By Brian Sheerin
Quality came to the fore on day one of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale when one of only two Sea The Stars (Ire) colts on offer this week went the way of agent Billy Jackson-Stops and trainer George Scott for €130,000.
The Castlebridge-consigned colt was one of five yearlings to break the six-figure mark on a day where an 86% [down 2% on 2023] clearance rate provided some encouragement to middle to lower tier operators.
However, many of the key metrics dipped further, most notably the 17% drop in the median to €25,000. Despite 24 more lots on offer for the corresponding day's trade, turnover also dropped by 4% while the average was down 8% to €29,906.
The sale of the Sea The Stars colt at €130,000 carried on from a familiar theme to the bloodstock market in recent times where the quality offerings are holding their own and Scott was in no doubt that lot 201 fitted that brief.
The handler has enjoyed a season to remember. From Royal Ascot success with Isle Of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) to German St Leger glory with the admirable six-year-old Prydwen (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), things couldn't be going better for the Newmarket handler. Numerically, Scott is closing in on his best ever tally, with the 35 winners posted this season just two shy of his best ever return.
Like Isle Of Jura, Prydwen and even G2 Champagne Stakes winner Bay City Roller (Ire) (New Bay {GB}), the Sea The Stars colt was bought alongside Jackson-Stops, with Scott revealing his high hopes for the new addition.
“He stood out here and was obviously brought here to stand out,” the trainer said. “Every time we went back to see him he just showed himself better and better. It's hard to buy the progeny of Sea The Stars and we're just so pleased to have bought this colt. He's for a new client who wanted to find a horse that could race at a high level and we think this is the right horse.”
Bred by the Tsui family's Sunderland Holding, the day one top lot hails from Archipenko mare Narrative (Ire), herself a half-sister to three black-type performers who reached ratings in excess of 100.
Keatley Makes Hay With €100k Starman Colt
Tally-Ho Stud newbie Starman (GB) built on what has been a strong start to the yearling sale season with 11 yearlings selling for an average of €39,545, headed by a €100,000 colt who was knocked down to in-form trainer Adrian Keatley.
Keatley, who already has 16 winners on the board in Britain, including a recent Group 3 success in the Sirenia Stakes with Kodiac (GB) colt Symbol Of Strength (Ire), is on fire this year.
Kodiac features prominently in the pedigree of lot 157, being the dam of Marriage Material (Ire), an unraced sister to Ardad (Ire), and Keatley revealed that he has high hopes for his new acquisition.
He said, “Trade was strong enough at Newmarket and in Doncaster and we didn't get many. This is a fine stamp of a horse and he's out of a Kodiac mare so should be all speed. We'll be hoping for big things from him. It's a cracking pedigree and, if the sire can do it, the rest will look after itself.”
He added, “We're looking forward to him and he's for existing owners in the yard. We're having a good year and are doing our best so hopefully we can keep doing it. There are plenty of nice horses at home in the yard and we're trying to add to the stock all the time.”
Along with Joey Logan, Keatley also added an Australia (Ire) colt (lot 154) from Brook Lodge Farm to his shopping cart at €85,000.
Viva Italia – Razza Latina Continues Tattersalls Ireland Love Affair
Italian buyers have played an important role in the success of this sale, most notably the exploits of Razza Latina, who teamed up with Fabrizio Cameli to purchase an Invincible Spirit (Ire) colt from the Irish National Stud for €110,000.
The fact that one of the most expensive lots sold on day one of the September Yearling Sale will be heading to Italy shows how far the relationship has come and Cameli, who owned the Endo Botti-trained Italian Derby winner Goldenas (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), is understood to be dreaming of repeat success.
“He is a very good model for a first foal. Everything is special and he is our pick of the sale-he stood out when we were viewing yesterday,” Cristiana Brivio, who buys under the banner of Razza Latina, said of lot 101. “I have been very lucky with the horses bought from this sale last year and this is a sale I particularly like to come to.”
Talking Points
Breeze-up handlers didn't take long to make their mark with Ryan Conran of Lacka House snapping up the second horse that went through the ring before Mark Grant landed lot seven. All told, there were well over 30 yearlings bought to go breezing next year.
One of the most unique pinhooking stories for some time met with a fitting result when Bartek Radzikowski, who told TDN Europe on the eve of the sale of how he prepped his Lucky Vega (Ire) colt (lot 206) back home in Poland, sold to Jason Kelly for €50,000. The colt was bought by the Polish native at Goffs last year for €30,000 and Tuesday's sale represented a shrewd piece of business for the man who has been on the shank showing his pride and joy as part of the Baroda Stud draft all week.
It was a big day for Lucky Vega. Early on Tuesday morning, a colt by the Irish National Stud-based stallion shaped well when winning a barrier trial in Australia and things got even in the ring as the day progressed. Along with Radzikowski's colt turning a nice profit, Mark Dreeling of Coole House Farm enjoyed a big result when his filly (lot 244) by the stallion sold to trainer Gemma Tutty on behalf of Kings Bloodstock for €80,000. That sale rounded off a hugely respectable €39,125 average for eight yearlings sold on the day.
