Sea The Stars Filly Tops BBAG Yearling Sale

"She's bred to be brilliant," said auctioneer John O'Kelly when Gestut Brummerhof presented the Sea The Stars (IRE) filly out of Novemba (GER) midway through the BBAG Yearling Sale in Baden-Baden Sept. 6. Plenty were in agreement, with the likes of Alex Elliott and Al Shira'aa Racing manager Kieran Lalor taking an active role in proceedings. While those rival camps stood at opposite ends of the utilitarian auditorium, the winning hand was played almost 5,000 miles away. Godolphin's Anthony Stroud, who was bidding by phone having already arrived in Kentucky ahead of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, instructed BBAG director Klaus Eulenberger to lodge the decisive increase to €750,000 (US$877,500, €1=US$1.17). The filly is the first foal out of Novemba, the Brummerhof homebred crowned Germany's champion 3-year-old filly in 2021. She claimed the coveted title on the back of a romp in the German One Thousand Guineas (G2), in which she slammed Godolphin's Sky Angel (IRE) by 7 1/2 lengths. "She's by the Sea The Stars out of a classic-winning daughter of Gleneagles from a very good family," said Stroud, speaking by phone shortly after the hammer had fallen. "She comes from a very good stud and is just a very nice filly; physically she's a good mover with good conformation. David (Loder) and I liked her very much and she fitted our criteria for Godolphin. She'll be trained by Charlie Appleby. She's a very nice filly. We're very happy to have her." There were emotional scenes in the aftermath of the transaction, with Brummerhof's Gregor Baum explaining the filly held a special place in his family's affections. "We're very pleased that she's been bought by Godolphin and that they have trust in our stud and in German breeding," he said. "She's a special individual. She's very athletic and with a lot of character, we really love her." The purchase is far from Godolphin's first notable involvement at Germany's premier yearling sale, as 12 months ago they secured the record-breaking top lot Del Maro (GER). The €850,000 son of Camelot debuted with a promising runner-up effort at Newmarket in August. Despite their commitments in Kentucky, Stroud said the Godolphin buying team had been determined to support the sale this time around too. "David and I arrived on Tuesday for the day, but with all the sales going on we had to leave for America," he said. "It's good to be supporting the industry in Germany. You have to come and look and cover all the main sales. We bought a very nice horse there by Camelot last year, and a Teofilo (Commanding Officer) who won yesterday (Sept. 5). I think Klaus and his team do a very good job and they're always very welcoming." The sale saw improvement over last year's edition with just one less horse through the ring. Of the 198 yearlings on offer, 153 (77%) sold for a total of €8,404,100 (US$9,832,797), a 13% year-over-year increase. Gains were also realized in average at €54,929 (US$64,267) and median at €55,120 (US$64,490), which were each up 14% over last year.