A pair of queens by Mehmas helped light up a phenomenal evening of trade at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in Newmarket on Tuesday.
Vertical Blue, one of three juvenile Group 1 winners for Mehmas this season, sold for 3,200,000gns to continue her career for John Stewart of Resolute Racing while top sprinter Believing made 3,000,000gns to MV Magnier and will remain with George Boughey.
Vertical Blue was catalogued as a wild card entry to the sale by Gemini Stud and Argella Racing fresh off her victory in the Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp. That win capped a season for the daughter of Mehmas that consisted of two wins and three placings from five starts overall for Francis-Henri Graffard.
“It has been a very interesting experience for me bringing a filly like this to the ring, preparing her for the sale, going through the bidding, but I am delighted with the result,” said Graffard. “The vendors are delighted and the new owner is very happy, too.
“There is so much more to come from her, I am very pleased for the team at home as it is very difficult to see horses go, but hopefully she might be coming back.”
Stewart added: “Vertical Blue was my number one pick. I know a lot about the filly as she is trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and he trains Goliath for me. She will be going back to France to be trained by him.
"I thought she would make that sort of money, premium horses generate that sort of price and there is a small group of people buying them.
“The others will be coming to the US and will be staying in training. I want to dominate the Turf racing at Keeneland, I want to do an Aidan O'Brien there, and around 80 per cent of my horses are Turf horses. The Keeneland track there is quite an anomaly in the US – most of the tracks are firm, but the Turf at Keeneland is on the soft. The horses I have bought will act on a soft track.”
Bred by Haras Mont di Mont, Vertical Blue is the only foal out of Krunch, a winning daughter of Listed scorer Spinacre.
Believing, meanwhile, will bid to add further to her resume with George Boughey following her sale for 3,000,000gns to MV Magnier.
“Both Ryan Moore and George Boughey were pretty keen to keep going with her,” said Magnier after outbidding Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock and an online bidder. “So we’re going to send her back to George, who has done a great job with her, and we’re going to then see how she’s going and then maybe look at something like Dubai.
“Then she’ll be covered with City Of Troy.”
Out of the Kodiac mare Misfortunate, Believing joined Highclere Thoroughbred Racing when bought for 115,000gns as a Tattersalls Craven breezer. She boasts six wins led by the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes and is multiple Group 1-placed.
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