First Crop Sires Tick All The Boxes In First Foal Sale Test
The first crop of Gustav Klimt, Saxon Warrior, Sioux Nation and U S Navy Flag are expected to prove popular at the first foal sale of the year, the Tattersalls December Foal Sale.
Pinhookers seeking precocious types need look no further than the first crop of Gustav Klimt, himself a Group 2 winning juvenile. The son of Galileo went on to be placed at Group 1 level on four occasions, including when beaten just half a length in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes. The bay boasts plenty of appeal on pedigree, too, as a full-brother to three Stakes performers and a half-brother to Group 1 heroine Nayarra. He hails from the stallion-making family of Invincible Spirit and Kodiac. He has six foals on offer this week, including a half-brother Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes second Star Of Orion (Footstepsinthesand).
Saxon Warrior boasts strong international appeal as a son of Deep Impact who won Group 1 contests as a two and three-year-old. Unbeaten at two, the bay defeated Roaring Lion when winning both the Racing Post Trophy and QIPCO 2,000 Guineas, before adding three Group 1 placings to his fine record. Ten foals at Tattersalls represent his quality first crop this week, with four of them produced by black-type race mares, while a half-brother to Group 1 sprinter Growl is among two siblings to Stakes performers.
Sioux Nation also has ten lots catalogued at this week's sale, headlined by a half-brother to globe-trotting Group performer Dark Emerald and a half-sister to Stakes winner Akemi. The handsome bay was one of Europe’s busiest new stallions in 2019, with many breeders enamoured by his comparisons to No Nay Never; himself also a Royal Ascot and Group 1 winning two-year-old by Scat Daddy. Like his grandsire Johannesburg, he completed the Norfolk-Phoenix Stakes double, while his grand-dam Catch The Blues captured the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
U S Navy Flag gives his stud mates a run for their money on pedigree, as a son of sire sensation War Front, out of the top-class race mare Misty For Me (Galileo), making him a full-brother to three-time Group 1 winner Roly Poly. His race record is just as impressive- he was crowned European Champion Two-Year-Old after winning the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes and Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes in record time- a double last completed by Diesis in 1982. He trained on at three to win the Group 1 July Cup, a race in which he beat Blue Point; earning him the title of European Champion Three-Year-Old Sprinter. His three foals catalogued at Tattersalls include a half-brother to Group-placed juvenile My Kurkum.