Australians are drawn like bees to honey to the Juddmonte Farms draft at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale and it was Snowden Racing and Will Johnson Bloodstock that stumped up 250,000gns for the sessions second highest priced lot.
It was a very productive day for the Australian contingent with some very familiar and not so familiar names on the scoreboard.
Peter and Paul Snowden’s recruit Old Flame (lot1113) is a half-brother to stakes-placed winners Dalvey and Chaleur from the family of Cityscape, Bated Breath and Logician. The 3yo son of Invincible Spirit has made just four starts, winning at Wolverhampton and Catterick and was most recently fourth over 7f at Newbury.
Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott joined forces with Johnny McKeever to make two purchases, both for 230,000gns.
The first was King Of Clubs, (lot 952) a 3yo son of Intello. King Of Clubs has won twice from seven starts this season for Hughie Morrison. His victories came over 10f at Sandown and a mile and a half at Nottingham and he has placed a further three times.
The second purchase is the well-performed Camelot gelding Youth Spirit. Trained by Andrew Balding, Youth Spirit (lot 1186a) was a Newmarket winner in three starts at two. This season he won the Group III Chester Vase before finishing unplaced in the Epsom Derby. He was fourth in the Group III Gordon Stakes at Goodwood, third in Group II Great Voltigeur Stakes at York and was most recently fifth behind Hurricane Lane in the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster.
The Zaaki (GB) connection of Annabel Neasham and Blandford Bloodstock purchased the stakes-placed Matthew Flinders (lot 1008) for 230,000gns. The 4yo son of Siyouni has won two of 13 starts and was most recently a close-up fifth in a 20-runner handicap over a mile at Ascot. A half-brother to three other stakes-placed winners, Matthew Flinders is out of a sister to St Nicholas Abbey.
Mat Cumani teamed up with JS Bloodstock and Hurworth Bloodstock to purchase Shadwell Stud’s 2yo Night Of Thunder filly Hanaady (lot 1000) for 120,000gns. From the same family of the Waterhouse/Bott purchase Youth Spirit, Hanaady is a Nottingham maiden winner from three starts for Ed Dunlop.
Ciaron Maher Racing and James Eustace hit the board on Day 3 outlaying 100,000gns for the 4yo Dark Angel gelding Ascension (lot 1112). The former Roger Varian inmate has won five of 16 starts.
Michael Costa and McKeever Bloodstock took home the 3yo Gleneagles colt Highland Rocker for 80,000gns (lot 1144). Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Highland Rocker has won two of six starts including a last start success over 10f at Goodwood.
Australian Bloodstock and Ronald Rauscher outlaid 55,000gns for the 3yo Starspangledbanner colt Spangler (lot 954). The Hughie Morrison-trained colt won his only start last season at two ant Leicester. He was off the scene for a year when second over a mile on the all-weather at Lingfield on September 30.
Star Thoroughbreds and Chris Waller teamed up to buy the 2yo Kodiac colt Carbon (lot 964) for 50,000gns. Trained by Roger Varian, Carbon had had one win and placed three times in seven starts.
Go Racing New Zealand paid the same amount for Shadwell’s 2yo Sea The Stars gelding Al Aabir (lot 836). Al Aabir has finished second at his only two starts at Chelmsford and Bath.