Solid Start to Tattersalls Ireland

[Wandering Eyes]

FAIRYHOUSE, Ireland–The Irish yearling sale season got underway at Tattersalls Ireland on Tuesday and the solid trade that was evident elsewhere in England, France and Germany so far this year continued. A trimmed down catalogue compared to last year, coupled with a diverse buying bench saw the session culminating with a healthy clearance rate of 86%. The aggregate of €5,045,500 compared favourably with last year’s total off a bigger catalogue and the average of €25,612 was also on par with 2018. The median of €22,000 (+10%) was up slightly on last year’s figure of €20,000. While the session topping price of €100,000 fell short of last year’s corresponding price of €180,000, encouragement can be taken from the fact that 27 lots sold for €50,000 or more. This number, compared to 22 last year from circa 40 more yearlings suggests there was plenty of competition for the choicer lots.

“He’s a lovely stamp of a horse and the sire works very well in Hong Kong; so let’s hope he’s lucky,” were the words from former legendary jockey Mick Kinane after he signed the docket at €100,000 for lot 126. The sire in question was Holy Roman Emperor (Ire), responsible for such stars in Hong Kong as Designs On Rome (Ire), Beauty Only (Ire) and Charles The Great (Ire). The colt was offered by The Castlebridge Consignment on behalf of breeder Chasemore Farm and is the fourth produce out of the Nayef mare Ape Attack (GB). Another sire to have done well in Hong Kong is Dandy Man (GB) and Kinane added a colt by the Ballyhane sire to the HKJC purchases later in the day. Lot 192 from Loughtown Stud is out of the stakes placed Cristal Fashion (Ire) (Jeremy) and was knocked down to Kinane for €50,000.

SackvilleDonald Procures Dark Angel Colt
SackvilleDonald have been long term supporters of this sale and the agency’s Ed Sackville, along with trainer Tom Dascombe, combined to land lot 226 from Michael Ryan’s Al Eile Stud for €90,000. The colt by Dark Angel (Ire) is out of Ryan’s former smart race-mare Duchess Andorra (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}) and also shares a sire with Dascombe’s recent Ayr Gold Cup winner Angel Alexander (Ire). After fending off bids from Paddy Twomey and signing the buyer’s docket Sackville said, “We’ve been very lucky with Dark Angel, last weekend being the most recent example. I was delighted Angel Alexander won at Ayr as his owners are great supporters of Tom’s yard. This is a lovely individual from a highly rated mare.”

While Tom Dascombe invariable enjoys his trips to this sale this trip will be even more memorable as he also added a nice stakes win to his already good season when Sir Boris (GB) (Due Diligence) won the Listed Ballyhane Blenheim S. across the road at Fairyhouse on Monday.

Acclamation Colt Bound for States
The third highest priced yearling of the day is bound for America after the BBA Ireland’s Eamonn Reilly signed for lot 183, an Acclamation (GB) colt from Rathbarry Stud. The €80,000 colt is the first produce out of Click And Roll (Smart Strike), a half-sister to GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and Royal Ascot winner Hootenanny (Quality Road) and it is that horse’s former trainer Wesley Ward who will also train this yearling.

“He has been bought for a client of Wesley Ward’s,” Reilly said. “I bought a few yearlings for Wesley last year and they have all won so let’s hope this lad does the same.”

Demand for “War” and “Thunder” Heating Up
For the first half of the session the mantle of top lot was held by lot 26, a filly by Declaration of War, offered by Peter Nolan Bloodstock. The hammer came down at €70,000 for the January born chestnut out of the winning Montjeu (Ire) mare Silky (Ire) in favour of Marco Bozzi who was bidding on behalf of Justin Casse.

One of the best pinhooks of the day was undoubtedly lot 106 who went the way of Federico Barberini for €65,000. The bay colt by Night Of Thunder (Ire) was offered by Jimmy Murphy’s Redpender Stud having cost just €5,000 at Goffs last November. There were no significant updates on the dam’s side but his sire’s impressive start with his first crop of runners coupled with the yearling’s positive physical development seemed to work the oracle.

Skiffington Strikes for Australia Colt
Amanda Skiffington was another who went to €65,000 to acquire a colt by Australia (GB) offered by Castlehyde Stud as lot 143. Skiffington has unearthed a couple of Classic winners from this sale in the past in Galileo Gold (GB) and Hawksmoor (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) and the responsibility of maintaining Skiffington’s successful track record now rests with Newmarket trainer Tom Clover who will be taking charge of the colt. “He is a lovely athletic colt, my pick of the sale and I am thrilled to get him,” Skiffington said.

Starspangledbanner’s Fillies Shine
Hubie De Burgh, standing alongside Fozzy Stack, struck for lot 94 from Brendan Holland’s Grove Stud. The daughter of Starspangledbanner (Aus) and the unraced Zain Art (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}) was pin-hooked as a foal by Holland for €42,000 at Goffs last year and it took De Burgh’s bid of €67,000 to secure the filly. The same buying team kept things simple later in the day when buying another daughter of Starspangledbanner for €70,000. Lot 164 was offered by Denis Brosnan’s Croom House Stud and is a half-sister to Hong Kong Group 2 winner Endowing (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

“We love Starspangledbanner, he really upgrades his mares and has done so well for a horse that has suffered fertility problems in the past,” said De Burgh. “This is a lovely, athletic, scopey filly from a great family and is just the type of filly that Fozzy excels with.”

Established Sires & New Shooters Popular
Brendan Holland had another good result when offering a Dark Angel (Ire) filly (lot 117) out of a half-sister to Authorized (Ire). Holland had bought her from the Bobby Flay dispersal at Tattersalls last year for 27,000gns. He recently described her as a “weak foal at that time” that had done very well since and so it proved in the ring when Ado McGuinness and his assistant Stephen Thorne saw off competition from Nick Bradley to secure the filly for €55,000.

Zhang Yuesheng, the principal of China based Yulong Investments was present at the sale and accompanied by Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland, the increasingly influential investor acquired a number of yearlings. Among the more expensive ones was lot 138, a colt by Footstepsinthesand (GB), consigned by Tally-Ho Stud and purchased for €60,000. Soon after the Yulong/BBA axis signed for lot 147, a filly by The Last Lion (Ire) for €50,000. It was a successful pin-hook for Dermot Dunne’s Rockview Stables who had bought the filly for €17,500 at Goffs last November.

Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock was another active at the upper end of the sale and among his purchases was lot 200, a Showcasing (GB) colt bought in conjunction with Hugo Palmer for €65,000 and lot 139, a colt by Mastercraftsman (Ire) that cost €52,000. Another yearling destined for Newmarket is lot 216 who was knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock for €62,000. The Mount Coote Stud-offered filly by Territories (Ire) will join Archie Watson.

A “Famous” Reunion
There was a reunion of sorts represented early in the day regarding the transaction of lot 6. The son of Famous Name (GB), offered by Ringfort Stud on behalf of neighbouring breeders Pat and Frances Smullen, was bought by Bobby O’Ryan on behalf of Dermot Weld for €50,000. Weld of course trained Famous Name to win 21 races, and he was steered to each of those victories by Pat Smullen. In fact, in a 38-race career only one other jockey rode Famous Name and that was Mick Kinane. Weld’s purchase was bred by the Smullens out of Saying Grace (Ire) (Brief Truce) and is a full-brother to the 105-rated Escobar (Ire), a winner at York for David O’Meara in July.

The sale continues on Wednesday at 10 a.m.

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