Freshman Sires In Demand At Tattersalls

NEWMARKET, UK—The opening session of the four-day Tattersalls December Foal Sale proved to be something of a showcase for first-season sires with six of the ten top-priced weanlings of the day being the offspring of newcomers to the sales ring.

A market which can be harshly unforgiving of stallions who have had only one crop of runners can be equally welcoming of those yet to have any perceived blemish on their stud careers.

One stallion who will not be struggling for mares in 2020 is Darley's Night Of Thunder (Ire), the leading first-season sire with runners this year who provided the leading filly of the day (366), bought by pinhooker Jamie Railton at 65,000gns. The chesnut filly was consigned by Genesis Green Stud for breeder Cranford Bloodstock and is out of Harlequin Girl (GB) (Where Or When {Ire}), a half-sister to G2 Gimcrack S. winner Blaine (GB) (Avonbridge {GB}).

Bringing the same price and heading the colts' division was lot 326, from the first crop of El Kabeir, Yeomanstown Stud's 7-year-old son of Scat Daddy. From a fast family which includes champion sprinter Dream Ahead and Group 1-winning filly Fairyland (Ire), the colt from the draft of Ballyreddin & Kellsgrange Studs caught the eye of another pinhooker, Philipp Stauffenberg, who said, “He was a standout for me today. I tried on one by the sire last week [at Goffs] but didn't get him so I am pleased to have bought this colt. I've been lucky buying on the first day in the past.”

Scarlett Knipe routinely brings a unique mixed draft of Flat and National Hunt foals to the December Sale under the Cobhall Court Stud banner, which provided one of the highlights of Wednesday's session with a colt by Territories (Ire) (lot 463). Bred by Ciaran Paterson, the son of the winning New Approach (Ire) mare Never Change (Ire) brought a final bid of 62,000gns from Mick Fitzpatrick.

Knipe said, “Ciaran is our vet and he was too busy to get here today. He knows the price though. We bought the mare carrying this colt and she was value for money as she only cost 11,000gns at the July Sale. This is a lovely colt with a big walk.”

Along with foals by young Flat sires Adaay (Ire), Ardad (Ire), Twilight Son (GB) and Profitable (Ire), the Cobhall Court consignment also contains two colts by Britain's leading jumps sire Kayf Tara (GB) and another by Kapgarde (Fr).

Kodiac (GB) provided another of the day's bestsellers (398) in the half-sister to the G2 Queen Mary S.-placed Newsletter (Ire) (Sir Percy {GB}), sold by breeder Castledillon Stud to Hugo Merry for 62,000gns. One of Kodiac's young sire sons, Ardad (Ire), was also the fore with a filly consigned by Simon Sweeting's Overbury Stud, where the G2 Flying Childers winner stands.

Lot 316, a daughter of the 103-rated Lastuce (Fr) (Orpen), was bred by Jocelyn Targett, who said after she sold to Stuart Boman for 52,000gns, “She's her father's daughter and that's what people are trying to breed—a good-walking, butty, speedy-looking horse.

“I bought Lastuce here and she had won seven races in France when trained by Jean-Claude Rouget. She was highly-rated but had never won any black type. Chris Wall then trained her for me and she was third in the Kilvington Fillies' Stakes.”

Targett has retained the mare's first foal, the 2-year-old Didot (Fr) (New Approach {Ire}), who is in training in France with Jerome Reynier.

He added, “Then the mare went to Ardad and this filly is just like he was: she has a great walk, hip and shoulder and she has a great attitude. All the way along she has been completely straightforward. She was an obvious foal to bring here, by a first-season sire, and Simon's team has done a tremendous job prepping her. She looked in the pink.”

A bold black-type update was just the ticket for lot 378, the Hunscote Stud-bred son of Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) sold on the breeder's behalf by Furnace Mill Stud. Only last week his juvenile brother Milltown Star (GB) (Roderic O'Connor {Ire}) put up a determined effort in the Chantilly mud to win the listed Prix Herod in the Hunscote colours for Mick Channon. That win helped the weanling to sell for 52,000gns to Sean Ronan of Orchardstown Stud, who said, “”He is by Holy Roman Emperor, a great sire, and then the plan is for him to come back here [as a yearling]. The update has been a great help.”

Among the freshmen with notable first-day results was the National Stud duo of Time Test (GB) and Aclaim (Ire). The former had six foals sell for an average of 24,333gns and at the head of the group was lot 346, sold for 48,000gns to Howson & Houldsworth Bloodstock on behalf of Horse Kingdom. A half-brother to the six-time winner Sheisdiesel (GB) (Harbour Watch {GB}), the colt is from the further family of recent Breeders' Cup winner Belvoir Bay (GB) (Equiano {Fr}). His dam Rockme Cockney (GB) (Cockney Rebel {Ire}) has produced three fillies to date and both her runners are winners.

“We bought the dam here carrying Sheisdiesel,” said breeder Sarah Jane Barker of Yorkshire-based Tibthorpe Stud. “We decided on Time Test because we wanted to use a sire with a bit of scope and he has such a wonderful Juddmonte pedigree. We have been waiting for a colt to come along.”

Of the Aclaim foals, lot 240 was the early sale leader when sold for 40,000gns to Ciaran 'Flash' Conroy of Glenvale Stud. The son of dual winner Movementneverlies (GB) (Medicean {GB}) was bred by Kelly Thomas of Maywood Stud in Wales.

She said, “We bred the dam, sold her as a foal and then bought her back out of training. She is straightforward and has been producing well. We sold her first foal by Bated Breath (GB) for 34,000gns to Oaks Farm Stables and he then sold as a yearling for £60,000 to Charlie Hills.”

Thomas added, “We decided on Aclaim as we are commercial breeders and we invest heavily in first-season sires. We like to sell as foals, we have lots of grass but we are not really set up for yearlings.”

Figures for the first day of foals were largely on a par with last year though a notable improvement was the clearance rate of 68%, up from 61%. Turnover for 168 horses sold was 1,695,300gns (+5%), the average was 10,091gns (-4%) and the median was 5,000gns (-17%).