Uphill Start to December Foal Sale

Things will doubtless get better—and just as well. Certainly the opening day of the December Foal Sale at Tattersalls did not unfold in a fashion likely to gladden many hearts. The ageing year was in a grasping mood, meanly rationing the daylight in quality and quantity alike; and entry into the brightly lit ring could not relieve many weanlings of a melancholy air, as the auctioneer implored bidders to stir from their apathy.

If that felt poignant, given the charming and vulnerable aspect of animals only now entering their first winter, it was not terribly surprising. This is always a low-key session, after all. And the fragile nature of the present market, exposed to improvident support of unproven sires by plain-bred mares, is by now as familiar as it is inevitable—not least to those who had proceeded here from a fitful sale at Goffs last week.

All bull runs, such as the one sustained by the elite yearling market in recent years, tend to contain the seeds of their own demise by stimulating oversupply. True, this catalogue has been kept to a very similar size, compared with last year. But that cannot reflect very promisingly on those it could not accommodate, or the median quality in those members of this crop bred in the hope of making the fastest possible buck.

One way or another, it was certainly dispiriting to see one foal after another either unsold or discarded for a fraction of the covering fee that brought him or her into the world.

The sluggish trade brought a slump in year-on-year indices for the session. From a virtually identical offering, only 154 lots sold out of 254 offered for an aggregate of 1,614,850gns—down 44% from the 2,889,500gns realised on the opening day in 2017 from 191 sales (of 252 offered). That produced corresponding drops in median and average, to 6,000gns and 10,486gns from 10,000gns and 15,128gns, respectively. The clearance rate subsided from 76% to 61%.

No Stopping Never

Even so becalmed a session, however, could not resist the swelling tide behind No Nay Never. His flying start on the track, as Europe's premier new sire by virtually all measures, drove strong demand for the Coolmore sire at the yearling sales—and a giddy fee increase to six figures for 2019. That enabled Justin Casse, after signing an 80,000gns docket for lot 403, to remark,  “I still paid less than what the stud fee is!”

The American agent was unsurprisingly attuned to No Nay Never's eligibility as an heir to his lamented sire Scat Daddy.

“She'll go to America, to race,” Casse explained of a filly consigned by Voute Sales. “Obviously she's by the sire of the moment, and I've already bought four of them, all but one to re-sell. With the Scat Daddy factor, No Nay Never needs no explanation over there. But it's easier for an owner to buy a foal, to race, provided he's willing to show enough patience. And, while it's a bit of the way down the page, it's one of the all-time female families.”

That's because the second dam is a Zafonic half-sister to none other than the great miler Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa), with her various stakes-winning relatives. That should guarantee a residual value to this daughter of Velvet Moon (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), who had been disappointing in a light career at Ballydoyle.

New Dawn for Adaay

The foal sales, of course, represent the first market test of the latest intake of sires. And Adaay (Ire) boosted his commercial credentials—relative to a £5,000 cover—when his brisk-looking son, lot 298, reaped a handsome dividend for Overbury Stud at 55,000gns. He was purchased by breeze-up specialist John Cullinan, who recalled the sire making his first splash at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale here in 2014, before proceeding to dual Group 2 success.

“I wasn't particularly looking for first-season sires, but I did like this one and a couple of other Adaays today and tomorrow,” Cullinan said. “They seem to be racy, athletic types and Whitbsury Manor are on a roll with Showcasing (GB), so hopefully he can be the next one. He has to have a chance: son of Kodiac (GB), a good runner, a good breezer. This is a very nice individual and the mare has already produced a proper horse.”

The mare in question is the Grade II-placed Lamentation (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), whose 3-year-old son Elegiac (GB) (Farhh {GB}) has worked his way up to a mark of 104 in a productive campaign for Mark Johnston. The third dam is 1000 Guineas third Crystal Gazing (El Gran Senor).

Adaay had a busy day, moving on 11 out of 16 lots at a solid average—for those that did sell—of 22,364gns.

Other newcomers to go well included Twilight Son (GB), whose top price reflected the faith of the farm that stands him, Chris Richardson of Cheveley Park signing for lot 401 at 37,000gns; as well as for lot 281 at 30,000gns. In all Twilight Son shifted eight of 11 lots offered, at an average of 21,688gns.

And The Last Lion (Ire) raised 40,000gns from Littleton Stud for lot 407, a colt from the family of Inchinor (GB), Poet's Word (Ire) and company.

Better Late Than Never

Adaay's home farm, as John Cullinan noted, has been making hay with Showcasing—whose fee for 2019 duly surpasses even one of the day's higher prices, the 40,000gns given by James Fleming of Awbeg Stud just before the close of proceedings for lot 475, a filly by the sire of Advertise (GB) presented by Natton House Thoroughbreds.

“She's a lovely, sweet filly, with a really good walk,” Fleming said. “She'd be for re-sale, hopefully here in Book 2. We did well with a Showcasing filly pinhooked from this sale last year, getting up to 65,000gns from 26,000gns. She is a May foal, but the sire is what he is.”

As he spoke the embers of the session were stoked up by its highest opening bid, one of 20,000gns for lot 477, a son of Kodi Bear (Ire)—a reminder that Adaay is not the only new son of Kodiac in town. The colt, offered by McCraken Farms, was ultimately secured for twice that sum by Matt Houldsworth, acting for a syndicate put together with Geoffrey Howson.

“I've seen a few Kodi Bears and a couple that were nice, particularly one at Goffs last week,” he said. “To us he was the real standout today, a quality horse from a good farm. He looks a real horse for Doncaster next year, a real early 2-year-old type.”

An Authorized Diamond

The first animal to stoke a bit of life into the sale had been lot 254, a February colt by Authorized (Ire)—the only representative in the catalogue for the Haras Du Logis sire, and bred at Blue Diamond Stud by the men whose silks he carried to win the 2007 Derby, Saleh Al Homaizi and Imad Al Sagar.

“He'll come back here next year, when I suspect Book 2 will be the aim,” said Troy Steve after signing a 43,000gns docket. “My client is a big fan of the sire, having done quite well with one this year, and this is a lovely colt. He has size and scope and looks a straightforward type, so fingers crossed the sire can be rolling next year before we come back.”

The colt, offered through Jamie Railton, is the second foal of a winning half-sister to the stakes-winning sprinter Justineo (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}).

The sale resumes on Thursday at 10 a.m. local time.