The 2017 renewal of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale on Tuesday and Wednesday will go down as the most successful running of the sale in its three decades of existence. Figures leaped in all categories, with the aggregate of €11,451,000 the highest ever recorded along with the best-ever average (€28,556, up 14% from last year) and median (€23,000, up 21%) figures for the two-day sale. The buyback rate was 10% for 401 sold from 448 offered.
Session totals on day two were positive as well: the buyback rate was down to 11.2% from 21.2% last year. The aggregate for 206 sold on the day was €5,826,500, while the average was up 19% to €28,284, and the median climbed 35% to €23,000.
In total, seven yearlings sold for six figures, with two breaking the €200,000 mark, including Tuesday's record-priced €230,000 colt.
Wednesday's top price of €160,000 was commanded by lot 385, a daughter of Society Rock (Ire) consigned by Tally-Ho Stud and purchased by Joe Foley, in his capacity as advisor to Steve Parkin of Clipper Logistics.
A crowd began to gather around the ring as the time came closer to her entrance, and they were not sheltering from the rain. Bids were not hard to elicit and soon it became a battle between Foley, standing beside agent Federico Barberini, and Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman who was taking instructions by phone as the atmosphere tensed. Eventually Coleman had to cry enough and Foley and Team Clipper Logistics won the day.
“She is an exquisite filly,” said Foley, the Ballyhane Stud manager. “We were very keen to get her. She is out of a tough racemare and her granddam was a tough, hardy horse too.”
The dam is Coolminx (Ire) (One Cool Cat), a five-time winner, while the second dam Greta D'Argent (Ire) (Great Commotion {GB}), won four times and was placed in six further starts. She is the dam of five winners from six runners and a half-sister to Listed Weatherbys Bank Further Flight S. winner Winged D'Argent.
Bred by Gaye and Derek Veitch at their Ringfort Stud farm in County Westmeath, the filly was purchased for just €14,500 by the O'Callaghans of Tally-Ho Stud, earning them a remarkable return on their investment. The sale was a fillip for Tattersalls Ireland's November Flat Foal and Breeding Stock Sale, where Tally-Ho purchased him at the sale's inaugural renewal.
Foley struck early for Clipper Logistics, buying the day's first big-priced lot, a colt by Footstepsinthesand (GB) consigned by Ashwood Stud, for €100,000. Lot 256 is a half-brother to three winners from five runners out of the unraced Pivotal (GB) mare Van de Cappelle, a half-sister to Wild Irish Rose (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was listed placed over the summer for Aidan O'Brien.
Their dam Sea Picture (Ire) (Royal Academy) comes from one of the most successful of the Ballymacoll Stud families as her dam is a half-sister to G1 Yorkshire Oaks winner Hellenic (GB) (Darshaan {GB}), the dam of G1 winners Islington (Ire), Greek Dance (Ire) and Mountain High (Ire).
“We liked this colt right from the start and we were determined not to lose him,” Foley remarked. “Two years ago we were underbidders here at €110,000 on Larchmont Lad (Ire) [also by Footstepsinthesand and a Group 3 winner] and we were not going to let this one get away.”
Tally-Ho Stud was involved in three of the day's four most expensive yearlings apart from the Footstepsinthesand colt. Late in proceedings a son of the farm's phenomenal sire Kodiac (GB) made a late splash, selling for €110,000 to trainer Ger Lyons.
Bred by James Hanly's renowned Ballyhimikin Stud, lot 464 is out of Greek Easter (Ire), successful four times on the track and the dam of two winners so far. She is a half-sister to Doc Holiday (Ire) (Dr Devious {Ire}), a Grade III winner in America and third in the G1 Middle Park S at Newmarket as a 2-year-old.
“I really like him, there is something different about him,” Lyons remarked of the second most expensive sale of the day. “Because of one or two things with others on the list, he ended up making his way to the top of the shortlist. I don't know which client he is for, I have one or two in mind for him, but the most important thing is we have him on the team.”
The best sale for any of the first crop sires represented on Wednesday was for Cheveley Park Stud's Garswood (GB). Lot 287 sold to agent Gill Richardson on behalf of trainer Johnny Murtagh for €100,000, he was another hugely successful pinhook for the team at Tally-Ho Stud, who purchased him as a foal for €38,000. It was also a milestone sale for his young sire as the colt became the highest-priced yearling sold so far by Garswood. An April-born colt, he is out of the winning Rahy mare Abandon, who is the dam of three winners from four runners. Abandon is a half-sister to Tawqeet (Kingmambo), victorious in Australia's G1 Caulfield Cup and G1 Metropolitan H., and their dam is out of G3 Prix Vanteaux winner Barger, a full-sister to champion Triptych.
