SEA Of Class, winner of the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks and runner-up in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, is one of the star graduates of the Tattersalls December Sale in recent years.

It seemed appropriate therefore that the Gilltown Stud stallion should be responsible for the top two lots at this year’s renewal, and supply three of the top five lots.

Heading the day’s trade on Monday at 300,000gns was the classically-bred colt out of the 2013 Oaks winner Talent. That daughter of New Approach was runner-up in the St Leger and her first foal has already shown that Talent’s future in the breeding shed is bright.

The sale-topper was sold by Ashbrittle Farm, bred by the farm’s James Rowsell with Mark Dixon. The pair also bred and owned Talent in partnership. It crowned a good day for Dixon as he was also part-breeder of the New Approach-La Superba colt sold by Mount Coote for 105,000gns earlier in the session and from the same family.

Anthony Stroud explained what attracted him to the colt. “He is a nice horse, and he needs time. He is by a Derby winner and out of an Oaks winner, and Ambition has done very well. He goes to John Gosden.” The colt’s half-sister Ambition, by Dubawi, is a Group 2 winner in France and was runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet.

Ashbrittle Stud’s manager Ginny Whales led up the colt and later said: “He deserved the price he has got. He got a haematoma on his off-hind, hence he missed his sale in October, but we are very pleased. The dam is in-foal to Lope De Vega.”

Early lot

The fifth lot in the ring, a daughter of Sea The Stars, is from one of the best families in the stud book, and naturally she was the subject of plenty of interest. She realised 260,000gns and was sold by The Castlebridge Consignment on behalf of Lanwades and Staffordstown Studs. The filly is a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Shine So Bright.

“She had a minor injury three or four weeks before Book 1; it was just a soft tissue injury,” said breeder Kirsten Rausing explaining the filly’s withdrawal earlier this autumn. “We sold her through The Castlebridge Consignment today and the team has been very helpful. For decades we have sold through Staffordstown, but it was a Covid-related decision and logistics. She was prepared at home and met Castlebridge here.”

Prolific family

Rausing has many members of the prolific pedigree, hence the reason for selling the filly. She explained: “I have the dam and the grandam both working for me, and two sisters of this filly and other females of the family. So I have many members and there is plenty to come from the family.

“She is a lovely filly and I wish the new buyer all the best of luck with her.”

She was signed for by de Burgh Equine and Norelands Stud, with the latter’s owner Harry McCalmont in charge of bidding. Afterwards he said: “She is for a partnership between Norelands and Craig Bernick of Glenhill Stud. We had good yearling sales and so we thought we’d invest.

“She is a lovely filly, by a stallion whom we love and from a wonderful family. It keeps on producing. Lanwades has the family, Coolmore has a branch and Juddmonte has a branch. We have one now too! I have already spoken to John Gosden and I will go and have another chat with him!”

The third high-priced Sea The Stars was New England’s colt who sold for 125,000gns to Charlie Gordon Watson. He is out of Crysdal, a Dalakhani daughter of Group 1 Fillies’ Mile winner Crystal Music. The colt was consigned by New England Stud for co-breeders Watership Down Stud and Sunderland Holding and will go into training with Ed Walker.

Six-figure lots abound this year

THE number of lots bringing in excess of 100,000gns grew from three last year to seven this year. A daughter of Starspangledbanner and a colt by Lope De Vega both brought a final bid of 130,000gns in the ring.

The filly was the first to do so and she provided a dream result for her consignor, Canice Farrell’s Knockatrina House Stud. In February the farm purchased the daughter of Starspangledbanner out of Plying from Jossestown Farm for €40,000 through Pegasus Bloodstock. In September her No Nay Never half-sister Alcohol Free won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes.

“We were lucky enough that Alcohol Free came along,” said Farrell. “This filly was entered in an earlier sale, but had an over-reach. She has benefited from the extra time she has had.”

The filly was bought by Creighton Schwartz Bloodstock. “Her sister has done well his year and she is by a popular sire, who has done well,” said Daniel Creighton. “Let’s hope it all adds up to her being a good filly on the track and eventually a broodmare, too. She is for a new client and I imagine she will stay in Britain to be trained.”

An hour later and the price was matched by Hillwood Stud, continuing their great run with progeny by Lope De Vega. In Book 1 they sold the colt out of Moi Meme for 900,000gns to Godolphin. On Monday they sold a colt out of the listed-winning Rip Van Winkle mare Stone Roses to Andrew Balding. “He is a lovely horse, we are thrilled to get him and obviously the stallion has done very well. He is an athletic sort,” said Balding.

Charlie Vigors of Hillwood said: “We have been lucky with the sire and we picked him out a while back when he stood at €60,000. The mare had a filly foal by him this spring and was covered by him again. I am not sure what we will do next. Lope De Vega has become a more expensive sire now!”

Irish farms

The two remaining six-figure lots were both offered from Irish stud farms. Croom House Stud’s Dark Angel filly was bought by Demi O’Byrne and Sean Grassick for 115,000gns. O’Byrne did the bidding and Grassick said: “She is a lovely filly, we really liked her and she goes into training in Ireland.” The filly is out of a half-sister to Cabaret, the dam of the 2000 Guineas winner Magna Grecia and this year’s Dewhurst Stakes winner St Mark’s Basilica.

“He is for Alpha Racing and he goes to Jessica Harrington,” said Patrick Cooper after spending 105,000gns on the New Approach colt out of La Superba sold by Mount Coote Stud.

Luke Lillingston said: “He is a horse we have always loved and he came here for Book 2 and he was showing the first day really well, but then he spiked a temperature and we had to withdraw him.

“Thanks have to go to Damian and Emma Flynn, they have looked after him in the weeks since.”