Ridgemont Highlands’ red-hot stallion Canford Cliffs has already established himself as a progressive broodmare sire and enjoyed the distinction of a joint chart-topper at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale at Newmarket on Wednesday when Godolphin secured Oak Tree Farm’s eyecatching Blue Point Colt for 625 000 Guineas.
Canford Cliffs is broodmare sire of top-class Australian filly Amelia’s Jewel who finished a close up second in last Saturday’s AUS$4 million TABtouch Quokka and there was plenty to like about Lot 199, a Blue Point colt out of the Gr3 Balanchine Stakes winning Canford Cliffs mare, Most Beautiful.
Oak Tree Farm offered only three lots at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale but their select draft achieved a combined turnover of 1,185,000 guineas to top the consignors’ table.
Following straight on the heels of the co-sale topping Havana Grey colt, Oak Tree Farm’s colt by Blue Point was secured by Anthony Stroud of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock following a lengthy bidding duel with Dubai based agent Satish Seemar.
Shamardal’s lookalike sprinting son, Blue Point is a Gr1 juvenile and Gimcrack winner who set a new Ascot course record at three and went on to spectacular success in three Gr1 Royal Ascot sprints.
“He is for Godolphin,” revealed Stroud. “Blue Point has made a great start, this colt comes from a top consignor and he fits the profile. He will go to Charlie Appleby, who has a few by the sire and likes what he has.”
The colt will be following in Classic winning hoofprints, as Norman Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm sold the Champion Two-Year-Old and Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas winner Native TrailAnd it’s for 210,000 guineas to Godolphin at the 2021 Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale.
A beaming Norman Williamson said: “All spring people have been telling me that they had Blue Points that could run. I kept my powder dry but I knew I had a good one and am thrilled. Although Native Trail went from this sale and won just six weeks later, this is a sharper sort than him and just feels like he is one to point and shoot – he feels fast. It has been a great week. It is what you do it for and the team have done a top job.”
Ridgemont Highlands Craig Carey told the Sporting Post that the added exciting dimension of being a quality broodmare sire meant that buyers of the Canford Cliffs fillies had plenty of options.
“This is great news and builds on his purple patch of winners locally. And the mating of the sale-topper is interesting as the sire is a top notch source of speed – and we know the Canford Cliffs win from 1000m to 3200m! I liked the breeder’s comment – ‘one to point and shoot!’ He will make his presence felt early with classic potential. A buyer couldn’t wish for more,” added Carey.
Notably strong trade on the second day of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up drove the sale to a record turnover of 15,357,500 guineas led by two co-sale topping colts by BLUE POINT and HAVANA GREY respectively at 625,000 guineas and the second highest priced filly in the sale’s history at 600,000 guineas.
Twenty-one lots sold for 200,000 guineas or more compared to 15 at the previous year’s renewal of the sale, and 60 lots sold for in excess of 100,000 guineas.
