A NEW record for a filly in Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale was established when a daughter of Exceed And Excel sold to SackvilleDonald for 500,000gns. The filly is out of a stakes-placed dam whose progeny already includes the recent Group 2 Joel Stakes winner Beat The Bank. She was consigned to the sale by Rosyground Stud on behalf of Denniff Farms Ltd.

The winning bid was made by Richard Brown on behalf of SackvilleDonald’s Alastair Donald and put an end to the challenge of David Redvers, standing with Sheikh Fahad and Peter Molony. Beat The Bank is owned by King Power Racing and Donald indicated that the filly was purchased on behalf of the same owners.

The sale was the highest price ever achieved by the breeders. Fiona Denniff said: “She has been really busy and had hardly been in her stable since she arrived, but this has exceeded my expectations.

“It has been exciting watching Beat The Bank this summer, but I have always loved this filly; she is a really nice person. We bred the mare Tiana, sold her as a yearling to Darley and then bought her back. We missed her the first time she went through the sales ring as we could not afford her, but bought her three years later.”

Yeomanstown Stud’s Dark Angel was extremely popular all week and had 21 yearlings sell for an average of 147,667gns. The sire’s owners had a great week with his daughters and received 400,000gns from Blandford Bloodstock and 280,000gns from JJ Gordon Bloodstock for fillies.

The 400,000gns Dark Angel was bred by David O’Callaghan and is a full-sister to two winners after the juvenile Al Hajar opened her account recently. The dam is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Kinnaird. The second filly is half-sister to a winner and from a winning Shamardal mare.

Few, if any, pedigrees had as many significant updates since the catalogue was compiled as did the Showcasing daughter of Coplow from Stowell Hill Stud. Both of her half-sisters became blacktype winners, Billesdon Brook winning a Group 2 and Billesdon Bess adding a listed success. Furthermore, their dam’s Dubawi half-sister Anna Nerium won a Group 3 and thus became that mare’s third stakes winner. John Gosden signed for this filly on his own account at 380,000gns.

Eight fillies sold for 250,000gns or more and another in that group was Baroda and Colbinstown Studs’ Lope De Vega half-sister to the hugely exciting classic prospect Luminate. Bred by Philip and Jane Myerscough, Luminate was most impressive on her winning debut and days before the sale she added the Group 3 Prix de Conde to remain unbeaten. Godolphin now owns the yearling half-sister after paying 370,000gns to secure her through Anthony Stroud. This was the second six-figure yearling for the dam who was snapped by the Myerscoughs for only €35,000.

Kodiac had two high-priced fillies and both were successful pinhooks. Paul and Marie McCartan’s Ballyphilip Stud gave 100,000gns for a daughter of the winning Pivotal mare Carved Emerald last year and their offering’s price more than trebled when Charlie Gordon-Watson won the battle for her at 320,000gns this time. She will be trained by Sir Michael Stoute. Not far behind in price was Grangemore Stud’s first produce of the winning Authorized mare Dance Bid. Guy O’Callaghan gave just €58,000 for her as a foal and she was bought by JJ Gordon Bloodstock for 300,000gns. Jeff Gordon was acting for a Hong Kong owner.

There was no surprise to find a daughter of Iffraaj selling well and the Thorman’s Trickledown Stud’s daughter of Honky Tonk Sally was one of the very last lots in Book 2. Offered on behalf of Ray Townsend who paid a mere 26,000gns for her as a foal, her price appreciated nearly 10-fold when Rabbah Bloodstock signed for her at 250,000gns.