FOR the bloodstock team and auctioneers at Tattersalls Ireland, the 2025 edition of their September Yearling Sale will not be forgotten. They may have had confidence in the quality of their catalogue and the stock within its pages, but not even the most optimistic fortune teller could have forecast what ultimately transpired.
This sale came of age in the summer when Harry Eustace and Joe Murphy provided the best fillip possible, saddling three Group 1 winners at Royal Ascot, the greatest week of racing in Europe, if not the world. All three were purchased at previous renewals of this sale. Eustace doubled up with Docklands and Time For Sandals in the Queen Anne Stakes and Commonwealth Cup, while Murphy saddled Cercene to land the Coronation Stakes.
The impact of these wins cannot be overemphasised, as purchaser after purchaser referred to the achievement when offering comments in the wake of buying.
When the number-crunchers had done their calculations at the end of two days of relentless demand for the 500 or so yearlings catalogued, they showed that the sale has ventured into territory which was unfamiliar. After 350 lots had been through the ring, a new record turnover was established, the first time the yearling sale had grossed €13 million – and it was nowhere near finished.
Record aggregate
When Zoustar’s daughter of a winning Galileo mare, part of the massive draft from the sale’s leading vendors, The Castlebridge Consignment, was knocked down for €48,000 to Kilbride Equine, the sale aggregate stood at a phenomenal €18,785,500, more than 50% up on last year. Aided by a clearance rate of 93%, reflecting the strong competition for lots at every level, the average advanced 48% to €42,635, while the median rose to €37,000, an increase of 54%.
No fewer that 25 lots across the two days sold for €100,000 or more.
It is little wonder that Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins was buoyed after the sale. He said: “This has been an extraordinary couple of days, and it is safe to say we are absolutely thrilled. Every key record has been well and truly shattered. The phenomenal demand reflects the rapid ascendency of the sale, and despite our presale optimism the level of trade we have seen has exceeded our most optimistic expectations.
“We knew we had assembled our strongest ever catalogue, the result of huge work by our bloodstock and marketing teams and the support and trust from our vendors, in supplying such a high standard of yearling. The three Group 1 successes of September Yearling Sale graduates at this year’s Royal Ascot elevated the sale to a new level, and the continued progression that we have seen over the past number of years has given us a powerful platform to market from, and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing’s support has as always, been invaluable.”
He added: “On the sales ground on Saturday and Sunday the footfall has been exceptional and the feedback from vendors was hugely encouraging. There was a plethora of buyers remarking on the high standard of yearling, which gave us confidence, and from the very first lot on Tuesday, the level of demand in the ring was breathtaking.
“The figures we have achieved would have been unimaginable five or six years ago and shows the confidence vendors and indeed purchasers now have in this sale. We are confident that we can build on the success of this week, doing as we did this year, keeping the numbers catalogued at an optimum level.
“We have welcomed buyers from the US, Poland, Czech Republic, Libya, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, the USA, Thailand, and the Middle East, along with owners, trainers and agents from Ireland and the UK, plus the supportive breeze-up fraternity. A special thanks must go to Mr Jaber Abdullah whose spend has contributed strongly to a record-breaking renewal.”
WITH 27 purchases and a spend that was just a few bids short of €2 million, Rabbah Bloodstock’s Jaber Abdullah made the most significant contribution to the trade at Fairyhouse.
His haul comprised 20 fillies and seven colts, and eight of his buys made six-figure sums. He bought yearlings by a range of stallions, securing three by Kodi Bear alongside two each by Bayside Boy, Ghaiyyath, Havana Grey, Mehmas, Minzaal, and State Of Rest.
Rabbah’s biggest outlay was €190,000 for the only yearling by Blue Point. Tom and Clodagh Hassett’s Monksland Stables’ took four homebreds to the sale, and traded them all for an average of €97,500. Their best lot was a special moment to savour.
David Ryan said: “She is an absolute queen. She was high on the list. The boss is very sweet on the sire. She comes from very good breeders, and like them all, she will come home to Kilfrush and we will see how they are going. Then plans will be made.”
Greatest horseman
Tom and Clodagh’s daughter Orla Hassett said: “That has blown our expectations out of the water, as has this week. Dad bred this filly, and decided to come here. He eats, sleeps and lives horses. I must mention Adam Morgan who preps all our yearlings. He is the greatest horseman and it is hats off to him. To see big players take each other on for her was fantastic, and we never in our wildest dreams thought this could happen.”
Two more high-value fillies bought by Rabbah were by Sea The Stars and Mehmas. The first was part of The Castlebridge Consignment and is the first foal of the Kingman mare Vouchsafe, a half-sister to the six-time Group 1-winning Invincible Spirit mare Moonlight Cloud. Rabbah secured her on one bid.
“She could have been in Book 1,” said David Ryan. “She is beautiful, she has a serious pedigree, the physical is there, everything is there. She vetted well, and when the boss saw this morning, he loved her. One of our best fillies Star Of Mehmas is by Sea The Stars. He is a great sire and he is not going to be around forever and we think she has been well bought.”
The Mehmas filly purchased by Rabbah for €150,000 is out of the winning Farhh mare Farnham from Branton Court Stud. This is a family that has been enjoying a surge of success in recent times, with a trio of stakes winners this season and last. Among them, Starman’s daughter Lady Iman is one of the better juveniles this year, while West Acre, a son of Mehmas, won the Group 2 Blue Point Stakes in the UAE.
