The October chill in Newmarket has already brought with it a couple of results to warm the soul for the team at Anthony Oppenheimer's Hascombe and Valiant Stud.First, there was the knockout result achieved by one member of the seven-strong draft at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, with the Night Of Thunder colt consigned as lot 189 being knocked down to Godolphin for 1.5 million gns.Then, just two days later, it was the turn of homebred Night Of Thunder filly Song Of The Clouds to impress, this time on the racecourse as she showcased her Group 1 potential for next year in winning the G3 Pride Stakes.Now, all eyes are on Park Paddocks for Book 2, the sale where another son of Night Of Thunder found his way into the Godolphin fold after being purchased for 340,000gns in 2022. Consigned by James Hanly's Ballyhimikin Stud, said colt is better known today as Ombudsman, arguably Night Of Thunder's best son, with a fifth Group 1 victory in his sights when he lines up in Saturday's Qatar Racing Champion Stakes at Ascot.In the meantime, 809 lots are catalogued to go through the ring at Park Paddocks during the latest edition of Book 2, including three in a small but select team from Hascombe and Valiant, bidding to keep the hot streak going.“Book 1 can be tough at times,” stud secretary Fiona McGlone says of last week's three-day extravaganza. “We were lucky and, in fairness to Sheikh Mohammed, he's a great supporter of Book 1. Without him, we'd be lost. We brought two home [from Book 1], but we were happy to bring them home and the Night Of Thunder was obviously fantastic. Fingers crossed for this week – we're hopeful that we'll have another good week.”Both McGlone and stud groom James Frank single out lot 789 as their best hope of hitting the heights again over the next three days. The Mostahdaf colt is a half-brother to the G3 Oh So Sharp Stakes heroine Calendar Girl (Advertise), who narrowly missed out on Group 1 black type when last seen finishing fourth in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.Calendar Girl, of course, is herself a previous Book 2 graduate, having sold to Lillingston Bloodstock for 45,000gns in 2024 when part of a five-strong draft from Hascombe and Valiant. Remarkably, also among that number was this year's GI Belmont Derby winner Title Role (Too Darn Hot), bought by Blandford Bloodstock for 90,000gns, and the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes heroine Earth Shot (Time Test), who was purchased by Jill Lamb Bloodstock for the same sum.“Not a bad batch, is it?” says McGlone with a smile, with Frank adding, “I remember when we brought Calendar Girl here, people were looking at her and thinking, 'Will she be a racehorse?' I kept on telling people that she lunged very well. It was quite nice for Luke [Lillingston] to buy her and she's doing wonders for the owners. It's a young family and I think the dam is doing very well.“The Mostahdaf half-brother [to Calendar Girl] is a lovely colt. We think he's our main horse for Book 2, really. The Cracksman that we've got is a very nice looking horse and we've got a nice Blue Point filly. She's big and strong with a nice long stride. Hopefully, we can have another week like last week.”In truth, the three yearlings from Hascombe and Valiant catalogued to sell at Book 2 have what would seem an impossible act to follow in the shape of the Night Of Thunder colt out of Purple Ribbon (Gleneagles), one of 17 millionaires sold at Book 1.“We thought we had a special one but, if you asked us two weeks ago, we probably didn't expect to get that much,” Frank says of that result. “But he was a nice horse and, every time we pulled him out, people would just look at him and go, 'Wow, you've got a good one there.' It was really nice for the farm and everybody concerned.”“Mr Oppenheimer is still as enthusiastic as ever,” adds McGlone. “He puts a lot in, is very invested in it and loves his mares.”Certainly, Oppenheimer and his team are entitled to have an extra spring in their step following the Pride display of Song Of The Clouds, who is now the winner of three of her four career starts. Friday's black-type breakthrough at Newmarket was particularly poignant for all concerned following the loss of her dam, Token Of Love (Cape Cross), earlier this year.“We always had high hopes for her,” Frank says of the William Haggas trainee. “We thought at one stage that we were going to bring her to the sales. But, if we did, we might not have had her winning for us yesterday. She's a lovely filly, a big Night Of Thunder.