Sarah Dempsey was another pinhooker to turn a nice profit, with her Sergei Prokofiev filly's share price [lot 196] rocketing from just €4,000 as a foal to €22,000 to Italian buyers Rolla Edwardo / Botti Stefano.
Pedigree updates don't come more timely than that of lot 231, Grangemore Stud's Shaman (Ire) colt whose half-sister Rebel Diamond (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) took the Listed Blenheim Stakes across the road at Fairyhouse less than 24 hours before the sale. Alex Elliott purchased the colt on behalf of owner Gary Gillies for €110,000 with the agent admitting that the pedigree update forced him to stretch the budget. “The update killed us a little bit,” Elliott admitted. “We were hoping to pay a bit less! He was on our radar very early yesterday as he is out of a Teofilo (Ire) mare and they are like gold dust. It is great for Barry as the first foal out of the mare is now a Listed winner. The stallion is a bit slow getting there, but they are getting there now and he had the favourite for the Mill Reef Stakes [Brian (Ire)]. This horse has size, scope, strength, great action, comes from a very good home and a great touch for them–but they kind of deserved a good touch with everything lining up. This is the only horse I have bid on all day and I am delighted to get him.”
Golden Touch
Luke Bleahen proved himself a chip off the block when turning €10,000 into €75,000 with his Hello Youmzain (Fr) colt. The Bleahen family are renowned for unearthing top-notch National Hunt horses and the 24-year-old showed that the same modus operandi can be replicated on the Flat when his French recruit sold to Cormac Farrell.
Indeed, the transaction represented some repeat business between Farrell and the Bleahens, as the Kildare-based operator sourced one of the most exciting National Hunt prospects in training Dancing City from the family some years ago before selling to Willie Mullins after the chestnut won his point-to-point.
Farrell has already had some joy at the breeze-up sales with Hello Youmzain, the sire of recent Group 3 winner Electrolyte (Ire), and his latest acquisition is set to chart a similar path.
“The plan is to see how he develops over the next three months and perhaps go to breeze in France next spring to take advantage of the premiums,” Farrell said. “I think he is going to take a bit of time, but I like the horse. I bought some very nice horses from the Bleahens before so hopefully this horse will be lucky as well.”
Farrell added, “I had a very nice colt by Hello Youmzain [who sold for 200,000gns at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale]. I think the stallion is very good so it all made sense. We will find out next spring whether this was a good bit of business or not.”
Young Bleahen went on to sell a colt by first-season sire Victor Ludorum to Spanish buyer Mediteraneo for €31,000. Lot 29 had initially been sourced for €10,000 at the same Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale as the Hello Youmzain colt and capped a memorable afternoon for the pinhooker.
He commented, “I am over the moon–it is the stuff that dreams are made of. Cormac Farrell also bought Dancing City from us so it is great to get the repeat business. We have been very lucky with Hello Youmzain because in the last fortnight alone he has had two Group 3 winners and is the leading first-season sire in Europe and has a 39 per cent strike-rate.”
He added: “The Victor Ludorum [Lot 29] is going to Spain, so it just shows the strength of the buying bench and the great work that Tatts have been doing. We have been flat out since we got here and had 79 shows here on Sunday and 80 yesterday; there was a great buzz but the place. I found having the premiums for these two horses a huge draw for a lot of buyers. It is a very attractive addition to the international and European buyers here.”
Buy of the Day
Few horses generated as much debate prior to the sale than lot 103, a Golden Horn (GB) colt who was knocked down to dual-purpose trainer Richard O'Brien through budding agent David Skelly at 30,000gns. In a sale that is usually dominated by breeze-up and foreign buyers, who tend to value precocity above all else, O'Brien and Skelly may have sniffed out a bit of value with the Golden Horn colt. For starters, the stallion has to go down as one of the most underrated at stud, with talented stayers Trawlerman (GB), Gregory (GB) and Caius Chorister (GB) continuing to fly the flag at a high level for Golden Horn this season. Lot 103 has good action, enough size and looks a nice prospect for his new connections.
Thought for the Day
The sales are never boring when Alistair Pim is on the rostrum. Pim rarely disappoints and, when Jamie Insole landed lot 224 for the good doctor [Richard Newland], he came out with another great line. “Jamie Insole,” the auctioneer announced, before qualifying it with “like the shoe!”
Pinhooking Fortunes On Tuesday
Of the 277 horses catalogued during Tuesday's session, 97 were pinhooks, and after eight withdrawals, 89 horses passed through the ring. A total of 25 did not meet their reserves and were buy-backs, leaving 64 yearlings marked as sold. Of the latter group, 32 made a profit, one yearling broke even, and 31 lots lost money.
We have multiplied the price of the foal by 1.1 and added a running cost of €12,000 for keep, feed, veterinary, shoeing, sales prep and sales entry fees. Depending on whether someone has their own farm, or where they choose to board a horse, will obviously mean that costs for each individual can vary significantly.
And it is worth noting that sometimes a horse can appear to be bought and sold by different names but have actually not changed ownership at all.
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