In what was deemed to be a very positive two-day Craven breeze-up sale at Tattersalls, 31 lots sold for six-figure sums, including two-year-olds by Darley sires Dubawi, Cape Cross, Exceed And Excel, Elusive Quality, Holy Bull, Street Cry and Kheleyf.
Lot 37, a bay colt by Exceed And Excel, was the fifth top price of the opening session, selling for 190,000gns to Anthony Stroud. Out of the dual juvenile winner Classic Vision, a half-sister to G3-winning sprinter Orientor and Royal Hunt Cup winner Yeast, the colt was consigned by Willie Browne’s Mocklershill operation. Another of the stallion’s colts was among Blandford Bloodstock’s top picks of the day when making 92,000gns.
Later in the evening, Peter Doyle, principal agent for top trainer Richard Hannon, signed for an Elusive Quality colt from Kilminfoyle House Stud at 160,000gns. His dam Kumari Continent won the G2 Hollywood Oaks and was placed in the G1 Santa Anita Oaks.
Another Irish-consigned colt was Powerstown Stud’s son of Holy Bull, who fetched 130,000gns and was bought by Kern Lillingston Association. His dam Uforia produced last year’s G3 Dee Stakes winner Tajaaweed and is a half-sister to the Mr Greeley and Majestic Legend, the latter being the grand-dam of Kentucky Derby Street Sense.
Also fetching 130,000gns on day two of the sale was a first-crop daughter of Dubawi sold by Seven Springs Stables to Bobby O'Ryan for 130,000gns. Emma O'Gorman of Seven Springs held this filly in high regard, saying several weeks before the sale: "She’s an absolute pleasure to deal with and has an A1 temperament. She’s very robust and looks more like a colt than a filly. She loves her work and we’re hoping she’ll be one of the stars of our breeze-up horses."
Kheleyf, who stands for Darley at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, was last season’s leading first-season sire in Europe. One of his second-crop sons, consigned by Bansha House Stables, was yet another to figure among the first day’s best prices when being purchased by Blandford Bloodstock for 120,000gns. His dam Marju Guest is a grand-daughter of champion two-year-old filly Shoot Clear. On the second day, a daughter of Kheleyf out of Amiscora sold for 100,000gns to Tony Nerses, the man responsible for buying Derby winner Authorized.
The demand for American-based sires has been strong at this sale in recent years and Street Cry, now sire of nine individual Grade or Group One winners, was responsible for the fifth top-priced filly of the session when his daughter from juvenile winner Clever Dorothy fetched 100,000gns for the Hillwood Stud consignment. Another Street Cry filly out of Lil Lisa Can sold for 75,000gns.
The Bloodstock Connection offered a Cape Cross colt during the second session, who was eventually knocked down to agent Stephen Hillen. Out of Sombreffe, a daughter of the late Darley sire Polish Precedent, the colt is a half-brother to G1 winner Ransom O'War and made 100,000gns.
Trainer Mark Johnston was responsible for the highly successful racing career of Shamardal, who has his first runners in Australia and Europe this year, and he selected one of the young sire’s daughters, who was knocked down for 85,000gns. Out of Angelic Sounds, she is a half-sister to King's Best’s Listed winner Army Of Angels and to Zameyla, by Cape Cross, the dam of G1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner and Guineas hopeful Serious Attitude.
