Who’s the Daddy?…
Frankel may have been the star of the show but his sire Galileo (Ire) is never far from the limelight, and one of the day’s early high prices was given for lot 787, a filly out of Irish 1000 Guineas winner Saoire (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) bred and consigned by Cahermorris Stud.
Andrew Rosen is the filly’s new owner after his agent Hugo Merry signed the docket at €250,000.
“She’s been bought to race,” said Merry. “I bought the Giant’s Causeway filly out of the mare here at the Orby Sale [Pink Diva for €475,000], and she had lots of ability but unfortunately got injured. I still have a lot of faith in the mare and this filly is great value.”
Saoire has bred four winners from four runners, including the listed scorer and group 3-placed Requistion (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).
Galileo’s enduring appeal was in evidence again later in the day when lot 826, a three-parts sister to dual Group 1 winner Toronado (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) was the subject of a bidding war between Robert Nataf and David Bowe, with the former coming out on top at €520,000.
“My brother [Paul] bred Toronado so I know the family a little,” said Nataf of the filly whose dam Wana Doo (Grand Slam) is a half-sister to Casamento (Ire), a young sire whose first foals have been in great demand this week. “She’s been bought for an existing client and she will probably be sold in Deauville next August but we’ll have to think about it first.”
The filly was one of three blockbuster transactions for Jackie Norris’s Jockey Hall Stud, which later consigned a Lope De Vega (Ire) half-sister to G3 Give Thanks S. winner Venus De Milo (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}) (lot 917) for Tullpark Ltd. The filly is now on her way to France having been bought by Nicolas de Chambure of Haras d’Etreham for €300,000.
“We loved the filly and her page and it’s great to be able to buy good fillies for the farm,” he explained. “We’ll probably keep her but there’s a chance she may be resold next year.”
Jockey Hall Stud also consigned lot 948, a colt by Invincible Spirit (Ire) from the G3 Prix Miesque winner Lixirova (Fr) (Slickly {Fr}), who was bought by Pier House Stud for €225,000.
Another son of Galileo, Darley’s New Approach (Ire), made the leader board as the sire of the top-priced colt of the sale (lot 893). Bred and offered by Jim Bolger’s Redmondstown Stud, the March-born weanling is very closely related to Dawn Approach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), his dam Fainne (Ire) being a half-sister to the champion 2-year-old and Classic winner. Mick Flanagan signed the ticket on behalf of a Japanese client at €290,000.
He said: “He’ll eventually be broken in here in Ireland but we’ll take our time with him and he could end up racing in Japan. We’ll see how he progresses, but I hate to think what I’d have had to pay for him as a yearling, The sale has been really strong–we’ve tried on quite a few today and haven’t got close to them.” (Click for an interview with Mick Flanagan).
Flanagan also went to €240,000 for another member of the blue-blooded Redmondstown draft, lot 963, an Intense Focus half-sister to Irish Derby winner Trading Leather (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), whose yearling full-sister was sold at the Goffs Orby Sale last month for €950,000.