The Tattersalls July Sale got off to a strong start on the opening day with eight lots realising 200,000 guineas or more and a top price of 350,000 guineas for the well-bred mare SWEET AND LOVELY. The turnover for the day topped seven million guineas whilst the clearance rate was 87%.
Sister to Seventh Heaven Tops Opening Day of Tattersalls July at 350,000 Guineas
The top lot on the opening day was the four-year-old mare SWEET AND LOVELY who was knocked down to BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe for 350,000 guineas. The daughter of GALILEO was consigned by WH Bloodstock and is an own-sister to the Group 1 Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks winner SEVENTH HEAVEN, and a half-sister to the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes winner CRUSADE. Out of the Grade 3 winner LA TRAVIATA, SWEET AND LOVELY was offered in foal to WOOTTON BASSETT, sire of last season’s Group 1 National Stakes winner AL RIFFA as well as this year’s Derby runner up KING OF STEEL and the Group 2 winning juveniles RIVER TIBER and BUCANERO FUERTE.
“She’s from the family that sold well early today [Lot 143], and it's a good looking, active, happening family," said today's leading buyer Donohoe. "She has a good cover to Wootton Bassett and he looks as though he is fulfilling his promise. She is carrying a colt and, if everything goes right, she might not be a bad investment - a nice yearling colt at the sales by him and we'd be in with a chance of getting the investment back in one go."
"She will go to board at Baroda Stud in Ireland. We will foal her down and make a decision as regards stallions. She could go back to Wootton Bassett - the lads in Coolmore are really banking on the Wootton Bassett cross, and John Magnier can certainly make these stallions! We will see what the foal looks like but I wouldn't bank against her going back to him."
Donohoe Strikes for Sister to Grade 1 Winner Deauville
The second highest priced lot on the opening day of the Tattersalls July Sale was the three-year-old GALILEO filly DIFFERENT LIGHT, who was knocked down to BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe for 330,000 guineas after he saw off the persistent underbidder Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock. Consigned by the Castlebridge Consignment, DIFFERENT LIGHT is an own-sister to the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational winner and multiple Group and Grade 1 placed DEAUVILLE out of the Graded stakes placed DANEHILL mare WALKLIKEANEGYPTIAN.
"She is a good looking filly, and it's a family I know well as I bought out of the family before - I bought a sister for a good client in Cork," explained Donohoe. "The family gets good looking horses and she is typical."
He continued: "The client for this filly has mares in the southern and northern hemispheres and we will pick a European stallion for her, possibly Baaeed or Siyouni. The Siyouni-Galileo cross has worked pretty well, and we also think that this mare and Baaeed could match well physically. I know it is a bit of an in-cross Baaeed, Galileo and Urban Sea, but Shadwell has been sending some Galileo mares to him.
"The probable choice will be Siyouni - he has achieved so much in particular this year - and then Baaeed. She is tall, there is plenty of size and scope to her, and she has good action. She will suit either stallion."
Of immediate plans for the three-year-old Donohoe said: "For the time being she will stay in Newmarket with Castlebridge, they look after the client's mares here."
DIFFERENT LIGHT is also an own-sister to the Group 3 winning colt THE CORSICAN, and her dam is a half-sister to the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes winner CALLWOOD DANCER and Group 2 Oaks d’Italia winner CONTREDANSE.
Coolmara Stables Make First Foray Into Flat Market with 270,000 Guineas Purchase
Coolmara Stables, better know in the National Hunt marketplace, made their first foray into the flat division when they secured the four-year-old mare OVER THE RAINBOW for 270,000 guineas. Offered by The Castlebridge Consignment, the daughter of DUBAWI is out of the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks heroine SEVENTH HEAVEN whose own-sister SWEET AND LOVELY topped proceedings today.
The Coolmara Stables’ farm manager Paul McGrath was at Tattersalls today in charge of purchasing and commented: "This is a new division for us, we have been talking about getting a Flat broodmare band together for some time. We decided we would make a dart this week. She was not easily bought and went for a bit more than we thought, but we are delighted to have her."
Coolmara recently sold a son of DOCTOR DINO at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale in Fairyhouse for €250,000, the second best price at the sale, and as with their 28 National Hunt mares the Mariga family of Coolmara is aiming for quality: "She is a foundation Flat broodmare, she has a good covering and she has a good pedigree - it’s hard to get. We will make stallion plans once we have got the foal from her. We want to keep the quality up, and we will take it one step at a time as regards developing a Flat band of mares. We will be aiming to operate on a commercial basis."
OVER THE RAINBOW was offered in foal to ST MARK'S BASILICA and received a recent catalogue update when her DUBAWI half-sister BOOGIE WOOGIE finished second in the Group 3 Prix de Royaumont, and the three-year-old has a slew of Group 1 entries.
Another Galileo Mare for BBA Ireland as Evening Hush Makes 250,000 Guineas
BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe struck again early in the evening when going to 250,000 guineas to secure the Godolphin consigned EVENING HUSH. The three-year-old filly is an unraced daughter of the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner WUHEIDA, herself a daughter of the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile and Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Stakes winner HIBAAYEB.
Donohoe purchased four of the top five lots of the day, all of them by GALILEO, and BBA Ireland finished the session as the leading purchaser signing for seven lots for a total of 1,343,000 guineas.
The Tattersalls July Sale continues at 9.30am on Wednesday, 12th July.
