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Australian champion trainer snaps up Desert Icon for 210,000gns
New Zealand bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster - who buys predominantly for Chris Waller - is a familiar figure at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale, but due to the coronavirus pandemic the agent has had to sit out a trip to Newmarket, but they were still adding to their portfolio on the second day of the sale on Tuesday, with John Ferguson in charge of the bidding as and he signed for three horses for the powerful duo.
"Chris is after horses with good recent form and a good rating," said Ferguson.
The most expensive of their purchases on the second day was three-winning gelding Desert Icon (Sea The Stars), who they purchased from William Haggas’ Somerville Lodge draft for 210,000gns. The son of Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) was last seen running third in the Foundation Stakes (Listed, 1m2f) at Goodwood on September 23.
Catalogued as Lot 664, the 104-rated gelding is out of dual winner Plume Rose (Marchand De Sable) and she has produced three further winners, including Group 3-placed Gardol City (Elusive City).
Plume Rose herself is half-sister to Listed winner Painter’s Dream (Sadler’s Wells) and the dam of fellow Listed scorer La Peinture (Muhtathir).
Further back the gelding hails from the same family as Grade 2 winner Peinture Bleue (Alydar) - the dam of Group 1 winner Peintre Celebre (Nureyev), Group 2 scorer Peinture Rare (Sadler's Wells), Group 3 winner Pointilliste (Giant's Causeway) and Listed winner Peinture Rose (Storm Cat).
Waller also purchased another from Haggas’ draft, snapping up one time winner Born A King (Frankel), who was bought for 120,000gns.
Catalogued as Lot 668, the colt finished second on October 1 at Chelmsford having won at Lingfield in mid-September.
The son of Frankel (Galileo) is out of winning-Empire Maker (Unbridled) mare Fairwater, who is herself a half-sister to Listed-placed Dancetrack (First Defence).
Further back this is the same family as Grade 1 winner Mizzen Mast (Cozzene).
Crystal Pegasus (Australia) is another horse bound for Waller’s stable after he paid 190,000 for the dual-winning son of Australia (Galileo), whose most recent victory came in a Class 3 at Yarmouth on September 17.
Catalogued as Lot 697 and offered as part of Sir Michael Stoute’s Freemason Lodge Stables draft, the colt is out of placed Dansili (Danehill) mare Crystal Etoile, making him a three-quarters brother to Listed-placed filly Crystal Hope (Nathaniel).
Crystal Etoile herself is out Listed winner Crystal Star (Mark Of Esteem), who is also the dam of last season’s Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) winner Crystal Ocean, Group 2-winning pair Hillstar (Danehill Dancer) and Listed-winning pair Crystal Capella (Cape Cross) and Crystal Zvezda (Dubawi).
Waller finished the day as the leading buyer purchasing three horses for an aggregate of 520,000gns at an average of 173,333gns.
