By Daithi Harvey
Eight years of sustained growth in the key metrics was interrupted at last year's Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, but with trade at the mid to high end ticking along nicely so far this European sales season, the powers that be at Tattersalls Ireland are hopeful that the graph can be recalibrated upwards after this week's edition. The two day sale will be followed by the single session September Yearling Sale Part II on Thursday.
Last year 411 of the 526 offered yearlings grossed €10,488,000 at an average of €25,518 and a median of €20,000. The 2018 clearance rate fell to 78% from 89% the year before and in an effort to arrest that decline this year's catalogue has been compressed to 480 lots, a similar number to 2017.
“We deliberately tightened up our numbers after last year and as a consequence we have seen a very positive response to the catalogue,” said Tattersalls Ireland Chief Executive Officer Matt Mitchell. “We are encouraged by trade at the yearling sales so far this autumn and the recently announced Ballyhane Stud sponsored median auction series will provide another incentive for trainers to buy on spec or for new owners to get involved. Also, we are hoping for increased activity from buyers from continental Europe while there will also be a Chinese presence at the sale.”
Some of the likelier types on paper could include lot 97, a colt by Awtaad (Ire) from Ballyhane Stud out of French stakes winner Ziria (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). The mare has produced six winners from nine runners with four of those winning at stakes level. Michael Tallon offers a draft of four yearlings and the most interesting from a pedigree perspective is lot 145. The colt by Mukhadram (GB) is a half-brother to Foxtrot Liv (GB) (Foxwedge {Aus}), who finished third in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas earlier this year and could prove a nice pinhook having been bought by Tallon last year at Tattersalls Ireland for €13,000.
Lot 191 from Yeomanstown Stud is a filly by one of the O'Callaghans' resident stallions Camacho (GB) out of the Scandinavian stakes winner Cover Girl (Ire) (Common Grounds). The dam-line is replete with black-type horses such as G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. winner Sudirman (Henrythenavigator), while Castle Hill Cassie (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) is the latest stakes winner to bolster the pedigree.
Bill Dwan's Castlebridge Consignment sold the second-highest priced horse last year and among his large draft of 33 yearlings are some potential stand-out horses. Lot 202 is a Dawn Approach (Ire) half-brother to G3 Ballysax S. winner Puncher Clynch (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), while lot 369 is the only yearling by Kingman (GB) in the sale. The colt is out of stakes winner Mary Boleyn (Ire) (King's Best), who has already produced a stakes performer in Clotilde (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and whose 2-year-old What An Angel (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was runner up in a maiden at Ascot earlier this month for Richard Hannon.
Another elite sire with single representation in the sale is Sea The Stars (Ire). The Cosgrove family's Kilcarn Park Stud offer a daughter of the brilliant Gilltown stallion as lot 297. The filly is the first foal out of the dual winner Holy Spring (Ire), who was placed in listed races in both Germany and Italy.
One certainly bred for speed is lot 213 from Lodge Park Stud. The colt by Muhaarar (GB) is a half-brother to five-time Group 1-winning sprinter Sole Power (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}). The globetrotter's former trainer Eddie Lynam has enjoyed great success from this sale having purchased the catalogue's cover girl Soffia (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}} for €52,000 in 2016. That filly's subsequent exploits should guarantee the trainer's presence on the sales grounds this week. Michael Ryan of Al Eile Stud enjoyed some good days on the track with Duchess Andorra (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), and Ryan offers the first foal out of his G3 Denny Cordell-Lavarack S. winner. lot 226 is a colt by Dark Angel (Ire) and the grand-son of champion 2-year-old Pass The Peace (GB) (Alzao) should be popular.
Connections of lot 372, a filly by first crop stallion Harzand (Ire) out of Mean Lae (Ire) (Johannesburg), could be set for a bittersweet sale. Having purchased the mare Mean Lae privately for small money just before her daughter Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) won the G1 Irish Tattersalls 1000 Guineas in 2016, they then lost the mare last year. However, they received some significant consolation recently when two horses out of Mean Lae that they have in training with Gerry Keane both won. Mean Fomhair (Ire), a full-sister to Jet Setting, got an important winning bracket when scoring for the first time at Roscommon earlier this month while a more significant update arrived last week when the mare's juvenile colt Eloy D'amerval (Ire) (Capella Sansevero {GB}) made a smart winning debut at Naas.
Speaking in between inspections on Monday the yearling's owner and breeder Brian Duffy said, “She is a nice filly and she is now a half-sister to three winners instead of one as it states in the catalogue. She is a big rangy filly, quite like the sire Harzand, and she has a great attitude to everything. Unfortunately we lost the mare last year due to colic when this filly was three months old. I suppose we were very lucky to have bought the mare in the first place, just before Jet Setting came out and won the Guineas. Thankfully we kept Mean Fomhair to keep the family going in the future and she won nicely last month. We might race her on next season. Eloy d'Amerval looks fairly smart too so there is plenty happening in the family.”
Another yearling to benefit from a significant recent update is lot 51, a filly by Ivawood (Ire) from Mount Pleasant Farm. The filly's half-sister Encapsulation (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) landed the Listed Doonside Cup at Ayr last Friday for trainer Andrew Balding, who is a good supporter of this sale. Richard Hannon introduced a useful-looking filly at Newbury also last Friday when Theotherside (Ire) Dandy Man {Ire}) made a successful debut in a 2-year-old maiden and her half-sister will be offered by Tradewinds Stud as lot 408. The Dragon Pulse (Ire) filly is out of the stakes placed four-time winner New Magic (Ire) (Statue Of Liberty), who has now bred two winners from two runners of racing age.
The sale will commence at 10 a.m. on each day with all lots eligible to run in the €300,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales S. at The Curragh next September.
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