"She is as good a filly as I have had to breeze," said Roger O'Callaghan of Tally-Ho Stud after selling this filly by Practical Joke for 360,000gns at the opening session of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale in Newmarket on Tuesday evening.

"She has been a genuine natural from the start. I bought her at Keeneland November as a foal with Archie St George (St George Sales at Brookstone Farm] she didn't make the yearling sale, and we brought her here. The sire line through Into Mischief is magic."

The filly is now heading back to the US, bought by agent Alex Elliott on behalf of Peter Brant's White Birch Farm.

"She is a beautiful filly and she going back to the US and to Chad [Brown], who trained Practical Joke," said Elliott. "She has been very highly thought of from day one. Roger has raved about her all along. I am delighted to get her, I think she is a perfect filly to go back to the States.

"She is a May foal, she is going to need a bit of time, but she is the one. She did everything. She is typical Craven Sale type – scopey with quality, and will need bit of time, but the more time I think you can give them, the better they can be."

By the US sire sensation Into Mischief, the Ashford Stud-base stallion Practical Joke was a dual Grade 1 two-year-old winner (Champagne Stakes and Hopeful Stakes) and finished third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. At three he was a Grade 1 winner of the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Saratoga. Aside from his winning juvenile debut all his starts came in graded company.

Late in the evening a private sale was agreed between consignor Michael Fitzpatrick's Kilminfoyle House Stud and Manor House Stud for 335,000gns for the Kingman colt out of the listed winning Holy Roman Emperor filly Flying Fairies.

THUNDER STAR

Peter Swann of the Cool Silk Partnership, who has enjoyed so much success with breeze-up purchases, spent 265,000gns for the daughter of Night Of Thunder sold by Star Bloodstock.

"We thought her breeze was excellent. She is a real specimen, very strong, she has got a great pedigree – if we can win a race with her we are half way there aren't we? She did the job well. We are delighted and she is the sort of breeze-up horse we are always looking for – she is just built for it, she is not too long in the leg. We just felt it was worth a go," said Swann, who was wearing a Scunthorpe United face mask as chairman of the football club.

He added: "We don't know a trainer yet, we are just going to wait – I haven't accessed my phone yet, I am sure there will be calls! We have got some great trainers that we use, whoever gets her will do a great job. Of the immediate plans we will assess her over the next 24 hours and then decide."

The filly was bought last autumn at the October Book 2 Yearling Sale for 95,000gns from New England Stud by Star Bloodstock. Her second dam Orford Ness (Selkirk) was a Group 3 winner. She is dam of three black-type winners, including the July Cup (G1) runner-up Main Aim, a full-sister to Militate, the dam of this filly.

MIDDLE EAST PURCHASE

Willie Browne's Mocklershill Stables sold the fourth-highest priced lot of the session when their colt by Lope De Vega was bought for 240,000gns by Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland.

"He is for a client in the Middle East, I have had a bit of luck with the sire in Lucky Vega," said Donohoe. "This colt is a very good physical, I liked him as a yearling, thought he might have been a bit raw, but Willie [Browne] has done a great job with him.

"I saw him at Willie's last week before he came over and Willie was quite high on him – and the horse breezed the way Willie thought he'd breeze. He is nice physical, he looks precocious, as though he has plenty of speed and won't take too long. The trainer is undecided, but my client has horses in England, Ireland and in France."

Robson Aguiar, who is based in Mullingar, sold a filly by Dabirsim for 240,000gns. He bought her for €50,000 and she will be trained by Roger Varian.

Norman and Janet Williamson's Oak Tree Farm sold a colt by Oasis Dream to Godolphin for 210,000gns. He was a 67,000gns yearling purchase.

Michael Fitzpatrick's Kilminfoyle House Stud received the same price of 210,000gns for a Toronado filly, already named Babycri. She was a €33,000 yearling purchase.

Michael Murphy's Longways Stables sold a colt by Mehmas for 200,000gns to agent Stephen Hillen and trainer Kevin Ryan.

The sale continues after racing at Newmarket on Wednesday.

DAY 1 STATISTICS

Lots catalogued: 84

Lots offered: 76

Lots sold: 65

Aggregate: 6,485,000gns

Median: 80,000gns

Average: 99,769gns

Clearance rate: 86%

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