Alcohol Free in the sales ring (courtesy of www.tattersalls.com)

Three topics in the world of bloodstock in 2022

By John Ingles

Horse Racing

Thu December 29, 2022 · 3y ago

John Ingles reflects on a record-breaking year at Tattersalls, the emergence of New Bay as a leading sire and names the year's top broodmares.

Record-breaking year at Tattersalls

While the general economic picture at the moment might not be conducive to free spending, the demand for bloodstock has never been greater. That has been evident at Tattersalls which has been reporting record turnover at its sales all year. The aggregate figures for the Guineas Breeze-Up (5.6m guineas), July (16.7m), October Yearling (199m), Autumn Horses In Training (36m), December Foal (35m) and December Mare (more than 80m) were each records for those individual sales and reflected a high demand for all different types of horses.

It was little wonder, therefore, that Tattersalls’ total annual turnover was a record too, breaking 400m guineas for the first time and well in advance of the previous best of 331m guineas set in 2017. Another significant record was broken on day two of the December Mare Sale when more than 54m guineas changed hands making it the highest grossing day ever in European auction history, bettering the mark which had been set only weeks earlier at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale.

The main contributor to the day’s total was this year’s July Cup winner Alcohol Free who was sold for 5.4m guineas to continue her career in Australia. That made Alcohol Free the most expensive filly in training in the world this year and second only to Marsha (the Prix de l’Abbaye and Nunthorpe winner had fetched 6m guineas in 2017) in the sale’s history. A total of eleven fillies and mares fetched more than a million guineas.

A further sixteen lots changed hands for seven-figure sums at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale which was topped by the colt by Frankel out of Musidora Stakes winner So Mi Dar who was sold to Godolphin for 2.8m guineas, making him the highest-priced yearling in the world this year.

The million-guinea mark was also reached at the December Foal Sale where Juddmonte went to seven figures to buy the full sister to their recent Dewhurst winner Chaldean who had himself been a 550,000 guineas buy at the same sale two years earlier.

At the Autumn Horses In Training Sale, the Charlie and Mark Johnston-trained three-year-old gelding I’m A Gambler (Timeform rating of 117), who’d won a Listed race at Redcar on his most recent start, topped the sale at 850,000 guineas, making him the third highest-priced lot ever sold at the sale.

Record turnover at Tattersalls is also good news, of course, for British and Irish breeders and vendors who will have more money to reinvest, but it’s not necessarily British racing that’s ultimately reaping the rewards of this boom given that the current health of the bloodstock market is heavily dependent on foreign buyers acquiring horses to race for more attractive prize money overseas. I’m A Gambler, for example, will continue his career in California.

Speaking after the sale, Charlie Johnston explained why selling I’m A Gambler was something of a ‘no-brainer’.

"Normally you wouldn’t sell good horses like that but the reality is, I spoke to [owner] John Brown a few weeks ago and his dream campaign for next year would involve winning the Lennox Stakes. The horse has just earned five, six or maybe even seven times the prize money of that race for selling here. It leaves a huge hole in our yard to sell a 110-rated horse but economically it was a logical decision for the owner."

Similarly, Alcohol Free’s new owners pointed to the fact that in Australia "87 races this year are worth a million-plus so we hope to recoup a lot of what we paid for her."

New Bay breaking through

Bay Bridge returns to the winner's enclosure

New Bay's son Bay Bridge won the Champion Stakes

While Dubawi topped the British/Irish sires’ table for the first time, it was his son New Bay who caught the eye in finishing sixth behind him. That was some achievement considering that New Bay had only three crops of racing age to represent him. New Bay was at his high-class best for Andre Fabre as a three-year-old, winning the Prix du Jockey Club, Prix Guillaume d’Ornano and Prix Niel before running a fine third behind Golden Horn in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

His four-year-old season was built around another crack at the Arc but he couldn’t get competitive in his second attempt and was never at his best all that season despite a Group 3 success in the Prix Gontaut-Biron at Deauville.

New Bay began his stallion career at Ballylinch Stud at a fee of €15,000 but that had risen to €37,500 after some promising early results and has now doubled for next year on the back of an excellent season. His first Group 1 winner was Saffron Beach, winner of the Sun Chariot Stakes in 2021 after finishing second in the 1000 Guineas earlier that season, and she was one of her sire’s leading performers again in 2022, winning the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot before landing her second Group 1 prize in the Prix Rothschild and then changing hands for 3.6m guineas at the Tattersalls December Sale.

However, it was on Champions Day at Ascot that New Bay really hit the headlines thanks to a couple of his sons winning the two biggest prizes on the card. Four-year-old Bay Bridge, winner of all four starts at three and successful on his return in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes, returned to winning form in the Champion Stakes with the likes of Adayar and Baaeed behind him. Earlier, three-year-old Bayside Boy, winner of the Champagne Stakes at two, caused a 33/1 upset in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes when beating subsequent Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Modern Games.

Among New Bay’s other smart three-year-old winners were Cresta, winner of a Listed race at Windsor and runner-up in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes, Irish 2000 Guineas and Park Stakes runner-up New Energy and Hampton Court Stakes winner Claymore.

Notable broodmares

Modern Games wins the Mile (image courtesy of Breeders' Cup)

Modern Games' Breeders' Cup Mile win capped a fine year for his dam (image courtesy of Breeders' Cup)

Among broodmares whose foals did their dams proud in 2022 were Aghareed, who was not only represented by Europe’s best horse Baaeed, winner of four more Group 1 races during the season, but also his year-older brother Hukum who became a Group 1 winner too when winning the Coronation Cup.

There was also Soho Rose, whose three-year-old son Dubai Legend won the Bahrain Trophy and Great Voltigeur Stakes and finished fourth in the Melbourne Cup and whose four-year-old daughter Sea La Rosa won four pattern races for fillies and mares, notably the Group 1 Prix de Royallieu.

You’resothrilling added to her remarkable broodmare record, with her three-year-old filly Toy becoming her eighth foal (all by Galileo) from as many runners to earn some black type, winning a Listed race at Naas and finishing second in the Irish Oaks.

Toy’s Timeform rating of 110 also means that all eight of her dam’s foals have achieved at least that rating, the best of them being 2015 2000 Guineas winner Gleneagles (128) who is one of four Group 1 winners out of his dam.

Two other broodmares who had a particularly good year were Modern Ideals and My Titania. Modern Ideals’ best performer was her three-year-old son Modern Games (122), winner of the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, Woodbine Mile and Breeders’ Cup Mile, while four-year-old Modern News (119) won twice, including a Listed race at Windsor.

Their two-year-old half-sister Mawj (107) was also a winner of note in the Godolphin colours, successful in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes as well as finishing second in the Albany Stakes and third in the Cheveley Park Stakes.

My Titania was represented by three at least smart winners for William Haggas. Pick of them was three-year-old My Prospero (129) whose wins included the Listed Heron Stakes at Sandown and the Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam at Saint-Cloud but ran his best race when a close third in the Champion Stakes, showing high-class form.

My Titania’s four-year-old daughter My Astra (117) won a Listed race at Ayr before finishing second in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh, while five-year-old My Oberon (118) was also a Listed winner, at Windsor, as well as winning at Newcastle on All-Weather Finals day.

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