BBAG Breeze Up Sale 2025
- Julian Schaffelhofer
- May 27
- 4 min read
The auction year 2025 is now just around the corner in Germany. You had to be a little surprised when you received the auction catalogue in your letterbox. Not even 60 horses have been entered for the auction, some of them have already been sold elsewhere or withdrawn.
The market for average broodmares has been stagnantly poor for a long time and the market for horses in training (HIT) is practically non-existent, as I mentioned in my blog post last winter. It seems that this auction has become a shadow of its former self and definitely a reflection of the situation in German horse racing.
Some horses from the racing stables are only sold for breeding purposes, which is a difficult task with maiden mares at this time of year. Among the horses on offer is TÜNNES, a prominent GR I winner who is also being sold for breeding purposes only. It remains to be seen which path he will take, but I suspect that his second career as a National Hunt Stallion will continue.
It is pleasing to see some of the names of the Breeze Up vendors, the real centrepiece of the spring auction. Last year, some vendors regretted not naming their horses for the Badener Jugendpreis. This is different this year, which is reflected in the provisional entry result of 11 horses.
The Badener Jugendpreis 2024:
Just 4 horses moved into the starting boxes at the 1000m starting post for the Badener Jugendpreis last year. The quality was rather transparent in retrospect. The winner was KISS ME HONEY, who has not really been able to confirm her victory to this day. She seemed to be a little further ahead than her rivals in the lead ring. MON SCHATZI was able to become a big earner, at least in France. GUISEPPE BALLOCCO, who finished a distant third, is now at home in France where he is racing in the lower handicaps. TORY, who finished fourth by a huge margin, is in training with Michael Figge and is still winless. I'm curious to see how good the field will be this year. We will be able to make an initial assessment in a few months' time.
But let's get back to the spring auction and the associated Breeze Up's. As in recent years, Renello Bloodstock is again represented with several two-year-olds:
LOT 30 - KINGMAN stallion out of Samba Inc (ARG). The dam won at GR I level in Argentina. The stallion already entered the ring at the Guineas Breeze Up Sale and was not sold for 14,000 Gns. He has a nomination for the Badener Jugendpreis under the name Stahlmann.
LOT 10 - a Sergei Prokofiev mare out of Lady Crossmar. The mare comes from a family of horses that were successful at the highest level globally, but especially in Australia. The mare was not sold as a yearling in 2024 for 9000 euros at Goffs.
LOT 35 is a stallion by top stallion Mehmas. His dam Asaatier competed once as a two-year-old and then switched to breeding. Nevertheless, her pedigree is remarkable, as her dam SPRING IN THE AIR was the Canadian champion two-year-old. He was not sold at the Goffs Breeze Up Sale 2025 for 17,000 euros. This stallion is also registered for the Badener Jugendpreis under the name NET WORTH and could therefore attract interest.
MC Thoroughbreds is offering two lots. LOT 37 is a stallion by COTAI GLORY out of Nalout, who has three offspring to date but has not yet achieved any notable results on the racetrack. Nevertheless, his pedigree is impressive in depth with plenty of black type. COTAI GLORY could also bring a lot of precocity and speed.
LOT 14 is a stallion by Darley's SPACE BLUES out of the Nathaniel dam Liquid Gold. This family includes horses such as Northern Mischief, who placed at GR I level in the USA and is herself the dam of GR II winner NORTH AMERICA. SPACE BLUES also made a promising start with his first crop. Interestingly, this stallion was originally offered as a yearling in Goff's ORBY BOOK II but was withdrawn.
Spencer Sales offers two interesting horses: LOT 38 and LOT 50.
LOT 38 is an ARIZONA mare out of Bequia (Helmet), who has already produced several winners on the track. She is related to the stallion RAJASINGHE, who breeds at the British National Stud. LOT 50, a stallion by the sadly deceased champion SOLDIER HOLLOW, comes from the family of SAGAMIX and SAGE ET JOLIE. His dam SWAN VALLEY has not raced and the DESTINO son SWAN RIVER is currently not on a training list. It will be exciting to see how a Solider Hollow son presents himself at a breeze-up auction.
The offer will be completed by many more bidders, a total of 24 horses are expected to breeze at this auction on Thursday at the old chasing track in Iffezheim.
It remains exciting to see how this auction will develop and, as always, a lot of value will certainly be placed on the breeze among the two-year-olds. The offer can be seen sporadically due to some initiatives, although the overall entry result is certainly very disappointing. There is a lack of initiatives to stimulate the HIT market and make it more interesting to sell a horse in training for the domestic owner. For me, this is another big warning signal for German horse racing.
JS
