‘It’s a different thrill, a different buzz, a different adrenaline rush’ - Katie Walsh makes breeze-up history as rapid Mehmas colt brings £1 million in Doncaster

There have been many memorable renewals of the Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale, but there has never been anything quite like this.

The Mehmas colt from Katie Walsh’s Greenhills Farm had been the subject of plenty of positive whispers after a turbo-charged workout on Wednesday morning. However, even the most optimistic prediction would have struggled to foresee this seven-figure outcome. 

A helter-skelter three-way bidding battle broke out between Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown, chief talent scout for emerging force Wathnan Racing, Alex Elliott, a key cog in the Amo Racing machine, and Anthony Stroud, a long-serving member of Godolphin’s buying team. 

At times it seemed like the rivals had cried enough, and others when it felt as though the tussle could last all night. In the end, as has been the case so many times before, it was the Godolphin man who won out. A subtle nod of the head from his ringside office signalled a gasp-inducing bid of £1,000,000. 

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The price was a Doncaster record by clear water. Prior to Thursday’s session the record had belonged to Regent's Stroll, who cost Tom Malone and Paul Nicholls £660,000 last July. But that sum was bettered not once but twice on Thursday, with another Mehmas colt going Godolphin’s way at £720,000 earlier in the day. 

“It’s unbelievable,” said Walsh after thanking the successful purchaser. “I’m delighted for my clients, he’s owned by a big syndicate; there's people from Scandinavia, Ukraine, France. They gave €140,000 for him as a foal and it didn't happen for them as a yearling, so they asked me if I’d breeze him. He’s been extremely straightforward from the get-go. Mehmas is obviously having a fantastic time and this colt has a lovely pedigree. He breezed very nicely and is going to a very good team. I just hope he’s extremely lucky for them.” 

Katie Walsh: 'He breezed very nicely and is going to a very good team. I just hope he’s extremely lucky for them'Credit: SARAH FARNSWORTH

The colt was bred by John and Barry Grogan of Milestream Stud from Rapid Reaction, a daughter of Shamardal who John trained to win two races. She also finished third to A’Ali in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes. There is depth to the page too, as the dam is a sibling to the triple Listed winner Katla, who in turn is out of a half-sister to Wootton Bassett. 

The colt’s appearance in Doncaster was the third time he has hit the public market. He first fetched €140,000 as a foal when signed for by Anna Sundstrom and Filip Zwicky at Goffs before going unsold at the same price at last year’s Arqana August Yearling Sale. 

Asked how such a result compares to her many accomplishments in the saddle, Walsh said: “It’s very different, I’m not going to lie. Financially this makes an awful lot more sense, but they’re two completely different things. It’s a different thrill, a different buzz, a different adrenaline rush. You just don’t know what’s going to happen when you come into the sales ring. Hopefully he can go on and prove himself.” 

Stroud reflected on becoming the first person to land a seven-figure bid in the Doncaster ring by saying: “If the horse is there, the people will be there. He did a very good breeze and is from a very good consignor. I thought he’d sell well, but at the top end it’s always difficult to work out where you’re going to end up. He’s by a very good stallion and Katie does a fantastic job. Our principal was keen to buy some breeze-up horses. He’ll be going to Charlie Appleby.”

Anthony Stroud: bought the recording-breaking colt on behalf of GodolphinCredit: SARAH FARNSWORTH

Henry Beeby was the man with the gavel when the top lot sold, and the Goffs group chief executive shared his perspective on proceedings once the dust had settled. 

“Like all those really high-priced lots you don’t know what’s going to happen next,” he said. “You hope and you pray and you get ready. The bids came from lots of different places, and there was lots of stopping and starting, because people were thinking about it but not wanting to lose out, so going in again.” 

He added: “My father gave an interview to Pacemaker magazine in 1983 about the rise and rise of Doncaster Bloodstock Sales, which was 21 years old in that year. He said his biggest ambitions for the operation was to sell a Derby winner and a horse for a million from the rostrum. 

