TONY O’Callaghan hailed Starman’s temperament after Tally-Ho Stud’s first foal out of a 30,000gns filly sold for 525,000gns - the highest price on the first day of Tattersalls Book 2. Amo Racing outbid Richard Knight for the bay who shares her page with none other than Dubawi.
“Her temperament was typical of Starman,” O’Callaghan said of the session topper. “They have brilliant minds and she behaved impeccably since she got here and through all the shows.”
The attitude of Starman’s progeny bodes well for his stock training on next season, with his stallion master adding: “They look like they’ll stay a mile.”
It marked a fine end to the day for Tally-Ho Stud, as the highest priced of seven yearlings sold from seven offered. On his experience of trade, Tony O’Callaghan commented: Trade has been quite good. If you match up, it’s brilliant and if you don’t it’s painful, but I would say it’s solid. The prices for fillies have been exceptional.”
Fillies commanded the three highest prices of the day and accounted for six of the top 10. While Monday was the first of three days, it marks a strong contrast to Book 1, where just one filly entered the top 10, and three in the top 20.
Kia Joorabchian elected Kevin Philippart de Foy speak to the press regarding Monday’s highlight and the trainer said: “She was my pick of the sale. She is from a very good dam line, she is a very easy-going filly, very racy.
“Starman can do little wrong and looks like he is getting horses who will go on as three-year-olds. He is getting horses who have a bit of size and scope, hopefully they progress on.”
If you can’t beat them, join them
Amo Racing are one of many to have enjoyed success with the leading first season sire, their colours carried second in the Queen Mary Stakes by the Charlie Clover-trained Flowerhead, also bred by Tally-Ho Stud.
The Starman filly was one of nine yearlings bought by Amo Racing on Monday, one of which was bought in partnership with Justin Casse following a last-minute decision in the gangway. Rather than bid against each other, the combination agreed on 360,000gns for Pier House Stud’s Starman colt from the family of Middle Park Stakes winner Lycius.
Casse sourced Starman’s impressive Tyros Stakes winner North Coast, who is trained by Joseph O’Brien, who will also train Monday’s acquisition. “The stallion has been good to me and to Joseph – he has had a couple of graded stakes winners, one of whom I bought, as well a filly in France. Hopefully, we can replicate that success; this colt was standout for me today.”
On combining with Kia Joorabchian, Casse reported: “We bought two in America with Amo. We are working individually, but if we land on the same one, we might get together.”
TEACHERS at Newbridge College will have to work twice as hard to keep their students at school after Fionn White took a day off to sell his second six-figure pinhook in the space of 12 months.
At last year’s Book 1, the teenager resold his very first pinhook – bought for €36,000 – through Baroda Stud for 205,000gns to Will Douglass. The success convinced White’s friends, Jack (17) and Max (13) Galway, to get in the action, and along with the pair’s father Richie Galway, the group sourced a Minzaal filly for €85,000 at Goffs last winter.
Richie Galway was already invested in the filly’s pedigree through his Alpha Racing Syndicate, who own the three-parts sister Saratoga Special (Mehmas). Listed-placed at the time of the foal sales, Jessica Harrington’s charge subsequently gained an all-important blacktype win in the Land O'Burns Fillies' Stakes.
Fast forward to Monday, and the three school truants celebrated a standout result when selling their Minzaal filly through Baroda Stud for a cool 450,000gns. “It is the stuff of dreams; I can't get around it!” said White. “The stallion could not have gone better for a first-crop stallion. We weren't expecting anything like that!
“Hopefully, we will be back for more next year, but we are back in school tomorrow!”
Kevin Ryan made a strong play for the first-crop daughter of Minzaal from the back stairs, but it was Karl and Kelly Burke who had the final say. “She is lovely sort, vetted well and I am delighted to get her,” Karl Burke commented.
“We have bought a couple by the sire. A few months back, Jim Crowley, who used to ride Minzaal, said that he was a lovely, laid-back horse and recommended the progeny to us and that we should have a look at them all. I have been impressed by them.
