The second day of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale was headed by the three-year-old colt GLADIUS at 950,000 guineas, one of eight lots to realise 300,000 guineas or more. International purchasers were again to the fore with buyers from Australia, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia securing the top five lots.
Wathnan Racing Secure Gladius for 950,000 Guineas
The top lot on the second day of the Autumn Horses in Training Sale was the Jamie Railton consigned three-year-old colt GLADIUS who was knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown for 950,000 guineas.
The eventual underbidder was Claudia Fitzgerald, standing in the right-hand stairwell with Johnny McKeever. Fitzgerald initially turned away at 850,000 guineas, returning with a phone to her ear to make one last effort but that was swiftly countered by Richard Brown with the winning bid.
“He is for Wathnan Racing,” said Brown, laughing: “As you can you tell with Ali Al Kubaisi [Wathnan’s racing manager] sat with me! We have followed this horse through the year with interest. We have Damysus, who we hold in high regard, and we thought this horse ran very well in behind him in the Group 3 Darley Stakes. It is a form line we know about.
“Gladius will go back to Andrew Balding and we will target the Qatar Derby with him. He is what we are looking for – he is a progressive, still unexposed colt who can go to Qatar and then go on to be an international horse for us as well.
“It is what Olly Tait set out to do for Wathnan, and the brief we have been given – he is just the horse who fits that brief. He is rated 111 off six starts, he can climb again and the plan will be to go Andrew and to give Wathnan a big day at some stage.”
Previously trained by Andrew Balding for Qatar Bloodstock, China Horse Club and David Howden, the lightly raced son of sire of the moment NIGHT OF THUNDER won three of his first four starts before smart placed efforts in Group company when fourth in the Group 3 Strensall Stakes at York and latterly second in the Group 3 Darley Stakes at Newmarket. He was bought at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for 250,000 guineas by Qatar Racing / China Horse Club.
GLADIUS is out of the dual Listed winning SIR PERCY mare PERSONA GRATA, a half-sister to the dam of four-time Australian Group 1 winner ZAAKI.
Donohoe Strikes at 570,000 Guineas for Wildcard Geography
The second highest priced lot of the session was the multiple Group winner GEOGRAPHY who was bought by BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe for 570,000 guineas. Consigned by Barton Sales as a wildcard entry on behalf of trainer Peter Schiergen and owner Stall Hanse, the four-year-old won the Group 2 Oettingen-Rennen in September and was fifth in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret on his most recent start.
Successful purchaser Donohoe commented: “He is really the one that we identified when the wildcards came out. He is a horse we had been following, he has extremely consistent form, his run in the Foret was good, he is a very good physical, he vetted very well and he is versatile.
“He is for a client in the Middle East and we will make a plan now. He will probably ship and be based there. He will suit the mile races in the region, and with his pedigree he might be a horse who could go on the dirt in Saudi too. We gave a bit more than we thought we would but we are very happy to get him. If he can win a valuable race in the Middle East, he makes good sense from an investment view point.”
The four-year-old is by HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR out of the Listed winning MONTJEU mare GUAJARA and is a five-time Group winner in Germany.
Wave Rider Bahrain Bound at 420,000 Guineas
Barton Sales also provided the third highest priced lot of the day with the three-year-old WAVE RIDER, consigned on behalf of Harry Charlton’s Beckhampton House Stables, realising 420,000 guineas to JS Bloodstock and George Scott Racing. The three-year-old was an impressive winner at Pontefract since catalogue publication earning an official rating of 94, and will be heading to Bahrain having been bought on behalf of Victorious Forever.
Bloodstock agent Billy Jackson-Stops commented: “He will go at the middle distance races, the 1m2f and 1m4f Cup races. Sheikh Nasser has won his own Cup a couple of times and it would be great to try and win it again. He has the form and the profile to be successful there.
“Harry we know and trust and the horse has been looked after to the very best. Bahrain as a racecourse is on the up – we want to support that, send the right horses there and ensure the quality of ability and competition remains high, and horses like this will do that.”
WAVE RIDER returned a significant increase on his yearling purchase price when bought for 45,000 guineas at Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale from Hillwood Stud by Beckhampton Stables and Amanda Skiffington. The son of BELARDO is out of SURFSEEKER, a GOLDEN HORN half-sister to Group 1 Prix Vermeille winner KITESURF.
Grade 1 Winner New Century Sells for 390,000 Guineas
Another of the Blandford Bloodstock quartet of agents struck for the fourth highest priced lot of the session with Grade 1 winner NEW CENTURY realising 390,000 guineas to Blandford’s Stuart Boman, sitting in the seats with Jono Mills. Boman and Mills saw off the persistent attentions of Alessandro Marconi before Matt Houldsworth entered the fray, but the duo secured the Jamie Railton-consigned colt after a protracted bidding duel.
“We got there in the end, it took a little while!” smiled Boman, adding: “It is rare you get to buy a Grade 1 winner at auction. He has run very well in that company since, and he was a horse talked of as a Classic prospect. He vetted immaculately, and for a horse who has trained in the US and come back again.
“We are happy to get him, he is for an existing client and he will be going for the Dubai for the Carnival.”
The son of KAMEKO won Woodbine’s Grade 1 Summer Stakes at two and placed fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf when trained by Andrew Balding. He ran creditably in the Group 3 Craven Stakes on his seasonal debut at three before four starts in America for trainer Brendan Walsh, including a third placed effort in the Grade 1 American Turf Stakes when beaten just a length and a quarter.
Stay True Heading Down Under to Archibald Racing at 360,000 Guineas
Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman struck for another high class three-year-old later in the session when securing the Classic placed STAY TRUE for 360,000 guineas on behalf of Archibald Racing, having seen off underbidder Colm Sharkey for the Coolmore consigned colt. Boman, sitting in the seats to the left of the auctioneer with British-born, Australia-based trainer Annabel Neasham, revealed:
“He goes to Australia and is for Annabel and Rob Archibald Racing. He is a perfect Cup horse, he is already Melbourne Cup qualified, he has got the rating to get in, he finished third in the St Leger and he is by Galileo. He ran a top race in the Great Voltigeur when fourth, and he has a great pedigree.”
Neasham added: “He is ultimately for the Melbourne Cup/Caulfield Cup. We have not got definite plans as yet, we might fly him out in March and run him off the plane in something like the Tancred Cup. He is on spec at the moment, but I have a few owners who want a Cup horse. He will be easy enough to sell, he has just run third in the Leger! He is just the horse you come to buy, it is difficult to land on them.”
This is the trainer’s first visit to the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, and she laughed: “Normally I am on the phone in the middle of the night, it has been quite a bit easier being here!”
From the last crop of the great GALILEO, STAY TRUE was beaten just a length and a half into third in the St Leger and is out of the Listed placed BAHAMIAN BOUNTY mare BOUNCE. He was fourth in the Group 1 British Champions Long Distance Cup on his most recent start and was offered with a Timeform rating of 117.
