Australian buyers land select group at Tattersalls as Saudi money drives top end

Australian buyers signed for seven horses on day two of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale at Newmarket on Tuesday, with a New Zealand stable adding another purchase as Saudi Arabian buying again dominated the top of the market.

Paul Moroney, Catheryne Bruggeman and Armando Duarte signed for the most expensive Australian purchase, High Degree, paying 220,000 guineas (A$437,000) for the son of Too Darn Hot out of Sealife from William Haggas’s Somerville Lodge draft.

Blandford Bloodstock and Archibald Racing paid 200,000 guineas (A$398,000) for the Churchill horse Hand Of God from Barton Sales, while Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, buying with McKeever Bloodstock, went to 180,000 guineas (A$358,000) for the Saxon Warrior three-year-old Andab from The Castlebridge Consignment.

Anthony and Sam Freedman bought River Card, by Hello Youmzain, for 150,000 guineas (A$298,000) in partnership with Hurworth Bloodstock.

Further down the price range, Darby Racing and De Burgh Equine paid 55,000 guineas (A$109,000) for Straight Up, a Wootton Bassett from Coolmore, while Aaron Purcell signed for the City Light gelding Trinquette at 50,000 guineas (A$99,000) for Ponderosa Stables.

Ciaron Maher Racing and JS Bloodstock paid 130,000 guineas (A$258,000) for Mr Vettori, a three-year-old Lope de Vega gelding bred by Newtown Anner Stud’s Maurice Regan, whose colours were carried to victory for Maher by Caulfield Cup winner Duke de Sessa and Geelong Classic winner Murshidi.

Mr Vettori, who has won one of his eight starts, finished fourth in a Listed race at Leopardstown for Jessica Harrington after being gelded this year.

His dam, the Group 3-placed Galileo mare Celestial Object, is a sister to triple Group 1 winner Warm Heart, with both out of Australian triple Group 1-winning sprinter Sea Siren, who is now back in Australia and foaled a City of Troy filly this spring.

For New Zealand, Shaune Ritchie Racing and Ed Stapleton Bloodstock paid 90,000 guineas (A$179,000) for New Zealand, a Frankel colt from Coolmore.

Najd Stud set the pace at the top end, spending 1.51 million guineas (A$3 million) through Archdale Bloodstock in a buying spree that included the session’s two most expensive lots, The Lost King at 750,000 guineas (A$1.491 million) and Victoire Magique at 450,000 guineas (A$894,000), both of whom will be aimed at the Saudi Cup meeting in February.

“There inevitably ends up being a strong market for the good ones, so you really have to fight,” Nico Archdale said.

Other strong lots were also headed for the Middle East, with BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe beating Blandford’s Stuart Boman to Yordan at 420,000 guineas (A$835,000) for a Saudi dirt campaign before Boman bought Bamako Beach for 360,000 guineas (A$716,000) with the Dubai Carnival in mind.

Turnover fell by 939,300 guineas (A$1.867 million) to 11,230,700 guineas (A$22.322 million) compared with the equivalent session last year, while the average was down 13 per cent to 42,865 guineas (A$85,000) and the median dropped nine per cent to 20,000 guineas (A$40,000). The clearance rate was 87 per cent.

No Australian buyer came close to the 1.3 million guineas (A$2.584 million at current rates) Waterhouse and Bott’s partnership paid for Sir Delius at the 2024 sale.

The sale continues on Wednesday and finishes on Thursday.