Tattersalls July Sale -
75,000gns for Rodrigo

Day one statistics

Offered: 181

Sold: 147 (81%; 78% in 2011)

Aggregate: 1,371,300gns (-39%)

Average: 9,329gns (-32%)

Median: 5,500gns (-8%)

Top price: 75,000gns paid by David Nicholls for Rodrigo De Torres from Castlefarm Stud, Ireland

Lot 255 - Qatari trainer Bahman Ghazali goes to 45,000gns for Botanic Garden, who ran third in last week's Dragon Stakes at Sandown. The son of Royal Applause was sold by David Brown on behalf of John Fretwell. According to Ghazali, the colt could remain in England to race this season but will transfer Qatar next year.

Lot 209 - classy 6-7f performer Rodrigo De Torres is set to join Dandy Nicholls after selling to the trainer for 75,000gns. Castlefarm Stud in Ireland sold the five-year-old son of Bahamian Bounty, who has won three race and was Listed-placed for Mark Gittins and Elaine Burke.

Plans are fluid for Rodrigo De Torres, as Nicholls explained: "We'll take things day by day with him, but he's a very nice horse. I have one or two owners in the pipe line, but I'll be the owner for the time being.

"If I have my way he will go to Glorious Goodwood, but his main target will be an autumn campaign and he could then go to Dubai."

Lot 173 - yet another 42,000gns lot, on this occasion paid by Cormac McCormack for Trail Of Tears, a placed daughter of Exceed And Excel and Haydock Sprint Cup heroine Cherokee Rose. The Darley-sold filly is a half-sister to four winners including the Classic-placed Bowman and the dam of Group 1 winners Mastery and Kirklees.

Lot 159 - Sonning Rose, who ran fourth in the 2010 May Hill Stakes for Mick Channon, becomes the third horse of the day to make 42,000gns. Anthony Stroud is the winning bidder on this occasion.

"She has been bought for a farmer in Ireland and will definitely be retired," said Stroud of the daughter of Hawk Wing sold by Channon's West Isley Stables.

"She showed a good level of ability on the track and as her pedigree suggests she will be easy to breed."

Lot 142 - the 50,000gns mark is proving extremely hard to crack - this is certainly the quietest July Sale I've ever been to. The latest lot to come close is Life Is Golden, a well-connected daughter of Giant's Causeway who sells to Johnny McKeever for 42,000gns.

David Wachman's Longfield Stables sold the unraced filly, who is a half-sister to American Listed winner Cool Bullet and out of Listed heroine Lizzy Cool. Her third dam is dual Grade 1 winner Windy's Daughter.

"She's been bought for a private English client to breed from," said McKeever. "The owner has a big interest in bloodlines and this filly has a very good pedigree and is correct - she was an expensive yearling ($190,000 by Demi O'Byrne)."

Lot 124 - Andrew Black adds a new name to his broodmare band in Listed winner Moonlight Red, a daughter of Kheleyf sold in foal to Arcano for whom Tom Goff goes to 40,000gns.

"She's an attractive filly, who I think has a little bit of improvement in her," said Goff. "She's in foal to Arcano, a sire we all like, and the owner picked her out purely on pedigree."

She is one of three winners out the winning Rainbow Quest mare Mill Rainbow, a half-sister to Group 3 winner Miss Caerleona (dam of Karen's Caper) and Night Frolic (dam of Bonfire and Joviality).

Lot 114 - Joe Hernon lands one of the best connected lots of the day, Gift Dancer, for 32,000gns. Few mares can boast such an active family - she is a half-sister to this season's Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Samitar and Group 3-winning juvenile Nijoom Dubai.

"She's been bought for a small syndicate back in Ireland," said Hernon of the daughter of Imperial Dancer, who was sold by Norman Court Stud in foal to Sixties Icon. "She's obviously very well-bred and the fact that she's carrying to a son of Galileo makes her attractive. She'll be coming back to Castletown."

