THE first session of the two-day Tattersalls February Sale was totally dominated by drafts from Shadwell and Godolphin, the top 13 lots, all of which brought sale prices of 60,000gns or more, were from the two entities.

While seven of this baker’s dozen were from Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin draft, the continuing reduction of Shadwell’s operation, following the death last year of Sheikh Hamdan, provided the top four lots during the opening day of trade at this record-breaking sale in Park Paddocks. That quartet featured a yearling, broodmare, a raced three-year-old and a newly turned juvenile.

The Hanly family’s Ballyhimikin Stud bought the Shadwell Estate-consigned Night Of Thunder yearling colt out of the Dalakhani mare Elshaadin for 175,000gns, the bidding conducted by Anthony Stroud who had to fight off a persistent JD Moore to secure the sale topper. Afterwards the agent said: “Night Of Thunder has done incredibly well, the dam has produced two stakes horses, we like the individual, and he heads to Ireland. He has a fantastic back pedigree and we hope he comes back next October and makes money!”

Elshaadin is the dam of three winners from her first three foals and runners, including Moqtarreeb, a Kingman listed winner in Abu Dhabi for trainer Erwan Charpy, and the winner and twice Group 3-placed Khaloosy, a son of Dubawi.

Wuqood heads to Saudi Arabia

THE Group 3-placed Wuqood, a son of Dubawi consigned by Barton Sales for Shadwell Estate, led yesterday’s second and final session of the Tattersalls February Sale at 170,000gns. The four-year-old colt joins the draft of horses heading to Saudi Arabia and is another purchase by Najd Stud.

“He will go to the leading trainer Abdullah Mishref Al-Kahtani,” said Saud al Qahtani. Trained by Dermot Weld for the late Sheikh Hamdan, Wuqood finished second in the Group 3 Eyrefield Stakes over nine furlongs at two and was runner-up in the furlong longer Listed Trigo Stakes last October. He is rated 102.

He will be joined on the trip to Saudi Arabia but another Najd Stud purchase, the 67,000gns buy Velazquez. “He is by Caravaggio and so should suit the racing in Saudi,” said al Qahtani. “He has an okay rating, but we hope he will be a good horse. If he improves he may suit the good races.” The Gosden-trained gelding, part of The Castlebridge Consignment, won just after Christmas over seven furlongs at Newcastle.

Californian purchase

Conall Meegan of Beechmore Bloodstock secured the three-year-old Sydney Street from The Castlebridge Consignment and Hugo Palmer’s Kremlin Cottage Stables for 85,000gns. The purchase was made on behalf of Shawn Dugan and the son of Dark Angel, a Kempton winner in December, is shipping to California.

“This is the one we really came for,” said Andre Pereira after going to 78,000gns for Habit Rouge, a five-year-old gelding by Helmet sold by Marco Botti’s Prestige Place Stables. “He is a nice horse, he should act on the dirt surface and we hope he will be good enough for the bigger races in Saudi.” Habit Rouge has won four times and is rated 93.

Ardad covering in

prospect for Frankel’s

winning daughter

ANASHEED, a daughter of Frankel from the Shadwell Estate Company draft, made 130,000gns when bought by Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown. She is a daughter of the stakes winner and classic-placed Linamix mare Hathrah who finished third in the Group 1 1000 Guineas.

Hathrah is already dam of the stakes winning Sea The Stars filly Hadaatha, one of her six winners, who also achieved a Group 1 placing when third in the Prix de l’Opera. Anasheed won once as a three-year-old from only three starts and has a two-year-old colt by Siyouni and a yearling filly by Sea The Stars. She failed to conceive in 2021 to Too Darn Hot.

Brown said: “I bought her for a partnership. I spoke to her trainer, Owen Burrows, who said there was no doubt she was a stakes-calibre filly. She is by the newly crowned champion sire, she has got a nice page,”

Of stallion plans, Brown, who manages Ardad, added: “I think she will really suit Ardad. He is chock-a-block full, but I have a covering that I can use.”

Shortly afterwards and from the same Shadwell draft, but this time consigned by New England Stud, a two-year-old Mukhadram half-sister to Anasheed was bought by Cormac McCormack for 80,000gns.

Spiller to train Mashaaer

THE Shadwell Stud-offered Muhaarar filly Mashaaer, who was second on her sole start to date in a maiden at Ascot in the care of Richard Hannon, is now joining Henry Spiller’s Newmarket-based team. She was consigned by Barton Sales and bought by Meah / Lloyd Bloodstock for owner Jonathan Sarkar, who already has horses with Spiller. The three-year-old cost 105,000gns.

