WE leave Covid-19 a further step behind us next week when the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale returns to Fairyhouse.

When last year’s edition of this sale was staged in Newmarket, it marked the final chapter of 18 months of mayhem in the bloodstock world. Think back to that time when sales dates were switching on a weekly basis and there were forms to fill in and protocols to observe.

Not only did we cope with it all but, somehow, the bloodstock industry thrived and is still powering ahead despite new global and local crises threatening our way of life.

The September Yearling Sale (Part I) is a prime example. The 2020 edition, staged at a time of no vaccines and huge uncertainty, produced a set of figures which almost matched the 2019 renewal. Then last year turnover went through the roof, jumping from €8 million to almost €13 million. The average price was up by almost a third to €31,790, and the median price also rose by a third to €23,500.

Part II of the sale even bigger increases last year.

Who knows what will happen next week, but recent results from Deauville, Doncaster and Newmarket suggest that demand remains strong.

Part I kicks off on Tuesday morning when the first of 480 lots will be offered over two days. On Thursday a further 128 lots will come under the hammer in Part II.

This year’s catalogue received a couple of major boosts in recent weeks, as it features half-siblings to Group 2 Lowther Stakes winner Swingalong and Group 1 Flying Five runner-up Erosandpsyche.

Sale graduates to have won good races this year include the two-year-old Bottle Of Bubbles, winner of a Group 3 race in Italy having been bought for €18,000, and the older horse Sir Busker, a €25,000 purchase who won a Group 2 race at York this summer.

Other September Sale graduates in the news for winning stakes races this year are Layfayette, Ponntos, Go Bears Go, Thunder Beauty and Lucky Girl.

Go Bears Go, bought for £50,000 at the 2020 sale in Newmarket, was a Group 2 winner at the Curragh as a juvenile and won two Group 3 races so far this season.

On the same weekend in August that the colt won the Phoenix Sprint Stakes at the Curragh, the filly Lakota Sioux won the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket for Charlie and Mark Johnston. She was sold at the 2021 September Yearling Sale by Stone Farm for £15,000.

Next week’s catalogue features own or half brothers and sisters to blacktype horses Markaz Paname, Bellabel, Art Connoisseur, Sovereign Debt, Roman Turbo, The Lir Jet, Realtra, Dense Star and Waady.

In total there are yearlings out of 54 blacktype mares including a Kingman colt out of multiple Group 2 winner Riposte., a Too Darn Hot filly out of Group 1 placed and multiple Group 3 winner Suffused, and a No Nay Never daughter of Group 3 Prix Minerve winner Forces Of Darkness.

The list of sires with yearlings catalogued includes proven Group 1 producers Acclamation, Aclaim, Australia, Bated Breath, Bungle Inthejungle, Camacho, Churchill, Dandy Man, Dark Angel, Footstepsinthesand, Gleneagles, Havana Gold, Iffraaj, Invincible Spirit, Kingman, Kodiac, Make Believe, Mastercraftsman, Mehmas, Nathaniel, New Bay, Oasis Dream, Sea The Stars, Showcasing, Starspangledbanner, Territories, Zoffany and Zoustar.

Whitsbury Manor Stud’s Havana Grey is enjoying a great year with his first crop of runners. He is well represented in the catalogue with 10 lots on offer including the half-sister to Group 2 placed Sam Maximus and two-year-old winner Amazing Show.

Stallions represented by some of their first crop of yearlings include Advertise, Blue Point, Calyx, Eqtidaar, Inns Of Court, Invincible Army, Land Force, Le Brivido, Magna Grecia, Masar, Phoenix Of Spain, Soldier’s Call, Study Of Man, Ten Sovereigns, Too Darn Hot and Waldgeist.

All yearlings catalogued will be candidates for the €300,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes which takes place at the Curragh on Irish Champions Weekend. Last Sunday’s renewal was won by Streets Of Gold, who was sold for £27,000 by Ballylinch Stud to Highflyer Bloodstock and trainer Eve Johnson Houghton at last year’s September Yearling Sale.

As vendor of the winning horse, Ballylinch Stud received a new Overlander R240 horsebox.

Over 80% of the yearlings catalogued are qualified for the IRE Incentive and therefore eligible to win a sales voucher of €10,000 per qualifying race in Ireland and Britain.

Catalogue highlights

Lot 10: Dark Angel full-sister to 15-race winner (including Group 2) Sovereign Debt.

Lot 118: El Kabeir half-sister to two winners including Group 2 Norfolk Stakes winner The Lir Jet.

Lot 127: Profitable half-brother to three winners, including this year’s Group 2 Lowther Stakes winner Swingalong.

Lot 153: A Kingman colt out of multiple Group 2 winner Riposte.

Lot 176: Footstepsinthesand colt out of dual listed winner Sciolina (by Danehill). Half-brother to Group 1 placed Erosandpsyche. Said to be well-regarded by vendor Coole House Farm.

Lot 214: A Too Daarn Hot filly out of Group 1 placed and multiple Group 3 winner Suffused.

Lot 219: Holy Roman Emperor full-sister to Group 3 Anglesey Stakes winner Roman Turbo.

Lot 254: A Tamayuz half-brother to two winners, including this year’s Group 3 Gladness Stakes winner Markaz Paname.

Lot 271: Churchill half-brother to three winners including Group 2 Coventry Stakes winner Art Connoisseur.

Lot 307: Invincible Spirit half-brother to five winners, including nine-race winner Waady, winner of a Group 2 in Meydan and G roup 3 in Sandown.

Lot 376: Calyx half-sister to listed placed Dense Star.

Lot 386: A half-sister to Group 2 placed Sam Maximus and two-year-old winner Amazing Show.

Lot 393: Churchill half-sister to multiple Group 3 winner Realtra.

Lot 424: A Holy Roman Emperor half-sister to USA Grade 2 winner Bellabel.

Lot 433: A No Nay Never daughter of Group 3 Prix Minerve winner Forces Of Darkness.

Sale details

Sale: Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale at Fairyhouse

Date/time: 10am start on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 20th-21st. Starts 10.30am on Thursday, September 22nd.

Lots: 480 yearlings in Part I on Tuesday and Wednesday. A further 128 lots in Part II on Thursday.

Tel: 01-8864 300

Email: info@tattersalls.ie

Web: tattersalls.ie