued include Arizona, Circus Maximus, Earthlight, Far Above, Ghaiyyath, Hello Youmzain, Kameko, Mohaather, Pinatubo, River Boyne, Runble Inthejungle, Sands Of Mali, Shaman and Without Parole.
Promising young sires Blue Point, Calyx, Sioux Nation, Soldier’s Call and Zarak are also well represented.
The largest consignment of yearlings will come from Tally-Ho Stud with 26 lots catalogued followed by Barton Stud, the Castlebridge Consignment and Trickledown Stud with 10 lots apiece, whilst last year’s sale-topping consignor Plantation Stud will offer a draft of five lots.
The 15,500gns Somerville purchase Amichi landed both sales races associated with this auction in 2022 before selling for 325,000gns at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale.
There are also 77 fillies catalogued that are registered for the lucrative Great British Bonus scheme and eligible to win up to £20,000 in bonus prize money per qualifying race.
Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said: “Bradsell’s victory in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot has been the highlight of an exceptional year for the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale.
“The sale’s attention to conformation and precocity has been emphasised by the impressive number of blacktype performers in the sale’s short history as well as two successive Weatherbys Super Sprint winners.
“The quality of this year’s catalogue has taken another step forward and, combined with the international success of its graduates, underlines the sale’s position as Europe’s most progressive yearling sale.”
Catalogue highlights
Lot 68: Advertise filly out of listed race winner Brevity.
Lot 69: Sergei Prokofiev colt out of Group 3 winner Buonasera.
Lot 116: Too Darn Hot half-brother to dual Group 3 winner Megallan, out of listed race winner Eastern Belle, a sister to Golden Horn.
Lot 132: Showcasing half-brother to US stakes winner Unanimous Consent.
Lot 199: Havana Grey half-sister to Chesham Stakes and Superlative Stakes placed Oddyssey.
Lot 203: Kodiac filly out of listed race winner Lorelei Rock.
Lot 212: Kodiac colt out of Group 2 winner Meeznah.
Lot 214: Showcasing filly out of Group 3 winner Melody Of Love.
Lot 217: Mehmas filly out of listed race winner Mild Illusion.
Lot 275: Bated Breath half-brother to Jersey Stakes winner Gale Force Ten.
Lot 289: Dark Angel filly out of Group 3 winner Shaden.
Lot 291: Dark Angel full-brother to Irish 2000 Guineas placed Decrypt.
Lot 299: Profitable full-brother to Queen Mary winner Quick Suzy.
Sale Info
Sale: Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale at Newmarket.
Date/time: Tuesday, September 5th (9.30am)
Lots: 314
Tel: 0044 1638 665 931
Email: sales@tattersalls.com
Web: tattersalls.com