Son of Myth to Reality brings 1 million guineas at Tattersalls

Son of Myth to Reality brings 1 million guineas at

Tattersalls

A Kentucky-bred Gone West colt out of Myth to Reality (Fr) (Sadler's Wells)

brought 1-million guineas to top Wednesday's second session of the Tattersalls

October Yearling Sale in Newmarket. The colt, bred by Cumbrian-based couple Gary

and Lesley Middlebrook, was offered from John and Lady Carolyn Warren's

Highclere Stud. Adrian Nicoll of the BBA Ireland agency bid just shy of

600,000gns for the colt but the eventual buyer, John Ferguson, had to finally

fight off Blandford Bloodstock's Tom Goff to land the prized lot.

"It's a pedigree that everyone knows very well. He's a brother to one of the

best fillies of recent years in Divine Proportions (Kingmambo), while Whipper

(Miesque's Son) won the Jacques Le Marois (Fr-G1) and it's also the family of

Shirley Heights," Ferguson said. "I'd seen him at the stud and he had a great

attitude through the week. He was an exceptional athlete and ticked all the

boxes."

Myth to Reality was bought by the Middlebrooks for $125,000 at Keeneland in

January 2003 before her progeny Divine Proportions and Whipper enjoyed Group 1

victories in Europe. Now 21, she is in foal to Lemon Drop Kid having been barren

to Kingmambo last year.

"I'm so thrilled for Gary and Lesley, who have put so much into racing and

are the sort of people who really deserved a proper touch like that," said Lady

Carolyn Warren. "I've had the colt since July and when he arrived I rang the

Middlebrooks to say that this horse was the real deal. He was beautifully reared

in America but our stud groom at Highclere, Paul Smith, has done a great job

with him."

Ferguson's seven purchases also included a 425,000gns Oasis Dream (GB) colt

consigned by Watership Down Stud. Demi O'Byrne also purchased seven lots for

Coolmore and these were led by a 520,000gns Montjeu (Ire) colt from the family

of Sleepytime (Ire) bred by Charles H. Wacker III and sold through Voute Sales.

Trainer Marcus Tregoning, who had been underbidder to O'Byrne on Tuesday's

500,000gns session-topping Montjeu colt, again came off second best. John

Magnier earlier outbid representatives of Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm for a

475,000gns Pivotal granddaughter of Group 1 winner Rebecca Sharp (Machiavellian)

sold by Anthony Oppenheimer's Hascombe and Valiant Studs.

The 24-year-old Simon Callaghan, who will be one of Newmarket's youngest

trainers when taking over the license from his father, Neville, in February,

gained an expensive addition to his first team of two-year-olds when getting a

380,000gns Pivotal filly offered by Barouche Stud.

"For me she was physically the nicest filly in the sale," said Richard Brown

of Blandford Bloodstock, who signed for the yearling. "She's for an existing

client and Pivotal has done very well with fillies."

Michael Goodbody, formerly Gainsborough Stud manager and acting for a new

owner with trainer Barry Hills, paid 375,000gns to get a Giant's Causeway colt

out of Saree (GB) (Barathea [Ire]), a mare who realized $2 million at Keeneland

last November.