Balding and Flay cook up a storm at Tattersalls Andrew Balding muscled in on the big spenders when securing a Frankel daughter out his former star mare Alcohol Free for 800,000 guineas on day three of the Tattersalls Book 1 Yearling Sale. The Kingsclere trainer will train the good-looking daughter of his four-time Group One-winning mare for American celebrity chef Bobby Flay, with the filly set to race in 2027. Balding admitted he found the combination irresistible and is keeping his fingers crossed the filly has even half the ability of her mother, who won top-level races in each of her three seasons on the track before leaving Kingsclere to race in Australia. “Obviously she is a daughter of Frankel out of Alcohol Free, who was probably the best racemare I will ever get to train in terms of versatility. She won a July Cup, a Cheveley Park, Sussex Stakes and Coronation (Stakes). It was a unique collection of races,” Balding told Tattersalls. “She is a first foal and we thought she was very nice and we were very keen to train her. She is not dissimilar in that she is athletic, just like her mother, so let’s hope she can run as fast. “She looks a little bit more straightforward than her mother. She was a wonderful racemare and actually when she was in a routine she was straightforward to train. She just liked to get on with things. “But we are thrilled and it is lovely to think she could be even half as good as her mother. We will find somewhere to break her in and then she will come to us. She should have a useful two-year-old career.” Night Of Thunder Colt Headlines Tattersalls Day Three Luca and Sara Cumani’s Fittocks Stud hit the jackpot for South African owner-breeder Nick Jonsson when their Night Of Thunder colt out of a Sea The Stars mare Capture The Heart became the top lot on the day after being knocked down for 2.2million guineas to Ace Stud. He too will be joining Balding, with Ace Stud’s Paul Curran saying: “He is a first foal and obviously a very good first foal. We were in the market for Night Of Thunder colts and he was probably the best of them for us — he was a standout. “He’s a lovely colt with a nice bright future. He’s going to George Peckham to be broken and then into training with Andrew Balding.” Godolphin Extend Spending Spree With Frankel Colt Godolphin would continue their three-day spending spree with a 2million guineas purchase, landing Longview Stud’s Frankel colt out of Crystal Zvezda. Sheikh Mohammed’s operation have spent upwards of 26million guineas across the sale, with their chief talent scout Anthony Stroud saying of their latest big purchase: “He is by Frankel and it’s a very good cross that’s worked before, and we have the two-year-old who was purchased here last year (by Sea The Stars, 3.7million guineas, unraced) and is one we like. “It is from a wonderful Rothschild-developed family, and, providing everything goes according to plan, he should be a very interesting horse with the capability of becoming a stallion.”