“We’ve done one of them, and I think it’s fitting that it happened at this sale, which he introduced to Europe in 1977 and made work through perseverance and vision. From a personal point of view it was him I was thinking of.”

The top lot was one of four records posted in Doncaster, with turnover also reaching a new high, along with the average and median prices. Aggregate sales reached £11,798,000, which was up 12 per cent year-on-year. The average price rose by 35 per cent to £84,270, while the median climbed four points to £37,500. The clearance rate was a very healthy 83 per cent as 140 lots sold from 168 offered.

Back-to-back record-breakers cap bright start

Record prices were like London buses at Goffs on Thursday morning as the previous high mark at the Doncaster Breeze-Up Sale was smashed not once but twice. Agents Richard Brown and Anthony Stroud were responsible for driving the market to unprecedented heights, with the offspring of boom sire Mehmas firmly in the pair’s sights. 

First came the filly out of Atlantic Drift from Kilminfoyle House Stud. She went Brown’s way at £650,000. Ten lots later the agents re-engaged their rivalry over the colt out of Boost from Tally-Ho Stud. On this occasion it was Stroud who came out on top, striking a bid of £720,000 on behalf of Godolphin. 

A colt by Mehmas became the most expensive horse ever sold at Doncaster when he fetched £720,000 on ThursdayCredit: SARAH FARNSWORTH

“It’s lively, isn’t it,” said Stroud. “It’s following on from Newmarket last week. The better ones are obviously making the money, and it’s encouraging that we’ve got so many people who want to have a really good horse to race.” 

Expanding on his £720,000 purchase, Stroud said: “Tally-Ho have a good tradition of producing breeze-up horses. He did a good breeze, passed all the veterinary examinations, and just looked exactly like what he’s meant to be - a real two-year-old. We bought a few Mehmas yearlings for Godolphin last year, including the half-brother to Perfect Power from the same hotel [for 1,000,000gns]. He's a very nice horse.”

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Fittingly, the early record holder came from Tally-Ho Stud, whose Tony O’Callaghan was among the consignors at the very first Doncaster breeze-up sale back in 1977. 

Although the family behind Tally-Ho tend to leave their horses to do the talking on their behalf, Roger O’Callaghan described his father as a “pioneer” of the breeze-up business, and reflected on the record-busting result by saying: “We want to be the best, and we want to sell the best, but you’re only as good as the next horse. 

“We just go with the flow; show up, see what happens and take whatever comes your way on the day. This has been a great place for us though, it’s been lucky for us and the team here work very hard.” 

Lot 29, a filly by Mehmas, sold to Blandford Bloodstock for £650,000Credit: SARAH FARNSWORTH

The colt was bred by Cheveley Park Stud from Boost, a dual winning daughter of Pivotal and Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Hooray. This makes the youngster a three-parts brother to the Listed-winning and Group 3-placed Acclamation filly Benefit. The colt was offered at Book 2 of last year’s Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, where he was led out unsold at 95,000gns. 

Although Roger was the one on duty in Doncaster, he described his role in the process as “the easy bit.” He suggested others deserved more of the credit for the six-figure outcome, particularly Blandford Bloodstock agent Stuart Boman, who had been determined to secure the colt following his appearance at Tattersalls.  

“Stuart Boman deserves a lot of the credit because he was very keen to buy the horse last year,” he said, before adding: “Dad and all the family are at home looking after the place. They’re the ones doing the work, I’m on holiday!” 

Barely 30 minutes earlier it had been Brown addressing the assembled media after outpointing Stroud with a bid of £650,000 for Kilminfoyle House’s well-related Mehmas filly.

The Blandford man, who purchased Wathnan Racing colour-bearers Aesterius and Leovanni at this sale last year, was unable to reveal whose silks would be aboard his latest acquisition. 

