3.10 Newmarket: Hannon holds strong hand in £100,000 contest

A full field of 20 runners have been declared for the £100,000 Tattersalls Somerville Auction Stakes at Newmarket’s July Course on Saturday, live on Racing TV. Now in its fourth year, the six-furlong contest continues to grow in stature, offering graduates of the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale, and Books 3 and 4 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, the opportunity to compete for valuable prize money in a highly competitive race.

This year’s renewal boasts a strong and diverse line-up, showcasing the accessibility and quality of talent sourced from the value end of the Tattersalls yearling sales.

Heading the market is the Andrew Balding-trained Sands Of Spain, a dual winner earlier this season and a fine third in the Weatherbys Super Sprint. Bought by his trainer for 36,000 guineas at the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale, the son of Sands Of Mali sets a strong standard.

Richard Hannon saddles three runners, led by Sapphire Steps, a 38,000 guineas Somerville purchase who made a winning debut at Newbury before contesting stakes company. Logi Bear, a commanding winner at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile, returns quickly after running at York on Thursday, while Madame X completes the Hannon trio.

On his contenders, Hannon said: “Sapphire Steps has a great chance. I’ve been very pleased with her all year. I think she will appreciate the extra furlong and she’s run pretty well in black type races this year. This is a step down in grade for her, hopefully she can show a bit of superiority - I think she’ll run very well.

“Logi Bear can be quite a character, one day he can run to 100 and the next day 65. If it’s a going day for him, he is very capable.

“Madame X has been a bit of a disappointment since Salisbury when she ran Anthelia [Weatherbys Super Sprint and Listed race winner] to a head first time out. Her form has taken a bit of a dive since. We’re on a bit of a recovery mission but hopefully this will be a good place for her to run the best race of her career so far – plenty of money to be won hopefully.”

Sprint specialist Clive Cox looks to enhance his sales race record with Justcallmesergio, a Bath debut winner bought for 18,000 guineas from Bearstone Stud. The son of Sergei Prokofiev is one to note with further improvement expected.

Exciting first-season sire Starman is strongly represented with three runners: Piscean Star, a smart debut winner at Kempton for Ed Dunlop; Enter Sandman, trained by Richard Spencer; and Hazy Cosmic Jane, from the Des Donovan yard. 

Anaisa, a Thirsk maiden winner, lines up for Tim Easterby and Nick Bradley, while Eve Johnson Houghton, enjoying a standout season with her juveniles, is double-handed with Kesta, a 5,000 guineas purchase and dual winner this season, and Court Alert, who represents the in-form Middleham Park Racing syndicate who will seek further sales race success having struck in last year’s £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes with The Dragon King.

Newmarket-based trainers are also well represented. Alice Haynes sends out Erbil, a solid fourth on debut at Doncaster, while Lemos De Souza’s Hungarian showed promise when runner-up on his first start at Southwell.

Lambourn has a strong hand in the race. The 2023 Somerville and October Auction Stakes winning trainer Tom Ward is represented by Perfect Location, a maiden winner at Southwell. Archie Watson runs Sioux Perfect, narrowly denied on her latest start, while Richard Hughes sends out Calling A Star, who comes into the race off the back of a York victory.

Arduis Invicta, a recent Beverley winner for Craig Lidster, will aim to continue her progress, while Guernsey Angel for David Evans, Diamond Ali for Julia and Shelley Birkett, and Mythical Night for Dylan Cunha all remain lightly raced and open to improvement.

The Tattersalls Somerville Auction Stakes continues to underline the value and opportunity available through the Tattersalls yearling sales, with this year’s contest once again highlighting a broad spectrum of graduates. The race showcases how competitive and rewarding these sales can be for buyers at all levels.

This year’s Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale will take place on Tuesday 2nd September at Park Paddocks in Newmarket. Please visit www.tattersalls.com to view the catalogue and for more information.