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BBAG Yearling Sale 2022

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Autor: 

David Conolly-Smith

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Ausgabe 733 vom Freitag, 26.08.2022

The vibes are positive ahead of this year´s BBAG Yearling Sale, which takes place in their sales ring just down the road from the Baden-Baden racecourse at Iffezheim. With most of the restrictions in place following the covid-19 outbreak now lifted in Germany, this should be a normal sale with plenty of action and probably quite large crowds of agents, trainers, breeders, owners and simple onlookers present. The sale begins at 10 a.m. on Friday September 2nd and will presumably last all day.

There are 224 yearlings catalogued, and at the time of writing very few withdrawals. It is an extremely strong catalogue, in fact “the best ever” – or so they tell us. Of course they say this every year, but it certainly seems to be true this time. Grounds for optimism include the excellent current record of German bloodstock, which continues to punch well above its weight on a worldwide basis, the strong state of the market as seen from the amazing results from the Arqana yearling sale, and also the Goffs Doncaster sale as well as results from Australia earlier in the year and currently in the USA. In particular a series of articles on German breeding and leading German studs in the Racing Post by Martin Stevens should also strengthen international interest.

Klaus Eulenberger, BBAG`s MD, reports that there are more foreign agents coming than ever before; not only will all the usual suspects who have been coming for years, such as Anthony Stroud and Matt Coleman, Peter and Ross Doyle, Tom Goff, Mick Kinane (buying for Hong Kong), but also many newcomers, especially from the United States and also for the first time Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland. They are, one hopes, not just coming to enjoy the Black Forest air and the local wines, but also to buy.

Local buyers will also be out in force, as this sale has repeatedly offered the best products of the German bloodstock industry and the results speak for themselves. In all 14 winners of the Group One German Derby, the most valuable race of the year in this country, have been sold at this sale, not bad going for a sale that has existed in this form for less than 50 years. This year´s German Derby winner Sammarco was also offered for sale here but was bought in for 120,000 euros by breeder Gestüt Park Wiedingen. He was lot no. 60 in the 2020 sale, the very next lot, no. 61, an own sister to 2014 German Derby winner Sea The Moon, was knocked down to Gestüt Ammerland, now a leading consignor, for 820,000 euros, equalling the old record price here. The filly, now in training with André Fabre, was recently third in the Group Three Prix Minerve at Deauville. It seems highly likely that a new record price will be established this year, in fact the miilion euro mark could well be reached.

Obviously this is a German sale and the majority of the yearlings on offer were bred In Germany. They are also all EBF qualified and most of them also for the lucrative series of BBAG sales races. There are also quite a few French-breds in the catalogue, who are therefore also eligible for French breeders´ premiums. There is also the Swiss Gestüt Söhrenhof with six yearlings, mainly Swiss-bred. But the main interest will be in the German-breds with virtually every German breeder offering their products. Gestüt Brümmerhof, so often the leading consignor here, have 15 yearlings in the catalogue and could easily top the list again, but Fährhof (19), Karlshof (16), Etzean and Görlsorf (both 11) and even Röttgen with 8 yearlings could well give them a run for their money.

The selection which follows is purely a personal choice and based entirely on the catalogue page with no reference to conformation or appearance. It is impossible in this small space to do full justice to all 224 lots, and I apologise in advance to all breeders and consignors whose products are not given a specific mention.

All leading German-based stallions are represented, Soldier Hollow, the most successful German sire so far this century has 11 yearlings in the sale. Veteran Areion, a phenomenon who is still going strong at the age of 27, has 15, newcomer Best Solution 13.  Two sires with obvious German connections are also well represented: Sea The Moon, the Görlsdorf-bred 2014 German Derby winner, who stands at Lanwades Stud near Newmarket, and Arc winner Waldgeist, who stands at the Irish Ballylinch Stud, have 10 and 9 respectively.