He was also unable to divulge training plans, but said: “Can't tell you colours or a trainer, though I've been congratulated by about eight trainers already! We should see her on track soon, we'll give her every chance of being a Royal Ascot filly.” 

The record-breaking brace mirrors results during last week’s Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale, where consecutive sessions saw new high marks set, most notably the 1,750,000gns Havana Grey bought by Amo Racing. 

“We saw this last week, that there’s never been a bigger hunger for the horses at the very top of the market. Looking at what’s just happened here, that’s obviously continued,” said Brown before he expanded on the specifics of the filly’s appeal. 

“Mehmas goes from strength to strength,” he said. “She did a fantastic breeze, and I bought a good colt off Fitz [Michael Fitzpatrick] here last year. That was Electrolyte, who won a Group 3 and we still have high hopes for. Archie Watson has done a great job with him.”

He continued: “The breeze-ups are a massive test of temperament, we’re very hard on that, and she just nailed it. She ran with her head low to the ground and she had a great stretch to her action. She wasn’t a rocket ship quick, but she did it very stylishly.

“Everyone talks about times, and time is important as it’s horse racing: the fastest horse wins, so people moaning about times is madness. But it’s also the style they do it in, that's very important. We finished watching videos of the breezes at 3am this morning. We’re very sad people so we got back up at 5am, so I’ve ended up with two hours' sleep.” 

Richard Brown: "She wasn’t a rocket ship quick, but she did it very stylishly"Credit: SARAH FARNSWORTH

The filly was pinhooked from Newsells Park in the Doncaster ring at last year’s Premier Sale, where JC Bloodstock signed the ticket at £82,000. 

She boasts one of the catalogue’s more black type-rich pages, including her sibling Arctician, who was beaten just a neck into second by Minaun in the Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes and also ran third behind Laws Of Indices in the Railway Stakes. The dam, the unraced Atlantic Drift, is a half-sister to six winners, most notably Sussex Stakes hero Lightning Spear. 

“I thought she was a bit above the rest of them, and she was one of the quickest times,” said Kilminfoyle’s Michael Fitzpatrick. “I had her in a different league so I hoped the big players would play for her. 

“I sold Electrolyte to Richard last year, he just got beaten a nose in the Coventry. Blandford have bought a couple of good horses off me, which is always a help. Selling Believing was a help as well because she’s a recent Group 1-winning filly by the same stallion. It’s millimetres that make a difference in this game.” 

Asked for his perspective on what was, at the time, a record bidding battle, Fitzpatrick said: “If your heart doesn’t race when that goes on then it’ll never race. I’d like to thank my staff, especially Pamela Coogan, she’s an unbelievable person. 

“This result is all credit to them, I can only buy them and sell them. They put in an awful lot of hours and labour, they put their lives on hold for me to come here. I’m reaping the rewards of them coming in here at 6am every morning, putting in long hours every day. A lot of people don’t look after their staff enough because they put so much work in. I really hope this filly turns up in Ascot for the new owners and that she does the business for them.”

Mehmas, who set a new record for two-year-old winners in a single season with 70 last year, stands at Tally-Ho at fee of €70,000. His current juvenile crop were conceived in 2022 during the season his fee had doubled from €25,000 to €50,000.

Coolmore connect with the Crisfords

Godolphin were not the only superpower shopping in Doncaster, as later in the piece a trio of Coolmore representatives, namely Mick Flanagan, Paul Shanahan and his son Charles, appeared at the ringside and bid £410,000 for Ballybush Stables’ Sioux Nation filly. 

Charles, who signed MV Magnier’s name on the docket, said: “We just think so much of Sioux Nation and the talk from every trainer with one is so good. This filly hit our radar and did everything so well in her breeze. She came highly recommended from Paddy Vaughan.

