There was a palpable air of excitement as the handsome 2 year old bay colt entered the sale ring. He came with a huge reputation, one built on a lightning track gallop. He'd breezed up a strong 3 furlongs in 33, running home the last furlong in a tick under 9.5 seconds, with some left in the tank. The talk was so hyped, it was considered as almost a given that he'd annex the Kentucky Derby on his way to the Triple Crown during his 3 year old season. It was enough to draw two of the biggest gun fighters in the breeding world into what would turn out to be the thoroughbred auction's version of the OK corral, Coomore versus Darley. At stake, not just a race horse, but the pride in being the biggest swinging dick in the yard. It was to be egos bound with recklessness, where money would quickly take a back seat to self-conceit. And so the striking bay with the giant white blaze, was introduced to the world at large at the Fasig-Tipton sales at Calder Race Course on that fateful day, February 16, 2006. The chairman of auction house, Mr. Walter Robertson was at a loss as to how to open the bidding. So great was the pressure, all he could say was, “I don't even know what to ask for.” After a short preamble, they stepped away at $500,000, and from there, the price quickly ballooned to $5,000,000 through a series of about 16 bids. The crowd by now knew the something special was unfolding before their eyes. The buzz had become a tumult. The auctioneer at this point had to call for calm. The horse was now starting to become agitated. His handler, a well dressed gent, forever circled the horse to the left in an effort to pacify him. But in each action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. In stark contrast, the protagonists had begun to whip themselves into a bidding frenzy. 7 more calls saw the price reach $7,000,000, where again the hammer man was forced to issue a censure to the spectators. For the second time, he called for quietness. The heavy hitters had by now well and truly girded their loins. All other bidders, the minnows, had given up the ghost. At this point, John Ferguson, on behalf of Skeik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's Darley Stud, held the upper hand, but John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's hired gun, Demi O'Byrne still had a box full of ammunition to fire off, and he couldn't wait to pull the trigger. The next 8 bids flew by in minutes until the $9,500,000 mark was reached and a shrilled woman's voice was heard to raise itself above the excited chatter and take the Lord's name in vain.“Oh my God!” she screeched. But the Supreme Being paid her no heed, and neither did Demi. He added $200,000. Ferguson hit back immediately with a bid of $10,000,000. Straight away all eyes were again on the Coolmore Agent, nobody wanted the ride to stop. And so they worked their way toward the championship rounds, as they say in the fight game. Then at $14,000,000, the unthinkable happened. With Coolmore holding the bidding, the Sheik's man played what he hoped would be his ace in the hole... a one million dollar jump bid. At $15,000,000, Coolmore looked out on it's feet. Serious discussions were going on among quiet voices. They decided to stay in the game, but they were shocked at where they were. They offered an extra $200,000. Both sides were now on the ropes, but Darley dug deep once again and raised the pot by $300,000, they were sucking wind though. The horse was by now impatient to get out of the place, and so were the two rivals. Demi then threw his final salvo. He raised it a further half million, bringing the bid to a neat $16,000,000. The fight was over. The scene was not unlike the aftermath of a great World Heavyweight Title Fight. People shook their heads and wondered if they'd ever see the likes of it again. But this is not where our story ends. Some tales have happy endings, others sadly don't. This finish was a bloody nightmare. For somewhere between the breeze up and his new home, the horse went from lightning fast, to being so slow, that he couldn't run out of sight on a dark night. He disappeared off the radar for better than twelve months. All sorts of rumours abounded about him. It was said that he'd ditched his rider and taken a nasty fall, twisting his neck and in doing so, damaging his spine. But Tristan Berry, assistant trainer to Todd Pletcher, under whose guidance the horse was placed, is on record as saying that the only thing to hit the turf that day, was the rider's behind. The Green Monkey was retired after three unsuccessful races. The maiden went to stud for a paltry fee of just $5,000 per pop. It's said that both Coolmore and Darley hardly speak of the affair.
The Asian author, credited with other masterpeices such as, "The Subbies going bust" and "Taxmans lust of Winding Up Petitions"
