Brother to Ylang Ylang stars on day 2 of Tattersalls Book 1

Accomplished mare Shambolic played a starring role in the Tattersalls sale ring yesterday when supplying the day’s standout lot, a 4,000,000gns son of Frankel (Lot 237) sold by Newsells Park Stud.

Taken from the European Bloodstock News, 8th October 2026, by Nancy Sexton:

The Coolmore team are fully aware of the power of this family, having raced the colt’s Gr.1-winning sister Ylang Ylang, and indeed it was M V Magnier who came out on top over an array of interested parties, including Amo Racing, Godolphin team and finally an online bidder.
The price makes the colt the second most expensive yearling sold in the world this year behind Tuesday’s 4,600,000gns son of Night Of Thunder (Lot 130).

“He’s a lovely horse and in fairness to Newsells they do a great job,” said Magnier signing alongside Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm. “They’ve bred a lot of good horses, including his sister, who we bought here a few years ago. She was a very good filly and she’s in foal to Justify. Aidan and Dad were here the other day and they both liked him a lot. All the lads were happy to get him.”

Shambolic, a half-sister to legendary Hong Kong champion Viva Pataca and the US Gr.1 winner Laughing (Dansili), was a talented performer herself for the Duke of Devonshire and Duke of Roxburghe, winning two races and running placed three times at Listed level. At the end of her racing career, she changed hands to Newsells Park Stud and Merry Fox Stud for 800,000gns through Gary Hadden, a move that reaped swift rewards when her first foal, a filly by Frankel, sold for 1,500,000gns at the 2022 renewal of this sale; the filly in question turned out to be Ylang
Ylang, winner of the 2022 Gr.1 Fillies’ Mile for Ballydoyle. She was followed by a Siyouni filly, Act Of Kindness, who sold for 3,700,000gns to Godolphin and ran third in this year’s Gr.3 Nell Gwyn Stakes.

“For me, it was his temperament that was so special,” said Newsells Park Stud owner Graham Smith-Bernal. “He was always more interested in interacting with humans rather than other horses – you’d click your fingers and he’d come over. He is very special. He vetted well, moves very well and he looks a lot like Frankel. We wish them all the best with him. They’ve already done very well with the family and in my book, he’s a couple of notches above her."

He added: “I thought he might even make more. Our stud manager described this horse as the finest horse he’s ever produced, and Juddmonte, who visited him a couple of times, said he is the spitting image of Frankel.”

For co-breeder Craig Bennett, the outcome possessed special weight with it being the 20th anniversary of the launch of his Merry Fox Stud.

“We were joint top buyers in 2006 and top buyer in 2007,” he said. “Twenty years on, we’re not far off the top in producing them and there’s not many people who can say that. There’s a real pride to that – to earn the respect of the industry on what you produce. “It’s a lot nicer watching one at 4,000,000gns than watching one that doesn’t sell at 240,000gns. It’s tough at that top part of the market, because there’s not so many who can play, so I’m over the moon.”