Regular faces dominate sales action

Coolmore and Sheikh Mohammed continued to splash the cash on day two of the Tatteralls October Yearling Sales at Newmarket with only those further down the racing tree feeling the financial pinch.

With the stock market and banking crisis continuing around the globe, on face value it appears the small world of horseracing has been immune with average sales on the day just a shade under the near 120,000 guineas recorded last year.

Demi O’Byrne, working for the Coolmore triumvirate of John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, was responsible for outbidding Tom Goff for the most expensive youngster to go under the hammer.

They paid 650,000 guineas for a son of Montjeu out of Vanishing Prairie, making him a half-brother to last year’s Melbourne Cup runner-up Purple Moon.

But Coolmore lost out to Sheikh Mohammed’s bloodstock advisor John Ferguson after a heated battle for lot 327.

The teams were eyeing each other across the ring for a bay Pivotal filly related to the likes of Gossamer and Barathea but it was Ferguson who signed the ticket for 500,000 guineas.

The Rabbah Bloodstock operation were notably busy, as was Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum’s Shadwell Estate who paid 320,000 guineas for a Mr Greeley colt out of Sparkle Of Stones.

Nearly all the big hitters of the sport could be seen prowling around the Tattersalls site with Andre Fabre, Henry Cecil, Sir Michael Stoute, Mark Johnston and Freddie Head investigating among a baseball-capped and gilet-clad crowd.

“The average is very similar to last year which you have to say is much better than we could have expected given what is happening in the big, wide world,” said Tattersalls marketing director Jimmy George.

“It’s been a very good day and there is a vibrant market which we hope continues until the end of the week.”

The sale was due to run into this evening with the buzz being about Lot 400, a daughter of Montjeu who is a half-sister to the Fillies’ Mile runner-up Fantasia.