Masai Moon Tops Tattersalls Online ERA Sale Trade

Godolphin's dual winner Masai Moon (GB) topped the Tattersalls Online Emirates Racing Authority Sale, April 2, when selling to Bhupat Seemar's Zabeel Stables for AED1,100,000 (US$299,523, AED1=US$0.27) The 4-year-old Siyouni (FR) gelding was a winner at Kempton at the backend of his 2-year-old year and bounced back from defeat in the listed Feilden Stakes last year with a second score at Nottingham that May. After a run in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot he has since been campaigned in Dubai, where he has placed second on his last two outings. He will now run for Seemar, set to be crowned UAE champion trainer once again. Godolphin also consigned two-time winner Indian Springs, a son of Too Darn Hot (GB) who brought AED880,000 from Karwan Barzani, and Pacifica Pier, a group 3-placed son of Palace Pier (GB) who defeated Two Thousand Guineas (G1) hope Publish on debut at Sandown last July. He made AED780,000, selling to The Brothers Bloodstock Another offering, Alpine Trail, won the listed Newmarket Stakes last May for Charlie Appleby. The 4-year-old also sold to The Brothers Bloodstock, this time for AED620,000. Castlewarden, a dual winner in America for Brad Cox and then a black-type performer for Seemar, was another highlight when selling to Blue Blood Racing for AED460,000. The Juddmonte-bred son of Into Mischief was third in the listed Dubai Creek Mile at Meydan in November and has since been plying his trade in group company. The 6-year-old is a brother to Laurel River, winner of the 2024 Dubai World Cup (G1), and was named co-Longines World's Best Racehorse, along with City of Troy, for the 2024 season. It was recently announced that Laurel River would stand at Big Red Farm in Japan, having been sold by Juddmonte. Overall, 132 of 169 lots sold for a turnover of AED9,566,900 (US$2,605,010). The sale was reported to have attracted record participation with 221 registered bidders from across the globe, an increase of 154% on average ERA live sale registrations over the last five years. Tattersalls Online sale manager Katherine Sheridan said: "We are proud to have hosted another highly successful sale on behalf of the Emirates Racing Authority, with record participation reflecting the continued growth and global reach of the Tattersalls Online platform. The strong clearance rate and competitive bidding across the sale underline the confidence buyers have in the quality of horses offered, and we look forward to building on this momentum with our future sales." Mohammad Al Shehhi, ERA board member and general manager, added: "Across the two days of our online sale with Tattersalls, we were delighted to see a record number of buyer registrations, highlighting the strong interest in our racing and ease of use of the online concept. The level of participation and overall results demonstrate the value of this platform in facilitating the movement of horses to neighboring jurisdictions, enabling them to continue their racing careers across the region." The next Tattersalls Online sale takes place from April 8-9.