BRED BY Sheila Grassick’s Newtown Stud, just as Flotus was, the five-year-old Kodiac mare Shades Of Blue was a listed winner, runner-up in a pair of Group 3 races and placed also in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes. She was sold from The Castlebridge Consignment to Michel Zerolo’s Oceanic Bloodstock, on behalf of Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm, for 850,000gns. She was sold in foal for the first time to Frankel.

Sold as a foal for 105,000gns, Shades Of Blue was purchased at the December sale last year for 320,000gns by BBA Ireland.

Another mare carrying her first foal was the Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes winner One Voice, Craig Bernick’s four-year-old daughter of Poet’s Voice having gone in foal to a February 25th covering by Lope De Vega. Her placed efforts included being runner-up, beaten just a neck, to Fancy Blue in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes. She was purchased, just like the sale-topper-, by Jill Lamb Bloodstock. As a yearling One Voice was sold for €55,000 at the Goffs Sportsmans Sale.

The listed-placed Rose D’Etoile, a four-year-old by Zoffany, was knocked down to Adrian Nicoll of BBA Ireland for 600,000gns, and was sold in foal with her first pregnancy to Wootton Bassett. The agent said: “She is for partnership between a client and Ben Sangster. She is one of the best-looking mares on the place, she had ability and she is in foal to a good horse.”

Silk Forest

Winner of the Listed Garnet Stakes at Naas two years ago, the Kodiac five-year-old Silk Forest was also Group 2-placed. She sold to Sunderland Holding last year for 260,000gns, was put in foal to Sea The Stars, and this time was bought by Kern/Lillingston Association for 575,000gns.

Peter Stanley, who was with Luke Lillingston, said: “She is for a partnership between Chris Kilroy and my brother. Teddy [Lord Derby] was very keen to reinvest in a young mare and this was a bit of a queen; she is from one of the great families, built up by one of the greatest breeders.” The family traces to Gerald Leigh’s Group 1 Prix de la Foret winner Brocade, dam of Barathea and Gossamer.

Castlebridge Consignment sold Silk Forest, and minutes later had another big-priced lot when Precious Moments, carrying her first foal by Wootton Bassett, sold to BBA Ireland for 575,000gns. This Group 2-placed winning daughter of Gleneagles was trained by Aidan O’Brien and sold as a yearling for 500,000gns. She is a half-sister to a pair of Royal Ascot winners, Sword Fighter and Big Audio, winners of the Queen’s Vase and Chesham Stakes respectively.