However, and will all due respect, the international buyers now descending on Iffezheim are not really coming to buy the products of Areion or even Soldier Hollow, admirable though they are, but are coming for yearlings by the elite group of world class stallions who star at every sale, and three of the most successful sires in the world are represented here. Their products are like gold dust: Dubawi, who starred at Arqana recently, has just one yearling in the sale, lot no. 178, a filly bred by Gestüt Brümmerhof and out of their Preis der Diana winner Diamanta (Maxios). The filly is her first foal, but Diamanta is also a half-sister to two black type performers  from a successful family; this is also the extended family of the outstanding racehorse and broodmare High Hawk, dam of the influential sire In The Wings. It is interesting to note that Brümmerhof are also sending an own brother to Diamanta to the sale, already named Damarso (lot no. 134)

It is quite possible that the Dubawi filly will top the sale, but the two Frankels and the eight Sea The Stars can also be expected to fetch high prices. The first Frankel is lot no. 58, a colt bred by Gestüt Fährhof and out of listed-placed Praia, who has already bred seven winners, including Group One winner Potemkin. Praia herself was a half-sister to five more winners, including Preis der Diana winner Puntilla; this is a prolific winning family, in fact there is literally no room on the page for all the black type. The other Frankel is a filly, lot no. 161, consigned by agent Ronald Rauscher, out of Irish-bred Vagabonde (Acclamation) from a family that has done extremely well for the Wertheimer brothers and another one with a page full of black type.

The products of Sea The Stars are also of great interest, such as lot no. 160, a colt bred by Gestüt Karlshof out of winner Seductive (Henrythenavigator), whose own dam Sortilege was a Group One winner and out of a Monsun mare who was an own sister to German Derby winners Samum and Schiaparelli and also to the dam of another one, Sea The Moon. Another Sea The Stares yearling worth a mention is lot no.162, a colt bred by Gestüt Auenquelle out of a German St. Leger winner and a half-sister to two Group Two performers this season.

We know from experience that Sea The Stars goes really well with fillies from the traditional German families, and we certainly like the possible nick with the celebrated Anna Paola family as seen in lot no. 78, a filly bred by Gestüt Brümmerhof and the first foal out of group-placed Anna Pivola (Pivotal); this is the family of last year´s Epsom Derby and King George winner Adayer and numerous other Group One performers. Sea The Stars is also sire of lot no. 59, a colt bred by Gestüt Fährhof out of the unraced Queimada, a half-sister to the smart Querari, now a top sire in South Africa. The third dam Quebrada won the German 1,000 Guineas in 1993; she was brought to Germany by Monty Roberts and has founded quite an impressive dynasty. Another yearling by Sea The Stars is lot no. 68, another Brümmerhof product.  The colt is a half-brother to this season´s listed winner Villefranche out of un unraced dam who was a half-sister to Group One winners in two different countries: Volga, in Canada, Vallee Enchantee in Hong Kong and she is also closely related to Grand Prix de Paris winner Vespone.

Lot no. 49 is a colt bred by Gestüt Görlsdorf out of Group Two winner Meergörl (Adlerflug). He is from one of the leading families in the old GDR, in fact just about the only family that has continued to thrive since the reunification of Germany and Italian Oaks winner Meridiana and German Oaks winner Miss Yoda are also members Haras de l´Hotellerie has consigned lot no. 44, a Sea The Stars filly out of listed winner Imagery (Monsun) from a well-established Schlenderhan family.  Finally, the Sea The Stars  filly consigned by Gestüt Ohlerweiherhof as agent, lot no. 164, is out of the unraced Waldluft, a member of the celebrated “W” family which continues to produce top class performers all round the world. Arc winner Waldgeist is a prominent member and he is also one of several first season sires featured in this catalogue.

It is clear that Gestüt Ammerland, part-breeders and part-owners of Waldgeist, will be following his new career with a great deal of interest; and most of the yearlings offered here for sale are theirs. There is a major update for lot no. 133, a colt by Waldgeist out of a mare by Hurricane Run, who was also bred by Ammerland. The youngster is a half-brother to five winners, including the filly Dalika, who last week won the Group One Beverley D Stakes in Keeneland, her first win at this level. It was also incidentally the first Group One win for her sire, the 2012 German Derby winner Pastorius, who now stands in France. Pastorius also has a yearling in the sale, lot no. 118, a colt consigned by agent Ronald Rauscher from a prolific winning family.

The Waldgeist yearling that intrigues us most however is lot no. 22, a colt consigned by Gestür Brümmerhof as agent out of the Halling mare Waldblume; the dam has already bred 9 winners, notably the top hurdler Colonel Mustard, but, much more interesting, she is a daughter of Wurftaube, one of the best German fillies of the 1990s and also dam of German Derby winner Waldpark. Wurftaube has contributed a great deal to the recent successes of the “W” family and is in fact also the third dam of Waldgeist, so this yearling is inbred 2x4 to her.

