Wednesday, 2 December 2009: Paul Makin, the man who raced five times Group 1 winner Starcraft, was the talk of Tattersalls overnight after securing the well related, but unraced mare Song for 1,700,000 Guineas.
 | Paul Makin
Photo by Racing and Sports | |
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Makin said the Sadler's Wells filly would be sent to first season stallion Sea The Stars in 2010.
Racing Post's Ed Prosser takes up the story.
SHE MAY HAVE NEVER seen a racecourse but three-year-old Song was always going to be a collector's item when she appeared at Tattersalls' December Sale today and left Park Paddocks with a 1.7 million gns valuation.
As a sister to Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Yesterday, three-time Classic-placed Quarter Moon and Oaks third All My Loving and hailing from the close family of such luminaries as Alborada, Albanova, Aussie Rules and Allegretto, she comes from the best commercial family around.
Agents Hugo Lascelles, Adrian Nicoll and Reiley McDonald of Kentucky-based Eaton Sales all tried for the Sadler's Wells filly, who was offered with a Danehill Dancer cover. But there were only two players as bidding went into seven figures - John Warren, hidden on a back staircase with Newsells Park Stud's Andreas Jacobs - and agent Grant Pritchard-Gordon, accompanied by Starcraft's owner Paul Makin.
Pritchard-Gordon made a couple of attempts to jump the bidding, first from 1.3 million gns to 1.5 million gns, at which point Warren cameback with another 50,000gns but when Makin rounded the figure up to 1.7 million gns, it was enough to secure Song, who will visit Sea The Stars.
"I just wanted to get into the family - how many chances do you get to go into a pedigree like that? There are a lot of fillies being bred from in there," said Makin. "There were only four I wanted in this sale and this one ticked all the boxes, she was the nicest mare I saw. Beautiful women breed beautiful children, that's the way I look at it.
"I'm rationalising down my number of mares and she'll go to Mountain View Stud in Ireland with my other couple of mares and we hope she has a really nice foal."
Australian-born Makin spends much of his time in Hong Kong, where he runs a successful betting operation.
"I bet mathematically on horses in Asia and America and can't lose, it's all computer driven. It's all just betting on numbers and one of George Bush's best legacies came four years ago when he allowed other countries to bet on American racing tax free," he added.
Song was consigned from Bugley Stud for a partnership headed by Richard Henry, whose Primus Advertising handles Coolmore's PR and marketing.
They bought Jude, dam of Song, Quarter Moon and Yesterday, for just 92,000gns when sold by Fahd Salman at the 1997 Tattersalls December Sale.
"We were just lucky the day we bought the mare and bred her to the best stallion around, which was Sadler's Wells," said Henry, before heading for a celebratory drink.Jude, who is now 15, did not get in foal this year but will be going to Galileo in 2010.
The only lot catalogued in foal to Galileo, Invincible Spirit's three-parts sister Massarra, was the subject of a duel between John Warren and M V Magnier, with the latter prevailing at 600,000gns.
"She'll come back to Coolmore and the cross of Massarra's dam Danehill with Galileo is one that's worked before. I'd say it's most likely the lads will send her to Galileo again next year," said Magnier.
Another likely to be in Galileo's 2010 book is the Prix Saint-Alary winner Ask For The Moon. Her colt foal by the Coolmore sire topped last week's trade when making 400,000gns and yesterday it was the turn of the mare herself to make a splash.
Offered from James Hanly's Ballyhimikin Stud with a Holy Roman Emperor cover she was sold to Eddie Fitzpatrick for 410,000gns. "She's for myself and a couple of partners to go back to Seskin Stud," said Fitzpatrick.
"She was a great looking young mare and she had the best foal in the sale last week, that had a lot to do with us buying her. She was an obvious choice and she'll probably go back to Galileo on the strength of the foal."
Andrew Tinkler has assembled a superb team of racehorses for next season including Royal Diamond,bought for 400,000gns in October, and a 210,000gns High Chaparral yearling filly bought last week at Park Paddocks.
Last night he added an exciting potential broodmare to his portfolio when spending 540,000gns through Dwayne Woods on Sugar Free, a Listed winner at Ayr in June.
"There's a good chance she'll race on next season, probably with Michael Dods. It would be nice to get a bit more black type under her name before we breed from her and we'd love to send her to Sea The Stars," said Tinkler.
"We've been trying all day to buy one but been struggling. We've been picking the dearer ones and this was the last of the three we'd singled out that we really wanted."
Mick Channon's recent Italian Group 1 winner Eva's Request was offered for owner Liam Mulryan from Rathbarry Stud and is heading across the Atlantic after selling for 525,000gns to agent Hugo Lascelles.
"Her racing career is over and she's for an American client who has bought here before." said Lascelles. "She'll be going to Smart Strike and she was a really tough, hardy racemare."
Tony Nerses, acting for Authorized's owners Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar, paid 420,000gns or Dashing, a half-sister to Alexander Goldrun covered by Danehill Dancer.
"We've around 10 mares, who are kept with Peter Stanley in Newmarket. Most of their progeny are kept to race," said Nerses.
Michael Goodbody was underbidder on the 700,000gns sale topper at the October Yearling Sale on behalf of an Australian client and made two purchases for the same customer.
Hepaid 380,000gns for the Newbury Listed winner Fermion, offered in foal to Dylan Thomas, and 320,000gns for Ed Dunlop's Baden-Baden Group 3 winner Chantilly Tiffany.
"They have been bought for a man coming into the business who wants to buy at the top end of the market and is looking to breed to race," said Goodbody. "Chantilly Tiffany is going to John Gosden and she'll be covered here by something to southern hemisphere time.
"Fermion is staying here and will be bred northern hemisphere time and I'm sure the Dylan Thomas will be kept to race."
Canada's 2006 horse of the year Arravale was one of the highest-achieving mares catalogued, as a winner of the E P Taylor Stakes and Del Mar Oaks, and she remains of Bob Costigan's ownership after making 1.05 million gns.
Dwayne Woods, acting for Andrew Tinkler, bid a million guineas for the six-year-old, who wascovered by Pivotal but she was knocked down to John McCormack, representing the vendor.
"You roll the dice and take your chance and the price came close but it was not quite enough," said McCormack, who originally bought Arravale as a yearling at Keeneland.
"She's a very good looking young mare and Bob Costigan feels blue sky is in front of her. She has a special place in his heart and he's delighted to still have her. I'm sure she'll foal at Ballylinch and could easily stay over here because she was a good mare on grass and could make a story for herself anywhere."
TATTS DECEMBER BREEDING STOCK DAY2 FIGURES (gns)
Year Cat Off Sold % sold Aggregate Average Median
2009 235 194 160 82 15,326,500 95,791 31,500
2008 277 209 143 68 13,811,800 96,586 45,000
