Medaglia d'Oro colt tops Craven Breeze-Up session

American sires accounted for three of the top four prices at Wednesday

night's opening session of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale in Newmarket,

led by a 260,000 guineas son of Medaglia d'Oro who

is expected to remain in training in Europe. Dick O'Gorman, who

frequently buys for Sheikh Mohammed, saw off agent Oliver St Lawrence and French

trainer Richard Gibson to buy Hip No. 85, a

$125,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Gay

O'Callaghan's Yeomanstown Stud, which consigned the colt out of Grade 2 winner C'est L'Amour (Thunder Gulch).

"He's

been bought for an undisclosed client," O'Gorman said. "He moved

very well in his breeze and, although he has an American

pedigree, I think he'll be staying in training here. He seemed to

handle the grass well enough in his breeze."

Taking second

billing was a Kentucky-bred son of Giant's Causeway (Hip 55),

originally picked up as a weanling at Keeneland in November 2007

for $190,000 by Willie Browne of Mocklershill Stables, who resold the colt for 230,000

guineas. Owner Sir Robert Ogden's

racing manager Barry Simpson, standing with trainer Jeremy

Noseda, outbid agent Jamie McCalmont to get the colt.

"He's going

to be trained by Jeremy for Sir Robert and we've got 11 Flat horses," Simpson

said. "This colt did one of the fastest breezes

and, although he should be early enough to be out around July

time, he is hopefully a nice three-year-old prospect."

The

juvenile is out of Zoe Montana (Seeking the Gold), the dam of

multiple Group 2-placed Council Member (Seattle Slew).

During the

evening session which lasted amazingly over four hours, 62

juveniles sold for 4,737,000 guineas. The average fell 24.5 percent

from a year ago to 76,403 guineas, while the median decreased 17

percent to 56,000 guineas. A total of 23 horses were reported not sold

for a buy-back rate of 27.1 percent.

The sale concludes Thursday.