Lot 409

Tattersalls Book 1 report: Night Of Thunder colt steals show on day three

Horse Racing

Thu October 08, 2026 · 3d ago

A 2,200,000gns Night Of Thunder colt topped day three of Book 1 at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Lot 409 became the fifth seven-figure lot for the stallion this week and was bought online by Ace Stud whose operation just outside Newmarket stands Shaquille.

Out of Capture The Heart, a Sea The Stars sister to River Of Stars, the colt topped the day-three sales after fireworks on days one and two.

The yearling was sold by Luca and Sara Cumani's Fittocks Stud on behalf of South African owner-breeder Nick Jonsson, who told Tattersalls: "I was a very unwilling seller, really, I would have been happy to keep the colt.

"I don't race here really, but I happened to have got lucky and had a nicely-bred filly who didn't get to the racecourse, and we got lucky with Night Of Thunder.

"This really is thanks mostly to Luca and Sara. At one point I was planning to send this mare to South Africa, and Sara said that I would be mad to do that and to keep her here."

Sara Cumani said: “Everybody says the same thing, but he really has been a superstar ever since he was born. He’s been a real joy. It’s awfully exciting going forward as the mare is very young.”

🤩 2.2millions gns for our Night of Thunder colt at the #tattsoctober Book 1 Sale.

Congratulations to his breeder, Nicolas Jonsson and thank you Ace Stud for buying him. pic.twitter.com/PiIuw3WN1j
— fittocksstud (@fittocksstud) October 8, 2026

Godolphin also continued their big spending spree when going to 2,000,000gns for Longview Stud's Frankel colt out of Dubawi mare Crystal Zvezda, who is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Crystal Ocean.

Earlier on trainer Andrew Balding bought a Frankel filly out Alcohol Free (No Nay Never) for 900,000gns, having trained the broodmare to win four Group 1 races – the July Cup, the Sussex Stakes, the Coronation Stakes and the Cheveley Park Stakes.

"This is a lovely filly and her mother needs no introduction, so we're delighted," said Balding. "She's for Bobby Flay. Alcohol Free was very special, and physically this filly is not dissimilar."

Alcohol Free was bought at the 2022 Tattersalls December Mares Sale for 5,400,000gns by BBA Ireland from her racing owner Jeff Smith's Littleton Stud. She then raced five-times in Australia for Yulong Investments, breeder of this filly who is the mare's first foal.

She has a Dubawi filly foal this year and was covered by Night Of Thunder.

Cheveley Park Stud went to 525,000gns for the half-sister to this season's multiple Group 1-winning juvenile Sun Goddess, the daughter of Blue Point offered by Owenstown Stud, while late on Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown went to 1,300,000gns for a Justify half-brother to Camille Pissarro and Golden Horde.