Breeze up season will soon be in full swing, with the Craven Sale, which comes under orders April 17, heralding a hectic six-week spell in Europe—here's what you need to know, plus some key lots to keep an eye on.
Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale
Where: The Rowley Mile Racecourse and then Park Paddocks, Newmarket
When: April 17-19
Key Lots: There are a number of very well-bred individuals in the sale, including Malcolm Bastard's Kingman half brother to Epsom Derby (G1) and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) hero Golden Horn (Lot 151).
Also catching the eye are Tally-Ho Stud's Territories half sister to last season's Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) winner Lezoo (Lot 38); Powerstown Stud's Medaglia d'Oro colt out of Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) heroine Belvoir Bay (Lot 106); and the Oak Tree Farm-consigned Mehmas colt out of group 3 winner Obama Rule, the dam of Kilboy Estate Stakes (G2) winner and group 1-placed Insinuendo (Lot 2).
Magna Grecia was the first freshman sire off the mark last month and his quartet here includes Derryconnor Stud's half sister to black-type winner Gamgoom, from the family of Profitable (Lot 128), plus Innishannon Valley Stud's filly out of a daughter of top-class race filly and producer Imagine (Lot 163).
Notable Graduates: Look no further—and you don't have to go far back—than One Thousand Guineas (G1) heroine Cachet, who sold to Highclere from Hyde Park Stud for 60,000gns in 2021, and the Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) and Dewhurst Stakes (G1) winner Native Trail, who at the same auction sold to Godolphin from Oak Tree Farm for 210,000gns.
Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale
Where: Doncaster Racecourse and then the Goffs UK sales complex
When: April 24-25
Key Lots: First-season sire and champion juvenile Too Darn Hot has the second lot due into the ring in Powerstown Stud's colt out of Kelly Nicole. The January-born individual is a close relation to Summer Mile Stakes (G2) winner Aljamaaheer, while the following horse in, Yeomanstown Stud's filly by Dark Angel, is a full sister to Sandown Mile (G2) winner and Lockinge Stakes (G1) second Sovereign Debt.
Others to keep an eye on from a pedigree perspective include Longways Stables' Kingman colt out of group 3 winner One Last Dance from the family of Royal Academy (Lot 55); Mocklershill's Night of Thunder colt out of Queen Mary Stakes (G2) winner Anthem Alexander (Lot 136)—a Starspangledbanner half sister to Dandy Man; and Longways' daughter of Dubawi out of the group-placed Frankel mare Ejtyah (Lot 169).
Notable Graduates: For starters at a sale which markets itself as a source of Royal Ascot winners, there's Commonwealth Cup (G1), Middle Park Stakes (G1), and Prix Morny (G1) winner Perfect Power, who sold to Blandford Bloodstock from Tally-Ho Stud for £110,000 in 2021. The Coventry Stakes (G2) winner Bradsell was also bought here by Blandford, from Mark Grant for £47,000 last year, while Norfolk Stakes (G2) and Flying Childers Stakes (G2) winner A'Ali was sold to Stroud Coleman from Star Bloodstock for £135,000 in 2019.
Osarus Breeze Up Sale
Where: La Teste Racecourse, La Teste-de-Buch, in southwestern France
When: April 26-27
Key Lots: An event that not only offers a seaside getaway but generally plenty of value has early highlights such as Barry Davis Bloodstock's Sir Percy brother to California Oaks winner Consolida (Lot 8) and Ard Erin Stud's Dark Angel colt out of a Sinndar full sister to Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) winner and Prix de Diane (G1) runner-up Rosanara (Lot 9).
There's also Ecurie de la Dentelle's filly by first-season sire City Light out of a half sister to Fillies' Mile (G1) and Falmouth Stakes (G1) victress Simply Perfect (Lot 44).
Hyde Park Stud has 18 lots listed in the catalog, including a Seabhac half sister to American grade 2 winner Avenue de France, who is set to be the second horse to go under the hammer, and a Territories half sister to stakes winner Goldberry (Lot 46).
Notable Graduates: Osarus's sale has already had a 2023 black-type performer in Samedi Rien, a daughter of Bated Breath who was third to the high-class With The Moonlight in the Cape Verdi (G2) in Dubai. Trained in Spain, she made €17,000 to MAB Agency from Hyde Park Stud in 2021. It recently came into the National Hunt limelight when Gold Tweet struck in the Cleeve Hurdle, having sold to Karwin Stud from Ecurie la Frenee for €14,000 at the event in 2019.
Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale
Where: The Rowley Mile Racecourse and then Park Paddocks, Newmarket
When: May 3-4
Key Lots: The sale is set to include the likes of GS Bloodstock's Kodiac filly out of a winning half sister to Middle Park winner and young sire Supremacy (Lot 210), and Meadowview Stables' Zoffany colt from the Meon Valley Stud family of Zee Zee Top, Izzi Top, Opera House, and Kayf Tara (Lot 269).
Ballybush Stables is due to sell a filly by Mehmas out of a half sister to stakes winner Beach Bunny, the dam of last season's Criterium de Saint-Cloud (G1) winner Dubai Mile (Lot 284), while Fairgreen Stables' colt by The Factor (Lot 255) is one of a handful of more exotic entries.
Notable Graduates: Crack filly The Platinum Queen, who last year became the first 2-year-old winner of the Prix de l'Abbaye (G1) since 1978, sold to Richard Fahey and Middleham Park Racing from Tally-Ho for 57,000gns last spring. Dual group 1-winning stayer Trueshan is another to have flown the flag for the sale in recent years—the son of Planteur made 31,000gns to Highflyer Bloodstock and Alan King when consigned by Knockanglass Stables in 2018.
Last year's Beresford Stakes (G2) winner Crypto Force, is another ace alumnus, having been purchased by Michael O'Callaghan from Tally-Ho for 160,000gns. American grade 1 winner Shantisara is another to have kept the auction in the limelight, the Coulsty filly making 10,000gns to Federico Barberini from Aguiar Bloodstock in 2020.
Arqana Breeze Up Sale
Where: Deauville Racecourse and then the Arqana sales complex
When: May 11-13
Key Lots: There's quality galore on offer on the Normandy coast, including the Mocklershill-consigned Blue Point half brother to world champion miler and Darley sire Palace Pier (Lot 87) and Longways Stables' No Nay Never half brother to Irish Derby (G1) hero Latrobe (Lot 19).
Lots out of top-level-winning mares include Malcolm Bastard's Siyouni colt out of Ribbons (Lot 30), and the Mocklershill pair of a Justify colt out of Curvy (Lot 107) and a Dubawi filly out of Miss France (Lot 175).
Notable Graduates: Cheveley Park Stakes winner and 2023 classic hopeful Lezoo sold to Atlas Bloodstock for €110,000 when consigned by Tally-Ho at last year's sale, while St Leger Stakes (G1) hero Eldar Eldarov was even pricier when making £480,000 to Oliver St Lawrence at the rearranged Doncaster sale in 2021. The Dubawi colt was offered by Oak Tree Farm.
St Lawrence also snapped up the exciting Mill Reef Stakes (G2) winner Sakheer for €550,000 at Arqana last year, when the son of Zoffany was sold by Mocklershill, while another worthy of mention is Acomb Stakes (G3) and Champagne Stakes (G2) second Indestructible, a €150,000 sale to Amo Racing and Kerri Radcliffe 12 months ago from Tally-Ho.
Tattersalls Goresbridge Breeze Up Sale
Where: Fairyhouse Racecourse and then the Tattersalls Ireland sales complex
When: May 25-26
Key Lots: The final event of the European season has a big highlight in Tally-Ho Stud's Inns of Court half brother (Lot 155) to Ardad, the breezer-turned group 2 juvenile who has made a flying start as a stallion.
There is another by the same sire who is half brother to Keith Dalgleish's swift filly Clem Fandango from Egmont Stud (Lot 21), while recent Leopardstown winner Fleetfoot and stakes-placed Mashaaer have done good turns for Innishannon Valley Stud's Blue Point half brother (Lot 144).
Egmont's Lope de Vega colt out of Oaks (G1) third Lady Of Dubai (Lot 195) and a Sea The Stars colt out of a half sister to The Fugue from Greenhills Farm (Lot 32) are other obvious talking points.
Notable Graduates: Last year's Mooresbridge Stakes (G2) winner Layfayette made €54,000 to Noel Meade from San Antone Lodge at the sale in 2019, while other black-type winners in 2022 to have come out of Ireland's only breeze-up sale include Buddy Bob, Duca di Como, Haqeeqy, Prince of Pillo, and Volatile Analyst. Classic-placed Frankel filly East made €315,000 from Greenhills to Stephen Hillen in 2018, with Katie Walsh trumping that last year with a €520,000 Saxon Warrior filly.
