AN opening session that was both solid and encouraging and which was headed by a pair of six-figure lots ensured that the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale got off to a decent start on Tuesday as the sale returned home following a two-year Covid-19 enforced exile in Newmarket.

On a day that steadily gathered momentum after a quiet opening hour, the final figures for the day made for good reading while comparisons with the last Irish-based edition of this sale in 2019 also indicated notable progress. This leaves the sale well placed to post a good set of results by the time it concludes on Wednesday evening.

At the close of proceedings the aggregate from a somewhat smaller offering of horses dropped by 5% to just under €6.5 million. However, the average of €31,861 was up by the same amount, while the €27,000 median represented a progression of 15%. The day’s clearance rate came in at a rock-solid 88%.

The day’s €110,000 top lot hailed from the first crop of the high class French runner Inns Of Court and he was bought by agent Ed Sackville who was acting for the Manor House Farm operation of John and Jess Dance. This Mountain View offering is a half-brother to a Group 3-placed juvenile in Haikbidiac and he comes from the immediate family of the high-class two-year-old Gutaifan.

“He is a lovely stamp of a horse and a really big, strong imposing type,” recalled Sackville. “Inns Of Court is an unproven stallion but, if he is anything like Tally-Ho Stud's recent first season sires, then he is going to have a very good chance of being successful. Invincible Spirit is a proven sire of sires and let's hope Inns Of Court is another one for him.”

Erosandpsyche sibling

The first six-figure transaction of the day came when Sheila Lavery, acting for her brother John, spent €100,000 on a Footstepsinthesand colt hailing from Mark Dreeling and Barbara Fonzo’s Coole House Farm. This colt boasted a pedigree update of rare quality with his half-brother Erosandpsyche having run a terrific race to take second in the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh nine days previously.

“He is a stand-out for us,” said Sheila Lavery. “He has a lovely attitude, he was up here watching everything with his ears, looking around but going forward the whole time. He is a very straightforward horse. He is a big horse but he looks forward enough.”

Through the first half of the day the pace was set by a €95,000 son of Havana Gold who was knocked down to Kevin Ross. This colt is from a family that the agent and his clients, Paul and Clare Rooney, are already quite familiar with as they campaigned his close relation Crack On Crack On before he was sold to the Far East where he finished third in the Hong Kong Derby. This sale represented a fine pinhook for vendor Michael Tallon who picked up the colt for 19,000gns at Newmarket last December.

“He is a smashing colt, our pick of the day. We bought Crack On Crack On at the breeze-up sales for €70,000 and he turned out to be a good horse, and this is a three-parts brother and is very similar to the older horse. He’s a lovely, athletic and good-actioned horse. I’ve bought him for the Rooneys,” said Ross.

Mehmas filly

A number of lots reached the €80,000 mark and the first of these was a Mehmas filly from Grove Stud who was snapped up by Ed Sackville for Manor House Stud. This filly was picked up for €60,000 as a foal at Goffs and she is out of a half-sister to the stakes-winning juvenile Sirici.

The €80,000 mark was also reached by Curragh trainer Ken Condon when he signed for a son of Holy Roman Emperor and a winning Sea The Stars mare offered by Lodge Park Stud. The colt shares his sire with Condon’s brilliant miler Romanised.

“He is a very nice colt, from a good farm and he has a lot of size and quality about him,” observed Condon. “He has been bought for Robert Ng (Romanised’s owner) and he does come from the further family of Romanised so that was a big help but he is a lovely individual in his own right.”

Meanwhile next year’s round of breeze-up sales beckons for a daughter of Highfield Princess’s sire, Night Of Thunder, who cost Yeomanstown Stud €70,000. This filly is a half-sister to the Flying Childers Stakes second Dream Shot. A similar route beckons for a Showcasing colt from Egmont Stud who was snapped up by Roger Marley and John Cullinan for €70,000.

Joe Foley made several notable purchases over the course of the day and these included an €80,000 daughter of Caravaggio and a €78,000 Due Diligence filly who cost €6,000 as a foal. The Due Diligence was preceded into the ring by a son of Nathaniel who cost the Artis Partnership €75,000 less than a year after fetching 8,000gns as a foal.

The sale continues on Wednesday.

DAY ONE COMPARATIVE FIGURES

YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGGREGATE AVERAGE MEDIAN

2022 240 230 202 €6,436,000 €31,861 €27,000

2021 276 254 224 €6,807,434 €30,255 €23,496