Galileo filly tops Tattersalls Thursday

Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continued in bullish fashion

on Thursday's second day of trade with increases in average and median and an

impressive clearance rate. The three highest prices for the day were fillies and

like Wednesday, Badgers Bloodstock and a Galileo filly were the common

factor in the session topper.

In total there were 123 lots sold for 15,797,000 guineas at an average of

128,431 guineas and a median of 100,000 guineas. The clearance rate for the day

was 83 percent, rising to 87 percent when the six private sales are included.

The average and median rose 14 percent and 41 percent respectively on the same

session in 2010.

The top lot on the second day was Lot No. 275, a 600,000-guinea Galileo filly out of the

stakes-placed Surumu mare Peace Time consigned from Gestut Etzean in Germany.

The half-sister to the German highweight Peace Royale (Sholokhov) and Group 3

winner Peaceful Love (Dashing Blade) was knocked down to Charlie Liverton

and signed for by Grant and Tom Pritchard-Gordon of Badgers Bloodstock.

"She is lovely," said Liverton, who saw off John Magnier for the filly. "She

is from a really tough German family, is very athletic and has a delightful eye.

We are really pleased to have picked her up. She goes into training with John

Gosden."

One yearling who looked one of the highlights of the catalog was the Cape

Cross filly out of the winning Kingmambo mare Model Queen. The half-sister

to French highweight and dual Group 1-winning sprinter Regal Parade (Pivotal),

multiple Group 3-placed Hot Prospect (Motivator) and listed-placed Mount Helicon

(Montjeu) was also the recipient of a significant catalog update following

the win of her half-brother Entifaadha (Dansili) in the Group 3 Acomb

Stakes.

Consigned from John and Lady Carolyn Warren's Highclere Stud, the filly was

knocked down to Charlie Gordon-Watson for 500,000 guineas, after he saw off the efforts of Shadwell

Estates' Angus Gold. Gordon-Watson indicated that the filly, Lot 224, was bought

on behalf of Craig Bennett's Merry Fox Stud.

"She will be trained by Henry Cecil," Gordon-Watson said. "Craig just decided

that he would like to buy a filly again. It is always nice to be buying for him.

"Cape Cross has produced two of the best runners in the last five years in

Sea the Stars and Ouija Board. I think he is an underrated sire and does not get

the credit he deserves."

The yearling's dam, Model Queen, will have a Sea the Stars colt to offer next year, to the delight

of breeders John and Lady Carolyn.

"We call her the model queen and she has been an amazing mare, who

delivers every year on the racecourse and at the sales,"

Lady Carolyn said. "She is a testament to the efforts of our staff at

home and I said to Mr. Bennett that she has danced every dance

and never missed a beat. We will wrap her Sea the Stars colt foal

in cotton wool until next year."

Gordon-Watson bought the Sadler's Wells filly Liffey Dancer for Bennett

at this sale in 2007 for 2.5 million guineas, a world-record price for a

yearling filly at auction. Her three-quarters sister by Galileo sells Friday as

Lot 502, offered by Oaks Farm Stables.

The third highest priced lot for the day was Lot 286, the Oasis Dream

filly out of the unraced Barathea mare Politesse, who was consigned by

David and Dianne Nagle's Barronstown Stud. The half-sister to the Group 1 Prix

Maurice de Gheest winner King's Apostle (King's Best) is a granddaughter of

Embassy(Cadeaux Genereux), the champion two-year-old filly in Europe in

1997 and was knocked down to agent Amanda Skiffington after she saw off the

efforts of Gordon-Watson.

"I thought she was the nicest filly in the sale," Skiffington said

of the 400,000-guinea purchase.

"She has been bought for Gretchen and Roy Jackson of Lael Stable, and we are

totally thrilled to get her. The Jacksons were looking particularly for a filly.

"It's some time since I

bought a yearling for the Jacksons, but I rang them and said, 'Please buy her.' I loved her."

The filly will stay in Newmarket and go into training with William Haggas,

who trained the smart sprinters Enticing and Superstar Leo for the same owners.

Chris Richardson of Cheveley Park Stud, accompanied by the farm's owner

Patricia Thompson, successfully bid 350,000 guineas to

see off agent Crispin de Moubray for a Galileo filly who is the first foal out

of Grade/Group 1 winner Mrs. Lindsay (Theatrical).

Another popular Galileo filly was a 340,000-guinea full sister to

this year's Group 1 Irish Two Thousand Guineas winner Roderic O'Connor bred by the Sangster family's Swettenham Stud and

offered by Ted Voute.

Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock, acting on behalf of Abu

Dhabi royal Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa al Nahyan, saw off

Gordon-Watson for this filly.

Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale concludes Friday. For full

catalog and updates, visit

tattersalls.com.