TRIMMED back a day to the usual four-day format, the Tattersalls December Foal Sale drew to a close on Saturday evening with a set of figures that was broadly in line with last year’s outcome, albeit the smaller catalogue resulting in a not unexpected drop in turnover.
As we went to press last week the top-priced foal had just been sold, this being West Blagdon’s Dansili daughter of High Heeled. Later on Friday that figure was expected to be challenged by the Dubawi colt out of Finsceal Beo. However, he was bought in by the vendor, Michael Ryan’s Al Eile Stud, at 1,450,000gns.
The sale of the Shamardal colt out of La Collina from Kenilworth House Stud will have been a very emotional one for Diana Vasicek as her husband Joerg died in the weeks leading up to the sale. The colt is the second offspring of the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and Matron Stakes winner who raced in the Vasicek’s colours. John Ferguson signed for her at 375,000gns.
New England Stud’s Frankel filly out of a half-sister to Reefscape, Coastal Path and Martaline was snapped up by JS Company for 350,000gns. She is from the family of Kingman and Oasis Dream.
M V Magnier joined forces with Mayfair Speculators to buy the sale-topping filly and they combined to acquire an Invincible Spirit son of the Group 3 two-year-old winning Galileo mare Cabaret for 340,000gns. This was the best price from Norelands Stud.
The Castlebridge Consignment had two lots sell for 300,000gns and 230,000gns. A daughter of first-crop stallion Australia was the more popular and the first foal of a winning Dansili daughter of Group 2 winner Daring Miss was purchased by Blandford Bloodstock. A little later, BBA Ireland secured a Sea The Stars colt out of the multiple stakes-winning Dark Angel mare Lily’s Angel for 230,000gns.
CBS Bloodstock spent 240,000gns to secure the best-priced Dark Angel foal, a colt out of a Sinndar half-sister to Group 1 winner and successful sire Sageburg, sold by Glebe Farm Stables.
Oghill House Stud in Monasterevin sold a pair of foals for 180,000gns each. Their Kodiac half-sister to Group 3 winner and Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes-placed Extortionist and she was purchased by Shadwell Estate. Minutes later the price was matched by the Zoffany own-brother to another Group 1 performer in Washington DC and he was sold to Jamie Railton.
Deerpark Stud’s Sea The Stars son of the winning Shamardal mare Elegant Shadow was bought by Emerald Bloodstock for 190,000gns and he preceded a draft from Dermot Cantillon’s Tinnakill House that contained three six-figure foals, headed by a 170,000gns Invincible Spirit colt from the stakes winner Mousse Au Chocolat, and a 160,000gns daughter of Sea The Moon, a half-sister to the dam of the multiple Group 1 winner Novellist.
Ballybin Stud’s draft was headed by a Cape Cross son of an unraced mare who is closely related to Group 1 winners We Are and Dominant.
John Ferguson signed for him at 170,000gns. Petches Farm’s Acclamation half-brother to the stakes-winning juvenile Baileys Jubilee sold to Carmel Stud for 185,000gns.
SATURDAY
The final session ended with a pair of six-figure lots. The Jamie Railton-consigned Kodiac son of a winning Pivotal mare went to CBS Bloodstock for 100,000gns. That figure was eclipsed when Dukes Stud sold a son of Showcasing, the first foal of a winning Shamardal mare, for 110,000gns to bloodstock agent Richard Knight.
At the close of trade Edmond Mahony said: “The strength and depth to the market at Books 1 to 4 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale has been reflected in the sustained demand we have witnessed from start to finish of the 2016 December Foal Sale. Another major contributory factor has been the decision to return the sale to its traditional four-day format after the five-day December Foal Sale last year. This was not a decision taken lightly, but played a major part in the success of this week’s sale.
“On each of the four days we have achieved improved clearance rates over the last year, we have had an impressive 76 foals selling for 100,000gns or more, only one short of the record, an improved median and turnover in excess of 30 million guineas for the fourth consecutive year.
“In addition to the extraordinary West Blagdon success story we have seen so many British and Irish foal consignors richly rewarded.
“They have brought the cream of the British and Irish foal crop to the December Sale and the buyers, both pinhookers and many of the world’s leading owners, have responded. International buyers from as far afield as Australia, Japan and the USA have all made an impact, but as ever we must pay tribute to the huge number of pinhookers who form the backbone of this unique market and who will be back to our October Yearling Sale in 2017.”