Tattersalls’ second Guineas breeze-up sale in Newmarket, England, May 2 showed dramatic advances on the 2007 edition, helped by five six-figure lots. The 3,833,000-guinea aggregate for the 80 juveniles sold was up 80% from last year while the 47,913-guinea average price rose 71%. The 30,000-guinea median increased by 30%. But the 60.6% clearance rate showed that not every vendor enjoyed a red-letter day.
Newmarket agent Dick O’Gorman, acting for an undisclosed client, bought the two top lots -- a 470,000-guinea Exceed And Excel filly and a 370,000-guinea Johan colt. Jamie McCalmont, standing with the Coolmore Stud duo of Michael Tabor and Paul Shanahan, was the underbidder on both horses, who each showed huge pinhook profits.
The Exceed And Excel – Bois de Citron filly, which was consigned by John Hassett Jr.’s Bloodstock Connection, had been bought for 20,000 guineas at Doncaster last August. The Johar -- Dippers colt, offered by Willie Browne’s Mocklershill Stables, was a $40,000 weanling at Keeneland in November of 2006.
Blandford Bloodstock bought a 150,000-guinea Mr. Greeley – Mariamme filly from Emma O’Gorman and Armando Duarte’s Seven Springs Stables. Sheikh Hamdan was confirmed as the buyer of a 150,000- guinea Exceed And Excel – Common Rumpus filly offered from Seven Springs and knocked down to trainer Marcus Tregoning.
At the end of selling Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony reflected: "This is only the second renewal of the Guineas breeze-up and already it has achieved turnover second only amongst European 2-year-old in training sales to our Craven breeze-up,” said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony. "We felt that the outstanding Craven breeze-up two weeks ago would benefit this sale, but not to the extent we have seen today, and it would be fair to say that the sale has come of age quicker than anyone could have anticipated.
"Last year’s inaugural Guineas breeze-up made a satisfactory start, but wide margin records have been set across the board today and the top price of 470,000 guineas is a massive advance on the 90,000-guinea top price here 12 months ago.
"It would be wrong to overlook the selectivity of the market and we would like to have achieved a higher clearance rate, but equally the sustained demand for quality two-year-olds has proved beyond any doubt that the Guineas breeze-up has a bright future."
