Sottsass date beckons as Demi O'Byrne lands 360,000gns session-topper

Few offerings draw prospective purchasers to the Park Paddocks ring quite like the draft of Juddmonte fillies and those lots again took centre stage during another solid session of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale on Wednesday.

Khalid Abdullah's operation offered 19 three-year-olds and a single juvenile and the draft duly brought an aggregate of 1,526,000gns and an average of 76,300gns. The most in-demand member of the bunch was Cressida, who was knocked down to Demi O'Byrne, seated to the right of the rostrum with Tammy O'Brien, at 360,000gns.

The filly, who was signed for on behalf of Peter Brant's White Birch Farm, will now form part of Sottsass's debut book as the owner's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero begins his second career at Coolmore.

"She's a very nice physical and a great walker," O'Byrne said of the daughter of Dansili, whose looks are backed up by a deep Juddmonte pedigree. She is the fifth foal out of Modern Look, the dam of four winners from as many runners and the winner of the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham herself.

Cressida: 360,000gns top lot due to visit Coolmore's new recruit SottsassCredit: Laura Green

Modern Look's best performer is Grand Jete, a Dansili sister to Cressida who won the Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes and finished runner-up to Dacita in the Beverly D. Stakes for Chad Brown.

In turn, Modern Look is out of Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Prophecy, whose brood includes the likes of Australian Group 1 winner Foreteller and Arabesque, dam of stallion siblings Showcasing and Camacho.

Cressida won one of her three outings for Abdullah and John Gosden, with her Kempton novice stakes success coming on debut last July.

Sottsass: set to receive strong home support at CoolmoreCredit: Coolmore

Brant is set to throw his considerable support behind Sottsass's stallion career, with the son of Siyouni and Starlet's Sister also due to be visited by the likes of Unaided, dam of the champion Uni who sold for $4.1 million in November; Rosa Bonheur, dam of Brant's dual Grade 1 winner Raging Bull; Albany Stakes victress Different League; and Azafata, whose offspring include May Hill Stakes scorer and Group 1 runner-up Fleeting.

Tattersalls December Mares Sale stats: day three

Offered lots: 228
Sold lots: 200 (88 per cent)
Aggregate: 5,312,500gns (down 11 per cent)
Average: 26,560gns (down 13 per cent)
Median: 14,000gns (no change)

Twomey gets his Girl

Paddy Twomey enjoyed a big result on day two of the sale when Sonaiyla was sold by his Athassel House Stud to Moyglare Stud for 900,000gns. Nearly 24 hours later the trainer turned buyer when going to 310,000gns to add Stormy Girl to his string.

The daughter of Night Of Thunder has developed into a high-class performer for Sedgefield-based trainer Rebecca Menzies and owners Stonegrave Thoroughbreds, as highlighted by her success in the Listed Flying Fillies' Stakes.

Stormy Girl in the Tattersalls sales ringCredit: Laura Green

"She's a nice filly and she looks to have progressive form," said Twomey. "She's been unlucky the odd time in her races but hopefully, if the cards fall her way, another winter might help her improve again. Her dam's half-sister bred a Group 1 winner this year so it's a deep family and she has residual value as a broodmare. She's been bought for an existing owner."

The three-year-old's value had appreciated markedly since her previous visit to the sales, as she fetched just €22,000 when bought by Compas Equine as a yearling. Her pedigree had also undergone an notable upgrade in that timeframe, as she is out of a half-sister to the dam of Prix Marcel Boussac hero Tiger Tanaka.

Menzies was on hand to offer new connections her congratulations, and after the docket had been signed she said: "She's been absolutely amazing for us and she's progressed as the year's gone on. There's loads more to come from her as a racemare and I'm sure she'll be a brilliant broodmare in time.

Rebecca Menzies: 'She'll leave a massive hole'Credit: Laura Green

"She was owned by Mike And Eileen Newbould, they've had more jumpers than Flat horses but they bought some yearlings a couple of years back and she's been their flagship horse so it's a brilliant result for them.

"Hopefully we can go back to the sales in future and find another like her. We've only got a small yard and she'll leave a massive hole but I'm really looking forward to watching her. There probably aren't many trainers who'd say that but I'll get a lot of pleasure out of seeing her race on."

