Hazelwood Bloodstock brings a manuscript of 20 carefully selected and early bred chicks to be offered during Books 1 through 3 of the Tattersall Last October Sale, starting on October 4 at Park Paddocks in Newmarket. No less than half of that draft was picked up for Book 1, the upper shell of the European sale, which runs through October 6. Hazelwood Bloodstock general manager Adrian O’Brien responded to BloodHorse a quick Q&A on what’s another five banners for shipment.
BloodHorse: Tattersalls The annual October Yearling Sale is Newmarket’s top sale; why does Hazelwood deposit here every year, and what does it mean for your program?
Adrian O’Brien: This discount, and in particular to Volume 1, means everything from our sales department’s point of view. Not for any other reason than that we feel we are learning from the best and have the best markets on our doorstep. We usually do not deposit elsewhere; we tend to bring our sales stock to Tattersall’s in Volumes 1, 2 and 3. We’ve had some great success over the last few years. To top Book 1 in 2019 and top Book 2 twice, we don’t need to change the formula, like before. We brought the group’s largest shipment to Book 1 this year, representing 50% of our total horse sales this year, and we’re very proud of that. We hope it goes well. It’s selling the gold standard, and I think it’s fair to say that we’re happy to compete in the premium segment.
BH: Is it busy in the stalls until the first Tuesday of sales?
POND: Footsteps were as expected. Sunday is a bit rough, is Arc day in Paris and a lot of people have commitments in Paris. A lot of dealers have owners and trainers there. There are quite a few Americans on the property, and it looks like our great friend Mike Ryan is here.
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BH: Tell our readers a little about the power of your draft for Book 1.
POND: In fact, we have ten aspirations cataloged for Book 1 sales, four of which are Dubai , indicating the strength of our draft. We’ve got we’ve got a Frankel colt (Lot 199) in Night hunter now the brother of a very well-behaved 2-year-old in Ireland, Hans Andersen. He will be one of the favorites for obvious reasons other than being highlighted by his daughters, who ran at Arc Sunday.
BH: Your team helps keep things going here at Tattersall’s and home at Red House Stud; that should give you peace of mind.
POND: In my opinion, our horses are thoroughly prepared each year. That’s largely thanks to our incredible groom, Tom Hughes. He directs everything at home and drives the shipment here right on the ground, which definitely makes my life a little easier. We employ some very experienced salespeople and have a great team. I couldn’t be more proud of the way the horses are represented.
