Fervour for Flemensfirth colts reaches fever pitch at Fairyhouse

Many buyers were showing signs of Flemensfirth fever during Wednesday's action-packed foal session at the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale, with Best Mate trainer Henrietta Knight having to dig deep to secure a March-foaled colt by the Beeches Stud resident.

The bidding started at €30,000 and rose sharply with bids flying in from all sides of the ring and Knight, standing near the rostrum, emerged on top with a bid of €92,000 - the highest price paid so far this week.

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Offered by the Beeches Stud, the colt is out of the Kayf Tara mare Lucky Fancy, a placed half-sister to four black-type performers including the champion bumper mare Diamond Sal and Listed bumper scorer Theatre Girl, whose Martaline colt was purchased by Richard Frisby for €70,000 on Tuesday.

"He'll be going to England and will be going racing," said Knight. "He was outstanding and the nicest horse I'd seen at this sale. He's got everything - size, scope and movement - and I love the stallion."

Knight added to her haul later in the day when securing a €65,000 colt by the same sire out of Grade 2 mares novice hurdle winner Shadow Eile, a sister to the Grade 2 bumper scorer Corskeagh Royale.

Henrietta Knight signs on the dotted lineCredit: Pat Healy / Tattersalls Ireland

Niall Flynn enjoyed phenomenal breeding success during the 2017-18 season with dual Grade 1 novice hurdle winner Next Destination, Grade B handicap hurdle winner A Great View and Grade 3 mares novice hurdle winner Just Janice, the last of whom carried his distinctive blue and white polka dot silks.

Flynn offered a Flemensfirth half-brother to Just Janice on Wednesday and was duly rewarded when the February-foaled colt was hammered down to Ivor McGrath for €90,000.

"We'll see how he goes," said McGrath, who consigns under the Ballooley banner. "We'll see what he grows into but my intention is to bring him back for the Derby Sale or else he'll go racing."

Many of the Flynn family's runners trace back to their foundation mare Shuil Agragh and carry the 'Liss' name including the colt's granddam Liss A Paoraigh, a prolific Grade 1 winner, and Blazing Liss, a Grade 1 bumper runner-up who produced Next Destination.

Early action

A flurry of foal trade took the sale to new heights on Tuesday evening, with a Walk In The Park half-brother to Coney Island knocked down for €80,000, and Wednesday's session did not take long to warm up either with Ian Ferguson matching that amount for a Flemensfirth brother to Noble Endeavor early in the piece.

"He'll now go racing," said Ferguson, from his perch above the buyer's bench. "I'm delighted to get him bought."

The colt was bred by the Beeches Stud out of the unraced Old Vic mare Old Moon, who has also produced the dual Listed-placed chaser Minella Daddy.

Rather remarkably, the colt is the 12th consecutive foal by Flemensfirth out of Old Moon, after she was purchased by Bobby McCarthy as a store for €7,000 at Goffs in 2004.

Aiden Murphy later parted with €80,000 for a Flemensfirth half-brother to Grade 1-placed hurdler Campeador.

Flemensfirth stood the latest season at a career-high fee of €15,000, making him the joint-most expensive advertised jumps sire in Europe along with Saint Des Saints.

The brother to Noble Endeavor who is the 12th consecutive Flemensfirth foal out of Old MoonCredit: Pat Healy / Tattersalls Ireland

By the close of play on Wednesday, Flemensfirth had 17 foals - 12 colts and five fillies - sell for a total of €750,500 and average of €44,147.

Ferguson later returned to the fold when he purchased a €65,000 Soldier Of Fortune colt out an unraced half-sister to Cheltenham Festival handicap scorer Golden Chieftain and the Grade 2 novice hurdle winner Boychuk.

Last of the Presentings

Foals from the final crop of Presenting proved popular among buyers during the first three foal sessions, with five colts and three fillies selling for a total of €335,000 and average of €37,222.

The standout of those was a March-born colt out of Poppy Baloo, an unraced sister to dual Aintree hurdle winner Oscar Whisky and closely related to the Grade 3-placed Taraval. The colt also shares his third dam with Rendlesham Hurdle winner Seeyouatmidnight.

"He was a very good-looking horse with a great page," said O'Byrne, who landed a winning bid of €80,000. "It's likely he'll come back for resale. The trade here has been unbelievably strong and hopefully it will be the same in three years time!"

Glenwood stocking up

Richard Frisby of Glenwood Stud was richly rewarded when he sold a son of Kayf Tara he picked up as a short yearling for £29,000 at this year's Goffs Land Rover Sale for €210,000.

The buyer has doubled down on the sire this week, picking up a €37,000 yearling colt on Sunday and a €58,000 colt foal out of the Listed bumper winner Joanne One on Tuesday.

He returned to his favourite position beside the rostrum on Wednesday when going to €80,000 for an April-born colt who shares his granddam with Grade 1 bumper winner Mozoltov.

"He was a great colt with a lovely walk and a good pedigree," said JJ Frisby. "He'll be reoffered as a store. We've been very lucky with the sire and he was our pick of the day."

Richard and JJ Frisby were hot on the trail of Kayf Tara foals this weekCredit: Pat Healy / Tattersalls Ireland

Fayonagh's half-brother snapped up

A Beat Hollow half-brother to the superb bumper mare Fayonagh was offered as lot 881 by Galbertstown Stud and caught the eye of Jimmy Murphy of Redpender Stud, who signed a €42,000 docket to bring him home.

The colt is out of Fair Ina, a winning half-sister to the hugely popular hurdling mare Solerina, and she was covered by Milan this spring.

"We thought he was a grand horse," said Murphy from his position behind the partition. "He was a nice colt with a good action, and hopefully we'll get him back here in one piece to sell him as a store."

Redpender's famous graduates include sibling pair Toormore and Estidhkaar, and also First Lieutenant, who the operation transformed from a €26,000 November Sale foal to a €255,000 Derby Sale store.

Figures

Further headline prices and robust trade saw increases in many of the key market indicators.

Total receipts came in at €3,938,300, a seven per cent rise on last year, with 186 of the 251 lots finding new homes for a healthy clearance rate of 74 per cent.

The average improved from €20,186 to €21,174, while the median jumped 13 points from €16,000 to €18,000, as it had done the previous day.

More from the Tattersalls Ireland November Sale:

Buyers do the hard yards to secure Walk In The Park colts

Soldier Of Fortune marches on as buyers battle it out for offspring

Gelding from second-last crop of Fame And Glory proves popular