April and racing on the Turf has started to really get going after the usual slow start. Having won a Conditions race the previous week, St Moritz proved to be my first Listed winner of the year when taking the Doncaster Mile in determined style, he had been knocked down to me as a yearling at Arqana Deauville August yearling sale. He went on to be second in another Listed contest at Ascot. Yearling purchase, Black Spirit was a short head second in the Group 3 Gordon Richard Stakes at Sandown achieving his highest ever Timeform rating of 118. I believe trainer Clive Cox has high hopes for him and races like the Group 2 Hardwick Stakes look of interest. One Clever Cat won the Listed Prix Jacques Laffitte at Maisons-Laffitte – she is out of broodmare purchase Burn Baby Burn.
I came away empty handed from Tattersalls Craven breeze-up sales despite trying quite hard. I only had one ‘expensive’ order through trainer Jedd and Andrea O’Keefe but we kept on getting out bid on anything we liked. We were frightened that this might happen again at the Doncaster Breeze-Up sale a week later but held our nerve to buy a lovely Dark Angel colt out of Listed winner Slow Jazz who is herself a half-sister to Blue Duster & Zieten. He had been our pick of the sale and owner Paul Chapman resisted earlier lots to buy this easy moving colt for £65,000 – best of luck to him. I also bought 2 fillies for trainer Bryan Smart and a colt for trainer Mark Usher.
I may attend the new Brightwells Ascot Breeze-Up on Saturday 7th May at Ascot, Arqana Breeze-Up sale (Saturday 14th May) at Saint-Cloud in France (in 2010; 108 horses sold for a median of €40,000) and the Gorsebridge Breeze-Up sale (Thursday 19th & Friday 20th May) in Ireland (in 2010; 115 horses sold for an average of €9,824) but it will depend on orders.