Horses of varying ages with a connection to Markus Jooste dominated the first day of the Tattersalls July Sale at Newmarket on Wednesday, at which the thrice-raced, regally-bred Award Winning (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) set the pace when sold for 350,000gns.
Award Winning led the way at Tattersalls on day one (Pic-Laura Green/Tattersalls)
The 3-year-old half-sister to group winners Royal Bench (Ire) (Whipper), Mayhem (Ire) (Whipper) and Memphis Tennessee (Ire) (Hurricane Run {Ire}), offered as lot 221, was signed for by Blandford Bloodstock’s Tom Goff, who saw off underbidder Bertrand Le Metayer with his final offer on behalf of an Irish client who wished to remain anonymous.
“She’s for a client who has been talking about buying a Dubawi mare for a long time,” Goff said. “It’s a wonderful outcross pedigree and considering what she made as a yearling we’re very pleased to get her. She’s a filly we’ve been watching for a while.”
The last time Award Winning had been seen in the same ring was three years ago at the December Foal Sale when she was sold by co-breeder Knocktoran Stud for 720,000gns to the Mayfair Speculators. In her three starts, which included victory in a Wetherby novice stakes in April, she raced for the partnership of Sue Magnier, Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor and Markus Jooste.
Just two lots earlier (219), Goff had picked up another well-bred filly from the Castlebridge Consignment for a different but also unnamed client, this one based in America. C’est Ca (Ire), the daughter of Galileo (Ire) and GI Frizette S. winner A Z Warrior (Bernardini) who raced once in France for the Mayfair Speculators and Michael Tabor, will now cross the Atlantic after being bought for 320,000gns. Her Book 1 yearling price was 750,000gns.
“She has a lovely page and if you think how strong the December Sale is here then this is a great opportunity to buy fillies like this at this time of year,” Goff added.
Tattersalls
Earlier in the day the agent had also signed for lot 142, Baby Pink (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) at 160,000gns and she too will be heading towards the United States.
The 3-year-old is out of the Group 3 winner Dress Rehearsal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and from the family of treble Group 2-winning sprinter Muthmir (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).
“She’s a lovely broodmare prospect and has been bought for a US-based breeder,” Goff said. “We know the family well—I bought her half-brother Christophermarlowe (Ire) for $200,000 at Saratoga and he is all Galileo, just like her.”
Last year’s record-breaking trade will be hard to emulate as the sale continues through the next two days. During the sale’s opener, there were 19 fewer lots offered than in the corresponding session last year and the aggregate dipped significantly, by 23%, to 5,407,000gns. The average of 25,995gns was down by 17% and the median of 9,000gns dropped by 10%. A clearance rate of 77% was attained for 208 horses sold from the 270 put through the ring on Wednesday.
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