TOP LOTS

After their foals lit up Wednesday’s session a selection of blue chip mares in foal to the world’s best sire duly had their day in the sun as they dominated this year’s Breeding Stock Sale.

Unquestionably the star of the show was the already renowned producer Inca Princess who fetched €1.9 million just a day after her Galileo filly topped the foal sale at €1.1 million. French agent Laurent Benoit signed for the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor who began a run of four outstanding mares that were offered by the Castlebridge Consignment and marked the dissolution of various partnerships between Coolmore and the China Horse Club.

Inca Princess, whose price bettered the €1.6 million paid for last year’s sale-topper Beauty Parlour, is only a nine-year-old but her first two runners are Johannes Vermeer and Elizabeth Browning which marks her as a mare of rare quality. This was borne out by the bidding as there were still five different parties bidding for past the €1 milliom mark. Ultimately Benoit saw off Ballylinch Stud’s John O’Connor.

NORTHERN PROMISE

Laurent Benoit also made a strong play for the dual Australian Group 1 winner Melito, who was also offered in foal to Galileo a day after her colt foal by same sire fetched €625,000. However, the daughter of Redoute’s Choice is heading to Northern Farm in Japan after Hiro Kawasaki, acting for Katsumi Yoshida, carried the day at €950,000. Melito could now be covered by either Deep Impact or Heart’s Cry and her buyers already campaign the mare’s Group 3-placed Japanese runner Campbell Junior.

WOW FACTOR

David and Diane Nagle secured a high profile recruit for the their elite band of mares at Barronstown Stud when going to €950,000 for Muravka. This daughter of High Chaparral was not in foal but she has already made a name for herself at stud with her progeny including the Prix Morny winner The Wow Signal and the French stakes winner Miss Infinity. Furthermore, Muravka is the dam of a No Nay Never yearling who fetched 850,000gns at Book 1 last month.

FINAL FIX

The last mare in this partnership dissolution was the top class New Zealand-based runner Fix, a triple Group 2 winner and a runner-up in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby.

She too was sold in foal to Galileo and Blandford Bloodstock’s Tom Goff, acting for an undisclosed client, had to go to €750,000 for the daughter of Iffraaj. Fix hails from an excellent Juddmonte family that has produced the likes of Showcasing and Camacho.

GARRANLEA DRAFT

Earlier in the day Garranlea Stud offered a draft of mares owned in partnership by Eddie Irwin’s Rockhart Trading Ltd and the China Horse Club. Irwin bought out his partners when going to €400,000 for the Exchange Rate mare Convocate who came under the hammer carrying to Galileo. Her Gleneagles foal fetched €150,000 here on Tuesday. The former Cornwallis Stakes winner Ponty Acclaim was offered in the same ownership and she too was snapped up by Irwin’s Marlhill House Stud for €120,000.

Another sought after member of this draft was Thai Haku whose Galileo two-year-old Sarrocchi made quite an impression when she scored on her debut at Leopardstown last month several days after making €215,000 at the Goffs Horses in Training Sale. Thai Haku was sold in foal to Lope De Vega and she looked like good value when falling to the BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe for €250,000.

Her sale came in the same week that her Australia colt foal cost Philipp Stauffenberg €260,000.

AGA KHAN MARES

The ever popular Aga Khan draft was headed by Ebalista who fetched €300,000 and was bought by Dermot Cantillon on behalf of Tony Smurfit’s Forenaughts Stud. The daughter of Selkirk was sold in foal to Siyouni and she is already the dam of the Group 2 winner Ebiyza and a pair of stakes-placed runners. Another six figure offering from the Aga Khan was Elbasana – the dam of the Give Thanks Stakes winner Edelmira – and she cost the BBA Ireland €150,000 having been offered in foal to Gleneagles.

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS

American agent Gatewood Bell spent €250,000 on Sanna Bay who is already the dam of a listed winner and Group 3-placed runner. The daughter of Refuse To Bend is in foal to Dark Angel and she was sold by Oghill House Stud.

Meanwhile, James Tate was acting on behalf of Saeed Manana when he spent €210,000 on Airlie Stud’s Snowgal. The daughter of Galileo is in foal to Zoffany and her first runner is a winner while she is a half-sister to the Moyglare Stakes heroine Preseli.