A decade ago The Irish Field reported on the September Yearling Sale held by Tattersalls Ireland. The three day sale saw a record average, median and a new high price for a yearling filly and the company’s chairman Edmond Mahony issued a very upbeat post-sales comment.

The record price was €160,000 for a daughter of Hernando out of the high-class Lahib mare Super Tassa. Phillipe Hinojosa was the purchaser and the filly was named Maunder Not.

She was the only filly produced in eight foals by Super Tassa, the only progeny not to race and she never even managed a career as a broodmare.

All of her male siblings ran and all but one of them won.

The Singspiel colt Covert Ambition was twice runner-up in listed races in England, while this year the Verglas colt Makarenko was runner-up in the Criterium di Primavera 4yo Hurdle at Merano, a listed race.

Super Tassa was herself sold at Tattersalls Ireland by her breeder Percy Banahan. You could say she was given away as she only made 1,800gns but ended up winning some £370,000.

A champion in Italy where she was trained by Valfredo Valiani, she travelled to York for the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks and caused a 25/1 surprise in the hands of Kevin Darley. She had won at up to Group 2 level in Italy.

Contrast the lack of success for the sale topper with the subsequent racing career of the best priced colt at the sale in 2005.

Jim Bolger gave €83,000 for a son of King’s Best out of Sadima, sold from Rathbarry Stud. At the sale Bolger told Ryan McElligott that “I haven’t bought him for anybody at the moment. He’s a fine horse; he has everything – pedigree and conformation.”

The horse was named Creachadoir and raced initially for the partnership of Jackie Bolger and John Corcoran and won a few times at group level. He was runner-up in two classics, the French and Irish 2000 Guineas.

Creachadoir was then sold to Godolphin and transferred to Saeed bin Suroor.

For his new handler he rewarded the new owner’s investment and won the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury at four. An injury forced his retirement to stud and he went to Haras du Logis in France.

Bred by Frank Dunne at his Hamwood Stud, Creachadoir was born the year after his sibling Youmzain, the son of Sinndar who was a dual Group 1 winner but famously, and agonisingly, was runner-up in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on three occasions.

The year after Creachadoir was born his dam Sadima had a Dalakhani filly and she too became a group winner. All of these winners come from a female line that has been cultivated next door to Hamwood at the famous Ballymacoll Stud.

Ryan McElligott also reported that David Myerscough, due to have his first runner that weekend at Fairyhouse, bought the second top-priced colt, a son of Marju, for €80,000. The investment paid off as the colt, named Satu, won a few times for Myerscough and was sold as a horse in training for 65,000gns.

He later won five times under National Hunt rules and gained his biggest success as an eight-year-old when winning a Grade 2 hurdle race at Killarney.