MEON Valley Stud, in the ownership of Mark Weinfeld, has for many years been one of the stalwarts of the Tattersalls sale ring and they regularly feature among the leading vendor lists at the yearling sales. This year was no different and they stole the headlines on the opening day of Book 1, securing 2,600,000gns from Roger Varian for one of the earliest lots in the sale.

Lot 13 was a son of Dubawi and the Irish and French Group 1 winner Izzi Top. From one of the best Meon Valley families, the colt’s first three dams – Zee Zee Top and Colorspin being the others – are all Group 1 winners, with the last named being the dam of Kayf Tara and Opera House, and grandam of Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Necklace.

Varian had to see off a stern challenge from Godolphin to claim ownership of the colt, with John Gosden, Anthony Stroud and David Loder having to give best in this instance. Sheikh Mohammed was also present for the sale.

“He has been bought for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, owner of Dubawi and a keen supporter of the sire’s stock,” said Varian. “There are some very nice Dubawis here and this horse is very nice, a strong horse and a stand-out so early in the sale. He looks as though he will carry a bit of speed.”

Last year Meon Valley Stud sold a Dubawi colt out of Zee Zee Top for 2,600,000gns. Named Emaraaty and in training with John Gosden for Sheikh Hamdan, the colt is set to run in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes after impressing in his maiden win.

Fourteen yearlings sold for 500,000gns or more on the opening day and were offered by 13 different consignors. The top-price at the opening session was threatened towards the end of the day when SackvilleDonald’s Alastair Donald finally won the bidding duel at 2,500,000gns for a Frankel half-sister to the 2013 Oaks winner Talent, herself a daughter of another of Galileo’s sons in New Approach. Donald would not name his client, except to say that the filly, along with a number of others purchased, would remain in England.

The filly was the only yearling in the sale from John Troy, acting as agent for the breeders Mark Dixon and James Rowsell, Ashbrittle Stud.

Nestled at the end of the day, and selling together, were some yearlings who formed part of the ongoing Ballymacoll Stud dispersal. Offered from James and David Egan’s Corduff Stud, the star of the bunch was a filly from the first crop of Kingman and a half-sister to the stakes winner Abingdon. Their unraced Galileo dam is a very closely related sibling to Group 1 winners Islington and Greek Dance, both by Sadler’s Wells, and a half-sister to Group 1 winner Mountain High. Moyglare Stud’s Fiona Craig acquired this collector’s item for 1,700,000gns.

Corduff and Ballymacoll also combined to sell the filly who immediately preceded the Kingman into the ring, a daughter of Sea The Stars and the four-time Group 1 winner Islington, for 550,000gns to Rabbah Bloodstock.

The fourth millionaire yearling on day one was a daughter of Galileo offered from Ciaran Conroy’s Glenvale Stud. Bred by Paul Shanahan’s Lynch Bages Ltd, the half-sister to Group 1 winner and sire Garswood cost Peter Doyle 1,600,000gns and the agent was acting for the now well-established buying partnership of Mayfair Speculators and MV Magnier. She will be trained at Ballydoyle.

Shortly afterwards the Mayfair/Magnier axis was in action again, giving 925,000gns for a Kodiac half-sister to the classic-placed, Group 3 winning Bushranger filly Now Or Never. Their dam is a Pivotal half-sister to the multiple champion Dream Ahead. This was the best price ever for a Kodiac yearling.

The first crop by Scat Daddy’s son No Nay Never has been proving exceptionally popular and the best of his offerings in Book 1 was a half-brother to the Group 1 Prix Morny winner The Wow Signal. Bred in partnership by Eddie Irwin and Teo Ah Khing, the colt was sold through Baroda and Colbinstown Studs to JS Company and will head to Japan to race.

Two other prominent daughters of Galileo were purchased by Godolphin on the opening day. Stauffenberg Bloodstock received 575,000gns for a daughter of the Group 3 winning two- and three-year-old Lady Springbank, this a 300,000gns foal buy, but that price was well eclipsed later when Newsells Park Stud sold the first produce of another filly to win a group race at two and three, namely Maureen, for 800,000gns.

Bought as a foal for €160,000 at Arqana last December, the Sea The Stars daughter of a stakes winning Storm Cat half-sister to Peintre Celebre soared in value to 725,000gns and sold to Sackville Donald. She was offered by Michel Zerolo’s European Sales Management. Others on the same buyers shopping list were Yeomanstown Stud’s Frankel half-brother to the Group 1 German Oaks winner Penelopa at 550,000gns, and Round Hill Stud’s Shamardal full-sister to Puissance De Lune and half-sister to the dam of Rizeena. She cost 500,000gns.

A son of the aforementioned Shamardal, the last crop of the sire in commercial hands, sold from Highclere Stud to Roger Varian for 500,000gns and is a half-brother to Group 2 winners Bonfire and Joviality. Bloodstock agent Charlie Gordon-Watson paid the same price for an Acclamation colt from Carmel Stud who was purchased as a foal for 185,000gns by the Morgans.