Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up commences

Europe's top-two-year-old sale, the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up, gets

underway Wednesday evening in Newmarket, with many vendors accepting that trade

is unlikely to live up to the dazzling levels of 12 months ago. The Maktoum

family, buying through a series of different agents and trainers, dominated the

2008 sale, helping produce respective increases in aggregate and average of 35

and 40 percent to 11,884,000 guineas and 102,448 guineas.

No fewer than 13 of the 18 juveniles who sold for 200,000 guineas or more at

Tattersalls' two breeze-up sales last year ended up in the ownership of the

Maktoum family, and consignors were heartened to see Sheikh Mohammed's adviser

John Ferguson, with agents Dick O'Gorman and David Loder, watching the workouts

on Newmarket's Rowley Mile Tuesday morning. Coolmore's Demi O'Byrne was also

present, as were visitors from Japan, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Mark Player,

and many of the top European agents and trainers.

Willie Browne of the Co. Tipperary-based Mocklershill Stables has 22

juveniles cataloged, and he is hopeful that trade will hold up in the upper

echelons of the market.

"We were very busy on Monday, and I think the those that breezed well on

Tuesday will be popular," Browne said. "I hope the top end will be fine, but

whether there will be a middle I don't know. The new breeze-up bonus scheme

should help the bottom end, as was shown by an excellent 84 percent clearance

rate at Doncaster last week."

Mocklershill consigns the most anticipated yearling, Hip No. 103, a

Dynaformer colt bred by the Ryan family's Kilboy Estate who realized 340,000

guineas at Tattersalls in October. Among many smart Mocklershill workers was Hip

37, an Exceed And Excel colt from a speedy family; Hip 134, a Mr. Greeley colt

who brought $250,000 as a yearling; Hip 163, a son of Seeking the Gold bought

for $260,000 at Keeneland September; and Hip 164, a Danehill Dancer colt with a

60,000 guineas yearling price tag.

Con Marnane's Bansha House Stables was another with a large draft who showed

up well, among them Hip 61, a son of Rahy out of Gabacha (Woodman).

Darley stallions are well-represented, and there are a dozen cataloged from

the first crop of Dubawi. Hip 166, a half-sister to stakes winner So Will I

(Inchinor [GB]) consigned by Emma O'Gorman, was one of the Dubawis to show up

well, as was Kavak, Hip 82, offered by the same agent. 

"The breeze was very professional on Tuesday morning and plenty of the right

faces were there," Tattersalls marketing director Jimmy George said. "We've got

a good, solid catalog, and it is the successes on the racecourse from this sale

around the world that continues to attract buyers."

Selling begins after racing and Thursday evening. Video replays of Tuesday's

breezes, as well as catalog pages, are available at tattersalls.com.