THE success of breeze-up sales in recent years has led to an increased participation by vendors, and with 400 more lots to be offered at the European round of sales this spring, it was to be hoped that more buyers would also be in evidence.

However, the first sale of the year was a somewhat sobering affair, the Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Breeze-Up Sale producing a disappointing set of results, notably a clearance rate of just 50%. It came from a significantly bigger catalogue this year, making the falls in aggregate (down 31%), average (down 17%) and median (down 8%) even harder to take.

Richard Pugh, Tattersalls Ireland’s director of horses in training sales, was noticeably subdued in his post-sale comments. “I would like to commend vendors, Ascot racecourse and our own team who, in challenging and inclement conditions earlier in the week, successfully staged a breeze yesterday on ground which was less than suitable ground for this element of the sale.

“The trade today has undoubtedly been selective. While it was pleasing to sell the fourth-highest price on record at this breeze up for £120,000 and to have another six-figure lot, we have to acknowledge that trade today was very challenging and polarised. We will analyse today’s trade in full once the breeze up season has concluded, and in consultation with our vendors and purchasers we will respond to that feedback.”

The Benson family in Co Meath were one of the few vendors who left the sale with broad smiles. Mother Carol and brothers Danny and Jordan have been pinhooking for the breeze up sales for a few years now and enjoyed a spectacular success when turning their Excelebration colt from a €22,000 Tattersalls Ireland September Sale buy into a £120,000 juvenile.

This half-brother to two winners, Compatriot is a winner since, was purchased by Alex Elliott on behalf of Excel Racing and will now join trainer George Scott. The dam Wooded Glade, a daughter of Oasis Dream, was a five-time winner in Greece.

One other lot strayed into six-figure territory. This was a son of Swiss Spirit who had been retained as a yearling for 28,000gns. From the second crop of his sire and out of a two-year-old winning daughter of Acclamation, the colt was offered from Cristiano Martins’ C A J Stables in Co Tipperary and now finds his way into the ownership of Tom Morley and the Newmarket stables of Stuart Williams following his sale for £100,000.

Con Marnane’s Bansha House Stables sold a son of Kodiac, the first foal of a winning Giant’s Causeway mare, to Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for £88,000, just over twice the colt’s purchase price as a yearling of 41,000gns. With Coleman’s partner Anthony Stroud absent the agent was unable to reveal details of the colt’s new owner or future plans. John Cullinan and Roger Marley operate as Church Farm and Horse Park Stud and they sold two of the nine lots to realise £50,000 or more. The best of the pair was their son of Gale Force Ten, the subject of a private deal at £75,000 when selling to Stephen Hillen and trainer Richard Hughes. The lot was offered immediately after the vendors sold a colt by Dandy Man, a half-brother to two winners, for £50,000 to trainer Pam Sly.

There was a feeling of déjà vu about the sale of two lots from Johnny Collins’ Brown Island Stables. Both were purchased as yearlings at Keeneland by Chad Schumer, both sold for a profit and both were purchased by agent Colm Sharkey. A Hard Spun half-brother to three winners was transformed from a $12,000 purchase to a £60,000 sale, while the son of Shanghai Bobby returned a more modest profit when selling for £55,000, having cost $47,000 as a yearling.

An early highlight on the day was the sale of a Dandy Man colt out of the two-year-old winner Paddy Again for £58,000. He was bought as a yearling for €25,000 and Thomond O’Mara’s Knockanglass Stables sold him to Federico Barberini. That £58,000 valuation was matched by the only filly among the top nine lots. This was Mocklershill’s daughter of Kodiac and Willie Browne had purchased her for €32,000 at Goffs last year.