A palpable sense of trepidation hung over Day 1 of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale, with much of the concern centered around the absentees from the Park Paddocks buying bench.
Who does and doesn't play will be revealed in due course, but while there was a succession of chunky prices for the 2-year-olds who hit all the right markers in their presale workout, the April 14 trade proved conspicuously all or nothing.
Matching the giddy highs of 12 months ago always rated a tall task, particularly considering the wider backdrop to this year's sale, and turnover duly dropped 29% to 6,678,000 guineas (US$9,513,045, 1 guinea=US$1.28). The average price was also down 10% at 133,560 guineas (US$188,567), although the median went in the opposite direction, climbing 6% to 96,500 guineas (US$136,244).
After a slew of late withdrawals, a total of 64 lots were offered and 50 found a buyer for a clearance rate of 78%.
The first significant spend came after a mazy round of bidding for Kilminfoyle House Stud's Lope De Vega colt. When the music finally stopped, Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown held the winning hand after an offer of 400,000 guineas.
The youngster was making his third appearance at the sales having been previously sold to JC Bloodstock as a €150,000 foal. The April 13 result vindicated connections' decision to retain the youngster at 160,000 guineas during Book 2 of last year's October Yearling Sale.
"He's bred to be a mile-and-a-quarter horse plus," Brown said. "He's a great moving colt, he has a very fluent action, and he showed plenty of speed in his breeze as well. Obviously a lot of the time we're trying to buy horses for Royal Ascot, but, for me, this is a horse that needs time. He's the sort of horse you'll see in August or September. He'll get some time off now and we'll bring him back towards the back end.
Brown has mined previous year's breeze-up sales for a host of significant talents who ended up in the Wathnan Racing silks, including the likes of Aesterius, Leovanni, and Shareholder. However, he revealed this purchase had been made on behalf of another notable owner.
"I've bought him for Saeed Suhail," he said. "I've never bought a breeze-up horse for him before and I was umming and ahhing about ringing him, but I said, 'I've never rung you from a breeze-up sale before but I love this horse.'"
Brown surpassed his own high mark later in the piece when going to a session-topping 450,000 guineas (US$635,333) for a well-related son of Palace Pier from Tally-Ho Stud. The youngster, whose dam, Majmu, won two grade 1s in South Africa, was pinhooked through Hamish Macauley Bloodstock at 100,000 guineas.
Brown was unable to reveal who this purchase was made on behalf of, but said: "He's a big, strong colt, a very impressive physical. I'm a big fan of the stallion too, I think he's made a very good start. I actually loved this horse as a yearling, I vetted him and did everything, but I didn't have anyone for him."
The Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale continues April 15, with the second and final session.
