THE two-day Tattersalls September Ireland Yearling Sale (Part I) ended on Wednesday evening with total spending close to €19 million. In each of the past four years total turnover has been under €13 million, and this year's catalogue was smaller than last year's.
Tuesday's clearance rate was a stunning 93% and that was maintained on Wednesday, a phenomenal achievement.
Over the two days a total of 25 yearlings sold for six-figure sums. There were just nine last year.
Rabbah Bloodstock continued to be the leading buyer on Wednesday, adding 10 more horses to the 17 they acquired on Tuesday. The Dubai-based operation spent just shy of €2 million over the two days. Other influential buyers this week included trainers Hugo Palmer, Joseph O'Brien, Johnny Murtagh, George Scott, Karl Burke and the various bloodstock agencies who support them.
Bill Dwan's The Castlebridge Consignment was the leading consignor, selling 37 horses for over €1.9 million. They included three of the top five prices on Wednesday, headed by a Starspangledbanner colt bred by Ann Marshall’s Hamwood Stud. It was bought for €200,000 by agent Billy Jackson-Stops on behalf of trainer George Scott, having denied local investor Joey Logan.
The colt is out of the Galileo mare Broderie Anglaise, who has bred winners and is from the family of Group 1 winner Groom Dancer.
George Scott said: "He has been bought for Gary White, who bought Command The Stars (Sea The Stars) here last year [for €130,000]. Gary has had to jump on a plane and has gone, but we took him around 10 horses and this 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 to us.
"He is a big physical, by an excellent stallion, out of a Galileo mare and from a really good consignor. Gary wanted to see if lightning could strike twice."
Scott added: "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 could have bought lots of nice horses this week; we have bought a few but could have bought a lot more.
"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. It is no surprise to see the median up."
Rabbah rolls on
Tom and Clodagh Hassett's Monksland Stables sold a Blue Point filly for €190,000 to Rabbah Bloodstock. Charles Shanhan was the underbidder.
Rabbah's David Ryan said: "She is an absolute queen. She was high on the list, and the only Blue Point in the sale. The boss [Jaber Abdullah] is very sweet on the sire. She comes from very good breeders. She will come home to Kilfrush and we will see how they are going. Then plans will be made."
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."
Rabbah also bought a Sea The Stars filly for €160,000, their single bid knocking out pinhooker Cormac Farrell and an online bidder. Brought to the sale by The Castlebridge Consignment, the filly is the first foal out of the Kingman mare Vouchsafe, a maiden half-sister to six-time Group 1 winner Moonlight Cloud.
Their spend ranged from €17,000 to €190,000 for 27 lots, and 19 of these were fillies. Nineteen different sires were represented in their haul of purchases. Eight of the yearlings brought six-figure sums, and among them was a €150,000 Mehmas filly out of the winning mare Farnham from Branton Court Stud. She is from the family of speedsters Lady Iman and West Acre (also by Mehmas).
Harry Eustace
Harry Eustace trains Group 1 winners Docklands and Time For Sandals, both graduates of this sale, and he was back this week to buy a Kingman colt for €160,000
Bred by Phalaris Ltd., and sold as a foal for €125,000, the colt is the first foal out of two-year-old winner Banshee (by Iffraaj), fourth in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes behind Inspiral and Prosperous Voyage.
"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 as a juvenile, 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."
Eustace also bought a Minzaal filly for €75,000 on behalf of Time For Sandal's owners, David and Lori Bevan.
Johnny Murtagh
Johnny Murtagh bought his first Group 1 winner Champers Elysees for just €28,000 at this sale and he has a lot more firepower these days. On Wednesday Murtagh gave €150,000 for a colt by Starspangledbanner from Noel O’Callaghan’s Mountarmstrong Stud.
Murtagh said: "I was so close yesterday on a few. There are a few nice Starspangledbanner yearlings here today and this lad was on the top of the list. He's a lovely horse; I liked everything about him, he vetted well and he comes from a good stud. The rest of the sale will be quiet for me – I am maxed out now! I don't have an owner yet for him, but I am hoping that a horse like him will be easy to sell."
Noel O'Callaghan said: "I am very happy. Ted Durcan bought the mare; he's a good judge and he buys a few mares for me. It's been a good sale. I've been coming here a long time, but this week's sale has been very strong. Then again, you are never surprised with anything in this industry. This industry is resilient, isn't it?”
Sire of Group 1 winners State Of Rest, California Spangle, Beauty Eternal, Millisle and recent Moyglare Stud Stakes heroine Precise, Starspangledbanner had three of the top 10 lots on Wednesday. That trio was completed by a colt from Tom Whelan's Church View Stables who was sold for €130,000 to Joey Logan, edging out Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland.
Logan said: "We have bought him to breeze and we hope to get to the Craven Sale with him. He looks very athletic and looks a runner. He is out of a Frankel mare; he is from a very good family and is a lovely individual.
"It has been hard to buy, and we are getting beat a lot. The stock is fantastic here, there is a big crowd, the figures are up 50%, there is a 90% clearance and Tattersalls have done a wonderful job. It is great to see; the demand is there and the horses are here."
"Exceeded our expectations"
When the selling concluded, Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins 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 turnover increased by 51%, number of six-figure lots, the average and median [were up], and most importantly a record clearance rate of 93%. The phenomenal demand we have witnessed reflects the rapid ascendency of the September Yearling Sale and 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.
"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, UK, 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. We are very grateful for all the existing and new buyers support and for the confidence they continue to place in the September Yearling Sale."
Part II of the sale is on Thursday.