Tattersalls Ireland's 2020 slate of flat sales comes to a belated close on Wednesday when the firm stages its November Flat Foal and Breeding Stock Sale, this year enhanced by a 109-strong yearling section. The sale was originally slated to be held on Nov. 13, but–like the company's November National Hunt Sale over the weekend–was moved when Ireland went back into stage five lockdown last month.
The sale ring at Fairyhouse has now swung back into action, however, and this sale rides the momentum of a fruitful season on the racetrack for its graduates. Those are headlined by the G1 Matron S. victress Champers Elysees (GB) (Elzaam {Aus}), who was bought here back in 2017 as a foal by Aughamore Stud for €12,500. She went on to be pinhooked for €28,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale when bought by her trainer Johnny Murtagh, and she doubtless made many multiples of that when sold privately to Teruya Yoshida following her top-level victory on Irish Champions Weekend.
The Tattersalls Ireland Flat Foal and Breeding Stock Sale flag was flown in the 2-year-old division this season by group winners The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}) and Steel Bull (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}). The Lir Jet was sold by breeder Donal Boylan for €9,500 at this sale to Joe Foley, who stands his first-crop sire at Ballyhane Stud. Foley moved The Lir Jet on to Robson Aguiar for £8,000 at last summer's Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, and like Champers Elysees, The Lir Jet was then the subject of two private transactions: one to Nick Bell when the breeze-ups were postponed, and one to Qatar Racing after he broke the track record at Yarmouth on debut. He went on to win Royal Ascot's G2 Norfolk S.
The G3 Molecomb S. winner Steel Bull has likewise lined numerous pockets. Madeline Burns signed for him at €5,000 at this sale, and he made £15,000 as a Tattersalls Ascot yearling when bought by Kilbrew Stables. Trainer Michael O'Callaghan picked him up for £28,000 at the Goffs UK breeze-up sale on July 1, and sold him on to Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez after his Molecomb win.
These three graduates alone prove the importance of shopping at all levels of the catalogue; last year's sale returned a top price of €50,000, an average of €6,442 and a median of €3,000. The addition of the yearling section means that this year's catalogue is up significantly in size, with 190 catalogued including wildcards. Among the proven sires represented are Australia (GB), who has a yearling half-sister to the listed-placed Venturous Spirit (Fr) catalogued (lot 968); Dandy Man (Ire), with a yearling half-brother to three winners from Ballintry Stud (lot 954); Dark Angel (Ire), who has a colt foal who is the first produce for the New Approach (Ire) mare Quite Sharp (GB), a three-quarter sister to listed winner Galactic Star (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 1023); Footstepsinthesand (GB), who has a yearling colt who is the first foal out of the six-time winner Refuse Colette (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}) (lot 940); Kodiac (GB), whose two yearlings include a filly who is the second foal out of a half-sister to champion Snow Fairy (Ire) (Intikhab) (lot 955A); Mehmas (Ire), who has six yearlings and one foal catalogued, including a yearling colt who is the first foal out of a placed half-sister to multiple Grade II winner and Grade I-placed Beau Recall (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) (lot 980); and No Nay Never, whose one yearling on offer is a half-sister to the G2 Kilboy Estate S. third Annie Fior (Ire) (Finsceal Fior {Ire}) (lot 975).
Other proven sires represented include exciting up-and-comers like Belardo (Ire), New Bay (GB) and Pride Of Dubai (Aus), as well as elder statesmen like Camacho (GB), Elzaam, Tamayuz (GB) and Zoffany (Ire).
The Tattersalls Ireland November Flat Foal and Breeding Stock Sale offers the final chance to purchase at public auction members of the first crops of some of this year's first-season sires. Those with representatives from their first crops include Aclaim (Ire), Caravaggio (Ire), Cotai Glory (GB), Decorated Knight (GB)-his two include a half-sister to the seven-time winner and G3 Acomb S. second Fort Bastion (Ire) (lot 1005)-El Kabeir, Galileo Gold (GB), Highland Reel (Ire), Kessaar (Ire) and Time Test (GB).
There are also a handful of sires in the foal section represented by their first crop, including Scat Daddy sons Sioux Nation and Smooth Daddy. The G2 Norfolk S. and G1 Phoenix S. winner Sioux Nation was the subject of positive press at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale when he produced the session-topping 88,000gns colt on the fourth day of the sale, and his lone colt here (lot 1052) is the third foal out of Dorothy Parker (Ire) (Mujadil), whose 3-year-old The Nosey Parker (Ire) (Dream Ahead) has won twice since the catalogue was published. Smooth Daddy has four first-crop foals catalogued, while the G2 Mill Reef S. and G3 Greenham S. winner James Garfield (Ire) has one, a filly from the immediate family of this year's G2 Champagne S. winner Chindit (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) (lot 1032).
The 26 filles or mares catalogued include lot 1068, an unnamed 2-year-old filly from the immediate family of this year's G2 Lowther S. winner Miss Amulet (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}); Winning Return (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), a granddaughter of the great producer Park Appeal (GB); and Tip Of The City (GB), the dam of the aforementioned James Garfield filly who is back in foal to that sire. Catalogued as lot 1074A, she is a half-sister to the dam of Chindit and from the family of Derby winner and sire Motivator (GB).
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