Kodiac Conquers The Freshman

KODIAC CONQUERS THE FRESHMEN 
By Emma Berry 
Rookie stallions may have dominated the upper echelons of the leader board during the first two sessions of the Goffs November Foal Sale, but the proven and popular Kodiac (Ire) (Danehill) put them all in their place late yesterday when his son out of the young Noverre mare Novel Fun (Ire) was sold for €130,000. 

Jim McCartan won a bidding war for lot 506 that included early combatants Tony O’Callaghan and Brendan Morrin, and signed for the Vinesgrove Stud offering on behalf of himself and his brother Paul. 

“We’ve both had a lot of luck with Kodiac and we thought he was the best by the sire we’ve ever seen,” said McCartan, which is high praise indeed considering his brother bred Kodiac’s champion 2-year-old filly Tiggy Wiggy (Ire). 

“He’s a really nice individual and he’ll go back to Ballyphilip Stud.” 

The figures posted yesterday represented yet more significant advances on last year’s trade, with the average of €22,113 improving by 44% and the median of €16,500 being up by 50%. A solid clearance rate of 87% for 208 sold helped boost the aggregate to €4,599,500, a 48% increase. 

A total of 21 stallions with first foals account for a little over a quarter of the 989 weanlings catalogued across the four days and on Tuesday, two sons of Born To Sea (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) took their place among the top three weanlings of the sale so far, selling for €120,000 and €90,000, respectively. 

As a half-brother to Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire)–whose first-crop foals made such a splash at this sale back in 2011–and by the sire responsible for this season’s outstanding miler Kingman (GB), it’s easy to understand the appeal of Born To Sea, whose April-born colt out of the winning Sleeping Indian (GB) mare Adaria become the most expensive foal by the sire so far at €120,000. John Clarke bought the River Lane Lodge offering (lot 345) on behalf of Born To Sea’s owner/breeders, Ling and Christopher Tsui, who operate as Sunderland Holdings. 

“The Tsui family are keen to support the stallion and this was a lovely, well-balanced colt,” said Clarke, who confirmed that he has been bought to race and will eventually be trained in Ireland by John Oxx, who also trained his sire. 
Rathasker Stud, which stands Born To Sea, is offering eight weanlings by him this week, including lot 404, who was knocked down to pinhooker Paddy Twomey for €90,000. The colt is the second foal of the once-raced Eastern Glow (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) and from the family of G2 Champagne S. winner Etlaala (GB) (Selkirk). Of the 30 Born To Sea foals catalogued, 10 have already passed through the ring, selling for an average of €39,650. 

Dermot Cantillon had a hand in breeding both Sir Prancealot (Ire) and Casamento (Ire), and each of those first-season sires is represented by 45 weanlings at Goffs this week. Top price so far for the former was given by Tony O’Callaghan, whose Tally-Ho Stud stands Sir Prancealot, for lot 321, a colt out of Kyllachy (GB)’s half-sister Throne (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}), who was knocked down for €70,000. 

O’Callaghan also stands Kodiac (GB) and went to €65,000 for lot 371, Greenville House Stud’s colt from the unraced King’s Theatre (Ire) mare Best Mother (Ire). Another Kodiac colt (lot 380), a brother to the four-time winner Seanie (Ire), was hammered down to Peter Kelly of Emerald Bloodstock at €60,000. Two of Seanie’s wins came since the publication of the catalogue and have seen him leap in the ratings from 87 to 103, serving as a valuable reminder of the merit of sending his dam Cakestown Lady (Ire) (Petorius) for a return visit to Kodiac. 

Kelly, who had previously bought Seanie at the breeze-up sales, also signed for his sibling, said, “It’s a family I know quite well and obviously he’s a brother to a very smart horse. He’s been bought for a syndicate who will decide next year whether to reoffer him or race him–he does look quite racy.” 

Late in the session Brendan Holland was the successful bidder on the top-priced filly of the day, lot 483, Gaynestown Stud’s daughter of Cape Cross (Ire) out of the listed-placed multiple winner Maybe Grace (Ire) (Hawk Wing {Ire}). It’s a family Holland has already been involved with, having sold the filly’s half-sister, Stormy Alexis (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}), earlier this year for €70,000 at the Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale. 

“We breezed her half-sister who is now in America at Fair Hill and looks quite promising,” he explained. “The foal is by a good fillies’ sire out of a black-type mare and if we’re lucky her sister may provide us with an update.” 

Ger Hourigan of Whitehall Stud stepped in for a first-crop son of Helmet (Aus), giving €60,000 for lot 293, a strong colt out of Smoken Rosa (Smoke Glacken), a half-sister to GIII Bayou Breeders’ Cup H. winner Snowdrops (GB) (Gulch). He said, “He’s a good colt from a nice current family. The mare has a Zoffany 2-year-old to race for her next year and we’ll bring this colt back to a sale next autumn.” 

The same price was also bid by Johnny McKeever of BBA Ireland for lot 479, a Choisir (Aus) half-brother to three-time winner Whats For Pudding (Ire) (Kheleyf), whose grandam Acidanthera (GB) (Alzao {Ire}) is responsible for Choisir’s Group 1-winning son and new stallion Olympic Glory (Ire). 

Breeders with a little time to spare this week have been taking the opportunity to see the Irish National Stud’s roster of stallions on parade twice daily in Kildare. Dragon Pulse (Ire), an imposing chestnut son of Kyllachy (GB), was among those on view and the freshman also had a number of admirers back at the sales grounds, where two of his daughters were amongst the most expensive fillies sold on Tuesday. Lot 378, consigned by Ridge Manor Stud and out of a half-sister to GIII Appleton H. winner Millennium Dragon (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}), fetched €50,000, and Luke Barry opted for another Dragon Pulse half-sister to three winners out of Lisieux Stud’s Free Lance (Ire) (Grand Lodge) for €43,000. 

Young Darley sire Casamento topped the first day of trade, and his most expensive weanling yesterday was offered by Nicola Kent (lot 481) who sold the half-brother to the Group 3-placed Champ d’Honneur (Champs Elysees {GB}) for €52,000 to Anthony Stroud. 

Just ahead of the start of the second day of the November Foal Sale, the breeding community present at Goffs was united in a minute’s silence as a mark of respect for one of Irish racing’s most famous and much-loved sons, the former leading jump jockey and successful trainer Dessie Hughes. The father of champion jockey Richard Hughes died Sunday and was laid to rest yesterday.