A colt by Darley sire Teofilo sold for 110,000 guineas (US$179,418), the overall highest price at the Tattersalls Guineas breeze-up and horses in training sale May 3 at Park Paddocks in Newmarket.
Offered in the breeze-up session by Adrian Costello's Clenagh Castle Stud, Ireland, the colt was purchased by Tom Goff and Richard Brown's Blandford Bloodstock.
Costello enjoyed a nice return on his investment in the colt after buying the youngster, a half brother to French group I winner Caradak, for €25,000 (US$32,298) at the Goffs Orby yearling sale last October.
The bay colt is out of the winning Shahrastani mare Caraiyma, a half sister to multiple Irish group III winner Cajarian, and is from the family of 2011 Coolmore Nunthorpe (Eng-I) winner I and English highweighted 3-year-old filly Margot Did. He was bought at the breeze-up session on behalf of an undisclosed client and will be sent to trainer William Haggas.
"He is not a whizz-bang type to get out early, and I am sure he'll be trained with next year in mind," Brown said. "I am a great fan of the sire, I think he is just about to explode onto the next level."
Teofilo stands at Kildangan Stud in Ireland. He currently ranks fifth by progeny earnings on the English/Irish general sire list published by Racing Post.
Four juveniles sold for six figures at the breeze-up session, including a Dubawi colt bought by Charles Gordon-Watson Bloodstock for the sale's second-highest price of 105,000 guineas (US$171,262).
The German-bred colt is out of the winning Groom Dancer mare Late Night, who has produced two winners from three to race, including stakes-placed Langley. The bay colt was bought for Hong Kong owner Ronald Arculli, who campaigns globetrotting group I winner Red Cadeaux, a Gordon-Watson yearling purchase at Tattersalls in 2007.
"We paid more here than we had planned, but this is a Dubawi after all," Gordon-Watson said of the colt. His dam is a half sister to Canadian grade II winner Lauro, who was grade I-placed in the U.S. The family includes German classic winner and sire Lando.
Dubawi stands at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket and has nine stakes winners already in 2013.
The top-priced purchase at the horses in training session was 4-year-old Kingsdesire, who was sold to Italian agent Alberto Panetta on behalf of Australian clients for 85,000 guineas (US$138,640). The group III-placed son of Darley's Japan-based King's Best out of Lucky Clio, by Key of Luck, was consigned by trainer Marco Botti's Prestige Place.
Tattersalls reported 120 of 150 horses offered in the two sessions sold for total receipts of 2,761,000 guineas (US$4,503,484), up 14.3% from last year when 104 horse were sold.
The overall average price of 23,008 guineas (US$37,528) was down 1% and the overall median price of 14,000 guineas (US$22,835) declined 9.7%.
"The clearance rate of around 80% has not only been a huge positive, but also particularly welcome after the more selective demand that has been typical of the breeze-up market this year," Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said.
"To have sold four six-figure breeze-up lots today has demonstrated the continued demand at the top of the market, but the depth and diversity to today's trade has been the real feature and we look forward to continuing to build on the success of this year's renewal of the Guineas breeze-up and horses in training sale."