Bill's Columns

Between 2013, when the bloodstock market began to recover from the shattering effects of the 2008 World Financial Crash, and 2016, the number of North American and European yearlings which made 1-million or more (whichever currency) varied between 23 (in 2013) and 19 (in 2016), according to figures compiled by my colleague, Dr. Emily Plant. After 32 yearlings topped those marks in 2017, the stage was set for more fireworks at the recently concluded mixed sales. Though the Kentucky November sales saw three fillies or mares bring $6-million or more (Songbird, Tepin, and Stellar Wave), the overall Kentucky November sales total of $276-million was nowhere near the Kentucky November record of $394-million racked up in 2007.

Not so at the European mixed sales. Though Kentucky did have three of the four $6-million-plus fillies and mares, Marsha broke the European auction record at 6-million guineas (about $8.5-million) in a purple patch of about 60 horses which sold on Tuesday, December 5, and resulted in a sale session of 45-million guineas, which was more than the entire Tattersalls December Mares Sale had grossed in 2016. Goffs November Sale had started proceedings on November 20 – Keeneland ended November 18 – and their week of foals and breeding stock grossed €42-million, continuing a trend which has seen their November sale’s gross rise by 35% since 2013.

Then it was straight to Newmarket for a day of yearlings November 27, foals the rest of the week, and fillies and mares the following week, Dec. 5-8. The sale’s near-two-week run resulted in a record gross of 105,255,000 guineas (€124-million, $149-million). Those still standing finished off the sales season at Deauville Dec 10-13, where Arqana’s gross jumped 35% to a record €31-million. The three markets combined grossed a little over €197-million, which is near enough $230-million. We can therefore say the combined five-sale major North American and European mixed sale markets in November and December grossed over $500-million, and the European sales accounted for 45% of the total.

The results at Arqana didn’t materially move the needle as far as the leading European sires of weanlings. In the tables with this column we run details of sires of weanlings at both the North American and European sales since October 1. Of the five super-sires at the yearling sales this year, four topped the figures at the weanling sales, though with only a total of eight weanlings sold among the four of them. Dubawi had a half-sister to Jack Hobbs top the Tattersalls Foal Sale for 750,000 gns, so that was one sold for $1.06-million. Galileo had three foals sell at Goffs, which averaged €708,333 ($831,442), including the highest-priced auction weanling of 2017, a €1.1-million full sister to the Group 1-winning 2-year-old and recent G1 Melbourne Cup runner-up, Johannes Vermeer. Tapit had three weanlings average $616,667, while the third European of the top five North American and European super-sires, Frankel, had one foal sell at Tattersalls for 375,000 guineas ($532,704). The fifth of the top five, War Front, had two foals sell for an average of $337,500.

Ten foals from 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah’s first crop averaged $445,500 to establish him as the leading sire of weanlings with ten or more weanlings sold, while Curlin ($419,000) and Medaglia D’Oro ($412,500) also averaged over $400,000, with five and four sold, respectively. Speightstown ($356,250), Empire Maker ($343,333) and War Front ($337,500), as mentioned, all averaged over $300,000 with small numbers sold. Pioneerof The Nile had ten weanlings sell for an average of $295,500. Six European sires averaged over $245,000, including the top two with their first weanlings, Shadwell’s top sprinter, Muharaar ($281,994) and 2015 G1 Epsom Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner, Golden Horn ($246,949). Dansili ($264,221, two sold), Dark Angel ($259,506), Invincible Spirit ($256,785), and Oasis Dream ($251,436) also averaged over $250,000.

Among covering sires, War Front (five sold, average $1,300,000), edged out Curlin, to whom 15 mares in foal averaged $1,241,667, including Tepin for $8-million, and Galileo, who had five mares in foal average $1,228,958. Dubawi, who had one weanling bring 750,000 gns., had one mare in foal bring the same price ($1,06-million). Medaglia D’Oro had ten mares in foal average a whopping $941,000; Tapit had three average $895,000; and Invincible Spirit had one sell in foal, for 600,000 gns ($849,114). Seven mares in foal to Pioneerof The Nile averaged $817,143; and eight mares in foal to Frankel averaged $678,407. Speightstown had four mares in foal average $571,250. Besides Frankel, among younger sires 11 mares in foal to Uncle Mo averaged $438,636; 12 mares in foal to American Pharoah averaged $419,354; and nine mares in foal to Kingman averaged $361,043. The top first-year covering sires were 2015 juvenile champion and 2016 GI Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, from Uncle Mo’s first crop (nine mares in foal averaged $308,889) and Frosted, son of Tapit, second to American Pharoah in the 2015 GI Belmont S. and devastating winner of the GI Met Mile as a 4-year-old in 2016; 13 mares in foal to him averaged $235,000. Both Nyquist and Frosted are Darley Kentucky stallions.

Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function isCurrency() in /var/www/vhosts/billoppenheim.com/httpdocs/columns/20171218.php:205 Stack trace: #0 /var/www/vhosts/billoppenheim.com/httpdocs/columns/20171218.php(99): NumImp() #1 {main} thrown in /var/www/vhosts/billoppenheim.com/httpdocs/columns/20171218.php on line 205

Source: Bloodhorse

Sire	Farm	ST	Current Stud Fee	Conception Stud Fee	1st Foals	Cat	Ring	Sold	S/C	Gross D	Avg D	Avg P	Avg E	High D
2540	246949	183420