Equinties - the market vampires

Gm Equinauts

The enormous gravity of what happened in the Tatts sales ring yesterday simply cannot overstated.

Kia Joorabchian and his Amo Racing made an incredible splurge for horses yesterday and created thoroughbred sales history.

We take a look at what he bought and try to work out exactly where all this money came from.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

THE MARKET VAMPIRES

Amo let go of 12,010,000gns across 13 lots during the opening Book 1 session of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, a set of stats that saw him comfortably create a big void between his place at the top the spending table and the likes of Godolphin and Coolmore below.

FRANKEL was front and centre to Joorabichian’s plans as his top three lots purchased were by the top sire, the most expensive of them – Lot 68, out of the Group 2 winner ALJAZZI – cost a whopping 4.4 million guineas!

That price tag almost makes the 2.5 million spent on the FRANKEL half-sister to ALPINISTA look like back pocket change! What is extra cool about this well-bred purchase is that ALPINISTA’s former trainer, Sir Mark Prescott, will train this FRANKEL filly!

So, where to start about yesterday’s proceedings?

Let’s begin with the top lot as she became the second-most expensive yearling ever sold in the Park Paddocks ring, only bettered by AL NAAMAH in 2013.

Firstly, just the manner of the bidding was electric enough, regardless of the price. Joorabchian battled with Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida, and when Nakauchida put in his final bid of 4.3 million, Joorabchian turned around to his team away from the parading yearling.

“Turn around one more time – for the heck of it!”

That was the heckle from auctioneer John O’Kelly, a line that caused Joorabchian to go the extra distance and take home the prize.

Pure theatre.

Alex Elliott, adviser to the football agent, had valued her at a lot lower, but he said that Joorabchian and his partners were “very much honed in on her”, so it was hard for them to let go.

Ultimately, we should be happy that Joorabchian and Nottingham Forest’s owner Evangelos Marinakis have got their hands on her because she is going to stay in Britain/Ireland to race and then, touch wood, stay on these isles to breed.

The same goes for the FRANKEL sister to ALPINISTA. Keeping that level of breeding in our racing jurisdiction is crucial. Considering Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale at Newmarket Tattersalls has such a level of prestige surrounding it, Joorabchian picked a perfect place to make a big stamp.

But where the hell is all this the money coming from?

Well, the rumours are that Greek oligarch and Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has bought a huge stake of Amo Racing. And where does his money come from?

It’s supposed to be shipping but let’s not forget his accused role in the 2018 global headline story blow up of the ‘Vampire’ ship - NOOR ONE. He still rejects the claim he was behind the financing and storage of enough Heroin to get the whole of Europe high twice over. He was cleared on a lack of evidence.

A brilliant read on that story here. It’s insane:

Let’s not beat around the bush, the amount of money spent at the sales stinks and the Amo duo, like the drug boat namesake, acted like Vampires, feasting on FRANKEL blood and sucking the life out of any hope one might have of trying to buy their dream horse.

Tatt’s wont care where the money comes from as they cream off the commissions whilst yelling ‘it’s good for British racing’.

There has to be more to this story in the coming years.

NOTABLE TARGET

Reminiscing on the Flat season of 2024, one would have to place the performance of NOTABLE SPEECH in the Sussex Stakes towards the top of the list.

HENRY LONGFELLOW was backed before the off, the Guineas winner drifted in the morning, and plenty thought MALJOOM could bring back his 2022 form to win.

All of this and more made his one-and-a-half-length success all the more sweeter.

He’s a nice horse and will be an important horse for Godolphin. Being a Guineas and Sussex winner by DUBAWI out of a half-sister to a Group 3 winner, he’ll be an interesting horse for stallion purposes going forward.

As for his duties on the track, Charlie Appleby is of course thinking about the Breeders’ Cup, a place the boys in blue love to target.

“America is still the aim and he's in good order,” said the trainer. “We're just going through the motions at the minute, but we'll start to wind him up over the coming weeks.

“Until you have actually been on one of those trips, you don't really know, but we were pleased at Longchamp by the way he conducted himself on the travelling side of it. We had to try the ground to know whether we were going to go to Ascot [for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes] or not, but the one box he did tick is he travelled well.

“Going to America, you would say he is tailor-made for the mile. He will be going a couple of turns and he travels well. All we do need on the day is a good draw.”

BUDDY UP

The jumps are on the way, so let’s steer into the skid and talk about a Grade 1-level horse who made a successful start to his chasing career.

That horse is BUDDY ONE, second to STRONG LEADER in the Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle, who justified odds of 2/7 to win at Galway yesterday.

Jumping the last, it seemed like he was in a bit of trouble (which would be a small worry), but this is a horse who’s only had two proper breaks in his life before this recent summer break (once between April-July 2022 and the other time between December 2023 and March 2024 when he ran in the Stayers), so he’s entitled to improve plenty for the run.

