THE sale got off to a rather low-key start with a muted opening session that was largely given over to yearlings and which fell some way short of the returns posted on the corresponding day for the last few years.
After taking a step forward last year this year’s yearling trade fell back significantly.
The day’s aggregate of just under €800,000 represented a decline of 43%, the average of €10,223 was down by 19 points and the median fell back to €5,000 from €8,200.
In addition, the clearance rate for the day came in at just 48%.
Last year there were 27 lots who made at least €20,000 but that number dropped back to 18 this time around.
This was almost on a par with 2016, but the sale didn’t contain anything like the depth of recent renewals and just one lot made at least €40,000 as against five who managed that feat 12 months ago.
Furthermore, the top price dropped from €75,000 to €42,000. Unfortunately this part of the National Hunt market has yet to show meaningful signs of returning to the heights it reached between 2001 and 2007.
The top lot was a son of the late and much missed Fame And Glory who cost Johnny Collins €42,000. This Peter Nolan-consigned gelding, who will return to the sales ring as a three-year-old, is out of a winning half-sister to the Galway Plate winner Blazing Tempo and from the family of Danoli.
The start of a busy week for Glenwood Stud man Dick Frisby began with the €37,000 purchase of a son of Kayf Tara from Bluegate Stud.
This gelding is out of a mare who has already produced a winner by Nomadic Way, and Frisby has previously enjoyed notable success with the sire – he received €210,000 for a son of the Sadler’s Wells horse during the summer.
The Kayf Tara will be back for sale as three-year-old and so will a €35,000 son of the veteran sire Turgeon who was snapped by James Mernagh. The Ballyreddin Stud offering is out of a half-sister to the Coral Cup victor Medermit. Mernagh’s previous graduates include the Irish Cesarewitch winner Digeanta.
Great Pretender, whose runners in these parts include the Grade 1 winners Great Field and Dortmund Park, was responsible for a taking gelding who cost Timmy Hillman €30,000.
His Martaline half-brother made €85,000 at this year’s Derby Sale and he will return for that sale along with a member of Kingston Hill’s first crop who cost Hillman €27,000.
A son of the promising Robin Des Champs horse Cokoriko cost English agent Ryan Mahon €35,000, and Penelope Lindsay-Fynn was the purchaser of a €32,000 son of Black Sam Bellamy.
Just a few minutes prior to Ballyoisin’s towering display in the Grade 2 Fortria Chase his yearling half-brother by Milan made his way into the ring and he was snapped up by Kevin Ross for €30,000.
Elsewhere, Aiden Murphy spent €27,000 on a son of Montmartre from the family of Apple’s Jade, while Ian Ferguson matched this price for a Soldier Of Fortune gelding out of a half-sister to the good staying chaser Seven Towers.
The top-priced yearling filly on offer was a daughter of Flemensfirth out of a half-sister to the top-class J’y Vole who cost former trainer Henrietta Knight €20,000. She was bought to race.
SELECTED LOTS
Lot: 378 (c) Affinisea - Glenadoon
Vendor: Clontenty Farm
Purchaser: John Donaghy
Price: €20,000
Among the sires being represented by their first foals this week was the former John Oxx inmate Affinisea. From the first crop of Sea The Stars and an €850,000 sale-topper at the 2011 Goffs November Foal Sale, Affinisea was restricted to just two outings on the track but he showed considerable promise on both occasions.
Furthermore, as a very close relation to Soldier Of Fortune he is an intriguing addition to the country’s National Hunt stallion ranks. His representatives this week included this popular colt whose dam is a Beneficial half-sister to the Troytown Chase scorer Royal County Star. It will be some time yet before the sire’s offspring reach the track but his progeny will be worth keeping a close eye on.
Lot: 583 (c) Champs Elysees - Storm Away
Vendor: Millroad Farm
Purchaser: Brown Island Stables
Price: €45,000
This colt is the first produce of the useful Pat Flynn inmate Storm Away who won four races on the flat and over hurdles and was Grade 3-placed during her time over timber. This sale represented a good initial dividend for the connnections of Storm Away who purchased her for €36,000 at the 2016 Goffs December National Hunt Sale. In addition, this colt was among a number of popular representatives from the well-received first Irish foal crop produced Champs Elysees. The Danehill horse’s National Hunt runners to date are headed by the classy Willie Mullins inmate Low Sun who has enjoyed an excellent 2018 by landing a pair of €100,000 handicap hurdles as well as last month’s Cesarewitch at Newmarket.
Lot: 608 (c) Kapgarde - Savage River
Vendor: Ballyreddin Stud
Purchaser: Ian Ferguson
Price: €57,000
Ian Ferguson has amassed an enviable record with his purchases at this sale and among his former November Sale acquisitons are the top-class pair of Yorkhill and Bellshill. This colt represented a rarity on two fronts, with the first being that he was one of only two foals on offer this week by his very popular French-based sire. Secondly, Ferguson’s purchase is a rarity among this week’s top-priced foals as it looks unlikely that he will be back for sale as a three-year-old. In terms of pedigree, this colt made plenty of appeal as he is a close relation of a classy son of Kapgarde in Hammersly Lake and he comes from a family that has enjoyed notable success in both Britain and France.
Lot: 676 (c) Flemensfirth - Tizzy Blue
Vendor: Oliver Loughlin
Purchaser: Mags O’Toole
Price: €57,000
This week once again demonstrated the unrelenting appetite for the progeny of veteran sire Flemensfirth and, as well as suppling a number of the highest priced lots, he was also responsible for this very well-related colt.
Mags O’Toole reported that her purchase would be coming back for sale as three-year-old and there is every chance that he could be the recipient of a useful update or two given that he has three siblings by Presenting to run for him over the next couple of seasons. In addition, this colt boasts an enviable pedigree as he is out of a winning half-sister to the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere and Henry de Bromhead’s high-class chaser Sub Lieutenant.
Lot: 930 (f) Presenting - Fairy Tale
Vendor: Ballincurrig House Stud
Purchaser: Brookland Stables
Price: €50,000
This daughter of the hugely successful and much-missed Presenting ended the week as the second highest priced filly foal. As a member of Presenting’s final crop she made notable appeal, and she is out of an unraced daughter of Spanish Moon, who is the sire of the brilliant Laurina.
Lastly, she hails from a particularly strong pedigree and one that has made a significant impact at the last few editions of this sale.The filly is the first produce of her unraced dam whose siblings are headed by the dual Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Master Minded.
As well as producing the aforementioned top-class two-miler, the second dam, Haute Tension, has achieved the impressive feat of breeding four other blacktype performers.