No Nay Never colt leads the way in November Foal Sale opener

As was the case at many of this year's European yearling auctions, it was a tale of two halves on day one of the Goffs November Foal Sale at Kildare Paddocks on Monday.

The familiar hallmarks of polarisation were in evidence as trade towards the top of the market proved solid with pinhookers out in force.

However, demand all but flatlined among the lower tiers, and despite a bustling sales ground the clearance rate stood at 59 per cent, with just 145 of 244 offered lots finding a buyer, while 25 foals failed to register the minimum bid of €5,000.

The aggregate finished at €2,685,000, down 34 per cent year-on-year, while the average was €18,520, a decrease of 13 per cent, and the median fell by nine per cent to €15,000.

Another running theme from this year's yearling sales was the insatiable appetite for the progeny of red-hot first-season sire No Nay Never, and that too continued into Monday's sale as the Pier House Stud team secured a colt by the son of Scat Daddy for the session-topping sum of €125,000.

View full Goffs November Foal Sale results

Ciaran 'Flash' Conroy of Glenvale Stud, Ed Sackville and the Tally-Ho Stud team all showed an interest in the April-born foal, but – with the gavel raised at €120,000 – Brendan Morrin joined the fray and a solitary €5,000 raise was enough to seal the deal.

"He was the best foal of the day," said the Pier House Stud man. "He's an excellent mover and by a very good stallion. He'll come back here next year."

The colt was bred by 92-year-old Audrey Thompson of Kilmore Stud, who has compiled quite the breeding CV having also produced Then Again, who won the Queen Anne Stakes for Luca Cumani in 1987, while her father pinhooked the legendary dual-purpose performer Brown Jack.

Thompson keeps a two-strong broodmare band at Kilmore Stud in County Tipperary, but left the preparation of the No Nay Never colt to her cousin Andrew Thompson and Con Marnane's right-hand man Mike O'Brien – the duo responsible for breeding champion miler Ribchester.

"He's a foal that just wanted to please you every day," said Andrew Thompson. "Some foals you want to move on, they may not be that nice to handle, but this colt has a kind temperament and was good fun to do. Hopefully he'll make a nice two-year-old – No Nay Never's obviously been a sensation."

A delighted Thompson added that the session-topping price had exceeded his already fairly lofty expectations, with the colt having proved a hit with prospective buyers during pre-sale inspections.

"He'd had well over 200 shows so we knew he was popular," he said, "but we were thinking he might fetch around €70,000 or €80,000 and I didn't think he'd go over the €100,000 mark."

The colt is out of Celestial Dream, whose foals have now fetched a total of €324,000 in the Goffs ring, a fine return considering she was bought by Kilmore Stud for just 18,000gns at Tattersalls back in 2009.

The daughter of Oasis Dream and Nunthorpe Stakes winner Lochangel has produced five winners since retiring to the paddocks, including the winning War Command two-year-old Loch Ness Monster.

"We bought the mare and she's paid us well – all her foals have sold well," added Thompson. "She's not in foal at the moment so we'll have to put our thinking hats on."

The session-topping colt was bred when his sire stood for just €17,500, but in light of a stunning debut crop – with his 26 European winners headed by unbeaten Middle Park Stakes hero Ten Sovereigns – No Nay Never will now stand 2019 at €100,000.

With 25 more foals due to come under the hammer this week, it seems highly like that the progeny of No Nay Never will continue to make an impact at the November Sale.

Bear's bright beginning

The market got its first look at the progeny of a number of first-crop sires on Monday, and among those to register a noteworthy result was Rathbarry Stud's Kodi Bear.

Lynn Lodge Stud and Tally-Ho Stud tried hard to land the colt offered by Awbeg Stud, a fine example of what his sire can produce, but it was Rathbarry's Paul Cashman who lasted longest, with a bid of €66,000 enough to bring the gavel down on the March-born youngster.

"He's the absolute image of his father," said Awbeg's Paddy Fleming. "He'd been very popular and all the right people were on him. He's a lovely foal though, and the mare has done us a good turn."

The colt is out of Arbeel, a half-sister to European Free Handicap winner Telwaar, who has produced one winner from one runner, the Havana Gold filly Boomerang Betty. His price represented a handsome return on the €10,000 Kodi Bear – a high-class miler by sire sensation Kodiac – stood at in his debut season.

Paul Cashman signs the docket for the €66,000 Kodi Bear coltCredit: Peter Mooney

"The mare is by Royal Applause and obviously some of Kodiac's best horses are out of Royal Applause mares, that's one of the reasons we sent her to Kodi Bear, that was a big attraction," added Fleming.

Cashman was in agreement with the Awbeg team that the colt bore a strong resemblance to his sire, as he noted: "He's got great presence and a super attitude and I thought he was very like his father. He's just a lovely colt from a great farm. Hopefully he'll come back here for next year's yearling sales."

Tally-Ho tops up

The November Sale has been a happy hunting ground for Tally-Ho Stud, with Grade 1 winner La Pelosa among the talents the O'Callaghan family have pinhooked from this auction down the years.

And the Mullingar-based operation was back in action on Monday, signing for five lots at a total outlay of €194,000.

The priciest of the quintet was a Footstepsinthesand filly consigned by Hill House who fetched €62,000, while Tally-Ho also signed for a daughter of Kodiac offered by Milltown House Stud at €58,000.

They also made an eyecatching acquisition in the shape of a Pearl Secret colt who fetched €40,000 when offered by Bucklands Farm and Stud, where the sire stood his debut season at a fee of just £4,000.

The November Sale continues on Tuesday at 10am, and with better credentialled lots due to come under the hammer trade is expected to go up a gear or two.

View the Racing Post Bloodstock Breeding Stock Sale supplement