Markus Jooste (far right) seen with Chris Van Niekerk and Bernard Kantor
The Tattersalls October Yearling Sale drew to a close at Newmarket on Thursday with South Africa’s Mayfair Speculators having made a big impression with 12 lots bought for 4,075,000gns.
At current rates of exchange, the Jooste spend is over ZAR 80 million and underlines a serious commitment to the sport of kings and a strategic involvement with global players.
Four of those came on the final day: a 650,000gns Sea The Stars (Ire) halfbrother (#440) to dual Group 1 winner Shareta (Ire) (Sinndar {Ire}); a 400,000gns Dansili (GB) colt (#364) from Meon Valley Stud; a 300,000gns filly (#504) by Treve (Fr)’s sire Motivator (GB); and a 180,000gns filly (#486) from the first crop of G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Power (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).
The 82,744,500gns generated over three days of Book 1 represented a record turnover for any European sale, a figure up four per cent on last year’s high water mark.
The 222,431gns average fell six per cent, while the 150,000gns median remained unchanged year on year.
Street Cry
Two years to the date after Sir Isaac Newton topped the Tattersalls Book 1 Yearling sale opener, his Street Cry half-sister achieved the same feat during the closing session on Thursday – albeit for a considerably smaller figure.
In 2013 the son of Galileo sold to MV Magnier for a short-lived record of 3.6m gns, while yesterday his sibling fetched 800,000gns from Charlie Gordon-Watson. “She’s for an existing client,” said Gordon-Watson. “To beat John Ferguson takes some doing!
“She’s a beautiful filly. I actually bid on the half-brother, Maurus, at Deauville. He was bought by Paul Fudge and is now doing well in Australia. And I think there’s a bit more to come from Sir Isaac Newton. They also like the two-year-old [Secret Sense, by Shamardal] who is with Ralph Beckett.”
Newsells Park concluded the sale as leading vendor, selling 19 lots for a total of 8,160,000gns – including the 2.1m gns sale-topper by Dubawi out of Loveisallyouneed.
Rarity
War Front
There was plenty to be said for rarity value at Park Paddocks on Thursday as the sole yearling on offer by War Front sold to China Horse Club for 775,000gns.
Offered by Lofts Hall Stud, the March-born colt is a half-brother to former Ed Dunlop inmate Strathnaver – later a Grade 3 winner in the US – out of Grade 2 scorer River Belle.
The club’s bloodstock manager Michael Wallace said: “He’s been bought to race by us, not in partnership, and I think he’ll race in Europe.
“We’ve seen how successful War Front has been worldwide, particularly in Europe. If you get it right with one and they hit the mark on the track, you then have a horse who offers a bit of an outcross, which is appealing.
“He’s an athletic type of horse who has moved well all week. He has a great temperament.”
China Horse Club made six individual purchases for 3,505,000gns, also teaming up with Mayfair Speculators and Qatar Racing for a number of lots – including a 1.2m gns Galileo filly.
“Every year we pay tribute to our vendors, predominantly from Britain and Ireland, but also from further afield. They consistently send the cream of the European yearling crop to Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale and to see them so richly rewarded year after year is a reflection of their outstanding professionalism, and also the unrivalled reputation of the sale for producing outstanding racehorses on the global stage.”