A filly by Sioux Nation bought by MV Magnier will head into training with Simon and Ed CrisfordCredit: SARAH FARNSWORTH

“She’s been purchased on behalf of MV Magnier and she’ll go into training with Simon and Ed Crisford. We’re very excited to have her. She’s beautiful, and as you’ll see from the price she made, a lot of other people thought the same. We didn’t expect to get her but it’s a great result.” 

The filly, whose page goes back to the likes of Moonlight Cloud, was pinhooked from the Premier Sale at a cost of £28,000. 

“I think Goffs have done a fantastic job this week,” added Shanahan. “Obviously when you see Anthony Stroud buying a £1 million Mehmas colt from Katie Walsh, you can see how strong trade is. When you go back over the years, the amount of Royal Ascot winners that have come out of this sale is huge. I’m glad we were able to support the sale today [Thursday] and hopefully she’ll be a Royal Ascot filly as well.”  

Double date leads to pinhooking delight

Stroud was busy buying for other clients besides Godolphin, including when he snapped up a £320,000 Too Darn Hot filly on behalf of KHK Racing. The youngster was consigned by Roderic Kavanagh’s Glending Stables, who sold the champion two-year-old Vandeek to the same connections. 

The filly is the first foal out of the winning Betty Crean L A, a Kingman half-sister to the Group 3-placed stayer Red Galileo. In keeping with that sort of lineage, Kavanagh said he expected the youngster to prove more than just a speedy juvenile. He also joked the result owed plenty to a "double date" during Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale, where the filly was picked up for 35,000gns.  

Anthony Stroud bought a filly by Too Darn Hot from Glending Stables for £320,000 Credit: SARAH FARNSWORTH

“Most of the credit has to go to Serena Stack, the wife of my partner, Cormac O’Flynn,” he said. “She was adamant about buying the filly last year, and how right she was. It was a double date partnership between my girlfriend Teresa, Cormac and Serena. It was Serena’s call though and we’re just very lucky that all the lads pitched up to bid on her. Fair play to Sam Haggas for underbidding her, and obviously Stroud has been very good to us. I hope she’s as lucky as the last one they got off us.” 

He added: “What she did yesterday [Wednesday] is only the starting point, that was just raw ability. She’s actually not a sprinter, I think she’ll get seven furlongs or a mile. Hopefully she’s a black type filly in the making.”

Concluding remarks

At the conclusion of trade on Thursday, Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent commented: "Today is a day that we will remember for an awful long time and is a real milestone in the evolution of the company, whilst it’s particularly fitting that Harry’s son Henry, the Goffs Group CEO, was on the rostrum for this historic event.

"But we can be proud of so much more than the top price from today [Thursday]. We’ve achieved a record turnover for this sale (up 12 per cent), a record average (up 35 per cent) and a record median (up 4 per cent) whilst four horses matched or exceeded the previous top price of £500,000, ten sold for £300,000 or more and 29 exceeded £100,000. A truly remarkable day by any measure.

"For a long time now, this sale has been threatening a result like this and it’s record on the track - particularly at Royal Ascot - is second to none in this category. And it’s that Royal Ascot record that has captured the imagination of buyers who flock to Doncaster with the Royal meeting on their minds. In the build up to the sale, we travelled extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East and further afield to deliver an international buying bench active at all levels of the market. They all played a huge part in the success of today and to have so many buyers at the top end, most notably Godolphin and Blandford Bloodstock plus the all-important underbidders, was testament to the confidence that buyers have in this sale.

"We are extremely proud of all the Goffs team for what we have achieved today but none of this could have been done without the support of our vendors who delivered a superb catalogue of horses that really caught the imagination of buyers. Indeed, one yearling vendor has already messaged me to say that ‘the glass ceiling in Donny has been properly smashed today’ and we will now work towards achieving the same result at other sales throughout the year.

"Meanwhile, we will celebrate this historic day by raising a glass to Harry tonight as I know that he would be very proud of us all and we look forward to doing the same again in the winners enclosure at Royal Ascot."

Goffs Breeze-Up Sale statistics

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