Who is Lucky Vega? From Monday to Friday, he bases himself at the Irish National Stud, having retired there off the back of a successful career on the track where he won a Group 1 for trainer Jessica Harrington. A quick scan through the results at any of the big sales either side of the [...]

With the foal sales at Goffs and Tattersalls confined to the rear view mirror, perhaps now is the time to get a good gauge on the young sires coming through.  Bragging rights belong to St Mark's Basilica (Fr), who topped the December Foal Sale at Tattersalls when a filly by the multiple Group 1-winning stallion [...]

Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony acknowledged the weakness of the lower end of the market as the Tattersalls December Foal Sale concluded on Saturday with a 125,000gns Showcasing (GB) filly leading the way.  Almost 30 million gns was spent on foals this week at Tattersalls while Friday saw the most expensive foal sold so far this [...]

Friday marked a breakout result for five-time Group 1-winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) as a filly by Coolmore's freshman sire out of the Oaks winner Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) topped the December Foal Sale at Tattersalls on 575,000gns. The aggregate fell 11% compared to this day 12 months ago to 17,943,000gns while the clearance [...]

Hanshen Tham has become one of the most recognisable faces on the bloodstock circuit in Britain and Ireland but that's not to say that many people know a lot about the owner-breeder and pinhooker. Instead, Tham prefers to go about his business quietly.  This year was a big one for the 34-year-old. His family enjoyed [...]

There was a familiar theme to develop at Park Paddocks on Wednesday as, for the second time in the space of 24 hours, the progeny of Havana Grey (GB) dominated at the December Foal Sale with a colt by the Whitsbury Manor Stud-based stallion fetching 250,000gns to unknown entity Rumstar Bloodstock.  A brother to G3 [...]

The Havana Grey-vy train is showing no signs of stopping as foals by the sire sensation proved all the rage on the opening day of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale on Tuesday where some of the key figures took a hit compared to 12 months ago. Hazelwood Bloodstock's Adrian O'Brien signed for two colts by [...]

Coolmore Stud spent €19m and equalled its own record set for the highest price paid at public auction in Ireland 10 years ago for Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) by flexing its buying power to secure half-sisters Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) and Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) for €6m apiece from the Niarchos [...]

Pa Doyle of Galbertstown Stables labelled the pinhookers who were out in force at the Goffs November Foal Sale “as brave as lions” with the popular consignor capping off a memorable week by topping the Thursday session with a €90,000 Phoenix Of Spain (Ire) colt.  The Thursday sale-topper was bred by Tony Cosgrave, who Doyle [...]

Billed as the star attraction of the Goffs November Foal Sale, the brother to Ghaiyyath (Ire) did not disappoint when selling to powerhouse owner Zhang Yuesheng under the banner of Lucky Vega for €700,000. Bred and consigned by legendary trainer Dermot Weld's farm Springbank Way Stud, the Dubawi (Ire) colt (lot 767) boasts one of [...]

Goffs has been a lucky place for the Finegan family of Milltown House Stud given they sold a foal at this complex for €250,000 in 2018 and the County Meath outfit reached similarly dizzying heights on Tuesday when a Ghaiyyath (Ire) colt fetched €200,000 to Tally-Ho Stud.  The buyer in this story came in for [...]

It was a day for the young guns at the opening session of the Goffs November Foal Sale on Monday with a colt by Earthlight (Ire) sharing top lot status with a filly by the already proven Mehmas (Ire) at €80,000.  The progeny of the Irish National Stud-based Lucky Vega (Ire) also played a leading [...]