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Frankel colt tops August Sale selling for 350,000gns to Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock.
Fabilis (Frankel) topped the second and final day of the Tattersalls August Sale on Wednesday when the three-year-old colt was bought for 350,000gns by Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock.
The bay three-year-old colt was sold as part of the Juddmonte draft, having been in training with Ralph Beckett and he came to the sale having won three of his ten career starts including last time out at Newmarket over a mile and four furlongs.
The underbidder was Jason Singh taking instructions over the phone, while there was interest through the bidding from all around the ring, as well as online.
"He is for Prince Najd, a very long established client," said Peter Doyle. "I bought for his family many years ago. He is a lovely horse, I didn't think he'd make that much, but lots of people liked him. He comes from a very good operation, it is always nice to buy a horse from Juddmonte. The horse passed all the vets very well.
"The immediate plan will be to go and race in Saudi Arabia, and aim for the Crown Prince Cup. We have had some success in the race before."
Out of the Grade Three winner Mirabillis (Lear Fan), a half-sister to Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat), a dual Group One winner, Fabilis is a brother to the Group Three winner Monarchs Glen and is rated 99 by Timeform.
The second most expensive lot was six-time winner Zabeel Champion (Poet's Voice) who was bought by Tom Malone for 185,000gns.
De Burgh Equine and Darby Racing meanwhile paired up to buy two lots; Iowa (Galileo) for 100,000gns and Father's Day (Galileo) for 80,000gns. Both were sold by Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle Stables.
"They are both going to Darby Racing," he said. "They're not making any more Galileos and they love them down there. Aidan [O'Brien] does all the hard work for us; we take them down there and they are just ready to run and they win!
"Father's Day just got a huge page. His full-brother Somerset Maugham is already in Australia and won four for Lloyd Williams. It's a great family and The United States [out of second dam Beauty Is Truth] did very well in Australia. Father's Day is a maiden as well so we have the advantage. He had a little setback when he was beaten a head so they had to stop him, but he vetted clean for us. He stays a 1m4f so everything fitted into the picture as long as he vetted clean.
"Iowa is obviously a more exposed runner, but another Galileo with a huge page. His better runs have been more recently as he has gone further in distance and he is just nailed on for Australia. He is going to be a 1m4f horse over there. His run against Masterofreality, who was second in the Melbourne Cup, and got disqualified was pretty good so for that sort of money."
De Burgh added: "Buying these sort of horses at auction is much better value for us than if you went to buy them privately. Scott Darby of Darby Racing has done incredibly well with what he has done, but he likes the auction process as he feels that we're buying them at better value.
"I don't know who will train them but they will go to Sydney as that is where Darby Racing is based.
"We had Spirit Ridge [2019 Autumn HIT Sale, 100,000gns] and Harpo Marx [2019 Autumn HIT Sale, 60,000gns] who came from Tattersalls a couple of years ago and they were first and second in a Group race on Saturday, so why would you change the process if it is working? They will go to very good trainers, be well looked after and hopefully will do well."
Grant Morgan's Ontrack Thoroughbreds teamed up with Blandford Bloodstock to buy another son of Galileo (Sadler's Wells) in winning three-year-old colt Sir William Bruce. Also offered by Ballydoyle Stables, the three-year-old colt will be trained in Queensland by Tony Gollan.
"He is a first purchase up here for Grant Morgan of Ontrack Thoroughbreds," explained Boman. "He raced Brazen Beau; that is his main connection up here in Europe. He brings tours up here with Ontrack every year, he brought a tour up the last time Australians could travel and got his ownership group interested in buying European horses. It's been a project we've been working on for the last six months.
"This horse be going to Queensland to be trained by Tony Gollan, who is the leading trainer in Queensland. New South Wales and Victoria have been the real focal points for the European horses, but there are good opportunities for European horses throughout."
Boman added: "He's a gorgeous horse, a son of Galileo out of a Danehill mare, lightly-raced. He's Timeform rated 95 and I thought he was particularly decent value."
Overall 286 lots sold during the sale for 5,375,200gns at an average of 18,794ngs and median of 10,000gns. During the inaugural sale in 2020, 510 lots sold for 8,430,400 at an average of 16,530gns and median of 9,000gns.
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