“The mare [Token Of Love], I adored her. She was probably one of my favourite mares because, when I started at Hascombe, she was a two- or three-year-old. She came back into our yard from William Haggas for a rest and I just adored her. She was my mare. Seeing her die, when she coliced and it went from there, it was quite painful. So, it's nice to see something out of her doing very well.”McGlone adds of Song Of The Clouds, “She's a beautiful filly. I think the plan is that she stays in training next year, so there's hopefully more to come from her.”Earlier on Friday's Newmarket card, there was another winner who offered plenty to work on for the future in the two-year-old Mussab, who completed a hat-trick when landing the G3 Cornwallis Stakes for Richard and Peter Fahey and owner Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah.In victory, Mussab became the first Group winner bought by former jockey Sebastian Woods, who last year purchased the son of Ten Sovereigns for just 5,000gns at Book 3. He later changed hands for 52,000gns when offered through EMW Equine at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up Sale.That Mussab has gone on to prove such a talented performer for the Faheys has a nice symmetry to it, with Woods having been apprenticed to the Malton stable before hanging up his riding boots in 2021, having ridden 47 winners on the Flat in Britain.“I'm still pinching myself now,” Woods says of Friday's result. “I always knew that he was quite nice and I was just glad to see him get his head in front for the Faheys and for the owners as well. It means the world because they were so good to me and they gave me a hell of a lot of very good opportunities. It's nice for them to buy one of my horses that has gone on to do big things – and I don't think we've really seen the best of him, either. He had a sidewind to deal with at Newmarket and he was drawn 1, so he got the worst of it.”Explaining what first drew him to Mussab when the colt appeared at Book 3, Woods continues, “He was very raw, so he slipped through the cracks, I think, for most people's lists. But, even with that rawness, he still ticked a lot of the boxes. He had a nice length of rein and he walked well. He had a good mind, with a strong hip and shoulder – everything that you look for in a nice breezer.“Ellie [Whitaker of EMW Equine] breaks in some of the yearlings for Sean [Woods, trainer and uncle of Sebastian]. I'd seen her breezers every year and she does a very good job. I knew that, if anybody could get the best out of him, in the small amount of time that they had, it would be her. There was just a question of whether he'd get in to the sale because of how cheap he was, but I was really pleased [with the result].”He adds, “I was very happy that Pete bought him and for such a good price for him as well. Because of my time there, I knew that the horse would flourish with them. I'm over the moon for the owner and I wish them all the best in the future. He's my first Group winner and for him to go to the Breeders' Cup would be fantastic.”As well as being the nephew of Newmarket trainer Sean Woods, Sebastian is the son of Wendyll, who owns Brook Stud just outside Newmarket alongside his other brother, Dwayne.According to Sebastian, it was always clear to him that his future would be in bloodstock once his career as a jockey came to an end, with the 27-year-old hoping to be busy over the next few days in his search for the next Mussab.“I love it – it's nice to be able to eat and drink a little bit!” he says of his new role. “It's very different, but I always knew that it was going to be the future. Obviously, with Brook Stud and my family, it kind of fits in really nicely, being able to do this and at a young age. I also do a bit with Richard Ryan during the sales. He's brilliant and being able to learn from him is fantastic.”He adds of the yearling sale season so far, “Sean has bought a few, but we've not got any breezers just yet. We'll be looking to strike in Book 2 and Book 3.“I think it's a good Book 2 – there's a bit of everything for everyone. We're definitely looking for some smart types, for breezing and to go into training. Hopefully, we pick the right ones like we were lucky to do with him [Mussab].”Book 2 gets underway at 10am on Monday, with two further sessions beginning at the same time on Tuesday and Wednesday. Book 3, meanwhile, has 507 yearlings catalogued and will take place on Thursday and Friday, beginning at 9.30am both days. Book 4 is made up of 61 yearlings and will commence immediately after Book 3 concludes on Friday.The post ‘Not a Bad Batch, Is It?’ – Hascombe and Valiant Enjoying Banner Year for Book 2 Graduates appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.