Jamie Lloyd said “We just felt she is a filly that down the road, even at this price, she could look cheap. Jonathan is looking for something a bit better and a bit nicer to add to his string.”

Henry Spiller was on hand to watch the purchase and said: “We are delighted. Her form is rock solid; we have a filly whose form ties in with the third horse and we like her a lot. She is a lovely filly.”

Dubai-bound

Another Shadwell lot to realise 105,000gns was consigned from New England Stud. This was a two-year-old daughter of Exceed And Excel and the first foal of a winning daughter of Dubawi. She was acquired by Satish Seemar, bidding through Tattersalls’ Jason Singh.

“She has been bought for an existing client of Satish Seemar’s and she goes to Dubai,” said Singh. “She was his pick of the two-year-olds.” A February-born filly, she is out of a two-year-old winning daughter of the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes winner Maqaasid.

New England Stud acted for Shadwell in the sale of a two-year-old daughter of Awtaad, a half-sister to the two-time Group 1 winner and Arc de Triomphe third-placed Taghrooda, who was bought by Blandford Bloodstock for 80,000gns.

Richard Brown said: “She is a two-year-old so we are going to chuck her out in the field for a year; I don’t think we will race her. I bought this filly’s full-sister for a quarter of a million at the December Sale, and she goes to Dubawi.”

Smurfit stocks up ahead of breeding season

CAOIMHE Doherty splashed out on two lots in succession from the Godolphin draft, Moment Of Silence who won one race from five starts and is in foal to Too Darn Hot, and the debut winner Lucieta carrying to Invincible Spirit. They cost 95,000gns and 90,000gns respectively.

Doherty said: “They were both good racemares. The Slade Power mare [Moment Of Truth] was rated 92 and is in foal to the right stallion, while Lucieta won a 28-runner Curragh maiden and she was then unlucky; she had a few niggling things going on. She is carrying to Invincible Spirit – what is wrong with that?

“There are no plans for stallions yet. We will get see what they are like, have a good look at them and decide then.” The pair were bought for Tony Smurfit’s Forenaghts Stud near Naas.

Sangster forced to spend more money

ONE of five six-figure lots sold on Thursday, the unraced Sea The Stars four-year-old Good Memories was bought by Sam Sangster from the Godolphin draft for 100,000gns. She is out of Khor Sheed, a Group 2 winner and the dam of the listed winner Without A Fight.

“She has been bought for a client who has a couple of mares at Barton Stud,” said Sangster. “We just wanted to get into Sea The Stars. I loved this filly, she has a lot of quality. The pedigree is very active, I think she has got a lot of stallion opportunities and we are quite keen on Pinatubo.”

Of price expectations, Sangster said: “Before I saw her my price on her was a bit lower, but when I saw her she was a real standout for me. I said to my client this morning that I thought we’d have to give a little more, and he was prepared to do so.”

Trainer Julie Camacho bought the Dubawi three-year-old filly Sacred Jewel for 95,000gns as a racing and breeding prospect. She said: “We’ve watched at her races [fourth on both her starts], and my husband spoke to Charlie Appleby who recommended her. She will come home and we will see how she is.” Sacred Jewel is out of Priceless, winner of the Group 2 Temple Stakes.

Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock spent 70,000gns to secure the three-year-old Postponed filly Painted Daisy, an unraced half-sister to triple Group 1 winner Hunter’s Delight, a son of Dubawi.

Durcan makes a mark

TED Durcan bought two lots in succession from the Godolphin draft at yesterday’s session of the sale. The Sea The Stars three-year-old gelding Perseus Way, a winner at two, cost the agent 80,000gns, while Frankel’s once-raced Age Of Sail realised 60,000gns.

“The Sea The Stars gelding has been bought for a new syndicate of lads who want a nice fun horse. He vetted out extremely well and is a fine, big scopey horse.

“The winter will have helped him and he will improve with time. He stays in England, but no training plans have been made as yet,” said Durcan. He added: “Age Of Sail is for an existing owner and will stay in England, too.”

Social Contract was bought back by her breeder, Eugene Daly of Longview Stud and Bloodstock, for 65,000gns from Clipper Logistics. The daughter of Night Of Thunder won three weeks ago at Southwell for trainer Roger Varian and the form is already working out well as the runner-up has won since.

“We bred and sold her as a yearling for 44,000gns but, as she has won a race now, the boss was keen to buy her back,” said farm manager Jim Scallan.