TDN: Good Moon rising

The 11-length G1 Deutsches Derby victory of Sea The Moon is clearly still fresh in the memory of many in his native country, as the young Lanwades stallion was very much the toast of Baden-Baden, where 13 of his first-crop yearlings sold for an average of i97,769. Leading the bunch at € 460,000 was a colt from Gestut Gorlsdorf, the East German farm owned by Heike Bischoff and Niko Lafrentz, who bred and raced the son of Sea The Stars (IRE). The second-top lot of the sale (49) is a son of the winning Montjeu (IRE) mare Favorite (GER), who has already produced the Hughie Morrison-trained five-time winner Fun Mac (GER) (Shirocco (GER)), a listed scorer on his most recent outing at Maisons-Laffitte.

“He was a hugely talented racehorse and we think he’s going to be a really good stallion prospect.”
- Tom Goff on Sea The Moon -

The colt was one of two acquisitions by Godolphin at the sale, with Blandford Bloodstock agent Tom Goff acting on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed=s operation and withstanding strong international interest from Norwegian trainer Wido Neuroth, who had to settle for the role of underbidder, as well as Australian agent Justin Bahen.

“My partner Richard Brown helped to negotiate the deal for Sea The Moon to stand at Lanwades. He was a hugely talented racehorse and we think he=s going to be a really good stallion prospect,@ said Goff. AThis was just an exceptionally nice horse, a really great mover.”

Heike Bischoff was on hand to congratulate the buyer and added, “It's super special - even more so because he's not just by Sea The Moon but out of my favourite mare Favorite.” Delighted by the reception given to her stallion from a diverse pool of buyers at BBAG, Bischoff, who plans to race between 10 and 15 homebred members of Sea The Moon's first crop, said, “I'm absolutely thrilled and it's a relief as much as anything. It's a big risk for a small breeder to support a stallion so strongly so I'm pleased to see so much confidence in him from big owners and agents.”

She continued, “It was a tough decision for me not to stand the horse in Germany, but it is hard for a German stallion to become truly international. In Newmarket he had a good chance because it is the centre of the breeding world and there are so many mares visiting. He has been well supported and there are some really nice yearlings to be sold in Newmarket next month.”

Among the best-selling yearlings by Sea The Moon was lot 120, a colt out of Moonlight Rhapsody (IRE) (Danehill Dancer (IRE), a winning half-sister to Group 2 winner Fantastic Love (Peintre Celebre), who was bred in Britain by James Stewart of Wellsummers Stud. The colt will remain in Germany to race after being bought by Stall Mandarin for € 140,000.

“This was an experiment really and it's a first for me to sell here,” said Stewart, who consigned the colt through Peter Rodde's Gestut Westerberg. “I was introduced to Peter by Charlie Parker of Crimbourne Stud, who is now leasing Wellsummers from me. My mares are still at the stud, including Moonlight Rhapsody who has a lovely Al Kazeem foal at foot and is in foal to Havana Gold.” Peter and Ross Doyle bought the most expensive Sea The Moon filly of the sale (lot 199), another bred by Gorlsdorf from the young listed winner Nouvelle Neige (GER) (Big Shuffle). She will be trained in Norway by Wido Neuroth after bringing the hammer down at € 180,000.

(02/09/2017)