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Breeders' Cup Underscores Growth in Breeze-Up Sales

The largest representation of this auction sector are in this year's Breeders' Cup.

Anne M. Eberhardt

The European breeze-up market reaches an important milestone this weekend with six graduates competing in Breeders' Cup races, the largest number from this sale sector to compete in a World Championships in a given year.

"There has been a significant increase in the quality of horses coming from that sector," said Brendan Holland, the owner/manager of Grove Stud, a breeze-up consignor, and a founding member of the Breeze-up Consignors Association.

"Historically there was more quality in these sales in America, but now we are finding that it is finally being recognized in Europe as a guaranteed source of quality," Holland continued. "We have quite a good mix in the Breeders' Cup. We have three horses in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, a couple in the Fillies Turf, and a good older horse with Rockemperor in the Turf. It is a good example of good 2-year-olds with the longevity."

Rockemperor wins the 2021 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes at Belmont Park
Photo: Coglianese Photos/Janet Garaguso
Rockemperor wins the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes at Belmont Park

Entered in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) Nov. 5 are group 2 winner Go Bears Go, group 3 winner Twilight Jet, and group 2-placed Hierarchy. In the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) on the same day are Malavath and Cachet.

Twilight Jet is the most expensive of the group, selling for £210,000 (US$292,503) at the Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale in April. The son of Twilight Son out of My Lucky Liz was bought by Michael O'Callaghan out of the Tally Ho Stud consignment. He will race in the Turf Sprint for O'Callaghan in partnership with Michael and Jules Iavarone.

Go Bears Go and Cachet are both Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale graduates. Go Bears Go sold for 150,000 guineas ($216,473) to A.C. Elliott as agent for Amo Racing out of the Aguiar Bloodstock consignment. He is a son of Kodi Bear out of the Giant's Causeway mare In Dubai and is now raced by Amo Racing and Peter Waney. Cachet was sold by her breeder Hyde Park Stud for 60,000 guineas ($86,590) to Highclere Thoroughbred Racing. She is a daughter of Aclaim out of Poyle Sophie.

David Redvers bought Hierarchy at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale for 105,000 guineas ($153,720) out of Nanallac Stud's consignment. The son of Mehmas out of Cheworee now races for David Howden and Qatar Racing.

Redvers also acquired Malavath at the Arqana Deauville Breeze Up Sale in a private sale for €139,200 ($169,743) from Star Bloodstock. The filly is also by Mehmas and out of the New Approach mare Fidaaha. She races for Redvers, Everest Racing, and Barbara Keller.

Simone Brogi bought Rockemperor for €12,000 ($14,331) at Arqana in 2018 out of the Mocklershill consignment. Prior to this year, the 5-year-old son of Holy Roman Emperor had won only twice out of 14 starts but placed in six graded/group stakes. He comes into the Nov. 6 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) off a win in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park. He has earned more than US$914,000 to date.

Go Bears Go<br>
Horses and horsemen training toward the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Nov. 2, 2021.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Go Bears Go (left) trains Nov. 2 in company at Del Mar

A seventh breeze-up graduate will be at Del Mar this weekend, but she isn't entered in a Breeders' Cup race. Calvin Nguyen's Bodhicitta, trained by Richard Baltas, is entered in the Nov. 6 Goldikova Stakes Presented by PNC (G2T). O'Callaghan bought the now-5-year-old daughter of Showcasing for £100,000 ($141,300) at the 2018 Goffs UK sale and sold her a year later to Nguyen (through Meah Lloyd Bloodstock) at the Tattersalls Guineas HIT Sale for 60,000 guineas ($82,108). She has been in the U.S. since May 2019. She won last year's Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2T) at Del Mar and was second in the Gamely Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park. She is twice graded stakes-placed this year and has career earnings exceeding $338,000.

While the breeze-up market is still relatively small with around 800 horses sold through these sales annually, Holland said the quality of the horses has improved substantially over the last 10 years.

"One reason the sector seems to be punching above its weight is because of the people who are picking them," he said. "As the sector has become more successful, they have had more money to spend on yearlings, so they are buying better-bred yearlings. There has been a significant jump in quality that is leading to more success."

Growth in the breeze-up market led to a new sale being held in Dubai, two days prior to Dubai World Cup Day. Goffs will hold the sale and, as is the practice in Europe, no timed works will be published for any of the horses offered.

"You're selling into a market that won't run until the following autumn and there is no 2-year-old program, so time will be irrelevant," Holland said. "They will want to see the horse move nicely. They'll be asked to give a strong gallop, a little better than a two-minute lick."

Published times for under tack shows are the standard at U.S. 2-year-olds in training sales and there are some who feel the same should be done at Europe's breeze-up sales, but the issue is a contentious one among consignors and sales companies, according to Holland.

"People time the horses by hand but there is no official time presented, and there are strong reasons, we believe, that it should not change," Holland said, speaking on behalf of many consignors.

"The selection process is quite complex; you're talking about stride length, cadence, heart size … not just the time and the gallop out," he continued. "We feel a published time narrows things down too much and might start tying the agents' hands. When the time becomes official, then you have a guy in New York wondering why his agent is buying the horse that is 79th on the list by the clock and not the one that is 20th."

Holland also notes that breeze-up sales are a market for a variety of racehorses, not just precocious 2-year-olds.

This year, for example, the multiple group 1-winning 2-year-old Perfect Power and the British stayer Trueshan, who won the two-mile QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (G2), both were sold at breeze-up sales.

"That is a strong point for the breeze-ups, the variety," Holland said. "We don't want to become one-dimensional. We want to be a source of quality horses. The process is working as it stands and the sector is growing. The Breeders' Cup is more proof."