Figures Dip At Fairyhouse Book Two

[Wandering Eyes]

FAIRYHOUSE, Ireland–Sire power is a crucial factor at bloodstock sales, and one stallion experiencing a resurgence in popularity, following a season that included a Classic winner and a Royal Ascot heroine, is Yeomanstown Stud resident Camacho (GB). The son of Danehill was responsible for the top price of Part 2 of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale on Thursday as Luke Lillingston went to €32,000 for Nicola Kent’s filly, consigned as lot 576.

The price tag of €32,000 is almost half the high price of the 2017 renewal, during which seven lots surpassed that mark, led by a €60,000 Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire) colt. Just as they had for the first part of the September Yearling Sale, Part 2 figures fell across the board, the most worrying being a 149% increase in unsold lots, despite a 7% rise in horses offered (clearance rate 66% down from 86%). Turnover for 172 sold totaled €1,241,300; a 41% drop from 2017, leading to a 38% fall in median (€5,000) and a 29% decrease in the average price (€7,217).

In response, Tattersalls Ireland CEO, Matt Mitchell said, “Today’s trade was not forgiving. Reflecting the polarised nature of the market, the trend remains that there is demand for individuals that satisfy strict criteria. Unfortunately, for breeders in particular, limited demand exists at the lower levels.”

A much chirpier Luke Lillingston confirmed that the top lot would race for Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds, adding, “I’ve always been a big fan of Camacho and he has really come of age this year. This filly has scope and substance, and is a lovely mover. Nicola [Kent] is a very smart breeder and I know the family well, with Michael Bell having trained Pass The Peace (GB) (Alzao) to win the G1 Cheveley Park S.”

Bred by Nicola and Eleanor Kent out of their homebred Barathea (Ire) mare Pashmina (Ire), the late April-born is bred on the same cross as My Catch (Ire), a dual stakes winner at the Meydan Carnival. It’s a family that has served the Kents well, the yearling’s full-brother having sold for 68,000gns last year, from a €7,500 covering fee, while the second dam produced Group 3 winner Monsieur Joe (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) and Blenheim S. winner Monsieur Power (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), while the aforementioned Pass The Peace (GB) was bred by John Kent.

The Castlebridge Consignment topped the vendor table on Thursday, selling five lots for a total of €55,000, but Bill Dwan was not donning rose-tinted glasses on Thursday. “Trade has been very selective; strong at the top and unfortunately, very patchy underneath,” Dwan mused. “I think we’re producing too many horses, and we do not have new buyers to cater for them. There has certainly been less foreign trade than in previous years, with a definite decrease in Italian buyers this week, but I think the Scandinavian market is one this sale could be promoted to in the future. The arrival of Zhang Yuesheng was welcomed by all vendors today and we are very grateful for his continued support of the Irish sales.”

BBA Ireland was the biggest spender on Thursday, the arrival of Zhang Yuesheng of Yulong Investments a major factor in their €117,700 spend on 16 horses. The importance of the Italian market was evident in Alduino Botti’s second placing in the buyers’ table, his eight yearlings costing a total of €91,000, with the next largest spend coming in at €35,000. Bloodstock agent Tomas Janda was the only other buyer from outside of Ireland and England to feature in the top 10.

The Rogers family’s Airlie Stud was on a high last week with Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy)’s G1 Moyglare Stud S. victory, but were quickly brought back down to earth with the small matter of selling six yearlings at Tattersalls Ireland. Anthony Rogers echoed Bill Dwan’s sentiments on trade, adding that rising costs were also a cause for concern. “It is worrying that production costs continue to rise; I would estimate that they have risen by approximately 10% in the last three years, yet demand is falling. I think the best way to tackle overproduction is to limit stallion books. If each stallion could only cover a maximum of 125 mares, stallion farms would be forced to choose the better mares. I think this move would reward them in the future and reduce the numbers of poor stock.”

Not all was doom and gloom, though, as the terrific first season of No Nay Never helped Glenard Stables double the €15,000 foal price of their lot 641 offering, after their filly sold to Joe Foley for €30,000. Glenard Stables, which is run by Batt O’Connell in Ballynoe, County Cork, is better known in National Hunt circles, having sold the likes of Village Vic (Ire) (Old Vic {GB}), and while O’Connell also trains seven to eight point-to-pointers each year, he always pinhooks two foals each year with his brother-in-law, Paul Reed. “I was happy with the sale, especially given that a lot of people have lost a fortune this week. The sire made all the difference and she had been busy showing as a result,” commented O’Connell.

An encouraging side story to the difficult trade experienced at this year’s breeze-up sales, and for those out of luck at the current yearling sales, is the good fortune some experience with unsold consignments on the track. The resale market of horses in training is what Tony Mullins had in mind when spending €25,000 on lot 624, a son of Epaulette (Aus) out of a full-sister to dual stakes winner High Society (Ire) (Key Of Luck), herself the dam of the late Group 1 winning sprinter Society Rock (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}).

“I intend to buy half a dozen horses over the next few weeks, purely with the aim to resell,” said Mullins. “I sold Howling Ridge (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) recently and his selling price, along with that received by Emmett [Mullins, Tony’s nephew] with Ducketts Grove (Point Of Entry), gives you a good incentive to trade 2-year-olds off the track.”

Howling Ridge was sent to Mullins after he trained his half-sister, Punked (Ire), to win her maiden in the colours of breeder Danny Coogan, and was subsequently sold to e5 Racing. Punked (Ire) (So You Think {NZ}) had been led out unsold as a yearling at €10,000, while Emmet Mullins retained Ducketts Grove after he failed to reach a satisfactory price at the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale. His colt later caught the eye when winning his debut at Cork impressively and now runs in the colours of Hong Kong owner PK Siu, under the care of new trainer Ed Walker.

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