Ruling Court's Success a Relief for Consignor Oak Tree

Selling a horse for €2.3 million (US$2,477,404) is one thing. But selling one for that sum after you've told the sport's superpowers exactly how good you think this horse is comes with its own unique set of pressures. That is why, rather than pride or elation, Norman Williamson reaches for the word "relief" as he reflects on Ruling Court's May 3 Two Thousand Guineas (G1) triumph. "It's a relief to see a horse that made a lot of money doing that," he says. "He's the record-breaking European breeze-up horse, so it's fantastic that it's all fit into place. Okay, he was expensive, but he's now proven he was nothing like as expensive as he looked on the day." It is almost 12 months to the day since Williamson presented the son of Justify at the 2024 Arqana May Breeze Up Sale. It has been a stunning rise from record-breaking sale topper to classic winner, but this trajectory has not come as a complete surprise. "I did, to be quite honest," Williamson says when asked if he had foreseen such success when Ruling Court still called County Meath home. "They have a lot of hoops to jump through and some of these horses can take it and some can't. But, with the pace he'd shown from day one, I'd always believed in him. I said to David Loder in Deauville last year, that if this horse stays a trip, he could be anything. He just has a lot of natural speed, and the next thing was his balance." Ruling Court's margin of victory was a diminishing half a length over Field of Gold (IRE). Ultimately races are decided by fine margins, and so too are events at the sales. Williamson knows this better than most, particularly having come close to not sending Ruling Court through the Arqana ring at all. Horses picking up knocks at the 11th hour comes with the territory. However, Williamson could be forgiven for coming away from Deauville last year with a few additional gray hairs after a colt he felt was completely out of the ordinary went lame and then contracted a foot infection. Suffice to say, Saturday was not the first time he has felt relief over Ruling Court rising to the challenge. "There was a huge tale behind him," Williamson says. "After the practice breeze he stood on a nail and then he was lame, so we weren't going to breeze him. He spread a shoe being washed down and I actually pulled the nail out of his foot myself. "I stood him in ice and he came sound so thankfully we breezed him—and that was mind blowing—but then I had to put him on antibiotics because of his foot." This turn of events meant that, even when the hammer fell, the deal was not yet complete. Williamson was confident this was only a temporary holdup, but Godolphin retained the right to pull out had the colt not come sound. "The buyers and the underbidders, everybody that followed him in, they were taking my word for it and I stood over him," Williamson continues. "I had to stand over him for three weeks. I know the hammer fell at €2.3 million, but it wasn't until nearly a month later that the deal went through because the horse had to come sound. "You have to have that bit of trust and Charlie Appleby and the team were nothing but helpful. We decided we'd give the horse time, and once he got that he came right—thankfully! It was a stressful time to say the least." Oak Tree Farm Success Ruling Court continues what has been a sensational run of form for the Oak Tree Farm academy. In recent times Williamson has also sold 2019 Preakness Stakes (G1) scorer War of Will, dual St Leger winner Eldar Eldarov (GB), and Native Trail (GB), who won the 2021 Vincent O'Brien National (G1) and Dewhurst (G1) stakes at 2 before adding the Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) at 3. The sheer scale is not the only eye-catching feature of Williamson's roll of honor, as he secured this classic quartet for an average price of under £100,000. Ruling Court, bred in Kentucky by Nursery Place, Manfuso, and Wilhite, was acquired as a yearling at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for US$150,000 from the Nursery Place consignment. Oak Tree Farm's quintet in this year's Arqana sale set to take place May 10 includes another son of Justify. Could lightning be about to strike twice? "He's probably a bigger model than Ruling Court but he's a very nice horse with a good pedigree," is Williamson's succinct assessment of Lot 9, whose family includes notable names such as Blame and Archipenko. "There's a lot of competition at this sale, but I think we've got a good draft of horses here." Williamson purchased this Justify colt at last year's Keeneland September sale for $250,000 from the Denali Stud consignment. Bred by WinStar Farm and Larry B. Taylor, the colt is out of the A.P. Indy mare Apt, who has already produced three stakes winners, including grade 3 winner Carve. A Maryland-bred son of Darley's freshman sire Maxfield is also among Oak Tree's Arqana draft (Lot 5). Out of the stakes-winning Victory Gallop mare American Victory, the colt bred by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds was purchased by Oak Tree for US$70,000 at the same sale from the Hidden Brook consignment.