War Front Colt Smashes European Breeze Up Record

Just 24 hours after the HIGH CHAPARRAL colt had set a new European Record for a breeze up, the high water mark was moved again when the WAR FRONT colt from Willie Browne's Mocklershill was sold for 1,150,000 guineas. 

As well as a new European record, the sale is also the top price anywhere in the world this year.

Trade on the second day saw a total of 47 lots sold for 5,086,000 guineas, at an average of 108,213 guineas and a median of 62,000 guineas. This took the two day sale total to 93 lots sold for 10,489,000 guineas, at an average of 112,785 guineas and a median of 70,000 guineas. The turnover was up 14% on 2013, with the average and median rising 26% and 27% respectively.

Catalogued as Lot 119, the colt by WAR FRONT out of the DIXIE UNION mare JULIE FROM DIXIE, attracted a plethora of bidders including Seamus Burns and Charlie Gordon-Watson before David Redvers took up the running along with Jamie McCalmont. Darley's John Ferguson then joined the fray and looked to have secured the colt before McCalmont made the successful bid, stood alongside Michael Tabor, MV Magnier and Paul Shanahan.

"It is brilliant, I can't believe it," said consignor Willie Browne.

"I knew he was popular, he did a great breeze, he ticked all the right boxes and all the ingredients were there for a big price. And, of course, he is by the right stallion. It just shows you if you have two people on a horse, what you can get.

"He was led out in the US unsold at $240,000 as a yearling and I'd thought I go and get him privately for $200,000 - in the end had to pay $250,000! But he was worth it."DAVID REDVERS went to 450,000 guineas to secure lot 134, the INVINCIBLE SPIRIT filly out of LOCH JIPP from Brendan Holland's Grove Stud. The sale was the highest for a filly at the Craven Breeze Up since 2008.

"She was a rocket," said Redvers, sat at the top of the stairs resting a post-marathon injured foot. "She'll go back to Longholes Stud to get the sale out of her system, and then will go into training and is ready to get on with.

"She was bought for a Dubai and Qatari partnership between Qatar Racing and Essafinaat, for whom we bought four at last year's breeze - all four are now winners, with three stakes horses.

"It's been a very different breeze-up sale this year, the quality is much higher and it has been far more difficult to buy.

"We bought the Group 1 winner Rosdhu Queen at the Craven Sale in 2012 - she is by Invincible Spirit and was from Grove Stud, let's hope lightning can strike twice!"

"To have sold the first ever million guineas breeze up two year old in Europe is a major benchmark for the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale. 25 years ago we staged the first breeze up sale at Tattersalls and the top price of the sale was 35,000 guineas. At that point, it would have been hard to envisage a breeze up two year old breaking the seven figure barrier, but this sale can now be regarded as a world leader and the progress of the sale is a massive tribute to the outstanding professionalism of the consignors. Year after year the breeze up consignors bring the very best two year olds to the Craven Breeze Up Sale and between them and so many of the world's leading owners, they have established the sale as one of the premier events in the European sales calendar.

"The two top prices of 1,150,000 guineas and 800,000 guineas were the obvious highlights of the sale and to have sold the highest priced breeze up horse in the world to date this year is a great achievement. Competition for the top lots has been ferocious from start to finish and very much the feature of the sale. We have welcomed new faces from throughout the world, particularly South East Asia, and all have contributed to a sale which has achieved significant gains across the board. The global demand we have experienced this week bodes well for the rest of 2014 and in particular for the forthcoming Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale which takes place May 1st and 2nd."