'We love Kodiac even more now!' - €340,000 filly gives Fitzgerald dream result

Alice Fitzgerald enjoyed the kind of result that all small breeders dream about during the opening stages of the Goffs Orby Sale on Tuesday when her homebred Kodiac filly was bought by Peter and Ross Doyle for €340,000.

The filly is out of Fikrah, a winning daughter of Medicean who last changed hands at public auction for just €13,000 but has gone on to breed three winners under Fitzgerald's care, most notably Wokingham Stakes scorer Hey Jonesy.

View full Goffs Orby Sale results

Reflecting on the sale of the six-figure filly, Tipperary-based Fitzgerald said: "She's always been really, really nice and is the best yearling we've ever had, but you never know until you get to the sale. She showed really well, she was really busy but she kept showing so well all the way through. She’s strong and good-looking, very pretty and was catching everyone's eye."

With the Doyles' purchase heading to Richard Hannon, a few key ingredients from past successes will combine again. The trainer has already enjoyed some notable results with the progeny of Kodiac thanks to Tiggy Wiggy and Fox Champion, while Fitzgerald sold Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes winner Ginger Nut to the Doyle and Hannon axis in 2017.

"We love Kodiac and we love him even more now!" continued Fitzgerald. "The mare seems to work really well with him and we have a lovely foal full-brother at home. This filly has been very good to us and I hope she's very good to her new owners as well. It's very exciting that she's going to Richard Hannon, hopefully she will be another Tiggy Wiggy for him.

"The dam is in foal to Sottsass but all going well, maybe she will go back to Kodiac next year."

Although the sale of the €340,000 Kodiac filly will doubtless live long in Fitzgerald's memory, it is not her first big result this year having sold a daughter of Starspangledbanner to MV Magnier for £160,000 during the Goffs UK Premier Sale.

"It's been the best yearling sales season we've ever had, we've had some lovely fillies and we’ve been really lucky," said the delighted breeder.

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