The most expensive colt sold to Rabbah was a son of Ghaiyyath, offered by Mark Dreeling’s and Barbara Fonzo’s Coole House Stud. Last year they sold Alparslan to Federico Barberini for €75,000 and he won the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes on Irish Champions Festival weekend. The colt’s Cape Cross dam is a half-sister to Captain Marvelous, winner of the Group 2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte.
THE Castlebridge Consignment, who sold three of the top five lots of the week, Baroda and Tally-Ho Studs all sent drafts to the Tattersalls Ireland September Sale that aggregated a seven-figure total.
At the close of business, Bill Dwan of The Castlebridge Consignment said: “It has been an incredible two days, superb trade, we have never been as busy here showing and we have been coming here a long time now. We were delighted to offer the top lot on behalf of Hamwood Stud – he is a superb colt and was very well produced by the farm.
“The success on the track has been so strong, and we have all been reaping the benefit this week. It is good for the business, and it has been a great effort by Tattersalls Ireland and ITM to get so many international clients to the sale.”
The top lot emerged on the second day, and his sale was witnessed by breeder Ann Marshall, seated near the ringside. The colt is a well-related son of Starspangledbanner out of a Galileo mare. Billy Jackson-Stops saw off Joey Logan at €200,000, both bidders doing battle from opposite sides of the sale ring.
Trainer George Scott said: “He has been bought for Gary White, who bought Command The Stars here last year. Gary had to jump on a plane and has gone. We took him around to see 10 horses and this is the horse he really wanted. He was quite an obvious one, and I guess has been brought here to stand out, and he certainly did that. All credit goes to the sale company. They have got some really good stock here. It has been a really successful sale and the team deserves these results.
“We bought Caballo De Mar here and he won the German St Leger last weekend, and Command The Stars is a stakes winner too. Everyone is here to take this sale very seriously, as they should. After all it produced three Group 1 winners at the Royal meeting.”
WHILE the price just snuck in to the list of top-30 lots, there was no performance all week to match that of young Luke Bleahen from Lakefield Farm. Son of John, Luke is a graduate of the Irish National Stud Thoroughbred Breeding Management Course.
Last November, he went to the Keeneland November Sale and spent $3,000 on a colt foal from the first crop by Highly Motivated. He got a huge return this week when the colt sold to bloodstock agent Barry Lynch for Bill Durkan, and the price was a profitable €90,000. Bleahen’s eye and appreciation for what the market might want was rewarded in spades.
Highly Motivated might have only won at Grade 3, but he is a son of Into Mischief, a half-brother to two Grade 1 winners, and his stakes win at two over six and a half furlongs at Keeneland and Grade 3 win at four over nine furlongs were gained in track record times. The colt’s Siyouni dam is a daughter of Ceisteach who was stakes-placed for Jim Bolger before winning a Grade 3 in the USA. Ceisteach’s New Approach full-sister Fidaaha is dam of three group winners by Mehmas, headed by the Group 1 National Stakes hero Scorthy Champ.
Gary Bannon, assistant trainer to Bill Durkan, said: “We bought two yearlings last year for around €6,000 each, and they have both done well, so Bill thought we’d step things up a bit this year.” Barry Lynch added: “We liked this horse; he is very simple sort and he has a great temperament; he walked around here and did not bat an eyelid. Hopefully, he will be a horse who can take us to the big days next year as a nice sharp type; by the make-up of him he looks quite mature.”
AS day one drew to a close, the session-topper arrived in front of a packed ring. This was a colt from the first crop of Blackbeard, No Nay Never’s son who won the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes and Group 1 Prix Robert Papin and went to stud at three.
Offered by Peter Nolan, he was purchased by Ted Durcan Bloodstock with Richard Hughes, and cost the duo €165,000.
His unraced dam is oout of the Group 3 juvenile winner Wonderfully, a daughter of Galileo. She is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Nayarra, a full-sister to Group 2 winner and classic-placed Gustav Klimt, and from the immediate family of successful sires Kodiac and Invincible Spirit.
“He was bred at home and we offered him as a foal: he was a vendor buy-back for 60,000gns. We thought he was better than that and thankfully we have been proved right,” said Nolan.
“We chose this sale as we thought there will be a lot by the sire to sell, so we wanted to get out early.”
Durcan said: “We loved him, and he is for an existing client. Richard also loved the horse. He is a beautiful stamp, he vetted really well, I knew he’d make money, and we hoped we’d get him for a lot less than that, but in this healthy market you have to push the boat out.”
HARRY Eustace trains Docklands and Time For Sandals, both graduates of this sale, and the most expensive purchase of the three made this week by him cost the talented Newmarket handler €160,000.
This was another offering from The Castlebridge Consignment. A son of Kingman, he is the first produce of the juvenile winning Iffraaj mare Banshee. She was fourth in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes, and the first two were subsequent Group 1 winners Inspiral and Prosperous Voyage.
Banshee’s grandam, Group 3 winner Korveya, bred three Group 1 winners, all of whom won classics. Hector Protector and Shanghai won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains-French 2000 Guineas, while Bosra Sham was successful in the 1000 Guineas.
“He has been bought for a couple of Australian clients,” said Eustace. “I spoke to Will Bourne and mentioned this horse; they are always on the lookout for well-bred nice horses, and let’s hope he is well bought. I thought his physical backed up his page, he has a very nice pedigree, and nice horses are hard to buy.
“If he runs at two, it will be at the back end; he has been bought to be a three-year-old. It means we can buy these ones who don’t necessarily look fast and early. The ultimate aim is to get to Ascot and then into Australia, but there is never a rush with them. As long as he shows enough Ascot is always the aim. There are lots of owners in Australia keen to come over for the meeting. If he gets there great, if he doesn’t, he can always go to Australia as a maiden.”