Group I Prix de Diane winner Sparkling Plenty was a rare offering at the Goffs London Sale overnight and duly sold for a record price of £8.1million ($A15.5m) although the sale was not without drama, while leading Australian trainers Gai Waterhouse and Ciaron Maher were also active at this iconic pre-Ascot bloodstock event.
A number of players were bidding on the blueblood daughter of Kingman with Goffs’ French representative Amanda (Skiffington) Zetterholm taking instructions over the phone and she proved too strong for Narvick International agent Emmanuel de Seroux, who bid £8 million, and Amo Racing’s Kia Joorabchian, who bid £7.8m.
It was later revealed the filly had been bought back by her owner breeder Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois and a deal had been brokered that saw Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani’s Al Shaqab Racing take a 50 per cent stake in Sparkling Plenty at a cost of £5m.
Al Shaqab’s bloodstock advisor Nicolas de Watrigant said Sparkling Plenty would remain with her trainer Patrice Cottier.
“She’ll stay with the same trainer and the same team,” said De Watrigant.
“The trainer will target the Nassau Stakes, the Prix de l'Opéra and maybe the Arc at the end of the year. We’ve been following the filly for a long time. She probably should’ve won the French Guineas [finished sixth], she was very unlucky in that race, but she ran some very good split figures. We like her physically; she keeps progressing and won the Sandringham very easily and she’s got a beautiful page, she’s by a great stallion, she’s got everything going for her.”
Bloodstock agent Richard Ryan purchased two year-old New Bay colt Pentle Bay for £400,000 in conjunction with Ciaron Maher Bloodstock.
Trained by George Boughey, Pentle Bay won his debut at Leicester earlier this month and is entered for the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot this week.
“He’s a gorgeous horse by New Bay, who's a super stallion, out of a Galileo mare,” said Ryan.
“He did very well from a very bad start to win his maiden. I’ve watched him a few times now, and he’s clearly improved. The world’s his oyster.
“He’ll probably run in the Chesham as long as the ground isn’t rock hard, and then he might have one try in a stakes race before going down to Australia. His Derby as a three-year-old is the Queensland Derby, he ticks that box, and it might be slightly brave but he could do the Caulfield Guineas. He'll stay with George for the time being, and then go to Ciaron Maher in two or three months at least.”
Waterhouse Bott/ McKeever Bloodstock paid £200,000 for stakes-placed three year-old Frontiersman filly Asian Daze, who has won three races and placed three times from 10 starts in the sable of Johnny Murtagh.
She also holds an entry for Royal Ascot in the Sandringham Stakes fillies handicap.
