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Galileo fillies top South African sale UTHAWINI, a two-year-old Galileo (Ire) filly, attracted a bid of R2,100,000 ($283,362) from trainer Mike de Kock to top Sunday's Emperors Palace Ready to Run Sale at the Thoroughbred Breeders Association Sales complex in Gosforth Park, near Germiston, South Africa. Lot No. 100 was acquired on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum. "She has everything: pedigree, looks and conformation,'' de Kock said. "Galileo stands at something like €300,000, which shows you that this can be considered a bargain." The daughter of Tramore (Danehill) was offered by Summerhill Sales, which consigned 108 of the 163 cataloged lots. "We are very pleased,'' said Mick Goss of Summerhill Stud. "With more fillies than colts for sale this year, we thought that the sale might yield lower figures, yet if one looks at how well fillies are performing in the Ready to Run Cup, it is hardly surprising that buyers don't shy away from the females.'' The underbidder on the topper, Andre Macdonald, managed to secure the only other Galileo juvenile, a filly named Igugu, for R1 million. Hailing from an Aga Khan family, the daughter of Zarinia (Intikhab) was offered as Lot 114. "You win some and you lose some, but I am very happy with the one I got," Macdonald said. The third-highest price was R900,000, achieved by Lot 89, a Street Cry (Ire) filly that was purchased by trainer Charles Laird and owner Markus Jooste. "This filly hasn't got a great dam line, but I loved her as a specimen and she moves really well, too," Laird explained. "We are pleased to have got the bid knocked down to us.'' Just 14 of the 157 offered youngsters failed to make their reserve, and 143 head sold for an aggregate R27,155,000. The average was R189,895, a 9.4-percent increase from the R173,636 achieved in 2008. "We are thrilled and in fact surprised with these results,'' said Caroline Simpson, sales manager of BloodStock SA, which conducted the auction. BSA's CEO Jan Naude added, "There are lots of positives to be taken from the figures and the clearance rate of over 90 percent, which is on a par with 2008. Notwithstanding the economic downturn, Thoroughbred sales in South Africa continue to perform extremely well." Complete results are available at tba.co.za.
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