Tuesday, October 26, 2004
GATWICK TOPS OPENING DAY OF TATTERSALLS AUTUMN HORSES IN TRAINING SALE
The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training got off to a bright start with three-year-olds GATWICK and FAASEL both realising in excess of 200,000 guineas yesterday when 204 lots were sold for 4,408,600 guineas, at an average of 21,611 guineas and a median of 11,500 guineas.
This represented a rise of 90% in aggregate and 45% and 15% in average and median respectively on the corresponding day in 2003.
GATWICK topped proceeding's for the day when Dwayne Woods made the final bid of 270,000 guineas. Consigned from Mick Channon's West Ilsley Stables, GATWICK,part-oned by Sir Alex Ferguson, always looked likely to be one of the main attractions on day one as the winner of four races and £138,000 in prize money with a Timeform rating of 115.
Interest in the colt came from all quarters with four bidders involved as the price passed the 200,000 guineas mark. The BBA Ireland's Patrick Cooper traded bids with Newmarket-based Dwayne Woods before New York-based trainer Steve Young, accompanied by London-based agent Jamie McAlmont, entered proceeding's with a bid of 250,000 guineas.
This was countered by County Durham trainer Howard Johnson who bid 260,000 guineas before Woods, rejoined the fray with the final bid of 270,000 guineas. Woods indicated that the son of ALI-ROYAL would go to Hong Kong to join his brother Sean, currently in his third season as a trainer in the Chinese territory.
The second highest priced lot for the day was the 230,000 guineas paid for FAASEL, the gelding consigned from Kevin Prendergast's Friarstown Stables in Ireland as the property of Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell Estates. The son of UNFUWAIN has improved steadily this year, earning an official handicap rating of 97 following a recent victory in a handicap at Naas, his third for the year and fifth overall.
It was the National Hunt fraternity which dominated proceedings with widespread interest before Bloodstock Ireland's Kevin Ross and trainer Nicky Richards locked horns. Richards, based in Greystoke in Cumbria, finally secured the gelding for an existing owner.
National Hunt interests were also to the fore earlier when another three-year-old, the LINAMIX colt CONFLUENCE, was offered from Chantilly-based trainer David Smaga on behalf of the late Lord Weinstock's Ballymacoll Stud.
A winner two starts back and a close-up fourth in the Listed Prix Le Fabuleux at Longchamp on his most recent start, CONFLUENCE saw initial interest from French bloodstock agent Crispin de Moubray and Highflyer Bloodstock's David Minton. The pair were superceded by Oxfordshire-based National Hunt trainer Paul Webber and Newmarket-based bloodstock agent Dick O'Gorman as the price soared past 100,000 guineas before O'Gorman made the final bid of 140,000 guineas on behalf of an existing client.
The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale continues today Tuesday, 26th October with a further 350 lots catalogued.
SHOEMAKER AWARD TO BE PRESENTED TO OUTSTANDING BREEDERS’ CUP JOCKEY
In memory of legendary jockey Bill Shoemaker, the outstanding jockey in this year's Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships will once again be honoured with the Bill Shoemaker Award. The 21st Breeders' Cup will be held on Saturday, October 30, at Lone Star Park in the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie, Texas.
The winner, to be selected by the members of the media, will be announced and presented with a trophy at the Sunday Press Breakfast at Lone Star Park on October 31.
Alex Solis won the inaugural Shoemaker Award from his victories in last year's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park aboard Johar in the John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf and on Pleasantly Perfect in the Breeders' Cup Classic - Powered by Dodge.
Shoemaker passed away on Oct. 12 of last year at his home near Santa Anita racetrack. He was 72 years old. In 1970, Shoemaker broke Johnny Longden's record of 6,032 career victories, and he held the record until 1999, when Laffit Pincay Jr. passed his mark. Shoemaker finished with 8,883 wins in a career that spanned 41 years. In 1986, at 54, he became the oldest jockey to win a Kentucky Derby when he guided Ferdinand along a small opening on the rail in a ride considered one of the greatest ever. The next year, he and Ferdinand won the Breeders' Cup Classic, making Shoemaker the oldest jockey to win a Breeders' Cup race.
CXHKIR hopefuls produce top form in WSRC events in Australia & Canada
Although Elegant Fashion failed to earn any prize-money in the Carlton Draught Cox Plate (Gr.1-2040m) at the weekend, she may avenge defeat in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup with the first five horses past the post in Australia's premier weight-for-age race all nominated for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races on December 12.
Savabeel, the latest star in Australian racing and the first three-year-old to win the Cox Plate since 1995, is nominated for the Cup, the final leg of World Series Racing Championship, in which he stands joint-second.
Fields Of Omagh, a game runner-up in Melbourne on Saturday, is also being prepared for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup. Starcraft and Grand Armee, third and fourth home respectively, also hold Cup options and are expected to make the journey to Sha Tin. The fifth home, Gr.1 winner Regal Roller, is in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile.
Another leg of the WSRC took place in Canada on Sunday. The Pattison Canadian International (Gr.1-2400m) went to the excellent Sulamani, who defeated Simonas, trained by Andreas Wohler in Germany.
Simonas, nominated for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase, ran a good fourth in the Grosser Volkswagen Preis von Baden (Gr.1-2400m) on his previous outing and is now third in the WSRC ranking on nine points. His run in Toronto was a career best as he split six-times Gr.1 winner Sulamani and Brian Boru, a Classic scorer last year, and also nominated for the Vase.
This weekend sees a host of Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint hopefuls turn out for the HSBC Premier Vase over 1200m, while overseas the Breeders' Cup meeting in Texas and the LKS MacKinnon Stakes in Australia will also feature many CXHKIR nominations.
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
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