Oliver St Lawrence goes to 360,000gns to secure Longway Stables juvenile
The most expensive lot to sell during the first session of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale on Tuesday evening was a son of Coolmore America's Munnings (Speightstown) who was bought by Oliver St Lawerence Bloodstock for 360,000gns.
Sold by Longways Stables, the colt is out of the Grade 3 winner Separate Forest (Forestry) who is the dam of four winners including the stakes winning filly Hendy Woods (Uncle Mo).
The colt will be trained in Newmarket by Roger Varian.
"He is a very taking horse, Roger was keen on him and so was I. He looks like a type who could get to Royal Ascot. We have had luck with Munnings before with Shahama, who did well in Dubai and then went to the US," said Oliver St Lawrence.
"He did a perfectly nice time without setting the world alight. Mick brings them along nicely and does not push them too hard."
Varian added: "He looks a strong horse, so hopefully we can get him home and see where we go."
Mick Murphy of Longways Stables was delighted with the sale: "I am a very happy vendor! He was very popular, we had a lot of the right people on him. I was very hopeful, but you never know.
"I bought him in the US and we bought him to come to the Craven, we thought he'd suit this sale. I have been lucky enough to have already sold a Royal Ascot winner, this could be another!
"He is a horse who wants good ground and he breezed exceptionally well considering the conditions. He is a quick horse and a lot of people said he is very similar to Jack Christopher."
Jack Christoper is the leading son of Munnings. A dual Grade 1 winner as a three-year-old, he now stands at Coolmore's Ashford Stud. Munnings meanwhile is standing for a fee of US$100,000 this year.
Two further lots sold for over 300,000gns on Tuesday with a colt by first crop sire Blue Point (Shamardal) selling to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 340,000gns. Earlier in the day Blue Point was represented by his third winner and this colt is the first foal out of Listed winning Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Rebecca Rocks.
"He is a very nice horse, he is by Blue Point who has got off to a flying start. He breezed well, he is from Tally-Ho which has produced many a good horse. I am delighted to have purchased him. He has a good pedigree and is a nice neat two-year-old type, too," said purchaser Anthony Stroud.
The colt was bought as a foal by Tally-Ho for 70,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale in 2021.
During the first day of the sale 59 of the 86 lots offered sold for 6,495,500. This was up slightly from 6,311,000gns a year ago when 52 lots sold. The average fell nine per cent to 110,093gns and the median dropped 10 per cent to 77,000gns. The clearance rate finished at 69 per cent.
Darley first season shuttler Blue Point (Shamardal), who sired his third winner earlier in the day, was the leading sire by aggregate with four lots selling for 565,000gns. Stroud Coleman Bloodstock was the leading buyer having spent 545,000gns on two lots.
The second and final day of the sale will be held at Park Paddocks on Wednesday evening.