Juddmonte action continues

Famed Juddmonte producer Clepsydra has exerted a notable influence on proceedings at this year's December Mares Sale, with no less than four of her daughters changing hands.

The priciest of those was Time Saver, who went the way of Blandford Bloodstock at 850,000gns, while Gerrardstown House Stud gave 200,000gns for Mechanism and Ted Durcan and the Heider family went to 160,000gns for Amser.

On Wednesday the fourth daughter of Clepsydra sold when Marc-Antoine Berghgracht of MAB Agency went to 190,000gns for the three-year-old Kingman filly Brinjal. The half-sister to Timepiece, Passage Of Time, Father Time and Continuum is set to commence her breeding career in France.

"It's just a lovely family and she's been bought for French breeder Haras d'Haspel, which is based in Normandy," explained Berghgracht. "The farm started in the last three years, mainly as a commercial breeder.

Marc-Antoine Berghgracht waits for the docket after buying Brinjal for 190,000gnsCredit: Laura Green

"The pedigree is very active with plenty of fillies breeding – you can expect the page to look different next year. We will think about what stallion we send her to. We might ask Juddmonte what would be their suggestion!"

Tom Goff also dipped into the Juddmonte draft when the Blandford Bloodstock man went to 170,000gns for Arabian Dream, an unplaced sister to Gimcrack Stakes scorer and Whitsbury Manor Stud stallion Showcasing.

Being by Oasis Dream and out of Arabesque means the three-year-old filly is also a half-sister to Yeomanstown Stud sire Camacho, the Group 3-placed Tendu and the stakes-placed Westerland and Bouvardia.

"I thought we had her at 65,000gns!" said Goff. "Oasis Dream is a fantastic broodmare sire and she's going to go to Ireland and be a mummy straight away. The page speaks for itself."

Godolphin queens in demand

The Godolphin draft also proved a major draw as 22 lots brought receipts totalling 686,800gns. The pricest of those was Queen Kahlua, who was knocked down to Stuart Thom of Galloway Stud in Woburn for 160,000gns.

The three-year-old daughter of Kingman won two races for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid and Henri-Francois Devin, including a Bordeaux Le Bouscat conditions event by four lengths on her penultimate outing. She also compiled some classy form in defeat, most notably when fourth behind Earthlight in the Listed Prix Kistena.

She will get the opportunity to further enhance her race record as Thom reported that her new owner would be sending her into training in Newmarket.

"She's been bought to keep in training but she'll probably come home for some rest first. Then she'll go into training with this man," said Thom, gesturing towards Stuart Williams. "She's a lovely filly physically, we thought she moved very well, and the fact she was only beaten five lengths by Earthlight really caught our attention.

Lot 1,952: Queen Kahlua brings 160,000gns from Galloway StudCredit: Laura Green

"Eventually she'll come back to Galloway Stud and hopefully she'll make a nice broodmare."

Bred by Horizon Bloodstock, Queen Kahlua is a half-sister to six winners, most notably the Listed scorer Windhoek. She was making her second appearance at public auction having been signed for by Devin and Stephen Hillen at 57,000gns at Book 1 in 2018.

Two lots later the six-figure mark was reached again as Laurent Benoit of Broadhurst Agency struck for Queen Of The Sea at 100,000gns.

The daughter of Sea The Stars did not manage to get her head in front in five starts for Godolphin but does possess a strong pedigree, as she is a half-sister to the Group 3-winning Sacred Life and the Group 3-placed Khagan.

Laurent Benoit: 'Sea The Stars will be a lovely broodmare sire'Credit: Laura Green

"We're not sure where she will go just yet but she will go to a nice proven stallion," said Benoit, who explained he had gone in pursuit of the filly's dam, the Montjeu mare Knyazhna, when she was bought by Ecurie des Monceaux at €700,000 at Arqana in 2018.

"We know the family well in France and the dam is still young herself. Sea The Stars will be a lovely broodmare sire too. Funnily enough I tried to buy the dam at Arqana but Mr Bozo was too strong! Time will tell, but I think the daughter looks fair value."

The Tattersalls December Mares Sale concludes on Thursday with a session starting at 9.30am.