Helmet has made a flying start to his career in the northern hemisphere with two winners from as many runners, and on Tuesday he became the leading first-crop sire at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale when one of his two-year-olds was purchased for 210,000gns.
John Ferguson made the winning bid for the strapping son of Helmet, who turned in one of the most impressive performances at the breezes on Monday. Oout of the US stakes winner Kathy’s Rocket, the colt turned a massive pinhooking profit for his consigner Con Marnane’s Bansha House Stables having been purchased for 15,000gns at the same venue in October.
Helmet was in demand later in the same session when a half-sister to the Listed winner Riskit For a Biskit was purchased for 80,000gns, a return of ten times Helmet’s stud fee.
Exceed And Excel was represented by two of the six-figure lots during the first session of the Craven Sale, headed by a filly offered by Church View Stables who was snapped up by David Redvers for 155,000gns. The filly is a half-sister to Mi Emma who triumphed in the Darley-sponsored G2 Oettingen-Rennen at Baden-Baden, and hails from the further family of the 2,000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder, now standing his first season at Kildangan Stud.
The final lot of the night was a son of Exceed And Excel, closely related to his sire’s Listed winner Excelette, who was purchased by SackvilleDonald for 110,000gns.
Elusive Quality also struck with a six-figure lot, with a colt from a smart black type family in both France and the US purchased by Al Shaqab for 150,000gns.