Furthermore, connections haven’t campaigned him like a Grade 1 horse when starting out his seasons before, so this year will be big for him, and they probably don’t want to give up too much on their first run of the campaign.

Anyway, he won yesterday, and he looks like he could stay longer than the in-laws.

For him, it’s probably a shame that the National Hunt Chase is a 0-145 novice handicap because he’s rated 154 over hurdles.

As much as the Gilligan’s will campaign him like a Grade 1 horse, he could end up running into a few nice Willie Mullins horses this side of Christmas who may be too good for him.

Could he get to a nice mark of 150 and tackle something like the Ultima as his big season aim?

Maybe, but this is all speculation. After all, it’s just nice to see some proper jumps horses back. You can almost smell the pissy tweed from the Guinness Village!

SEDGEFIELD BUMPER

The market is headed by a 78k recruit for JJ, RIVIERA WALK. JJ typically does okay in bumpers and this girl is by NH super sire WALK IN THE PARK, meaning 78k is arguably a cheap price for such an animal, we think? Her second dam has produced 7 winners. She’s the right fave in this race.

JOTO is a fascinating runner for Paul Collins. Check this out…JOTO is out of a dam called MCGREGORS COTTAGE (weird girls name). She debuted for Malcolm Jefferson in a Sedgefield bumper ridden by Brian Hughes and won. That was in 2015 and now Brian Hughes rides her daughter JOTO in todays Sedgefield bumper. Whether this has been the long term plan or not, we don’t know but it looks like the stars have aligned. More, JOTO’s half brother is to CHASE A DREAM who is one to watch out for this season - he is probably well handicapped off 115!

CRAZY ABOUT HER is an Olly Murphy cast off. Why? We don’t know, perhaps the bumper she ran in was a bad one. This girl has a flat pedigree dam side and stamina would perhaps be a slight concern.

Shark runs THATS ALL FOLKS who is by TASLEET. Stamina would be a big concern.

LOCH BRANDY is a well bred filly - a full sister to the Niven trained 140+ horse MALYSTIC. RP describe her as running green on her debut so you’d think improvement is expected (we tipped the winner in her race in NOT NOW NATHANIEL).

The market for the others suggest they’ll be using this race as fitness including MY MY MY DELILAH who should be more suited to 3m over fences.

Verdict: The pedigree’s of RIVIERA WALK and LOCH BRANDY are to be feared and the squeeze on RIVIERA WALK suggests she’s going to win…but we simply can’t ignore the patterns behind JOTO’s placement! At 9/2, and with out tin foil hat on, we’re going to try take on the shortie fave by playing this girl ew assuming this is a big fat long-term plot! Be some family story if Brian Hughes can win on the daughter of a mare he won on at the same track 9 years ago!

LUDLOW BUMPER

This is a hard bumper to read with out any stand out pedigree’s racing so we’ll keep it brief without any real interest.

Dan Skelton is repped by the fave WALK IN THE PARK filly who was a point winner in May. Her dam is a half to once 160 rated Graded winner CAPTAIN CHRIS. Nice enough pedigree but the Point she won was below average.

I’D GO MANIC is second in the market. He bolted up on the bridle lto for Alan King but he didn’t beat much. That said, he has untapped potential given his second dam has produced a Graded winning 150 horse.

Dan Skelton runs a WALK IN THE PARK filly who was a point winner in May. Her dam is a half to once 160 rated Graded winner CAPTAIN CHRIS. Nice enough pedigree but the Point she won was below average.

COURT IN A STORM sets arguably close to the top standard from his second placed effort at Huntingdon. The form is yet to be franked but he’s related to winners. Perhaps he’s one for fences like his half bro COUNTERACT who we have gambled previously:

Chris Gordon’s has the pedigree to be good over fences and might need more time and out of the others, ANOTHER PEARL probably has place chances.

Verdict: Exactly like the Sedgefield bumper, this market is headed by a WALK IN THE PARK filly (both cost over 70k) and we can see both winning to be honest, but we’re ging to go with ew swings to take them on and in this go with ID GO MANIC.

BUMPER RESULTS

03/10/24 KAYLAN 2/1 - 11/8 SP - WINNER

08/10/24 LAURA LOU & PLAYAWAY GIRL - L

RISK ON

No luck with LUISA yesterday although the writing was on the wall in the pre’s when she was described as small. Today we’re going for horses with form:

15.45 CHELSEA EMBANKMENT

Should get this ground versus other who probably need it quicker. 11/8.

16.43 YANKEE DUDE

This is risky in a race full of unraced horses repping powerhouses but this lad beat a highly-regarded Balding lto despite running green and wide around the bend! He looked very good so we’re going to follow him at 9/4.

Small 6/1 double on the above horses.

We are looking at a couple more, but will tweet if we play on X @equinties.

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