Lot 108 - Design Perfection, the only mare catalogued in foal to Invincible Spirit, is bought back by her vendor Meon Valley Stud for 60,000gns. The Listed-placed daughter of Diesis descends from Reprocolor.

Stats update -

Hardly a vintage renewal so far:

Sold: 62 (73%)

Average: 7,971gns (-42% from corresponding day in 2011)

Median: 5,750gns (-4%)

Top lot: 42,000gns (day one 2011: 175,000gns)

Lot 69 - Trishuli was one of the stand-out lots on this day last year at 80,000gns and today it is the turn of her half-sister, Moment Juste, to assume a similar position when selling for 42,000gns to Hubie de Burgh. The daughter of Pivotal is likely to head to Australia, according to de Burgh.

"We haven't decided what we will do with her yet, but she will probably go to Australia," he said. "She has been bought for a breeder, who has bought here before, and her pedigree suggests that she should go well with the Danehill line."

Placed four times at three for John Gosden, Moment Juste hails from a famous Cliveden family as a half-sister to Group 2 winner Imperial Strde and Derby fourth Hala Bek and daughter of the Listed-placed Place de l'Opera, herself a half-sister to Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Indian Haven.

It is a family which is gaining exposure in Australia since Hala Bek is now standing at Mungrup Stud (also the Australian home of Dick Turpin) in Western Australia. His first crop are yearlings.

Lot 60 - Athaar, a Lawyer Ron half-sister to Whitney Handicap winner Bullsbay and Grade 3 heroine Our Khrysty, heads the first Shadwell draft when selling for 27,000gns to BBA Ireland. It's a sticky start, however, as Aghadeer - a $275,000 yearling - doesn't attract a bid.

Libyan-based Al Shaab Stud, which recently secured Derby winner Kris Kin for stud duty, paid 4,000gns for Qamarya (64), a Nayef filly descending from Shadayid.

---

Adding an international flavour to today's proceedings are the Mongolian Jockey Club, who are making their first purchases at Tattersalls in anticipation of establishing a racing industry in Mongolia.

So far, the Club has bought three mares with the help of James Wigan - Clubbing (lot 18; 6,500gns), Ebianca Nera (36; 7,000gns) and Izzy The Ozzy (37; 4,500gns).

"I met the Jockey Club through Anna Powell of British Bloodstock Marketing," explained Wigan. "I've done some work in Russia, which I think was one of the reasons they chose to work with me.

"I've been out to Mongolia - it's a wonderful country which has a great tradition of horsemanship. Mongolia is thriving because of the mining industry and of course there is the development of racing in China on the horizon. Mongolia's racing industry is just beginning  - in fact, this is the first group of Thoroughbreds to be imported."

The enthusiasm of the Mongolian Jockey Club is there for all to see and the group are looking forward to adding to their haul throughout the week. However, they are unlikely to return for any of the December breeding stock sales since the brutal winter conditions in Mongolia makes importing horses virtually impossible.

---

Lot 44 - agent Johnny McKeever goes to 30,000gns for the dearest mare so far, Dombeya. A Danehill half-sister to Grade 1 winner Tuscan Evening as well as classy stayer Barbican, the 12-year-old was sold with a Beat Hollow colt foal at foot and in foal to Sakhee's Secret.

McKeever has particular reason to think favourably of Sakhee's Secret since he bought Secret Sign, a first-crop son of the stallion who recently won well at Windsor for Brian Meehan.

"She's for an Irish client," said McKeever. "There's a lot going on in the family - it's hard to value these mares in July but I'd have thought she would have made that (30,000gns) in December. "

Brightwalton Stud sold the mare, who was snapped up by Stuart McPhee for only 5,000gns at this sale in 2010.

Lot 34 - Culture Queen, the only mare offered with a foal at foot from the first crop of Paco Boy, is bought back for 15,000gns. Minster Stud's daughter of King's Best is in foal to Equiano.

Lot 32 - the auctioneers are certainly earning their pay this morning - 15 of 26 horses offered have been sold for an average of 4,200gns.

