Racing: Sheikh splashes out record 3m guineas

A YEARLING son of Nureyev smashed the European auction record at last night's final Houghton Sale session when Sheikh Mohammed recruited him to the Godolphin youth squad for 3m guineas. The American-bred, by the sire of Peintre Celebre and Spinning World, is a half-brother to two ordinary US winners. He will join David Loder at Evry.

The underbidders for the colt, bought last year as a foal for only $360,000 and offered from Timmy Hyde's Camas Park Stud, were the Ballydoyle team led by John Magnier, who had taken Sheikh Hamdan along to 1.6m gns. From then it was a head to head between racing's two superpowers. The bay colt was a fine walker; only time will tell whether his galloping is up to scratch.

The previous European auction record was jointly held by the four-year- old filly Dance Design and a Caerleon foal at 2.5m gns, both sold in the Tattersalls arena last year. The previous highest-priced yearling was the Shergar colt Authaal, whose price tag of 3.1m IRgns works out at just under 2.5m gns. He, too, was purchased by Sheikh Mohammed.

Tamarisk came out of quarantine in America yesterday after the flight which was his first step from Roger Charlton's stable to D Wayne Lukas's yard to be prepared for the Breeders' Cup on 7 November.