Rossenara's Shamardal Showstopper Tops Tatts

A banner day at the Tattersalls Foal Sale for John McEnery's Rossenara Stud saw two members of the farm's five-strong consignment bring two of the top three prices of the day within minutes of each other when a Shamardal colt was hammered down at 240,000gns, directly followed by a son of Dark Angel (Ire) at 160,000gns.

In each case the name on the buyers' sheet was the same–John Ferguson, on behalf of Darley, which stands Shamardal and this year bought a significant share in Dark Angel.

“They were healthy and well,” said a delighted McEnery after the duo had passed through the ring. “They each had over

50 shows a day. We brought them over on Friday so they had plenty of time to rest as we knew they would be busy.”

The session-topping Shamardal colt (lot 824) is the second foal of Sapporo (Ire) (Distorted Humor), an unraced half-sister to

GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Outstrip (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), who was bred by Darley from the GI Spinster S. heroine Asi Siempre (El Prado {Ire}). Sapporo was sold by the operation as a 3-year-old for 13,000gns to Emerald Bloodstock in 2012.

The March-born Dark Angel colt (lot 825) is another second foal, this time of the winning juvenile Witnessed (GB) (Authorized {Ire}), a daughter of the GIII Royal Heroine S. winner Magic Mission (GB) (Machiavellian), bought for just €7,000 as a 3-year-old the same year that Sapporo passed through the ring.

Rossenara's five foals to sell on Thursday realised an average of 104,000gns to leave the Co Kilkenny stud at the top of the consignors' table.

Ferguson later returned to the chute to buy lot 839, Meadowlands Stud's son of Kodiac (Ire) out of a half-sister to listed Braveheart S. winner Ithoughtitwasover (Ire) (Hurricane Run {Ire}) at 130,000gns.

A marathon 12-hour session at Park Paddocks saw 296 foals go under the hammer, with 234 of them bought for a 7% reduction in clearance rate to 79%. Turnover was 8,576,000gns and the average improved by 5%, to 36,650gns. The median remained static at 26,000gns.

German-based first-crop sire Maxios (GB) (Monsun {Ger}) has had a select group of foals advertising his worth at the British and Irish foals sales and they did not go unnoticed, with one of his daughters, a filly from the Niarchos family of Aviance and Aldebaran, selling for 180,000gns to Anthony Stroud. The half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Saddex (GB) (Sadler's Wells) (lot 930) was offered through Newsells Park Stud, the sister operation to Gestut Fahrhof, where Maxios stands.

“This is a very, very nice foal and I like Maxios a lot. He was a very good racehorse who showed remarkable speed, ” said Stroud, who added that he had purchased the filly for a partnership which plans to race her.

The 16-year-old mare Evangeline (GB) (Sadler's Wells) passed through Goffs' February Sale this year and was bought by Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock for €41,000. Six weeks later she foaled a colt by Kodiac (Ire), who just eight months later was sold for 150,000gns to Stephen Hillen on behalf of Jim McCartan and Mick Carty of MC Bloodstock. Unraced herself, Evangeline has already proved herself as a broodmare, with her 2006 foal by Exceed And Excel named Infamous Angel (GB) having won the G2 Lowther S.

Shadwell also featured high on the buyers' sheet after Angus Gold went to 130,000gns to secure lot 790, the Invincible Spirit (Ire) son of dual listed winner Selinka (GB) (Selkirk), who has produced two winners from her two runners to date.

“He's by a top sire from a stakes-winning mare and when you see one like him you have to have a go. The team loved him,” explained Gold.

He was later joined on the Shadwell list by lot 918, an Acclamation grandson of G3 Ballyogan S. winner Miss Anabaa (GB) (Anabaa). The first foal of her winning daughter Miliika (GB) (Green Desert) was consigned by Trickledown Stud and sold for 115,000gns.

Breeders Chris and Lesley Mills, who keep their nine mares across Trickledown, Lanwades, Brook and Pantile studs, were delighted with the return for the latest member of a family they've nurtured for generations.

“Rae Guest brought [great grandam] Midnight Shift (Ire) for us years ago – she was one of our two foundation mares along with Millyant (GB) – and Miss Anabaa was her first foal. Rae's trained all the family and we've had plenty of fun with them along the way,” said Chris Mills.

Mehmet Kurt, the Turkish owner of Lambourn-based Kingwood Stud, was active in the foal market on Thursday, signing for four lots including a brace of weanlings at 120,000gns apiece. The first, lot 724, was Norman Court Stud's first-crop daughter of treble Classic winner Camelot (GB) out of the listed runner-up Fanditha (Ire), whose first foal Cuppatee (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) was a dual-winning juvenile this year.

Also on the list was the Courtleigh Stud-bred colt by Pivotal (GB), a full-brother to recent listed winner and Group 1 runner-up Princess Loulou (Ire), who was offered by David and Trish Brown's Furnace Mill Stud. Kurt is also now the owner of one of the few first-crop foals of the subfertile Al Kazeem (GB) (lot 766). Consigned by Keith Harte, the colt is out of Burlesque Star (Ire) (Thousand Words), a half-sister to Group winners Dominant (Ire) (Cacique {Ire}) and Es Que Love (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}).

David and James Egan's Corduff Stud enjoyed some decent results at the recent yearling sales and added a new recruit to next year's team in lot 749, a filly by Lope De Vega (Ire) whose half-sister Starbright (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}) was placed in the G3 EBF Park Express S. and is one of three winners for her dam Starry Messenger (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).

Bidding through Richard Brown, the Egans went to 115,000gns for the filly from Knockainey Stud, from which the same team also purchased a Kodiac colt for €260,000 last week at Goffs.

Nafferty Stud's Raven's Pass half-sister to GII Mac Diarmida H. winner Ramazutti (Honor Grades) (lot 704) will be on her way to the U.S. after being bought by agent Justin Casse for an undisclosed client.

Casse, a visitor to Newmarket for the December Sales for the last four years, said, “The page fits very well and, as she's a half-sister to a Grade II winner, the filly will head to the States now.”

He added,” I bought a foal here last year and have been coming over for the mares' sale with an increasing number of clients looking for horses each year.”

A further 260 foals, including three daughters of leading sire Dubawi (Ire), will parade through the ring today during Friday's star session, which begins at 9.30 a.m.