A colt by Acclamation eclipsed the record price for a lot at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale when selling to Godolphin for 1,400,000 guineas on the opening day of the sale with a St Mark’s Basilica colt second highest at 750,000 guineas.
Strong trade continued throughout the session with the median and average up 18% and 40% respectively from the equivalent session in 2024, and a clearance rate of 84%.
Godolphin Secure Acclamation Colt For Record 1,400,000 Guineas
The record price for a two-year-old at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale was smashed when Mocklershill’s colt by ACCLAMATION was knocked down for 1,400,000 guineas to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin with Alex Elliott, standing with Amo Racing’s Kia Joorabchian, the underbidder.
Willie Browne’s Mocklershill had also sold the Craven Breeze Up Sale’s previous record lot with a colt by WAR FRONT realising 1,150,000 guineas in 2014 and Browne has now sold a remarkable six lots at the Craven Sale for 625,000 guineas and above.
He commented: “I can’t believe it! He is a special horse and has hardly been in his stable since he arrived and has had 13 or 14 vets. I believed he would sell well and thought he might get to 500,000 guineas or 600,000 guineas. He was a beautiful yearling that I paid €70,000 for.”
Of the colt’s development, he outlined: “On the 1st of February when we started doing a bit of work, straightaway he started to stand out but he is also so sound, so easy to train, he has a great mind. I do believe he is a very special horse.”
The May-foaled colt is by Rathbarry Stud’s prolific Group 1 producing sire ACCLAMATION out of the EXCEED AND EXCEL mare BLUE WILLOW, a sister to three black type performers from the family of Champion Two-Year-Old Filly LEMON SOUFFLE.
Anthony Stroud revealed: “I did not think we’d have to get to that, I definitely did not. He did a very good breeze and a very good gallop out and is a lovely horse.
“It just shows how vibrant the breeze up sale is, there were so many people on him – not just two, I think there were four or five. It just shows the appetite to buy horses at this sale.”
He continued: “I thought this sale would be strong, but I did not think this horse would be so expensive. We have a few on the list and he was one of them – it shows the appetite Godolphin has for wanting horses. He goes to Charlie Appleby and no one does a better job, he is the best.”
Stroud concluded: “It is great for Willie Browne, he has been doing the job for a long time. It is lovely for him.”
Amo Strike For St Mark’s Basilica Colt at 750,000 Guineas
Joey Logan’s Grangeclare Stud enjoyed a spectacular start to breeze up consigning at Tattersalls with three lots on the opening day of the Craven Breeze Up Sale selling for an total of 1,190,000 guineas. The trio were lead by a colt by first crop sire ST MARK’S BASILICA out of the SEA THE STARS mare LAYALEENA who realised 750,000 guineas to Amo Racing having been purchased by Logan for 200,000 guineas at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
Bloodstock agent Jamie McCalmont, standing alongside Charles Shanahan, and Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown traded the early blows before Kia Joorabchian entered the fray at 600,000 guineas and outlasted the opposition.
Alex Elliott, standing with Joorabchian in the bidders, said: “We honed in on him very early. Robson Aguiar actually rode him in the breeze, he breezed very well and carried his speed very evenly in his breeze, particularly well for a horse who is going to be seven furlongs, a mile or maybe a bit further. I do like to see an even breeze, and Robson was a huge fan of the horse.”
He added: “He was beautifully presented by Joey Logan and the word seems to be quite good on St Mark’s Basilica, his horses have breezed well here and he was an exceptional racehorse. With Al Shaqab we gave 600,000 guineas for a filly by him in Book 2 and she is doing well with Karl Burke. There are a lot of fast horses here but, for me, this horse will carry his speed a bit further and was the best of this type over the two days. He goes to Freemason to be trained by Raphael Freire, and Kia is keen to support that operation.”
Successful consignor Joey Logan is perhaps better known for his involvement with top level jumps horses than breeze up two-year-olds and commented:
“We’ve enjoyed this experience! We have put in a new gallop and we have some great staff, and they do a fantastic job. We have been big in National Hunt, but we are going to mix it up a bit now.”
When asked to compare the experience of producing and selling breeze up two-year-olds and jumps horses Logan commented:
“It’s a great buzz to sell any good horse, hopefully he goes on now to do it on the racetrack. It has been a big difference than doing the jumps horses, but the jumping game has been very good to us, we have produced a lot of good horses and, hopefully, we will continue to do so, but we get a good kick out of this! We are meeting good people and when you have the right horse at this game the price can end up anywhere.”
Bansha House To The Fore With 650,000 Guineas Havana Grey Colt
Bansha House Stud produced another outstanding pinhooking result on the first day of the Craven Breeze Up Sale when their colt by leading young sire HAVANA GREY, purchased for €46,000 as a foal, realised 650,000 guineas to Godolphin after seeing off persistent underbidder Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock.
Con and Amy Marnane were understandably delighted following the sale and a smiling Con commented: “I think Anthony has bought six individual Group 1 winners from me – I hope this is the seventh! This colt has turned into a smasher, he is a gorgeous horse. Amy bought him as a yearling.”
Of the price, the best result yet for Bansha House Stud in the Tattersalls sale ring, he laughed: “I was pleased at 100,000 guineas and this is a great result!”
Purchaser Anthony Stroud commented: “Havana Grey has been a great stallion for us with Vandeek and Arabian Dusk. This is a really, really nice horse, he did a good time in his breeze and he moves very well. Con has a great track record, and we are delighted to have bought him. I think he matches up to the previous Havana Greys I have purchased before, the results from the Craven Sale have been very good and there are a lot of people here.”
Stroud bought VANDEEK at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale in 2023 for a joint sale-topping price of 625,000 guineas and the colt went on to win both the Group 1 Prix Morny and the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes for KHK Racing. 525,000 guineas purchase ARABIAN DUSK was purchased by Stroud last year and won the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes and finished third in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at two for Sheikh Duaij Al Khalifa, before finishing a creditable fourth in today’s Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes.
