Record breaking turnover recorded
A record-breaking turnover was recorded during Thursday's Tattersalls Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale. Two lots sold for 200,000gns during the breeze up session, the highest price recorded at the sale since 2018 and 13 lots made 100,000gns or more.
The first of the two 200,000gns breeze up purchases came when a colt by Zoffany (Dansili) out of the Listed placed mare Guardia (Monsun), a sister to Getaway and Guadalupe, was bought by trainer Richard Hughes.
The colt was sold by Cormac Farrell's C F Bloodstock, who had purchased the colt for €55,000 at last year's Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.
Farrell said: "I am absolutely delighted, I came here expecting to get a nice price but you never know until you get the breeze out of the way, it is great that people liked him.
"We have been patient with him as he is a big rangy horse. It is amazing that he can breeze so fast, I'd say he is a very good horse, and it sounds silly to say but we did come here thinking we might be able to top the sale. It is great that he has done what we hoped he would do.
"I think he might be a freak, he can do sectionals like a six furlong horse not a horse wanting a mile and a half, he could just be exceptional and he has shown us that from the very minute we started with him."
Purchaser Richard Hughes said: "He is for an existing client. I didn't think he should be able to go as quick as he has done, and with the backbone of his pedigree a top class staying German family he has to be good. He is nice big loose horse. I will probably turn him out for some May grass now, I think it will do him good and we will get him in in a month or so and look to ready him for an October maiden."
Shortly afterwards, the second 200,000gns lot came when a colt by Time Test (Dubawi) was bought by Irish-based trainer Michael O'Callaghan. The colt is out of the Galileo (Sadler's Wells) mare Lady Glinka and was sold by Willie Brown's Mocklershill.
He was originally bought by Brenan Morrin for 67,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale in 2021.
"Willie does five or six breezers for us every year," said Morrin.
"This horse has a lot of Galileo in him and Willie has done a fantastic job on him. We decided we'd hang on and wait for the breeze rather than sell as a yearling, sometimes this plan doesn't work when buying them as foals but we have been lucky today. He went to Willie's in January unbroken but we handled him with the sales yearlings. Willie makes all the decisions as regards sale plans, we go to the best and send these horses to him!"
O'Callaghan said that the colt reminded him of Group 2 Beresford Stakes (1m) winner Crypto Force (Time Test), who he bought at the sale last year.
"This is a lovely, quality horse, and I hope lightning can strike twice - we bought Crypto Force here last year and he was also out of a Galileo mare. This horse breezed well, he has a lovely action and was a bit green in his breeze, but we can forgive him that," said O'Callaghan.
The colt was one of 141 juveniles to sell during the Breeze Up session which grossed 5,942,500gns, up six per cent from 5,601,500gns a year ago. The average rose 18 per cent from 35,678gns to 42,145gns and the median remained at 30,000gns.
During the Horses In Training session, 85 of the 99 lots offered were sold for 1,525,500gns, at an average of 17,947gns and a median of 12,000gns.