Trade so far is headed by Geblah, catalogued in foal to Lord Shanakill who sells for 21,000gns to T. Cooke. The daughter of Green Desert, a half-sister to Bahrain Trophy winner Corsica, showed a good return on the 7,500gns she cost Castle Bloodstock at this sale last year.

There is certainly an international flavour to the first hour's selling though, with horses heading to Greece, Saudia Arabia and the Mongolian Jockey Club, whose first purchase at Tattersalls is Clubbing (18), a Red Clubs mare in foal to Stimulation which costs 6,500gns.

Lot 7 - an uneventful start to the sale with six of the first nine lots unsold. They include La Bikina, who is led out unsold at 2,500gns despite being a winning half-sister to Italian Group 1 winner Quiza Quiza Quiza. That filly is still active, having run second in the Gran Premio di Milano since the publication of the catalogue

---

The large number of withdrawals - 78 at the moment for today alone - is causing its share of chatter among buyers although according to Tattersalls officials, the volume is no worse than in other years.

Tattersalls marketing director Jimmy George, however, is looking forward to selling getting underway. "The July Sale is a very popular fixture and always attracts a varied cast of international buyers.

"We've been encouraged by the amount of activity at Park Paddocks over the past couple of days."

---

THE sales circus moves on to Newmarket today for Europe's largest midsummer auction, the Tattersalls July Sale.

Although the catalogue is approximately 80 lots smaller than last year at 678 - a number which has since been cut by a large amount of withdrawals - the sale still spans three days, starting today at 10am with a session which consists primarily of bloodstock.


The sale has also been given a significant boost by the addition of four notable wild card entries set to sell on Thursday evening; Nell Gywn Stakes winner Esentepe (431A), Empress Stakes winner Lily's Angel (431B), Bet365 Mile winner Penitent (431C) and the Listed-placed Calico Cat (431D).

This is traditionally a sale which attracts its share of international buyers and this year promises to be no different, with Tattersalls expecting activity from America, Australasiia, Saudi Arabia and Europe.

Although several choice lots such as Shirocco Star's half-sister Cyber Star (109), the Listed-placed Ezalli (71) and Regalline (88), the dam of recent impressive Leopardstown juvenile winner Reglisse, have been withdrawn from today's sale, there is still plenty to attract attention, including:

38) Maid For Romance; one of the older ladies catalogued today, this daughter of Pursuit Of Love is the dam of this season's South African Group 2-winning and Group 1-placed filly Welwitschia. In foal to Fast Company

60) Athaar; a daughter of the short-lived Lawyer Ron, this $275,000 Keeneland foal purchase is a half-sister to three stakes winners including the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap hero Bullsbay

69) Moment Juste; by Pivotal, this placed filly is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Imperial Stride and Derby fourth Hala Bek as well as Trishuli, who sold for 80,000gns on this day last year

114) Gift Dancer; not only is this mare a half-sister to Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Samitar and Group 3-winning two-year-old Nijoom Dubai, she is also in foal to first-season sire revelation Sixties Icon

124) Moonlight Red; Listed winner from the immediate and active family of Joviality and Bonfire. In foal to Arcano

173) Trail Of Tears; by Exceed And Excel out of the Haydock Sprint Cup heroine Cherokee Rose, also the granddam of Group 1 winners Kirkless and Mastery

255) Botanic Garden; two-year-old son of Royal Applause has won at Chester and run third in the Listed Dragon Stakes at Sandown since the publication of the catalogue

Other winners since the publication of the catalogue;
193) Allusive Power; 222) Pitkin; 241) Aubrieta

Withdrawals: 2, 20, 26, 40, 48, 61, 66, 67, 71, 73, 77, 86, 88, 91, 109, 115, 118, 120, 121, 127, 128, 131, 132, 134, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 161, 164, 166, 168, 170, 177, 179, 180, 181, 184, 186, 189, 190, 192, 197, 198, 199, 206, 212, 213, 218, 225, 226, 228, 229, 235, 237, 238, 239, 242, 245, 246, 247, 251, 252, 253, 256, 257, 260