'We thought he stood out' - Crystal Ocean colt goes way of Ben Case at €120,000

The frenzy surrounding the first crop by Crystal Ocean reached fever pitch at Tattersalls Ireland on Wednesday, when a son of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner became the first foal to smash the six-figure ceiling at this year’s November National Hunt Sale.

Offered by the Mariga family’s Coolmara Stables, he is a fine example of what first excited breeders, and now buyers, about the sire. A well-proportioned bay colt with a loose walk, he is the third foal out of Daydream Beach, a Mahler half-sister to the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle winner Airlie Beach.

Clusters of buyers around the ring offered ever increasing bids for the colt but it was Ben Case, standing with Kevin Ross and Lady Jane Grosvenor on the upper level, who had the final say, auctioneer John O’Kelly bringing the hammer down at €120,000.

John O'Kelly: hammered down the top lot for €120,000Credit: Peter Mooney/Tattersalls Ireland

Case elaborated on the reasons why they were determined to secure this particular son of Crystal Ocean, saying: "This is a good-sized foal, he has a great pedigree and will come back for resale. He’s just a gorgeous horse and we thought he stood out today.

“We’re delighted to get him. Whether he’ll turn out to be okay, who knows, we’ll just enjoy today for now."

Along with his former Freemason Lodge stablemate Poet’s Word, to whom he finished a neck second in that memorable King George at Ascot in 2018, the son of Sea The Stars is part of a new wave of National Hunt stallions who have created a buzz during record-breaking foal sales this week.

“Trade is strong, especially when paying that sort of money,” continued Case. “The market is strong, it’s buoyant, which is lovely to see.

“There are some lovely foals out there and some exciting young stallions – Poet's Word, Crystal Ocean, Order Of St George and Vadamos for example. There needed to be some new sires as we lost a few, we needed some new stock on the ground.”

Kieran Mariga bought Daydream Beach for €42,000 during the mares section of the 2017 sale, in foal to Shantou, who is the sire of her illustrious older half-sister. The family received a further Grade 1 update this year with the victory of Black Tears in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Happy Hanlon

Trainer Shark Hanlon won’t forget 2021 in a hurry as it was the year he trained his first Grade 1 winner, the rags-to-riches mare Skyace, and the ebullient trainer enjoyed an excellent result in the sales ring on Wednesday when the Affinisea colt he bred with partner Rachel O’Neill sold for €62,000.

As had been highlighted by colleague Martin Stevens in his Good Morning Bloodstock column on Wednesday, Hanlon played his part in the success of a previous incumbent of the O’Neill family’s Whytemount Stud, where Affinisea stands and from where Ronnie, father of Rachel, guided the late Stowaway to champion National Hunt sire honours.

Shark Hanlon: Affinisea colt he bred with partner Rachel O’Neill sold to Timmy Hillman for €62,000Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

One of those horses who contributed to Stowaway’s posthumous title last season was Fiddlerontheroof, who was placed in Grade 1 novice chases at both the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals for Colin Tizzard. The Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle winner was bred by Hanlon and O’Neill, and here they offered his Affinisea half-brother through Ballincurrig House Stud.

The colt is out of the Montjeu mare Inquisitive Look and was bought by Timmy Hillman.

Hanlon trains Inquisitive Look’s Valirann daughter Back On The Bridle, who has been placed over hurdles and fences, and will sell at Tattersalls Ireland on Thursday. She will also be consigned by Ballincurrig House Stud, who sold Grade 1 winner Laurina for a sale record price of €290,000 at last year’s renewal.

Lady in the red

Ballinahow Lady has been an excellent money-spinner for Noel O’Loughlin so far during her second career and the daughter of Beneficial proved her worth once again as a broodmare. Her fourth foal, a colt by Crystal Ocean, sold for €55,000 to Adrian Costello as lot 1005.

That figure was the highest price paid for a foal out of the Grade 3 TA Morris Memorial Mares Chase winner. Her Shirocco four-year-old gelding made €90,000 in this ring during the 2020 Derby Sale, sold by Goldford Stud to Highflyer Bloodstock, while earlier this year her Walk In The Park three-year-old daughter was sold for €65,000 by Ballinahow Stud to Michael Hyde.

Harzand turns heads

Harzand has the best winners-to-runners rate of any European second-season sire and, with his most recent books including high calibre jumps mares, it is unsurprising that his stock is attracting the attention of pinhookers.

Lot 922 has a most promising jumping pedigree as his dam is a Malinas half-sister to the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Long Run and to another Cheltenham Festival winner in Liberthine. As befits his family’s French origins, he was bought by Lulsley Bloodstock to return to the land of his forebears.

He was offered by Juliette Minton’s Mill House Stud on behalf of his Devon breeder John Lightfoot, and the happy consignor provided an update on this particular branch of the family tree which includes Grade 1 Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase winner J’y Vole and Getabird, a daul Grade 2 winner over hurdles.

“The Harzand is a lovely, strong, good-walking type and the family is just coming good – John bred Lilly Pedlar, this colt’s half-sister by Yeats who was third in a Grade 2 mares’ novice hurdle at Newbury for Nicky Henderson,” said Minton.

Numbers game

During the three foal sessions of the sale a dozen foals by the son of Sea The Stars have sold for an average of €22,292 and a median of €20,500.

With the fourth and final foal session still to come, the record aggregate for the foal section of the sale was surpassed on Wednesday night. A total of €11,706,500 worth of foals have been sold so far this week in the Fairyhouse sales complex.

Wednesday’s third session contributed €3,811,000 of that total, which was an increase of 84 per cent on the aggregate for the third foal session of the 2020 sale. The average price grew by a third to €19,644 from €14,775, and the median rose by 50 per cent from €10,000 in 2020 to €15,000 on Wednesday.

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