Catalogue page inc breeding: https://www.tattersalls.com/sales/somerville-yearling-sale/4DCGI/Sale/SOM25/Main/100/
The first big positive, and an essential for me at this stage when going down the filly route, is that she's 100% GBB Bonus Qualified. There are thousands of GBB Bonus races each year, and 550 restricted to fillies & mares over the year, where you can win up to a £20 000 bonus, on top of prize money, for each win, up to a maximum of £100k in bonuses. This is a great incentive, with 65% of the bonuses going to us as owners - if she could win one she would cover her purchase price, and she qualifies for Band D, fillies purchased for up to £19800, meaning she can initially race against similar priced sorts, increasing her chances further.
Her breeding - she is by the sire Mayson, maybe a bit unfashionable these days, which suits us, with the flashy 'in vogue' sires progeny, the likes of Starman, going for bundles. (I bid on a couple that soon shot to 50k+). He was all speed in his racing days, versatile ground wise but did enjoy softer ground, winning two of his first four starts as a 2YO, then having a superb 4YO season, winning a listed, Group 3 and the the G1 July Cup by 5 lengths. He has produced a July Cup winner in Oxted and many tough, durable, multiple winners. He has a 53% winner to runners SR which is very good, usually looking for at least 35-40% minimum with such stats, versatile on turf and the AW. A 29% winners to runners SR with 2YOs (they are not all just early types, many keep progressing as they get older), 40% over 5-6f, and a similar % (26-28% winners to runners) across soft through to Firm going. He is also shaping into a very good Broodmare sire, which is great for us having a filly, as if she does perform on track, could then hold residual value - which is also another big positive with fillies of course.
Her dam is Pryers Princess, a winner herself which is always a positive for all not something to be hung up on, as many unraced dams, or dams who didn't do much on track, often producing many a good horse and often more so than better performing on-track female siblings. However, a winning dam is of course a positive as it is when they've produced winners, at whatever level. It's good to know we have 'winning' blood on our side. Importantly, she's had three offspring hit the track, two of whom are winners, including El Bufalo, who Dylan trained to win a few races and who they always liked. The 2nd dam was a Six Time winner, and has produced winners also, with plenty of black-type under the 3rd dam. It is fair to say that immediate black-type (placing/winning Listed level or higher), and marked by bold black-type in the catalogue (hence the name), in the family, with the dam and any of her offspring, does lead to a premium and again, many of those shoot well past our budgets at this stage.
The dam-sire is Medician, now aged 21 but in his pomp was a decent sire himself, and maintains a 50% winners to runners %. He has a 46% winners to runners % as a broodmare sire, again, very good, and good news for us. The cross (that is Mayson sire x Medician damsire) is solid enough, 10 such horses to have raced in the UK/Ireland, five of whom have been winners, with the others very lightly raced to date. They include multiple winner Weellan who hit a career high of 84, and Clubbable, who won a C2, placed in a Listed race, top rated 94.
This filly ticked plenty of boxes for us, and we believe we got a bargain at the price, even more so with the GBB Bonus.
When looking at her, she moved very well, looked very strong and a sprinter in the making, but back-end high, which is a great sign of further growth and development to come, as you'd expect, she's a yearling, and born in March, who is not technically 2 until next March. I loved her temperament, her head, eyes, kind nature, but a walk with purpose. Nothing appeared to phase her at all, she took the sales experience in her stride, a true professional, as she's been since arriving at Dylans. We like relaxed fillies! Her breeders said she's been very professional in her sales prep and in the lunge pen.
The Plan - Of course she will tell us when ready but she will be broken in ASAP, and put into training straight away, slowly building up, then with a 2 week break over Christmas which is a very common approach with yearlings across most yards. I do expect a growth spurt at some point, she could be ready for March/April, but maybe more late April/May, but she will tell us. Mayson generally produces speedy types and the mare was a 6f winner herself. El Bufalo a 5f speedball. Given the GBB bonus, we will obviously plan to find such a qualifying maiden race, ideally at Band D, and try to get her winning ASAP if possible. We will then go from there!
As with both of these, and to be honest, every yearling forever more, if at any point we get a suitable private offer in, she will likely be sold. This approach, and with 2YOs given the market, is generally the main way to land on a proper pay day in this game, and we want to be part of that in time. And if not, we will have lots of fun through to the end of her 3YO year, great social days out, and continue to go GBB Bonus pot hunting. If she did enough on course to warrant a place at Royal Ascot, obviously she'd go, but neither would be used just for a 'day out', however much fun that would be. The horse always comes first. But we do have to dream, and given the team's success at getting such types to RA (x5 this year), why not?!
So, that's the filly. A must for me given her physical, mind, page, potential broodmare residual value and that GBB Bonus. (she's impossible not to fall for when you meet her!)
