An electric atmosphere and frenzied trade characterised a remarkable opening session at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale with a FRANKEL filly realising 4,400,000 guineas, the second highest price for a yearling in European auction history, and eighteen lots realising 500,000 guineas or more.
The progeny of FRANKEL were in great demand realising three of the four million guineas prices, whilst Amo Racing’s Kia Joorabchian was the leading first day buyer securing 10 lots for 11,045,000 guineas. The clearance rate during the opening day was an impressive 90%.
Lot 68 Frankel Filly from Newsells Park Stud Sells for 4,400,000 Guineas
The top lot on the opening day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale was the FRANKEL filly out of Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner ALJAZZI who was knocked down to Kia Joorabchian, stood alongside agent Alex Elliott, for 4,400,000 guineas after he saw off a determined effort from Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida. The sale represented the second highest price for a yearling in European auction history, behind the 5,000,000 guineas sale of the filly subsequently named AL NAAMAH at this sale in 2013.
Once Elliott had taken a breath, he said: "Phew! Kia and partners wanted the filly very badly - a Frankel filly from that family and with that physical, she was always going to be a collectors' item. It is a deep price tag and, though we had discussed her at length, obviously I did not see her making that - but we had very much homed in on her.
"But she is part of Team Amo now... wow! She is a spectacular filly, it is a spectacular price, a spectacular bunch of horses here. I'd like to say I was a cool customer when all that was taking place, but that would be a fib - I have never been in that rarified atmosphere before."
He added: "We have seen Ylang Ylang from the same farm and from the same cross, we just need history to repeat itself! The figure I had in mind was a good bit below that but, as I keep saying to people, good horses will pay you back!
"It is great that she is staying here, it is great for British racing that these people are around to buy these horses as we all understand how difficult the product is to promote at the minute. To have two men to say they are going to keep her here, it is huge kudos to them. Kia knows you have got to buy them at the top level to compete at the top level."
Elliott continued: "This filly has got through most of the hoops - she is by the right stallion, she is out of a good Shamardal mare, she is from a great farm, she has come to a sale, she has shown she is in the top echelon of horses, now she has got to keep going!"
The SHAMARDAL mare ALJAZZI was purchased by Newsells Park Stud at the 2018 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale for a record breaking 1,000,000 guineas, and this filly’s great granddam MAJESTIC SAKEENA was bought by Tony Nerses at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2006 for 200,000 guineas.
Consignor Julian Dollar of Newsells Park Stud said: "To be honest with you, I was hoping she would make a million and that would have been nice, but obviously some good players had her valued at twice that. We are obviously delighted. Mitsu Nakauchida is a great trainer and a lovely guy and he loved her, and obviously Kia, Amo and Alex loved her too... it is unbelievable.
"I said to Graham [Smith-Bernal] that there were two fillies that I'd like to keep, she was one and the other was the Dubawi filly. We also have a nice filly to sell on Thursday, the half-sister to Ylang Ylang. But I always loved this filly and thought she was outstanding. I am thrilled with that price, it makes a big difference to a commercial operation like Newsells. It is great."
Lot 72 Sister to Alpinista Sells for 2,500,000 Guineas to Amo Racing
One of the stars of the catalogue was the FRANKEL sister to the 2022 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Stakes winner ALPINISTA and she did not disappoint when selling for 2,500,000 guineas. The daughter of Listed winning HERNANDO mare ALWILDA was consigned from her breeder Kirsten Rausing’s Staffordstown and was another high-profile filly purchased by Kia Joorabchain’s Amo Racing.
"That pedigree, a sister to an Arc winner, there is not a lot to tell you that we don't all know!" laughed Elliott, who was stood amongst the Amo Racing team. "Kia has been in the game for a number of years now, and to compete at the top table you have to have the best pedigrees - it is the only way to compete consistently.
"Amo has got to a level now that it is ready to try and do that, and that filly has just about the best pedigree in the book. It doesn't get any better than that. She is a fine big scopey filly, she is worth a hell of a lot of money residually. We will see how she goes but we will take our time, it is very much a late developing family and she looks like that physically, but we are up and running!"
He added: "We have obviously got some horses who will stand at stud such as King Of Steel - I am not saying they will be for him, but if he proves himself good enough these mares could be... we have got an awful lot of proving to do!
