Tattersalls purchases bound for Australia

Get to know some of the new imports heading our way from the recent October Tattersalls sales in Newmarket.

There have been some excellent purchases from the October sales at Newmarket in the past, including Zaaki and Just Fine. Gai Waterhouse has been active again as part of another Australian buying spree. We take a look over some of the notable ones.

Buying 2000m horses from Europe to race in Australia is becoming increasingly popular, and the recent October sales in Newmarket has seen that trend continue. We look at four of the main purchases that will be heading to Australia to continue their racing careers. Look out for their names on the betting sites in 2024, as there will be some Group 1 winners here.

Balance Play

He showed plenty of promise with Ralph Beckett in England, winning three handicaps, which has seen his official rating move up to 101 there. To put that into context, Just Fine left the UK with a handicap rating of 99, but that was after 14 career starts, and Balance Play has only run on eight occasions.

His wins have come over 2000m and 2200m, but he shapes as if the small step up in distance to 2400m will not phase him at all. The pick of his form has come on soft ground, his only genuinely disappointing run coming when the conditions were too quick for him. 

His half-brother was a Group 2 runner-up, and it would be no surprise if this 575,000 guineas buy proved to be up to Group 1 level over 2000-2400m in Australia.

Royal Patronage

A very smart two-year-old, he somewhat lost his way the following year after finishing second in a Group 2 at York. Well beaten in the Derby at Epsom, his biggest day in the sun came in September 2021 when he bested subsequent Guineas winner Coroebus in a Group 2.

He raced in America for Graham Motion, picking up a minor contest at Keeneland in April. At his best on a quick track, the pick of his form is split between 1600m and 2000m. It will be interesting to see if the Waterhouse/Bott partnership can coax him back to his best.

Ziryab

The Northern Hemisphere three-year-old did not race until April 2023, winning at the third time of asking. He was last seen finishing second in a Leicester handicap in October, taking in a similar race to the one that Just Fine won before he headed to these shores.

That is as far as the comparison with that Group 1 winner goes for now, as Ziryab has not achieved close to the same in the UK, but he has only had six races, so he is very much open to doing better in 2024. Some might remember his dam Reem, a close 5th in the 2010 Group 2 Furious Stakes at Randwick before continuing her career elsewhere.

Amleto

Two hundred forty thousand guineas secured this full-brother to Irish Oaks winner Sea Of Class. He has only seen the track four times, winning once at Chester in May. Sent off favourite for a competitive handicap at Glorious Goodwood, he got bogged down on a heavy track but still finished second, albeit well beaten.

The combination of his pedigree and the fact that he is so unexposed pushed his price above what his form is worth on paper, but there is little doubt that he has better efforts to come as he matures. Expect him to contest the top 2000-2400m races in 2024.

These are only a select four from a massive list of new runners who we will be seeing on the horse racing betting sites over the coming months. The success that Australian connections have had with these European imports in recent years has been impressive, and the next crop looks full of talent.