“She has been bought for an owner in the yard, I did not think that she would get to that amount, it is a lot of money, hopefully she can run!”
KIA Joorabchian admitted defeat when Jane Mangan went to 450,000gns for Plantation Stud’s filly by sire of the moment Night Of Thunder. The result vindicated Plantation’s decision to retain the bay for 140,000gns at last year’s foal sales and provided an important update for her Earthlight half-brother catalogued at next month’s foal sales.
After signing as The Thoroughbred Racing Corporation, Mangan commented: “This filly is our pick of the entire sale this week. She is what we are looking for and by Night Of Thunder, who needs no introduction. She goes to William Haggas.”
The January-born bay led fierce demand for Night Of Thunder’s stock, with all eight of his offerings selling for an average price of 281,875gns.
Mangan earlier stretched to 350,000gns for a half-sister to Palace House Stakes victor Far Above. The St Mark’s Basilica filly continued a fairytale success story for Linden Bloodstock’s Brendan and David Geraghty, who secured the dam Dorraar after she was led out unsold at Goffs for €14,000 in 2017.
Monday’s sale also rewarded Mangan’s perseverance, as she revealed: “We underbid five fillies last week at Book 1. It is very difficult to get the one you want and we are very happy to get her because the dam’s after breeding two horses rated over 110. The first season sire has produced a Group 1-winning filly and it just made a bit of sense.
“No pressure on the trainer but she looks a fast two-year-old,” she added with a laugh, before confirming that she heads to John and Thady Gosden. “We’re trying to assemble fillies to breed from. So, hopefully she runs and then we can have her as a broodmare. That’s the aim.”
SATURDAY’S Dewhurst Stakes winner, Gewan, provided a timely reminder of the talent to be sourced at Book 2 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and it was the grey’s sire, Night Of Thunder, who was responsible for the highest-priced colt on Monday.
Godolphin’s 425,000gns purchase was also bred on a similar cross to Gewan, himself out of a daughter of Lethal Force (Dark Angel), while Cheveley Park Stud’s prized colt is out of Group 3 winner Dark Lady (Dark Angel). She, in turn, is a half-sister to Lockinge Stakes victor Audience.
“We are thrilled,” Chris Richardson, Cheveley Park Stud's Managing Director, reflected. “He is a lovely horse, with a great mind, and always puts his best foot forward. Mrs Thompson is a big fan of Night Of Thunder, we have [dual group winner and Yorkshire Oaks runner-up] Estrange by him.
“We are lucky enough to be able to send two or three mares each year to the stallion, and it is great when a stallion can row a boat commercially and on the racecourse.”
Anthony Stroud, who secured the Night Of Thunder colt on behalf of Godolphin, was another to sing the Kildangan Stud sire’s praises, saying: “They seem to win over all sorts of distances; they’re very versatile and seem to have excellent temperaments. The progeny from his better books of mares are coming on-stream now so his results are only going to get better and better. It really highlights how important Dubawi is as a sire of sires.”
Stroud set the early pace that morning when going to 350,000gns for a full-brother to dual listed winner and Group 3 performer Electric Storm. Should he live up to expectations, the colt has a stallion’s pedigree, having been bred by Rabbah Bloodstock out of a half-sister to Yorkshire Oaks heroine Quiff, while grandam Wince won the 1000 Guineas.
The early highlight was consigned by Genesis Green Stud, whose Michael Swinburn commented: “We had him since weaning and he’s always been a nice colt. He was never in his box down there; he must have had 70 shows yesterday. Sire power is all important.”
Stroud Coleman’s 15 purchases for a total of 3,235,000gns saw them top the buyers’ table by a considerable margin on Monday. When asked whether we can expect him to maintain momentum throughout the week, Stroud remained coy while noting that Wednesday’s horses appeared particularly strong.
Monday’s results were already particularly strong, with the average price coming in at 116,800gns, compared to 103,733gns at last year’s corresponding session. It marked an increase of 13%, while the median rose 38% to 90,000gns. While the clearance rate lagged early in the day, it improved to 87% by the close of business, compared to 90% last year.