On the same day Jan Breughel was ruled out of the Melbourne Cup, another Coolmore-owned three-year-old, Delius, was sold to Australian interests for a record-breaking 1.3 million guineas ($A2.7 million) at the Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale at Newmarket.
The son of Frankel boasts similar formlines to Jan Breughel and won three of his six starts for Jean-Claude Rouget. He will join the stables of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott after a consortium of De Burgh Equine, McKeever Bloodstock, Go Bloodstock and Waterhouse / Bott Racing paid a record price for this sale.
A last-start eighth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Delius also attracted bids from representatives of the Ciaron Maher and Chris Waller stables, before being knocked down to Hubie De Burgh, who was working with Johnny McKeever and Waterhouse’s bloodstock representative Claudia Fitzgerald.
"What can I say about him? He is a son of Frankel, he is Timeform rated 118, he has raced six times, he has won over one mile two and one mile four and he has a perfect profile for Australia. His only slight disappointing run was in the Arc when he hated the ground,” De Burgh said.
"It is a lot of money, but that is what this sort of horse costs.
“We have been trying to buy this horse for a long time and I had Stevie O'Connor, Sir Owen's racing manager, on the phone and he was quick to come back with the bids. It was going to be hard to buy the horse on our own as it is a lot of money, so by joining up with Gai and us all getting involved it has given us this opportunity."
Go Bloodstock has enjoyed plenty of success in combination with Waterhouse and Bott in recent times, notably with Golden Slipper-winning filly Lady Of Camelot, who contests Saturday’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes.
Delius won the Group 3 Prix du Lys and placed in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris and the Group 2 Prix Niel, before running with credit in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Waterhouse and Bott also purchased another Frankel three-year-old The Euphrates, for 250,000 guineas ($A520,000) in partnership with McKeever.
The Delius result was significant for Coolmore on the day that Aidan O’Brien’s unbeaten St Leger winner Jan Breughel was controversially ruled out of the Melbourne Cup by Racing Victoria vets.
O’Brien told reporters in the United States overnight that the process for vetting overseas Melbourne Cup contenders was “ridiculous”.
"They made the decision and our vets didn't agree with it. There was a shadow in front, a shadow behind, but every three-year-old at this time will have shadows. They'll have fissures, they'll have this, they'll have that,” he said."There comes a point when it becomes ridiculous."
Pundit Kevin Blake, who works for O’Brien’s son Joseph, went a step further, claiming there were two sets of rules in place.
“It is one rule for international trainers and another rule for local trainers, even when dealing with the same horse. How can anyone stand over that?” Blake posted on X.
“We are all on the same page regarding the absolute importance of horse welfare, but Racing Victoria have pushed far beyond reasonable measures. They are in effect implementing protectionist policies under a veil of horse welfare concerns.
“No racing jurisdiction on the planet treats international competition like this and it has to be called out for what it is.”
Given the contrast of fortunes on the track and in the sales ring for Coolmore, it may see the breeding giant more incentivised to sell horses of this profile through the ring than send them out to Australia under its own banner in the future.
"It is a lot of money, but that is what this sort of horse costs" - bloodstock agent Hubie De Burgh on the purchase of Delius
Maher may have missed out on the top Lot, but he did spend 410,000 guineas ($A850,000) on progressive three-year-old Mr Monaco, a son of Territories. Will Bourne signed for the horse in partnership with Astute Bloodstock.
Waller purchased two colts through his agent Guy Mulcaster, including Frankel’s son Hutchence, a half-brother to Australian Group 1 winner Best Of Days, for 460,000 guineas ($960,000).
Other active Australian buyers on Tuesday included Henry Dwyer, who paid 340,000 guineas for Atlantic Coast, a Group 3-winning son of Kodiac.
“We generally come over here to look for horses who are going to get one mile up to two mile, but he is just such a lovely horse and we think that his form over a mile and seven furlongs will stretch out to one mile two in Australia,” Dwyer told reporters.
“He is just a lovely horse, has a lovely head on him, Kodiacs have done well in Australia and Joseph (O’Brien) has trained him well. For a horse who has had a bit of racing at three and a bit of travelling, he looks in such good order. There is a beautiful nature to him.”
Dwyer also paid 110,000 guineas ($230,000) for Palace Green.
Others active on the day included Freedman Racing, Annabel Neasham and Matthew Smith.
