THE breeze-up circuit arrives back at Newmarket next week for the Guineas Sale, an auction which rarely reaches the heights of the Craven Sale but is still a very important session.

You can get sprinters or stayers at this sale - the poster graduates being Prix de l’Abbaye winner The Platinum Queen (57,000gns) and dual Prix du Cadran winner Trueshan (31,000gns).

Last year’s sale saw two lots sell for 200,000gns, the highest prices at this sale since 2018, and a record 13 lots sold for 100,000gns or more. The two top lots have done well. Bracken’s Laugh, a Zoffany colt sold by Cian Farrell, is now trained by Richard Hughes, and won a hot conditions race really well at Chelmsford recently. The other 200,000gns lot from last year was Ocean Conquest, a Time Test colt sold by Willie Browne to trainer Michael O’Callaghan. He won his last start as a juvenile by almost four lengths.

As usual the breeze-up part of the sale is preceded by a horses-in-training section and that is potentially even more interesting - more on that below.

We’ll start with the breezers as this is always dominated by Irish vendors. There are just over 200 juveniles entered - they will breeze on the Rowley Mile from 9am next Wednesday (May 1st).

Roderic Kavanagh’s Glending Stables sold one for a million here at the Craven Sale and sends a batch of five next week. The pick of them could be the German-bred colt by Amaron, already named Nobler, who is a half-brother to six winners.

Highlights amongst the well-related colts catalogued include the Wootton Bassett colt out of champion three-year-old filly Peeping Fawn, the dam of three group/listed performers including the multiple Group 1-placed September.

There’s also a colt by Quality Road out of three-time Group 1 winner Alice Springs, already the dam of group-placed filly Prettiest.

Both of the above are consigned by Willie Browne’s Mocklershill.

Of the fillies, the eye is drawn to the Zarak half-sister to the dual Grade 1 winner Shaman Ghost consigned by Longways Stables and Mayfield Stables’ Ardad filly out of the Group 1-placed Miss You Too.

No fewer than 55 of the stallions with two-year-olds catalogued have already sired classic or Group/Grade 1 winners, including Acclamation, Ardad, Australia, Camelot, Churchill, Dark Angel, Havana Grey, Invincible Spirit, Kodiac, Le Havre, Mehmas, New Bay, No Nay Never, Oasis Dream, Saxon Warrior, Sea The Moon, Showcasing, Starspangledbanner, Wootton Bassett, Zarak and Zoustar.

Grade 1-producing American stallions with progeny on offer include Daredevil, Dialed In, Laoban, Liam’s Map, Quality Road, Sharp Azteca and The Factor.

There are also 17 first crop sires with entries including Arizona, Earthlight, Far Above, Kameko, King Of Change, Mohaather, Sands Of Mali, Shaman, Threat, Without Parole and Sergei Prokofiev, whose stock have made a fine start already this season.

They are joined by French-based contemporaries Hello Youmzain, Persian King and Wooded, and their American counterparts Honor A P, War Of Will and Yorkton.

Nine fillies in the sale are registered for the Great British Bonus Scheme and 13 two-year-olds are qualified for French Owners’ Premiums. A further 38 juveniles are entered in the 2025 Swedish Derby and Oaks Series and four are entered in the £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes, two in the £100,000 Tattersalls Somerville Auction Stakes, and four in the €250,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes.

THERE are almost 200 entries for the horses-in-training section which starts at 5pm on Wednesday and concludes on Thursday morning, just before the breezers are offered.

Consignors to catch the eye include Steve Parkin’s Dullingham Park, Juddmonte and trainer Andrew Balding, but the big attraction is the 50-plus horses connected to owner-breeder John Dance which are being consigned under The Castlebridge Consignment banner.

Dance is best known as the owner of multiple Group 1 winner Laurens and he also had a share in top chaser Bravemansgame. He invested heavily in bloodstock in recent seasons and installed James Horton as his private trainer at Coverdale Stud. He was also involved in the Titanium Racing Club and his company Vertem sponsored the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at Doncaster.

However, in April 2023 his company WealthTek was shut down by Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority, a move which almost ruled Bravemansgame out of the Punchestown Festival as the racing authorities scrambled to assess the situation. Dance’s horses were allowed to race on last year until September when the British Horseracing Authority said it had “further concerns” over the owner’s financial affairs.

Last month the FCA said its “investigation into suspected criminal offences in respect of WealthTek and Mr Dance continues”.

Now Dance appears to be closing down his equine interests by entering over 50 horses for next week’s sale.

The draft is headed by Laurens’ first foal, a two-year-old filly by Invincible Spirit, already named First Ambition.

Others of note include the unraced three-year-old Dubawi colt Twisting Physics, who is a half-brother to the Group 2 winner Tropbeau. The winning three-year-old No Nay Never filly Neverstopdreaming is out of the Galileo mare Snowflakes, and Gotta Show Me is a Showcasing half-sister to Group 2 Coventry Stakes winner Nando Parrado who now stands at the Irish National Stud.

CURRAGH trainer John O’Donoghue has made a late sales entry for recent Dundalk winner Miss Black Jack. The three-year-old Soldier’s Call filly won by over five lengths off a mark of 77 on April 5th.

The Horses in Training Sale also features several highly rated older performers including the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Croupier, runner-up in the Buckingham Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last year (his only start in 2023) and offered with an official rating of 102.

Baroda Stud will consign a smart draft including the Timeform 95-rated Al Farabi, a four-year-old son of Kingman out of Group 1 runner-up Altyn Orda, alongside several smart performers on behalf of Amo Racing including the three-year-olds Thunder Blue, who has an official rating of 94, and Mashadi, rated 87 by Timeform.

The consignment of seven lots from Juddmonte also looks certain to attract plenty of interest and features unraced colts and geldings by Kingman and Sea The Stars from the families of Brian Boru, Calyx, Enable, Famous Name, Flintshire and Native Trail.

Sale info

Sale: Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses In Training Sale at Newmarket

Date/time: Breeze on Wednesday, May 1st from 9am. Sale starts 5pm on Wednesday, May 1st, with horses in training section. Remainder of horses in training offered from 9.30am on Thursday, May 2nd, followed by breeze-up horses from approximately 1pm

Lots: 198 horses in training, 202 breezers

Tel: 0044 1638 665 931

Web: tattersalls.com