Class of 2016 comes together
Our yearling sales season concluded on Monday at Tattersalls’ December Sale with highlights this year being the 750,000gns Oasis Dream colt sold during Book 1 of the October Sale and then doubling our money on the Dutch Art colt in Book 2, who was bought by the excellent judge Tony Nerses.
The Dutch Art colt was bred by Hugo Merry and partners, and Hugo has had such a wonderful year on the track with his homebred Irish Oaks winner Covert Love, as well as having bought the Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Make Believe as a foal for his client.
On the track, the Norris/Huntingdon purchases for the Happy Valley Syndicate have been flying the flag, with the in-training purchase Under Siege winning at Chelmsford for David Simcock, while yearling selection Dream Of Summer made all when winning nicely at Lingfield For Andrew Balding.
On a more personal level, I was over the moon to see El Campeon, the three-year-old son of my mare Villabella, win his fifth race of the year for Simon Dow at Wolverhampton. From nine starts, he has only been out of the places once this season and he looks a lovely staying prospect for next year.
The foal season is now in full swing and I was pleased to make my first purchase of the season at Goffs last week, when buying a really good-walking son of Darley’s first-season sire Epaulette. The colt is for Dan Tunmore, who enjoyed a good result on a Jukebox Jury foal I bought for him last year in France and I’m delighted to be continuing to assist Dan in his pinhooking venture.
I’ve added to the list of foal pinhooks through the first half of the December Sales at Tattersalls, with fillies by Cityscape and Medicean, while I also bought a very nice daughter of Cape Cross for a client who wishes to race her.
There’s a few more days of mares to go, and I may yet dip a toe in the market before getting back on the ferry to France and the final sale of the year at Arqana, where I’ll be active as both buyer and seller. William, Gwen, Lucie and I bred a filly by Dabirsim out of the Royal Academy mare Stellar Rose (pictured above) and we’ll be offering her through La Motteraye on Sunday evening.
