Sire on fire leads the way for Hazelwood

BOOK 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale opened with a day-long session on Thursday that followed the trend of the week, with a strong clearance rate but a decline in the monetary metrics.

A weaker demand at the lower levels was evident when the final figures were totted up.

The day’s selling was headed by a son of the exciting Too Darn Hot who sold for 130,000gns. The next best was a daughter of Invincible Spirit who realised 115,000gns.

The top lot emerged late in the evening, producing a bidding duel between George Murphy, assistant trainer to his father John, and bloodstock agent Ted Durcan, the latter ending on top for the yearling consigned by Hazelwood Bloodstock.

Durcan purchased the colt on behalf of Richard Hughes and commented: “We all loved him; he is a smashing big horse and the sire is red hot. I know the family extremely well from my time in the Middle East, which helped. Richard was adamant that we were not to leave the sale without him, and we spent plenty on him.

“I respect Adrian O’Brien; he is a great producer and has a marvellous nursery. We are over the moon to have him and there is no owner for the horse as yet.”

The colt is the first foal out of Moohareeba, a winning daughter of Invincible Spirit and the South African champion juvenile filly Mahbooba. She won the Group 2 Balanchine Stakes and Listed UAE 1000 Guineas in Dubai, and is the dam of pattern winners Dubai Warrior and Mootasadir.

Best filly

The highest-priced filly on the first day of Book 3 was a daughter of Invincible Spirit consigned by Q-Cross Stables. She made 115,000gns to the bid of Olivia Perkins-Mackey, buying on behalf of Joseph O’Brien and Justin Casse.

“I saw her this morning and loved her and sent her details on to Joseph and he loved her too,” said Perkins-Mackey, who has been left in charge of proceedings at Tattersalls following Casse’s departure. “She has a beautiful walk, there is nothing to knock about her; she is a May foal so there is plenty of room for improvement. The consignor has done a great job with her.”

The sale was a successful pinhook for Luke Coen who bought the filly last year for €23,000. Her dam Mardie Gras is a Galileo daughter of the dual Group 1-placed Midnight Angel. “It is a brilliant result,” said Coen. “A couple of months ago when I knew she was coming here I called her ‘the Queen of Book 3’. It was a bold statement to make, but she definitely is the queen now! I came out from buying her and could not believe that I had.

“As horses go you could not dream of a much better run. For a May foal to be as mature in the mind as she is, it is something to recommend her, and she made my job look very easy today.”

Coen added: “I have been doing this under my own banner for two years, but I have had a few there with Francis Quinn, who has helped me an awful long way, and Anthony Ryan at home, two very good local fellas. Without them I probably wouldn’t be here.”

O’Callaghan buys

Tally-Ho Stud was the leading consignor in Book 2, but appeared on the buyers’ sheet when securing an Earthlight colt consigned by Ballyshannon Stud on behalf of Con Harrington for 95,000gns. Tony O’Callaghan indicated that the colt was likely to make a swift reappearance for Tally-Ho, the leading consignors at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale for the past three years. The March-foaled colt is out of the Group 3-placed Mastercraftsman mare Crafty Madam, a half-sister to the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes winner Profitable.

It has been a successful fortnight at Tattersalls for Tally-Ho, with 28 lots sold in Book 2 for a total of 2,628,000gns, and 18 lots sold for 3,636,000gns in the previous week’s Book 1.

Dream time for new father Hoskins

HEGARTY Bloodstock’s Elzaam filly enjoyed a dream update when her half-brother Live In The Dream won the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes, and she returned an excellent profit for her co-pinhookers, David Hegarty and new father Sam Hoskins, when selling for 80,000gns to Chasemore Farm’s stud manager Jack Conroy.

“She has been bought for a client who boards a few broodmares with us,” revealed Conroy, who signed for the lot as JP Bloodstock. “We liked this filly, she has a lot of residual value and we think Live In The Dream has every chance of going on to win the Breeders’ Cup. Hopefully this filly will be as sharp as her half-brother.” Live In the Dream was a listed runner-up at the time of the filly’s purchase for €27,000 last year.

A delighted Hoskins said: “I am a terrible vendor! I get very nervous, but I think she is a racehorse for the future, and good luck to the new owners. David has done a wonderful job with her, he has done all the hard work. I really liked her as a foal, she is athletic, she has a good mind and we did think that Live In The Dream might be one of those three-year-olds who would get better this at four. We were very aware of him but never thought that he would win a Nunthorpe!”

Fitzpatrick reinvests

Two colts sold for 72,000gns each. Michael Fitzpatrick, who sold Tuesday’s Book 2 top lot, reinvested some of the takings when going to 72,000gns for a Hello Youmzain colt from Mount Coote Stud. The March-born colt is out of the Royal Applause mare Bibury, dam of three winners including Group 3 winner Steel Of Madrid, and she is a half-sister to the Ascot Gold Cup winner Rite Of Passage, trained by Dermot Weld.

Later in the evening Barton Stud’s Earthlight colt out of Masarah sold for the same amount to Pegasus Bloodstock. The half-brother to four winners is out of a stakes-placed daughter of Cape Cross who was also fourth in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile.

Friday morning highlight

THERE were few highlights during the morning session of Book 3 on Friday, held in advance of the Group 1 card at the local Newmarket racecourse.

Standing out by far was the 15th yearling purchase at the 2023 October Yearling Sale by Najd Stud, three to date in Book 3. They paid 90,000gns for a Pinatubo colt, bred by Rabbah Bloodstock and sold by Barton Stud. There was plenty of interest in this colt from end users and breeze-up consignors, but Najd was successful, with Johnny Collins the underbidder.

Consignor Tom Blain of Barton Stud said: “This colt was raised on the farm. The sire is going well, and they seem to improve a lot from foal to yearlings. I am delighted Najd Stud has bought him.” The half-brother to Group 3 winner Mighty Gurkha is now a sibling to three winners, as his two-year-old Iffraaj half-brother Loaded Quiver is a winner now. Their dam is a half-sister to the top-class Hong Kong runner Rewarding Hero, runner-up twice there at Group 1 level.