If that’s the bargain you want, look no further than Tattersalls July Sale, but you’ll need to be able to think hard to secure them.
However, no one can accuse Edgar Byrne, Stephen Hillen, and Milton Harris of rigid thinking, as the three men have been responsible for extracting arguably the most valuable items at Newmarket over the past few years.
Just 3,000gns is all Byrne can buy like Godolphin Kitty Marion (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), who went on to win group 3 in Germany, while Hillen started Zofelle (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), who took the 3rd place win and became the 1st in the US, with only 27,000gns.
Coach Milton Harris recorded his best season ever in terms of jump counts last term by nominating 56 winners, highlighted by Salute Knight (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}), a horse he picked up for just 14,000gns during this sale 12 months ago, packs for the G1 Jewson Anniversary 4-yo Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree in the spring.
Simply put, there are bargains to be found at this week’s July Sale. However, according to Byrne, not only will you have to spend hours rummaging through your portfolio, but you will also need the help of luck.
Recalling Kitty Marion at the sale, Byrne said, “She had a lovely pedigree. Her bangs are half-sisters with Wootton Bassett (GB) so, even on that basis, I can’t believe she went through as cheaply as she did.”
He added, “If she never sets foot in the racecourse again, she will be a winner with a nice pedigree and I can’t believe we got her for 3,000. gns. We were prepared to pay a little more fair for her to be honest.
“That’s the beauty of buying at the July Sale and buying Godolphin outright. They have great pedigree and scatter frequently. “
Despite spending just over a month’s training fee, Kitty Marion credited her basement-buying status when she landed the G3 Baden-Baden Goldene Peitsche in Germany last season, a win that turned out to be special. over the fact that the little girl was being coached by Byrne’s best friend Guillermo Arizkorreta.
He explained, “She was bought for the championship coach in Spain, Guillermo Arizkorreta, a great friend of mine. We went together as amateurs quite a long time ago and I bought a very good miller, Amedeo Modigliani (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), for him, so we are always looking sword.
“We were very lucky to find Kitty Marion for 3,000gns and at the end of the day sometimes you need a little luck. She’s completely missed by everyone and that’s what the industry is all about; get a rub of green on a given day. “
Hillen echoes Byrne’s sentiments. Famous bloodline agent who is responsible to buy the top selling section Saxon Warrior Consigned by Katie Walsh’s Greenhills Farm at this year’s Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale, explaining how recruiting horses for America is not an exact science.
In the case of Zofelle, who won just once in seven starts for Hugo Palmer before climbing up the ladder in the US and reaching No. 1 black, Hillen was clearly thinking on his feet.
“I find that if a horse does something once, it always has the potential to do it again,” he said, referring to Zofelle’s debut win. “Her form dropped a bit after that but, at the cost, I think she deserves a chance,” he added.
Zofelle is now worth many times the 27,000gns that Hillen paid her in 2019 with the blood agent explaining that, in recruiting horses for the US, underrated horses can sometimes be appropriated larger purchase amounts, depending on how they lead to training.
He explained, “Zofelle looked like she wanted to land fast. I’m good friends with Brendan Walsh and it’s great that they’ve turned out to be so good. You don’t expect it when they pay with what she did.”
Hillen added, “When you win just one race, you have a ton of options in America, and she clearly has confidence going through the ranks.
“Sometimes naps really don’t happen in America. You may have one with the form listed and they may not be in the training.
“Then you can get a rating in the 70s or maybe lower and they will accept it. It’s hard to predict which will hit it, and it’s really a numbers game.”
Hillen and Byrne are returning to Newmarket this week, and so is Harris, who will be bidding to try and find the next Knight Salute.
Harris knows he won’t be alone in trying to find the next Triumph Hurdle winner but is hoping to pick up some more rookies on the eve of the season’s leap.
He said, “I remarked a few times last year when I was interviewed after Knight Salute won that horses like him bring optimism to those who cannot go out and spend their money. big for horses.”
Harris added, “Mark Adams [agent] and me, we spend every week on this category. We make a list of 70 or 80 horses and get rid of them as we learn about them and make some phone calls. That list will drop to about 40 by the time the sale starts, and we’ll be trying to buy five or six.
“I’m really excited for the racing public that they can see that for 14,000 you can buy a good racehorse. I plan to buy 5 or 6 this week, cheapest around 10,000g and most expensive around 70,000. You’ve got a chance at the July Sale. “
