The Purple and White silks have become increasingly familiar at British racetracks in recent seasons thanks to star names such as Persian Force, Magical Sunset and headline act King Of Steel, who landed the 2023 edition of the Champion Stakes for Roger Varian.
Backed by the millions of football businessman Kia Joorabchian, the emerging force first made a splash in 2020, when Sardinia Sunset claimed the Listed class EBF Marygate Fillies’ Stakes at York. Since then, the ownership group has enjoyed an impressive rise.
Dip in 2024 Sparks Sales Splurge
Having enjoyed a breakout Group 1 success in 2023, thanks to King Of Steel’s heroic effort in the Champion Stakes, Amo Racing may be a little disappointed with results in 2024. Whilst not helped by the absence of King Of Steel through injury, the operation may have hoped for more than a solitary Group 3 success – provided by Dallas Star in the Ballysax Stakes – in addition to a pair of major handicap victories in the Lincoln (Mr Professor) and All-Weather Easter Classic (Elegant Man).
Whilst many owners would be delighted with such a return, the decline from 2023 appears to have added fuel to Joorabchian’s racing fire – and if the recent Tattersalls October Yearling Sale is any guide, he has his eyes firmly focussed on the top.
The £24m October Spending Spree
The Tattersalls October Yearling Sale never fails to attract the leading lights from the British and Irish Racing scene. Godolphin, Coolmore, and others were in attendance in 2024, but the relentless Joorabchian outshone them all with a spending spree which astonished those in attendance and the wider racing world.
Kia and Max Joorabchian reflect on #TattsOctober Book 1.@amoracingltd‘s buys highlighted by the 4.4m gns Frankel filly heading to @RalphBeckett and the 4.3m gns Wootton Bassett colt going to @karl_burke.
“We had the plan that this is the week that we need to make a change.” pic.twitter.com/nGxvG2W0jQ
— Tattersalls (@Tattersalls1766) October 10, 2024
At the end of the two days of bidding, Amo Racing Ltd had purchased 17 lots in addition to 8 in partnership with Al Shaqab or Vermont. The total cost of that outlay? A hefty 22,940,000 Guineas or £24,087,000 in the land of pounds and pence.
Included amongst that 25-horse haul were several truly eyewatering purchases, with the following quartet, in particular, catching the eye.
Frankel filly out of Aljazzi – 4.4m Guineas
Unbeaten in 14 career outings and achieving the highest figure since the ratings system began, Frankel is well on the way towards following in the hoofprints of his grandfather Sadler’s Wells and father Galileo to become a huge success at stud. Three of Amo’s most significant purchases were sired by the greatest racecourse of all time – including this filly, who became the second most expensive sale to go through the Park Paddocks ring. Dam Aljazzi scored four times in pattern company, headlined by the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes. Pedigrees for top-class mile events don’t come too much better.
Wootton Bassett colt out of Park Bloom – 4.3m Guineas
Only 100,000 Guineas behind the sales topper, this son of Wootton Bassett became the most expensive colt ever sold in Europe. Having already provided a clutch of Group 1 stars, including Champion Stakes winners Almanzor and King Of Steel, Wootton Bassett has risen to prominence in recent seasons, as evidenced by the increased rate at which he appears in the pedigrees of Coolmore contenders. Dam Park Bloom failed to hit the heights at the track – winning twice but at a relatively low level – but is a full sister to the Group winning trio of Was, Douglas Macarthur, and Amhran Na Bhfiann.
Camelot filly out of Sense Of Style – 2.9m Guineas
No horse has come closer to landing the elusive Triple Crown in the current century than Aidan O’Brien’s Camelot. First in the 2,000 Guineas, first in the Derby, and second in the St Leger, the son of Montjeu is a force at stud – hitting the headlines in 2024 as the sire of the first and third in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Dam Sense Of Style hit the frame three times at Listed level or above and is a half-sister to the four-time Group 1 winner Luxembourg.
Frankel filly out of Alwilda – 2.5m Guineas
Last but not least, the filly with arguably the most eye-catching pedigree of them all. This combination of Frankel and Alwilda has already borne significant fruit – namely the Sir Mark Prescott-trained superstar Alpinista. A winner of 10 of 15 career starts between 2019 and 2022, including six in Group 1 company, her crowning moment came in her final racecourse appearance, when coming out on top in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.