A Sale Riding The Crest Of A Wave

In the last five years the September Yearling Sale at Tattersalls Ireland has doubled both in turnover and average. Admittedly, it has doubled from relatively modest figures. Back in 2011 the Irish bloodstock market had just begun showing signs of recovery, and the sale posted an aggregate of just over €4.6- million for an average of €10,951. Last year, those figures had jumped to a turnover of €9.8-million and an average of €24,093 from a significantly smaller catalogue. With an impressive roll call of top-class winners from the last few editions, the team at Tattersalls Ireland will be quietly optimistic of setting a new benchmark of figures following this year's sale, which is scheduled for Sept. 20 and 21 and followed immediately by Part II on Sept. 22 and 23.

“You never want to publically announce targets for a sale, as there are so many external factors that are out of our control, but the expectations are for very strong trade,” says Tattersalls Ireland's marketing director Simon Kerins. “Buyers have been well rewarded for purchasing at our sale in recent years and the standard of horse has definitely improved further. I'd expect this to lead to a greater diversity in the profile of buyers this year.”

“To be honest, we have never had so much interest in the September Yearling Sale at this stage and a number of the hotels have been booked out since early last month,” he added.

Buyers have been well-rewarded for their support of the sale, and perhaps none more so than trainer Hugo Palmer. He has tasted Classic success with two graduates, namely G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) and G2 German 1000 Guineas winner Hawksmoor (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}). Galileo Gold, who also added the G1 St James's Palace S. to his haul, was outstanding value at €33,000, while Hawksmoor was subsequently a bargain at €80,000 having been signed for, like Galileo Gold, by Amanda Skiffington.

A sale that appears to punch above its weight is bound to be on the radar of both vendors and purchasers alike, and Kerins confirmed competition for places in the sale this year was fierce.

“As the sale has grown in terms of success and popularity there has been a corresponding increase in interest; however, in 2016 the level of demand from vendors has been extraordinary from both Ireland and the UK,” he said. “As a consequence this year sees without question the strongest catalogue ever assembled.”

The sale can also boast a strong record in producing quality, precocious 2-year-olds with 100 wins from last year's sale on the board up to Sept. 1. These include the Ger Lyons-trained Medicine Jack (GB) (Equiano {Fr}), a €28,000 purchase last year and subsequent winner of the G2 Gain Railway S. at The Curragh. Of course all the yearlings on offer this year in both the main sale and Part II will again be eligible for the longest-running sales race in Europe, the €300,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales S. run at The Curragh on Irish Champions Weekend.

So with an increase in the number of horses on offer at the sale, is Kerins confident that demand will be sufficient to accommodate supply?

“We are expecting the usual large turnout of UK and Irish buyers in addition to the ever-expanding list of buyers from France, Germany, Switzerland and Eastern Europe,” he said. “Fourteen different countries purchased in 2015 and we are hoping to build on that number this year. We will continue to explore every potential market as always and attend a significant number of sales and race meetings as we would have been doing all year. The marketing and bloodstock teams have worked hard in establishing good relationships with clients over the years and we also work closely with Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, who are an enormous help with sourcing buyers.”

Of the Eastern European countries, Poland in particular has contributed greatly to the sale's resurgence over the last five years. This year the emergence of the unbeaten Va Bank (Ire) (Archipenko) in Poland should help boost the profile of the sale even further. Purchased by Bobby O'Ryan for €4,500 from Airlie Stud in 2013, Va Bank is unbeaten in 12 starts, is a Polish Triple Crown winner and brought his reputation to a new level with a win in the G3 Preis Der Sparkassen Finanzgruppe at Baden Baden Aug. 27 on his first assignment outside Poland.

Kishore Mirpuri, an agent based in Poland, has been instrumental in spreading the word about Irish horses in the country and has been a valued client of Tattersalls Ireland for many years. “I bought my first horses in Ireland in 1999 when I visited the September Sale for the first time and we started coming back as a group getting bigger every year since 2008,” said Mirpuri. “The Irish horses perform year-upon-year here in Poland so clients come back and they feel more comfortable if I tell them I am going and join me.”

He added, “This year there are 103 imported yearlings registered for racing in 2016 as 2-year-olds in Poland. I calculated that around 67 yearlings were bought at the sales in Europe and 34 yearlings were bought last year in Tattersalls Ireland. Obviously the exploits of Va Bank will also help cement these relationships built over the last decade.”

Tattersalls Ireland has set itself high standards, having sold two Classic winners from the sale two years ago. A strong batch of 2-year-olds from last year's auction along with some likely candidates to fly the flag in the future from the current catalogue include a trio of yearlings from the last crop of the ill-fated High Chaparral (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). Ciaran 'Flash' Conroy offers two of these from his Glenvale Stud, a colt, lot 96 and a filly, lot 530. The latter has a particularly nice pedigree for the future being a half-sister to Gallante (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), a Group 1 winner in both France and Australia. Glenvale's colt also has quite a lineage to live up to being out of G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Hula Angel (Woodman), who has also proved successful at stud breeding six winners from eight runners.

The family of lot 287 was in the news recently when the dam Saga Celebre (Fr) (Peintre Celebre)'s daughters Sagaciously (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) and Sagely (Ire) (Frozen Power {Ire}) came home first and second in a good quality fillies' race at Glorious Goodwood, and Ballyhane Stud offers a sister by Most Improved (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) to the pair. Sagaciously added a further update when runner-up in the Listed Upavon Fillies S. at Salisbury in August and the yearling is one of 15 consigned by Joe and Jane Foley's operation, the majority by their current or former residents Dandy Man (Ire) (Mozart), Elzaam (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}), Red Jazz (Johannesburg) and Roderic O'Connor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Ballyhane sold the smart-looking maiden winner Mr Scarlet (GB) (Dandy Man {Ire}) to Sheila Lavery at last year's sale for €72,000, so it has been a happy sales ground for them.

Several other pedigrees on offer have received some major updates this summer, none more so than lot 481, an Elnadim colt consigned by Liam McAteer's Woodtown House Stud. The colt's dam, Betty Burke (GB) (Choisir {Aus}), received a terrific boost when her son My Dream Boat (Ire) (Lord Shanakill) landed the G1 Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot this year, and the colt should hopefully provide a better return than the €3,500 received by breeder Patrick Monahan for My Dream Boat as a weanling. Another that got a smart update recently is lot 484, a Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire) filly offered by Harry and Lorna Fowler's Rahinston Farm & Stud. Her half-sister is the speedy juvenile Yulong Baobei (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}), trained by Michael Halford to win the Listed Excelebration Tipperary S. in July by three lengths and subsequently a slightly unlucky third in the G3 Curragh S. Aug 20.

The Castlebridge Consignment offers the only Oasis Dream (GB) (Green Desert) yearling. The colt, lot 77, is out of the dual winning stakes performer Harmonic Note (GB) (Nayef).

Tally-Ho Stud's flagship stallion Kodiac (GB) (Danehill) has the largest representation in the sale with 31 yearlings catalogued. No doubt they will continue to be sought after with many hailing from smart stakes performers, including lot 499 out of Cache Creek (Ire) (Marju {Ire}); lot 379 out of Group 2 winner Tropical Lady (Ire) (Sri Pekan); and lot 309 out of Group 3 winner Shining Hour (Red Ransom).