“It’s a very cool day.” The understatement of the year from Craig Kieswetter as he spoke from a wet Newmarket after the hammer had fallen on a 1,100,000gns Godolphin purchase of the Barnane Stud’s / Ridgemont Highlands team’s smashing Dubawi colt.
And 13 200 km away at Hollywoodbets Durbanville the Kieswetter’s Australian-bred Snitzel filly stormed to victory under Keagan de Melo to win the Middle Stakes for trainer Brett Crawford.
She is a daughter of exported Gr1 champion In The Fast Lane (Jet Master).
Keagan de Melo pushes Ridgemont Highlands racer Stiptelik out to a smart win (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
But back to the UK, Urban Fox, who has already provided a seminal moment in the thoroughbred life of the Kieswetter family’s Barnane Stud from her time on the racecourse, furthered her contribution in the ring at Tattersalls with one of Wednesday’s seven-figure sales.
The Racing Post reports that almost five years ago, the mare was a 425,000gns purchase by the sporting South African family to establish Barnane, a County Tipperary offshoot of their breeding operation.
Having been third in the Fillies’ Mile and second in the Fred Darling Stakes for James Tate, on transfer to William Haggas she made her Group 1 breakthrough in the following year’s Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.
The Kieswetters took her to the very best, with lot 272 being the second colt she has produced by Dubawi. Unsurprisingly, it was Godolphin which added him to its shopping list for 1,100,000gns.
Craig Kieswetter, the former international cricketer, was with his father Wayne as he watched the action from outside the auditorium and could not have been more delighted with the result.
“She was a lovely mare, she’s by Foxwedge, so there were a few question marks when we bought her in training, but she was terrific on the racecourse, travelled really well around Europe and won some big races,” he said.
“We’re delighted, all the best to Sheikh Mohammed and the Godolphin team, we’re very grateful.”
The colt had been prepped and consigned by Baroda Stud in what was a team effort. His two-year-old brother, named Outfoxed, has been retained and is with Haggas.
“Obviously Dubawi is a top sire, we all know that, the team at home at Barnane have done a remarkable job, and so have David [Cox] and his team,” Kieswetter continued.
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“You can do the matings but you’ve also got to get the specimen, so we’re delighted with the result and we’ll be certainly watch with him interest.
“Urban Fox is in foal to Frankel, which is also very exciting, the farm is growing. We’ve got some lovely Frankel and Siyouni fillies to take to the track and a few in Book 2 as well.
“It’s early days for us but it’s going in the right direction. She holds a very special emotional bond with us with the Pretty Polly, the Nassau and the Jean Romanet, so for us it’s exciting.”
www.racingpost.com – additional reporting by SP editorial staff.