A trio of fillies, all by different sires, changed hands for €80,000, with a daughter of Dark Angel (Ire) lot 270 first to reach that mark during a flurry of early activity in the morning. Consigned by Luke Barry's Manister House Stud, she is out of a winning full-sister to Rathasker Stud sire Bungle Inthejungle (GB) (Exceed And Excel), whose first crop are yearlings this year. G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen S. winner Muarrab (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is a half-brother to the pair, and their granddam is Crime Of Passion (GB), winner of the G3 Cherry Hinton S. The bay filly is a half-sister to two winners and was purchased by Peter and Ross Doyle.
Slade Power (Ire) put in a bold showing as a first-crop sire and he had the second-highest priced yearling by a member of that group on Tuesday. He was the sire of lot 345, who will be heading into training with Richard Fahey, who signed for her along with agent Aidan O'Ryan at €80,000.
Sold by the Castlebridge Consignment, she is a half-sister to Viren's Army (Ire) (Twirling Candy) whose four wins so far include the Listed Dee S. at Chester. In 2015 he topped this sale from the same consignor, when purchased for €115,000 by Peter and Ross Doyle.
“She is for a new owner in Richard's yard,” said O'Ryan. “We thought she was a lovely filly with a nice pedigree and by an exciting first-season sire.”
Her dam Blue Angel (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}) won twice and was placed twice at Group 3 level and is a half-sister to Empowering (Ire) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}), winner of the G3 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown. Their dam Blue Cloud (Ire) won the Listed Prix Imprudence at Maisons-Lafitte and was runner-up in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac at two. She is a half-sister to Bigstone (Ire), victorious four times in G1 contests including the Queen Elizabeth S. and Prix d'Ispahan.
The final filly to sell for €80,000 was lot 462, a speedily-bred daughter of Kodiac and the first foal out of Graphic Quest (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), twice a winner at two years of age. Graphic Quest is a half-sister to listed winner Fourpenny Lane (GB), who in turn is the dam of a listed winner named The Unicorn (Ind). Sold by Baroda and Colbinstown Studs, the filly also hails from the family of classy sprinter Medicean Man (GB) and Group 3 winner Abigail Pett (GB). Renowned consignor John Cullinane of Horse Park Stud was the buyer and she will be one for his breeze up stock in 2017.
“She comes from a fast family and looks like she is a fast filly so let's hope she is fast,” he smiled.
Bloodstock agent Tom Malone, better-known as the buyer of top-class National Hunt horses, has recently turned his attention to the flat too, and has been busy over the last couple of weeks at the sales. On Wednesday, he teamed up again with Megan Nicholls and the bloodstock agent and young flat jockey purchased the most expensive yearling of the sale from the first crop of War Command. The son of War Front won the G1 Dewhurst S. and G2 Coventry S. in the colours of Joseph Allen for trainer Aidan O'Brien and he stands at Coolmore. Nicholls and Malone paid €50,000 for lot 327, a filly out of Attracted To You (Ire) a winning daughter of Hurricane Run (Ger). Bred by the Morrin family of Pier House Stud, her sale capped a fantastic few days for them after the success of Capla Temptress (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in the G1 Natalma S. at Woodbine last weekend. This yearling is a half-sister to War Glory (Ire), a winning son of Canford Cliffs (Ire), and their dam is a three-parts sister to listed winner Super Mottiva (GB) (Motivator {GB}), and it is also the family of G1 National S. hero Heart Of Darkness (GB).
Tattersalls Ireland Managing Director Roger Casey said, “Strong, frenetic and vibrant are just some of the terms that begin to encapsulate the description of the trade witnessed here at Tattersalls Ireland over the last two days, and there has been an array of positives to acknowledge at what is the continuously progressive September Yearling Sale; the highest price for a yearling on record at Tattersalls Ireland of €230,000, major increases in the aggregate 12%, median 21% and average 14%, and an impressive clearance rate of 90%. This year's catalogue, despite a decrease in the number of lots, has produced the highest turnover on record and likewise the highest average and median on record. Results speak for themselves and up to last weekend, the September Yearling Sale was the only sale to have produced a Group 1 winning 2-year-old, in Prix Morny winner Unfortunately, not to mention the ever-increasing and unparalleled number of 2-year-olds winning on the track.”
“These winners have driven the continuous growth in standard and profile of this sale and it has now experienced a staggering eight years of consecutive growth reflecting its status as Europe's most progressive yearling Sale. There was a huge diversity of buyers at all levels and a stronger panel of UK and international buyers than ever before. Special thanks must go to our own industrious Tattersalls Ireland team and to the outstanding efforts of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing. It was also very encouraging to see graduates of our fledgling November Flat Foal and Breeding Stock Sale achieve such positive returns in the sales ring this week.”
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