The SGA's single-session Select Yearling Sale was the subject of vibrant trade at the sales grounds adjacent to San Siro Racecourse on Saturday. Despite a trim in catalogue size from 168 last year to 127, the aggregate rose 60.3% to €2,423,000. The jumps in average and median were similarly impressive, rising 76% to €29,193 and 100% to €18,000, respectively. The clearance rate, just 60.6% in 2018, finished off at 74.7% on Saturday.
Last year's top price of €90,000 was eclipsed four times on Saturday, with Allevamento Le Gi's Sea The Stars (Ire) filly out of Snowfield (Tale of the Cat) taking top honors at €150,000 when bought by trainer Bruno Grizzetti. The bay (lot 76) is a half-sister to Italian group race winners Voice Of Love (Ire) (Poet's Voice {GB}) and Time Chant (GB) (War Chant), as well as the listed-placed Field of Roses (Ire) (Epaulette {Aus}). Grizzetti was the sale's leading buyer with an aggregate of €390,000, and his other purchases included colts by Toronado (Ire) and Vadamos (Fr) for €55,000 and €52,000, respectively.
Prominent owner Scuderia Effevi took home the sale's top-priced colt, a son of Australia (GB) consigned by Razza del Velino and bought for €130,000. Lot 44 is out of Mooney Ridge (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), a winning daughter of Holy Moon (Ire), Italy's broodmare extraordinaire as the dam of G1 Premio Lydia Tesio winners Charity Line (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) and Final Score (Ire); G1 Irish Oaks winner Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), G2 Oaks d'Italia winner Cherry Collect (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}) and Group 3 winner Wordless (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}). Mooney Ridge is already a stakes producer herself, having thrown the 2016 G3 St Leger Italiano third Troublemaker (Ity) (Vita Rosa {Jpn}).
Effevi's Felice Villa raced Cherry Collect, Final Score and Charity Line himself, and later sold all three as broodmares to the Yoshida family (the former two to Katsumi Yoshida and Charity Line to Teruya Yoshida). While the Yoshidas themselves were not on the SGA buyers' sheet, there was Japanese interest from Big Red Farm, which scooped up a Danon Ballade (Jpn) colt (lot 3) for €120,000.
Antonio Somma of Scuderia Bivans is a well-known owner of Standardbreds, but on Saturday he made a foray into the Thoroughbred market with the purchase of lot 98, an Acclamation half-sister to G3 Premio Guido Berardelli winner Atom Hearth Mother (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), for €116,000. The filly is also from the family of Godolphin's top stayer Opinion Poll (Ire) (Halling).
Longtime successful Italian owner Diego Romeo was also in action through his Scuderia Incolinx, and he secured a Kodiac (GB) half-sister to Italian stakes winners Candy Store (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and The Conqueror (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}) (lot 36) for €90,000.
The action moves next door to San Siro Racecourse on Sunday, with a card featuring three group races headed by the G2 Premio Federico Tesio.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
