Trainer Ross Burdon left this week’s Tatts’ Sales empty-handed, but it wasn’t through lack of trying! Get the reports on the week’s action, and a look forward to this Mesaafi back on his preferred all-weather surface at Kempton.
Ross Burdon: Sales News, and Weekend Runners
All the talk around prize money levels, the decline in British racing on the international stage and owners becoming disillusioned with the sport doesn’t seem to have translated top the sales ring. On Tuesday I spent the whole day, after spending Sunday and Monday viewing as many of the 260 yearlings catalogued as I could, hunting through the Somerville sale at Tattersalls looking to pick up a yearling, or possibly two, for next season’s 2yo squad.
The market was fiercely strong for Newmarket’s first yearling sale of the season, with the top price of 160,000 gns being reached twice. With an average price of over 34,000 gns and a clearance rate over 85% the sale was a huge success for vendors and Tattersalls will be extremely optimistic about their upcoming flagship Book 1 and Book 2 sales in October.
The strength of the sale essentially priced us out of buying the horses we were interested in, we had a strict budget and everything that we really liked sold for way more than we anticipated. The good thing is that this is only the first sale we were aiming at and we have the sales at Tattersalls Ireland to attend in a few weeks as well as the rest of the sales Newmarket’s sales ring will host.
Ross Burdon Racing: Recent Results
Also on Tuesday, Crest of Light returned to the track for us having arrived at our yard after a short mid-season holiday. Running at Southwell, where he had been twice placed before, he ran a nice comeback race, jumping and travelling well before getting tired in the last furlong and fading out of contention.
Even though he isn’t the biggest horse in height, Crest carries plenty of condition and the race would have done the horses fitness the world of good. We will increase his work now as we look for his next target, as well as reapplying the headgear he’s been wearing in his recent runs and possibly stepping up in trip.
Ross Burdon Racing: Mighty Mesaafi
Our other runner this week runs tomorrow. Mesaafi will line up in the London Sprint Series Final at Kempton, a six furlong contest only open to horses that have ran in a series qualifier during the 2025 season, which Mesaafi did in February when finishing third behind Shallow and a rival that re-opposes tomorrow, Supreme King.
Mesaafi was rated 77 going into that qualifier and tomorrow will start of a rating seven pounds higher off 84, but having been placed recently at Ascot off 87, the handicapper has given us a chance from three pound below that mark, although the draw hasn’t been kind at all, drawing stall 11 of 12.
Jack Mitchell will need to be inspired to be able to get across into a good position from such a wide berth, but the horse is in good form and we will give it our best shot. There is huge prize money on offer for the grade, £80k in total prize money so if Jack can work miracles we would be very happy if we can take a share of the money on offer.
By Ross Burdon
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