"But Kia is ready for the operation to prove itself at the next echelon and that is where we are trying to get to, and that is why we need to get into these families. The fact that these horses are staying here is huge for British racing and we should all be huge cheerleaders for it."
Once he had finished dealing with well-wishers, Joorabchian added: "We need strong pedigreed fillies and we have a lot of horses going to stud in the next year, such as Bucanero Fuerte and King Of Steel - it will be this year or next year, we will have to make a decision soon, and we have Persian Force already at stud. We need to back them otherwise we are just going to get left behind - we have to back our stallions to have a chance of winning.
"It is very difficult to buy such mares because the likes of Juddmonte, Coolmore, Shadwell, all the big guys own all the big mares. So we have to come out here and hope that what we are buying in terms of pedigrees will make us competitive.
"It is very hard to buy such pedigrees after the yearling stage - once a filly has won a Group 1 you are in very high prices, so you have got to try and get them earlier and hope that they go on well."
Of FRANKEL he enthused: "Frankel has had huge success and he just keeps on producing - the Matron Stakes was a real eye-opener, four of the field were by Frankel and one by Too Darn Hot. You look at all the Frankels and what they are doing, these amazing mares and fillies, you just have to back him."
Lot 92 Godolphin Strike for Ballylinch Stud’s No Nay Never at 2,200,000 Guineas
Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation struck during the afternoon to secure the NO NAY NEVER colt out of the Listed winning HIGH CHAPARRAL mare BELLA ESTRELLA from Ballylinch Stud for 2,200,000 guineas.
"He is one of the nicest horses we have ever brought to a sale," said Ballylinch Stud’s John O'Connor of the half-brother to the Group 2 Champagne Stakes winner IBERIAN, "and possibly the nicest horse - and we have sold quite a few Group 1 winners here too. Ronan Wade, our yearling manager at Castlemartin, gave him the highest mark he has ever for a horse. We are delighted Sheikh Mohammed has bought the colt and we wish him every success."
Of the colt as an individual, he added: "He is just the perfect yearling, and I hope he will make the perfect racehorse. He has the most wonderful temperament and is so consistent in how he shows. He has beautiful action and is the perfect mover, and vetted very well. Most of those who you think could buy a very good horse wanted to buy him. Sheikh Mohammed is having some success with our stallions, let's hope this horse goes on well too."
Of the family, he outlined: "This mare was very good, and it is an original pedigree from when the McCalmont family was based at Ballylinch. I bought Uncharted Haven here out of training at the December Sale, and most of that blacktype on page has been bred by us - it is a very active family."
The Grade 2 winner UNCHARTED HAVEN was purchased by Ballylinch Stud for 320,000 guineas at the 2001 Tattersalls December Mares Sale.
Purchaser Anthony Stroud said: "He is a lovely horse, a very good-looking horse, we all really liked him a lot. He has a wonderful pedigree, is from a very good stud farm, and was the one horse we really wanted today.
"It has been a blockbuster start to the sale with the two fillies' sales. There are a lot of people from around the world here, which is good to see."
Lot 85 Baroda’s Frankel Colt to Amo Racing for 1,100,000 Guineas
The fourth and final lot to realise a seven figure value on the opening day was the FRANKEL colt out of the OASIS DREAM mare ATONE who was knocked down to Amo Racing for 1,100,000 guineas. The colt is a half-brother to the Group placed REDRESSED and is out of an own-sister to six-time Group 1 winner and Champion mare MIDDAY, the dam of the blacktype winners MIDTERM, MORI and NOON STAR, and a half-sister to the Group winners SUN MAIDEN and HOT SNAP.
Consigned by Baroda Stud, the colt was bred by Yulong Investments with BBA Ireland having purchased the mare from the Juddmonte draft at the 2022 Tattersalls December Mares Sale for 300,000 guineas.
David Cox of Baroda said: "He is a homebred for Yulong, he was a lovely foal and I was delighted to be able to bring him here. The lads have done a great job to prepare him for the sale and Sam did a great job with him up here. He showed perfectly every day, is a great mover and is the image of his father. Coming here I was hoping he would make close to a million and it is great to go over.
"It is a fantastic pedigree. Mr Zhang has been a great supporter, he is selling and buying here and this horse was always going to be offered. Yulong has a bunch of horses they are going to sell, a bunch to go into training, a bunch to go to Japan and some going to China, it is a worldwide operation and it is great to be involved."
Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues at 11am on Wednesday, 9th October
