A FIRST draft of mares from Derrinstown Stud which came under the hammer on Friday afternoon saw the sale spring to life.

A collection of blue-chip mares whose pedigrees the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum cultivated to such tremendous effect over the course of decades really did strike a chord with the international audience at Kildare Paddocks as a flurry of major transactions ensued.

Foremost among them was a 13-year-old Kingmambo mare who cost M.V. Magnier €430,000.

Already the dam of the French Group 2 winner and Prix Vermeille runner-up Raabihah, Garmoosha is out of an Epsom Oaks winner in Eswarah and the grandam is another Oaks winner in the brilliant Midway Lady.

“She’s a good producer already and she’ll probably to go either Wootton Bassett or St Mark’s Basilica,” commented Magnier. “St Mark’s was some racehorse. He was very tough to do what he did at Leopardstown. He’s a very special horse to have done what he did, we’ve not had the like of him for a long time. He’ll be strongly supported - we already have plenty of good mares booked into him.”

This batch of mares began with another quality offering in the Group 3 and listed-placed Aarass who cost agent John McCormack €380,000 after he outlasted Jeremy Brummitt.

The daughter of Haafhd isn’t in foal but her credentials as a producer are already beyond reproach as she is the dam of Kevin Prendergast’s Epsom Derby runner-up Madhmoon.

Furthermore Aarass is the perfect embodiment of the longstanding association between Kevin Prendergast and Shadwell as the veteran Curragh trainer is responsible for 10 of the 11 stakes performers who appear under the first two dams on the catalogue page.

“She’s been bought for an overseas client but she won’t ship straight away. We looked around at what stallions there were locally in Ireland and England and luckily we have some wonderful stallions in these parts and in terms of the horses just retiring to stud St Mark’s Basilica is a horse that springs to mind. He is a very good looking, very accomplished horse and we feel that he will suit her well,” commented McCormack.

“In terms of this mare herself she’s done it already with Madhmoon and she will do it again. She’s a proven mare and that in itself represents a safety net as it’s easier when you know a mare can produce a top class horse rather than guessing what they might produce and you could see from the bidding how well appreciated she was,” added the agent.

Barronstown buys

Also offered by Derrinstown was the Oasis Dream mare Albaraah who cost David and Diane Nagle’s Barronstown Stud €230,000. Already the dam of the Prix Morny runner-up Alrahma and the Group 3-winning Efaadah, this mare is in foal to Blue Point.

Another Barronstown purchase came in the shape of the Aga Khan’s Tanoura. The Galtres Stakes winner has already produced a pair of Group 3 winners in Taniyar and Tanaza and she is in foal to Ghaiyyath. She cost €200,000.

Meanwhile Shadwell’s Ejaazah cost the Hyde family’s Summerhill €210,000 just a few days after her Exceed And Excel foal cost Tally-Ho Stud €130,000.

The listed-placed juvenile is a daughter of the Sweet Solera Stakes winner English Ballet.