There are several other first season sires in the sale. Best Solution, one of the best sons of Kodiac, now stands in Germany; he won two German Group Ones in the Godolphin colours and also scored at the top level in Australia. He has been well supported in Germany and is represented here by 13 yearlings.

There are several more first season sires in the sale, with Cloth of Stars represented by 5 yearlings, Study of Man and Blue Point by 3, Too Darn Hot by two and Magna Grecia, Masar, Saxon Warrior and Ten Sovereigns by one each. The market will know by now which of these is likely to make the grade. We like the look of the 5 Cloth of Stars yearlings; lot no. 65, a colt bred by Gestüt Karlshof, is out of an own sister to German Derby winners Samum and Schiaparelli and also to the dam of another Derby winner, Sea The Moon. The dam of lot no. 111, a colt consigned by Ronald Rauscher, Royal Dubai was the top German 2yo of her crop and went on to breed 6 winners, including the listed winner Rumh, dam of Group One winners Wild Illusion and Yibir. The dam of lot 201, a colt bred by Gestüt Ammerland, was a group race winner in France from a top Schlenderhan family tracing back to the great Schwarzgold.  Ronald Rauscher is also consignor of lot no. 56, a colt by Blue Point out of a listed winner from an excellent current family and closely related to last year´s easy Preis der Diana winner Palmas. Rauscher has also consigned the one yearling in the sale by Epsom Derby winner Masar, lot no. 127, a filly whose dam, who won 4 races, was a half-sister to a Melbourne Cup winner and also to a Group Two winner in Germany from another top Schlenderhan family.

Of the Best Solutions, lot no. 76 catches the eye, a colt bred by Gestüt  Röttgen out of Alaskakönigin, also dam of this season´s Italian Derby winner Ardakan , recently third in the Grosser Preis von Berlin, from the Anna Paola family. Best Solution is also sire of lot no.126, a filly consigned by Gestüt Auenquelle as agent, whose dam is an own sister to Axana, one of the best German milers of recent years. We would also  mention the two yearlings by Too Darn Hot. Lot no. 54 is a colt bred by Gestüt Brümmerhof, whose dam Namera was not only a smart sprinter herself but also bred Germany´s best current sprinter Namos as well as this season´s leading filly Narmada; while Gestüt Fährhof is the breeder of lot no. 77 out of a group-placed mare from a prolific winning family.

We have only scratched the surface here and have not yet mentjoned the products of other top international sires. Such as New Bay, sire of lot no. 53, a colt consigned by Ronald Rauscher from the immediate family of King George winner Novellist and this season´s Irish Oaks winner Magical Lagoon. New Bay is also sire of lot no. 187, a Gestüt Röttgen-bred colt out of a group winner from the Anna Paola family.  There is one yearling in the catalogue by fashionable sire Zarak, no. 69, a colt bred by Gestüt Röttgen whose dam is an own sister to Group One-placed Walsingham. Kingman also has just the one yearling, lot no. 62, a colt bred by Gestüt Fährhof out of listed winner and Preis der Diana placed Sarandia, from a family that has done extremely well for Gestüt Wittekindshof and other German breeders.

This brings us to lot no. 157, an Areion colt bred by Gestüt Park Wiedingen from the same family. He is the third foal out of the Soldier Hollow mare Saloon Sold. Her first foal Sammarco won this season´s German Derby and has since added another Group One to his c.v. The second was the sales-topper at the recent BBAG online sale of horses in training. Many of the yearlings here whose mares´ names start with the letter “S” trace back to the great Schwarzgold,as this one.

Another yearling whose sibling was involved kin this season´s German classics is lot no. 144, a colt by Counterattack bred by Gestüt Karlshof. The yearling is a half-brother to Mylady, an wextremly tough and game filly who ran in all four German classics this year and recently finished thitd in the Preis der Diana (not in the catalogue).One would not think so from the name, but this one also traces back to Schwarzgold.

The leading German families are well represented in the sale, in particular those of gthe “blue hens” Waldrun, Anna Paola and Schwarzgold. These families have a worldwide reputation and continue to deliver the goods every year and are also responsible for the excellent reputation of German bloodstock. Fillies from these families are always in demand and have an obvious and considerable residual value. As stated earlier, I cannot deal with all 224 lots here, and I have not even mentioned such top sires as Night of Thunder, who had a sales-topper at Doncaster this week, or Starspangledbanner but his sale really does has something for everybody (provided theay have deep pockets!) it is clear that will be huge national and international interest and I expect the sale to be a major success.

David Conolly-Smith

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