Promising Wootton Bassett two-year-old SKIATHOS topped the fourth day of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale at 150,000 guineas with robust trade resulting in a clearance rate of 90% for the session. Turnover for the sale exceeded 33,000,000 guineas for only the fourth time in its history with a fifth and final session still to come on Friday, followed immediately by the Tattersalls Autumn Yearling Sale.
150,000 Guineas for Promising Two-Year-Old Skiathos
The top lot on the fourth day of the Autumn Horses in Training Sale was the promising two-year-old SKIATHOS, who was offered by trainer Karl Burke’s Spigot Lodge Stables on behalf of Clipper Logistics. Unraced prior to catalogue publication SKIATHOS has posted two smart updates in October and proved duly popular with buyers, realising 150,000 guineas to Henry Dwyer Racing, Jamie Piggott and Harvey Williams.
The sale had a decidedly international dimension with Jamie Piggott on a plane to the USA and trainer Henry Dwyer at home in Australia, and bidding duties were carried out with aplomb by Harvey Williams, the son of trainer Ian Williams.
“It’s the first time I’ve bought a horse whilst flying over Michigan!” commented Piggott. “I’m on the way to Del Mar. Henry is a good friend, we’ve had a lot of good times together in the UK and Australia over the last couple of years.
“He’s obviously done amazingly with Asfoora here and back home, and he was looking for something to race here and then likely take back to Australia. This colt could be anything. I watched him win well whilst in the Green Room on Monday and immediately remembered that he was in on Thursday.
“He’s a lovely athletic individual with scope to get the mile next year. Harvey Williams did a great job with the bidding, we’ve bought five smart prospects with his dad Ian over the last couple of days, couldn’t be happier!”
SKIATHOS finished second on debut earlier this month before impressing with a stylish front-running victory at Redcar just three days ago, earning a Timeform rating of 86p. The son of WOOTTON BASSETT is an own-brother to the Listed Roses Stakes winner ATTAGIRL out of the Listed winning PASTORAL PURSUITS mare CATALINA BAY.
Cracks Speed to Red Racing for 65,000 Guineas
The second highest priced lot of the session had also posted a significant update since catalogue publication when second by a neck on debut in a National Hunt Flat Race at Market Rasen. The three-year-old CRACKS SPEED was consigned by trainer Richard Hughes’ Weathercock House Stables and was knocked down for 65,000 guineas to Lottie Ingleton on behalf of Red Racing.
Ingleton revealed; “He will stay in bumpers for now – he showed enough on his first run, and he will be trained by Thomas Gallagher.”
Richard Hughes said: “We are thrilled, anything over 50,000 guineas we thought would be a good day’s work! He came into me in the spring, he had been on the farm a long time because he was so big, and he looked a little bit slow to start off with so I mentioned to Mr Jaber that we should run him in a bumper.
“I explained what a bumper is – a National Hunt flat race – and he ran a blinder and just got beat, and as he had never been on grass before he ran a really good race. He is an easy, kind horse, with a very good pedigree. He is a real National Hunt horse and he sold well.”
The son of CRACKSMAN is out of the multiple Stakes winning MACHO UNO mare PICCO UNO from the family of American Champion Older Horse VICTORY GALLOP. His young sire has already been represented in the National Hunt sphere by Grade 3 Galway Hurdle winner and Cheltenham Festival runner up NDAAWI and the Listed Scottish Triumph Hurdle winner LIARI, and will stand at Yorton Stud in a dual-purpose role in 2026.
Dual-Purpose Future for Likewhatyousee at 60,000 Guineas
The Baroda Stud consigned LIKEWHATYOUSEE was the highest priced filly of the session and was purchased with a dual-purpose future in mind by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock and O’Neill Racing for 60,000 guineas. The daughter of STREET SENSE has run five times including an impressive maiden win over a mile and a half at the Curragh last Tuesday.
Stroud Coleman’s Matt Coleman commented; “We were keen to find a juvenile hurdling prospect or two this week, she has a US sire but she has run well on her last three starts in Ireland. She tries hard and stays well, she was a very game winner at the Curragh on soft ground. She is a tall filly with plenty of scope, and I think she is a filly who should improve with time.
“Cormac Farrell bought her as a breeze-up prospect but she was too tall and immature, so he kept her and raced her. He was very keen on her and recommended her. She is a filly who will go hurdling after Christmas and then can run on the flat next summer in 0-90s for fillies.
“She is rated 77 and is the one we picked out today to try and buy. There is a lot of stamina in the pedigree, and her three-parts sister was a US stayer on the grass so there is stamina there, and I have had a bit of luck buying US-sired horses with European female lines.”
AJ O’Neill, who joined his father Jonjo on the training licence in 2024, added: “We got one yesterday and her today, neither have owners so we are lucky to have two lovely horses in the yard for sale!”
The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale continues with the fifth session at 9.30am on Friday, 31st October followed immediately by the Tattersalls Autumn Yearling Sale.
