by Carl Evans
Benny Andersson, a member of Swedish pop group ABBA, bought the highest-priced horse on Thursday during the third and final day of book one of the Tattersalls Timeform Millions October yearling sale.
Bidding in person, Andersson outlasted Kuwaiti businessman Saleh Al Homaizi, who campaigned 2007 Vodafone Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) winner Authorized in partnership with Imad Al Sagar, with an offer of $1,178,950 (650,000 guineas) for a Montjeu (Ire) colt consigned by John O’Connor’s Ballylinch Stud.
The figure tied for highest price for book one’s three sessions. Another Montjeu colt, who is out of Vanishing Prairie, by Alysheba, sold on Wednesday for the same price.
Against the backdrop of world financial upheaval, the demand for quality bloodstock appeared strong. The sale posted a record median of $154,170 (85,000 guineas), up 6.25% from last year’s sale. Average price for the 410 horses sold dipped 4.5% to $220,400 (121,515 guineas). Total sales stood at $90,363,835 (49,821,000 guineas), down 23.2% from the 2007 sale when 510 horses were sold.
The Maktoum family and Coolmore Stud were major contributors. Darley’s John Ferguson, who bought 51 horses for $16,944,239 (9,342,000 guineas), and Shadwell Estates’s Angus Gold, who bought 23 horses for $8,053,138 (4,440,000 guineas), contributed $24,997,378 (13,782,000 guineas), or 28%, to overall turnover. Demi O’Byrne and John Magnier of Coolmore Stud bought 17 horses for $8,125,689 (4,480,000 guineas).
“To say book one of the October yearling sale has exceeded our expectations would be something of an understatement,” Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said.
“With turmoil in the financial markets throughout the world we approached this week with a certain amount of trepidation, and to record an average and median all but matching last year’s figures is a great result for all concerned.”
Andersson said the Montjeu colt would join Southern England-based trainer John Dunlop. The colt was produced by the Danehill mare Danaskaya, a high-class juvenile who finished second in the 2002 Peugeot Lowther Stakes (Eng-G2) and third in the Betfair Cheveley Park Stakes (Eng-G1). She has produced a maiden winner, Kayd Kodaun (Ire), since retiring to Ballylinch.
“He was vetted by people who have the firepower to have a real good go, so I was optimistic he would sell well, even though you cannot be sure in this market,” O’Connor said of the bay colt.
Bloodstock agent and stud director John Warren bought several top-class prospects for owner Sir Robert Ogden, including a Danehill Dancer colt out of the Sadler’s Wells mare Briolette, a half sister to 1996 Breeders’ Cup Turf (Eng-G1) winner Pilsudski (Ire). A bid of $906,885 (500,000 guineas) secured the bay colt.
Magnier’s key final-day buy was a Sadler’s Wells colt, who is the last foal produced by the Shirley Heights mare By Charter. Magnier bought out his partners, the Barnett family, with a bid of $906,885 (500,000 guineas) for the bay colt, while another final foal, a Tiger Hill colt out of the Top Ville mare Darara (Ire), was acquired by Ferguson for the same sum.
Darara’s other foals include Diaghilev (Ire), a Group 1 winner and champion in Hong Kong whose sale price of $4,976,920 (3,400,000 guineas) at the Tattersalls’s Houghton sale in 2000 remains a European record for a yearling.
For hip-by-hip results, click here.
Carl Evans is a England-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent