Watership Down Stud’s Dubawi (Ire) colt out of the multiple Group 1-winner and budding blue hen mare Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) (lot 325) was widely expected to be the star attraction on the second day of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, and the handsome bay made good on that promise, fetching the top price of the sale thus far when knocked down to David Redvers at 3.5-million gns.
“That’s the future of our operation, finding these horses that are good enough to be the most commercial and most exciting stallions,” said Redvers. “To have one of the very best-bred Dubawis is very hard to put a value on. You’ve seen horses this week make 600,000 gns, 800,000 gns, 1-million gns; they’re nice horses, but they’re not the very best. We just have to hope now that he gets to the racecourse and does what his pedigree, genetics and physique suggests he should. These horses don’t come up very often, and if he’s as good as his full-brother he’s a very cheap horse today.”
Coolmore And Phoenix Duel
The full-brother to Oaks winner Was (Ire) and European yearling sales record-holder Al Namaah (Ire) (lot 217) created plenty of fireworks on Wednesday afternoon when a repeat of last week’s duels between Coolmore and Phoenix Thoroughbreds ended, this time, with MV Magnier having the final say at 1.3-million gns for the son of Galileo (Ire).
Le Havre Filly To Gosden
Le Havre (Ire) had just two yearlings catalogued for Book 1—a colt and a filly—and it was the latter who was one of the leading lights of Wednesday’s session at Tattersalls when sold to John Gosden for 850,000 gns (lot 266).
Competition was fierce for the half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Home Of The Brave (Ire) (Starspangledbanner), a late scratching for this weekend's The Everest. American agent Shawn Dugan was involved in the skirmishes along with the duo of John Camilleri and Hubie de Burgh, the eventual underbidders, but it was Gosden, standing beside Tom Goff, who signed for the filly.
Harry McCalmont’s Norelands Stud consigned the filly on behalf of her owner Bob Scarborough, who listened to the bidding via telephone from Australia.
Adrian Nicoll, who had been on the phone to Scarborough throughout, added, “We bought the mare privately for Bob last year when she was in foal to Frankel and with this filly at foot. Sadly she lost the foal.”
Other Notable Lots:
Mark Richards purchased a Kodiac (GB) colt (lot 308) for 525,000 gns, and a Camacho (GB) colt (lot 215) for 325,000 gns. Brad Spicer, of Spicer Thoroughbreds, came away with a Sea The Stars (Ire) colt (lot 272) for 125,000 gns.
A record single yearling session at Tattersalls, in which the aggregate passed 40-million gns for the first time, was boosted by seven millionaire-plus yearlings. The day one clearance rate of 85% had been encouraging enough but that shot up to an impressive 91% on Wednesday when 129 yearlings sold from the 142 on offer.
Accordingly, figures in all other sectors also improved. Turnover of 40,944,000 gns represented a rise of 21%, while the median rose from 160,000 gns to 190,000 gns (+19%) and the average was up by 7% at 317,395 gns.
China Horse Club And Ballylinch Team Up
China Horse Club purchased two yearlings alongside Ballylinch Stud on Wednesday. A Speightstown (USA) colt (lot 248) for 76,000 gns, and an Oasis Dream (GB) colt for 350,000 gns.
"China Horse Club is very happy to partner with Ballylinch Stud. The two outfits previously joined forces to secure the Group 1-winning son of Dubawi (Ire), New Bay (GB), who currently has a fantastic first crop of foals on the ground," Mick Flanagan told TDN AusNZ.
"We wanted to further our relationship by starting a European racing stable for which we have purchased yearlings at Arqana, Goffs and Tattersalls. The two in particular we bought yesterday are both well put together colts by proven stallions out of good mares."
