Tatts Yearling Trade Ends on a High

TATTS YEARLING TRADE ENDS ON A HIGH 
By Emma Berry 
Lope De Vega (Ire) is leading all European freshmen sires on the track, and a member of his second crop headed the final session of yearlings to go through the ring at Tattersalls in 2014 when selling for 325,000gns, the highest price at the December Yearling Sale since 2006. 

Though nowhere near as prominent as the behemoth that is the October Yearling Sale, this end-of-year auction has nevertheless been responsible for a decent number of high-class graduates, including this year’s G1 Haydock Sprint Cup winner G Force (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) and Blazing Speed (GB) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}), who added the G2 Jockey Club Cup to his domestic G1 Champions & Chater Cup win at Sha Tin on Sunday. 

Figures for this year’s renewal were every bit as buoyant, relatively, as its larger predecessor, with turnover of 4,573,700gns representing the second-highest aggregate for the sale and an increase of 28% on 2013. The average and median were also up, by 15% and 20%, at 28,408gns and 18,000gns, respectively, while the clearance rate climbed one point to 79% for 161 yearlings sold from 203 offered. 

Going Loco For Lope… 
The day’s topper lot 175, a Lope De Vega three-quarter brother to consistent Australian group performer Puissance De Lune (Ire) (Shamardal), will race for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid and be trained by Luca Cumani, who has come agonizingly close to scooping the Melbourne Cup on two occasions. 

“Who knows, maybe the Australians will want to buy him down the line,” said agent Charles Gordon-Watson after signing the docket for the Roundhill Stud offering. 

It is a family that has been good to stud owners Bobby Donworth and Honora Corrigan of late. A half-sister to this colt’s dam, Princess Serena (Unbridled’s Song), produced dual Group 1 winner Rizeena (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), while the dynasty can also claim champion race filly and top-class broodmare Serena’s Song (Rahy). 
Gordon-Watson added, “The sire is doing so well and there’s plenty going on in the family.” 

The agent was also in play for John Connaughton’s Shamardal colt (lot 125), who was led out of the ring unsold but quickly found a buyer through a private sale and ended the day as one of the most expensive lots at 140,000gns. His dam, the dual winner Angels Story (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), is a half-sister to Dunboyne Express (Ire), who shares his sire with this colt and has won group races in Ireland, Singapore and Hong Kong, including the G1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin. Another generation back the family boasts Classic winners Love Divine (GB) (Diesis) and Sixties Icon (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). 

“He’s been bought for an English client and will go into training with Luca Cumani,” said Will Douglass of Charles Gordon-Watson Bloodstock. “Shamardal has worked with the family before and he’s a rock-sold sire. This colt looked very straightforward, and he’ll have phenomenal resale value if all goes to plan.” 

Derby Dreams… 
“Epsom awaits him,” was the call from auctioneer John O’Kelly as Ballygallon Stud’s colt by High Chaparral (Ire) paraded before potential buyers. Offered through Jamie Railton as lot 212, the son of Walkamia (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}), who has already produced a black-type horse, War Is War (Ire), by another Derby winner in Galileo (Ire), was eventually knocked down to an outfit that knows all about both stallions and, indeed, Epsom. 

Demi O’Byrne’s signature appeared on the sheet along with the sum of 240,000gns for the half-brother to five winners and relative of G1 Ascot Gold Cup winner Westerner (GB) (Danehill). O’Byrne confirmed that the March-born colt is to join the Coolmore ranks at Ballydoyle. 

High Chaparral’s stud-mate Galileo also featured among the sires of the top colts of the day with Marlhill House Stud’s son of Belesta (GB) (Xaar {GB}) (lot 185) knocked down to Tom Goff of Blandford Bloodstock for 150,000gns. 

Stars Aligned… 
Lord Derby, breeder of dual Derby winner and new Coolmore stallion Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) from his outstanding mare Ouija Board (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), augmented his future broodmare ranks with the purchase of lot 197, a Sea The Stars (Ire) granddaughter of GI Canadian International S. winner Infamy (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}). 

“We bought a beautiful Dutch Art filly for Lord Derby in [Tattersalls October] Book 1 and he decided that he wanted one to partner her,” said agent Luke Lillingston. 

“This is a very special filly with a lovely pedigree, and she is by a very special stallion in Sea The Stars.” 
At 165,000gns, the Castlebridge consignee was the top-priced filly of the day. 

Lillingston switched hats from purchaser to vendor in the transaction of another daughter of Sea The Stars (lot 173), offered for a client of his Mount Coote Stud. 

Hugo Merry made a determined play for the filly, with the hammer falling in his favor at 140,000gns. A half-sister G3 Ballyogan S. winner Majestic Queen (Ire), she is also closely related to Sea The Stars’ first stakes winner, My Titania (Ire), their dams being full-sisters by Danehill. 

Artful Buy For Fanshawe… 
Trainer James Fanshawe and agent Suzanne Roberts collaborated in the 130,000gns purchase of lot 182, Rathbarry Stud’s Dutch Art (GB) half-brother to the admirable Mabait (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), who is still going strong at the age of eight and counts the Listed Pomfet S. among his nine victories. 

“He’s a lovely, strong colt. We tried on the [sales-topping] Lope De Vega colt but we couldn’t get near him,” said Fanshawe. 

The stock of the listed-winning Kirkwall (GB) mare Ronaldsay (GB) have been in demand in the sales ring in recent seasons, with her Oasis Dream (GB) colt Gale Force Ten (GB) having topped the DBS Premier Sale in 2011 at £280,000, followed by a similarly good return for her Dubawi (Ire) colt Orkney Island (GB), who made £180,000 in 2012. This time around Bob McCreery’s Stowell Hill Stud offered a filly by Exceed And Excel (Aus) (lot 102), who made David Redvers’ shopping list at 80,000gns. He said, “She’s a nice filly with a nice page and looks value now that the market has turned to foals. We’ve had success from this sale before.” 

Her half-brother Gale Force Ten was runner-up to Reckless Abandon in the G2 Norfolk S. in 2012 and returned the following year to win the G3 Jersey S.– credentials which have earned him a place on the Irish National Stud stallion roster for next year. 

The popularity of Lope De Vega hasn’t waned throughout this season’s sales, and an early leading light of the December Sale was his grandson of GII Barbara Fritchie H. winner Smart ‘N Noble (Smarten) (lot 70). Consigned by Acorn Stud, he made the early running when knocked down to Ed Sackville of SackvilleDonald for 75,000gns. Lope De Vega ended the December Yearling Sale as leading sire with four lots sold for an average of 112,500gns. 

Glebe Stud’s Showcasing (GB) filly (lot 119) will be returning to the breeze-up sales after being bought by Willie Browne for 68,000gns. A daughter of listed-placed Vive Les Rouges (GB) (Acclamation {GB}), she is a half-sister to winner Speedfiend (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}), who was fourth in last year’s G1 Middle Park S. Two of the leading players of the breeze-up scene had the filly on their lists, with Browne eventually getting the better of Jim McCartan. The successful buyer said, “The stallion’s stats speak for themselves, but I also have a couple at home by him and I particularly like them, so it made it easy to go a bit further.” 

While there is no sale at Tattersalls today, Park Paddocks will see plenty of action as potential purchasers take the chance to view more than 1,100 foals catalogued to sell from Wednesday to Saturday, with each session commencing at 9:30 a.m.