WHEN the hammer came down on the final lot of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on Wednesday, the clearance rate for the three-day sale stood at 85%, exactly the same as last year.

The average price was down 3% on last year and the median price was 10% down.

A further five lots sold on Wednesday for 300,000 guineas or more. In total there were 19 lots that sold for 300,000 guineas or more and 48 that sold for 200,000 guineas or more, both records for this sale.

Yearling colts bred in the Munster counties of Tipperary, Limerick and Cork were among the very top-priced lots on Wednesday.

The top lot on the final day of the sale was the Starspangledbanner colt out of the Cadeaux Genereux mare Violet's Gift, who was knocked down to Stroud Coleman’s Anthony Stroud for 360,000 guineas. The half-brother to the listed-placed Kodiak West was consigned to the sale by James Hanly’s Ballyhimikin Stud in Nenagh, Co Tipperary.

"We felt he was a very special horse all the way along, he has been special always, and we love Starspangledbanner," said Hanly. "I just want to thank Helen and Frisk [Jones] who do the daily hard work for minding this horse so well.

"This is a family we have had for ever, we bred every single horse on the page. They are all very fast horses so hopefully this one will continue and will add to the family. It is lovely to be able to show horses such as this, it is a pleasure to be around them. Please God, he is a good runner."

CRISFORD AND COOLMORE

The progeny of first season sire and 2000 Guineas winner Churchill have been in great demand this week and his daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor mare Pussycat Lips was the most sought after, realising 340,000 guineas to the bid of Simon Crisford.

"She is a lovely filly, very racy and athletic, and she showed herself off well," said Crisford. "M.V. Magnier really loved her, she will be for a Coolmore partnership."

The filly was bred and consigned by Croom House Stud in Co Limerick, whose principal Denis Brosnan commented: "It was a wonderful sale and we are thrilled with the price, and we’re happy that she’s been bought by M.V. Magnier and will be going to Simon and Ed Crisford."

Cormac McCormac struck for the Mastercraftsman filly consigned by Denis McDonnell’s Parkway Farm for 325,000 guineas on behalf of M.V. Magnier.

The filly is a daughter of the Kalanisi mare Simkana, dam of the three-time winning and listed placed Simannka and a half-sister to the dual Derby winning champion Sinndar.

McDonnell, who also bred the filly, said: "She has got a Ribchester filly foal and is in-foal to Zoffany. I bought Simkana out of the Aga Khan's after she had foaled Simannka. This is a nicer filly than Simannka; she was a grey filly, she was bought by Paul Makin for €200,000 and was shipped to Australia. She was supposed to be a group filly, but never ran."

NOONANS STRIKE AGAIN

Cregg Stud’s John and Denis Noonan will have plenty to celebrate following an October Book 2 Sale to remember. The Fermoy, Co Cork-based team brought two colts to the sale and reaped 320,000 guineas for their Mehmas youngster on Monday and 300,000 guineas for their Kodicac colt today to the bid of Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin.

"I am gobsmacked at the minute," said a clearly emotional John Noonan, checking his phone to see all the congratulation messages, including one from his son who is based in Dubai and had watched online. "I always knew they were a pair of lovely colts, and that is why they have come here. This is better than winning the Lotto!

"The mare is a good servant to me, she is a young mare and the granddam has been a good servant to me too."

The colt is out of the Teofilo mare Supreme Occasion, a two-time winner who was fourth in the Group 2 May Hill Stakes as a two-year-old. She is a half-sister to the two-time group race winner Decado, the pair out of Pirie who the Noonans purchased at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale for 11,500 guineas back in 2004.

Noonan concluded: "I was hopeful of a good week, they were my two bankers! A lot of work went into them both, and this horse was an easy horse to do. I wish Godolphin the best, he is a lovely colt."

JUDDMONTE PURCHASE

Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms struck for the first time this week when securing the Oasis Dream colt out of the Zamindar mare Pure Line for 310,000 guineas. Newsells Park Stud consigned the colt on behalf of the breeder W. & R. Barnett Ltd who raced the granddam Pure Grain, the champion three year old filly in England in 1995 and winner of the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks.

"He is the spitting image of Oasis Dream at this stage. This is an incredible horse, a great walker. He is bred on the same lines as Kingman, he was an obvious horse for us," said Simon Mockridge of Juddmonte Farms.

Mockridge added: "Once he is broken then we will let everyone know about his trainer. We are hoping he is going to be a good horse."

The Stroud Coleman agency ended the sale as top purchaser, spending 5.4 million guineas on 29 horses. Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Estate spent just slightly less (5.3 million guineas) on 36 yearlings.

COMPARATIVE FIGURES FOR DAY 3 OF BOOK 2

Current Year Previous Year Change %

Lots Catalogued 273 263 +4%

Lots Withdrawn 33 22 +50%

Lots Offered 240 241 0%

Lots Unsold 32 33 -3%

Lots Sold 208 208 0%

Total Value (gns) 15,138,500 15,204,000 0%

Median Value (gns) 50,000 52,000 -4%

Average Value (gns) 72,718 73,096 0%

% Offered Lots Sold 87% 86% +1%

COMPARATIVE FIGURES FOR BOOK 2 SALE

Current Year Previous Year Change %

Lots Catalogued 816 791 +3%

Lots Withdrawn 69 61 +13%

Lots Offered 747 730 +2%

Lots Unsold 110 110 0%

Lots Sold 637 620 +3%

Total Value (gns) 48,362,500 48,499,000 0%

Median Value (gns) 50,000 55,500 -10%

Average Value (gns) 75,922 78,224 -3%

% Offered Lots Sold 85% 85% 0%

MORE SALES & BLOODSTOCK NEWS IN THE IRISH FIELD NEXT WEEKEND