GILLTOWN flagbearer Sea The Stars had five sons and daughters sell for a quarter of a million guineas or more this week, and two of them were among the top three lots in Book 2.

A son of Sea The Stars headed the week’s trade at 800,000gns, the fourth-best Book 2 price ever and the best since 2019. It is also the best yearling sale for consignor Fiona Marner and her Windmill Farm.

Marner said: “We bought the mare [Kitcarina by Shamardal]; she is owned in partnership. Since then the pedigree has just really developed; her full-sister Kitcara became the dam of Al Aasy. This colt has been so special all along; I am not sure we realised he was that nice!

“We have a lot to thank John Clarke for as we had the foal share to Sea The Stars. The mare is back in foal to the sire, carrying a colt. She did not have a foal this spring and it is just fabulous to have such a good first foal out of her.

“We are just a tiny farm, and we only have five young mares. This mare is owned with two very longstanding and loyal partners, Derek James who is in America and l will call him now and wake him up, and Peter Wollaston.”

The colt was bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, the sale’s leading buyers with a spend of 5,625,000gns, with MV Magnier as underbidder. Anthony Stroud said: “A very good-looking horse with a good pedigree. The nick works quite well, and you have Al Aasy, by Sea The Stars, in the family too. He’ll be trained by John Gosden for a long-established client.”

Trade on day two was also headed by a son of Sea The Stars, this time it was trainer Roger Varian who outlasted BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe for the colt out of the Oratorio mare Along Came Casey, a listed winner and three-time’s Group 3-placed for Dermot Weld. The colt was sold by Eugene Daly’s Longview Stud.

Three millionaire lots

Longview sold three millionaire lots in Book 1 over the past four years, including this year’s son of Dubawi and the Galileo mare How for 1,600,000gns, but this is the farm’s best Book 2 result to date.

Varian said: “The stallion can’t do much wrong at the moment, the mare was a stakes winner and has bred a very good one already [Group 3 winner Feliciana De Vega]. We had to dig deep to get him, but we are delighted. We saw him two or three times, and watched him closely in the ring; he has a lovely way of going. Time will tell how good he is! I thought he is one of the better horses of the week. He is for an existing client.”

Other notable sales of yearlings by Sea The Stars during the week included Castletown Stud’s half-sister to listed winner Apadanah to Highclere Agency for 350,000gns, Ballyshannon Stud’s first foal of the Group 2 winner Waitingfortheday to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for the same price, and Norelands Stud’s first foal of the group-placed Cava to Andrew Balding for 300,000gns. The last two are colts.