Sire son of Dark Angel dominates Silver Yearling Sale

The progeny of Dark Angel may have dominated the Goffs UK Premier Sale, but it was the turn of one of his sire sons to take centre stage during a lively renewal of the Silver Sale on Thursday, as Peter and Ross Doyle parted with the session-topping sum of £48,000 for a Heeraat colt from Egmont Stud.

“He was a standout physically, he moves really well and came from a great home. He's been bought to go into training with Richard Hannon," said Ross Doyle, who had entrusted Carol Tinkler to perform bidding duties, having left to inspect yearlings at Baden-Baden.

The colt, bred by Mickley Stud's Richard Kent - who stands Heeraat, is out of the unraced Street Cry mare Ringtail, who comes from a strong US family that includes the Grade 2 winner Cinnamon Sugar and her dam, the Mother Goose Stakes winner Sugar And Spice. Kent will be hoping the colt can keep the page ticking over, as Ringtail also produced another colt by Heeraat earlier in the year.

The session-topping transaction gave Egmont Stud its second sale-topper of the year, having sold Landshark, a €210,000 son of Bated Breath, at the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale in late-May. The colt also provided the operation's Paula Flannery with a tidy profit, having secured the colt as a foal at Goffs in November for just €17,000.

Breeze dreams

The day's second-top lot looks destined to return to South Yorkshire next April, with Howson and Houldsworth Bloodstock going to £45,000 for a son of leading freshman sire Havana Gold from Furnace Mill Stud.

"He's to breeze and he'll probably come back here," said Thomond O'Mara of Knockanglass Stables, who is due to prepare the colt. "I'm a huge fan of the sire, he's doing very well, and this horse is very athletic."

Bred by W Hennessey, the January-born colt is the third foal out of the winning Doyen mare Yensi, whose page boasts a wealth of French black type, including Group 3 winner Movieland and the Listed-winning Reine Maid.

Ontoanotherone

The Ontoawinner syndicate team were busy hunting for the next Quiet Reflection during Thursday's session, and struck at £32,000 for a daughter of Mayson in partnership with Tim Easterby.

"She's a nice, racy filly, well put together and well prepared," said Niall O'Brien. "She's from a family that's had plenty of two-year-old winners. We bought Quiet Reflection from here, we bought a Mayson colt on this day last year called Raydiance who went on to win a Listed race, there's a few similarities there, but we liked her as an individual first and foremost."

The March-born filly is the fourth foal of the placed Cozzene mare Ride The Wind, whose Aussie Rules two-year-old, the ill-fated Aussie Wind, helped to keep the page current when getting off the mark in early August.

Consigned by Mark Dwyer's Oaks Farm Stables, the filly had been pinhooked by Aidan O'Ryan for just 6,500gns at Tattersalls last November.

Tim Easterby and Simon Bridge from Ontoawinner after securing a Mayson filly at the Silver SaleCredit: Sarah Farnsworth/Goffs UK

O'Brien also had an update on Quiet Reflection, and, interestingly, even suggested she might be set to come on the market herself later in the year.

"Quiet Reflection's in good form," he said. "The Sprint Cup might come a bit too soon but there's a chance she might go to the Renaissance Stakes at Naas as a prep race with the sprint race on Champions Day in mind. Then she may have a date at the December Mares Sale, though she won't be given away and we're in no rush with her."

May the Force be with you

The first significant blow was landed by Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown, who struck for a filly from the first crop of Irish National Stud resident Gale Force Ten at £31,000.

"She's been bought to go to Archie Watson," said Brown. "When Tom Biggs found her he told us all he'd found something really nice and I think he's absolutely right. She wouldn't have been out of place in the Premier Sale at all, she's a proper filly with a proper pedigree. This is the first Gale Force Ten I've bought, but I was underbidder on him when he went through the Doncaster ring so hopefully I can get a bit of luck out of him now."

The filly, the fifth foal out of the Indian Ridge mare Indian Angel, has a page that features a plethora of talented sprinters, most notably Nunthorpe Stakes winners Lochsong and Lochangel. Her Lethal Force half-brother Angel Force had also done his bit to uphold the family name, having broken his maiden in a York nursery after the catalogue had been published.

"She's absolutely straightforward," said John Tuthill of Owenstown Stud, who consigned the filly on behalf of Corrin Stud. "It's a pedigree that's all speed, going back a generation or two you have Lochangel and Lochsong, it's fantastic speed. Angel Force is a two-year-old winner too and ran well in a Listed race at York last week. I'm a huge fan of Gale Force Ten as well."

It is little wonder buyers were keen to grab a slice of the Owenstown draft, as in previous years Tuthill has sold the likes of Excelebration and 2013 Premier Sale top lot Marshall Jennings in the Doncaster ring.

"This Doncaster sale is always getting better, even the coffee is improving!" he added.

The Smart money

A small but select batch from the first crop of Rathbarry Stud's Moohaajim went down well during the Premier Sale sessions, with three lots changing hands for an average of £55,665 for yearlings bred at a fee of just €5,000. And that trend continued into Thursday's session, with trainer Bryan Smart securing a colt consigned by Rathbarry for £30,000.

"He looks like a proper two-year-old," said Smart of the colt, who was bought by M S Bloodstock for €8,000 as a foal. "I've done well with first-season stallions in the past, and this horse just looked a really nice individual - you could see him grow when entered the ring. He's been bought on spec so he's for sale. I'm very happy with him."

Bryan Smart snapped up a son of Moohaajim for £30,000Credit: Sarah Farnsworth/Goffs UK

The colt is the first foal out of the Acclamation mare Omanome, a sibling to two winners who descends from the family of Cheveley Park Stud's 1995 Lowther Stakes winner Dance Sequence.

Up again

By the close of trade 120 of the 137 offered lots had changed hands for a clearance rate of 87 per cent, a marked improvement on the 72 per cent resulted in 2016. Turnover climbed by 12 per cent to break the seven-figure barrier at £1,411,500, while the median rose from £7,000 to £10,000 and the average was up four per cent to £11,763.

Goffs UK managing director Tony Williams commented: "The 'Donny yearling' is proving as popular as ever, as witnessed earlier this week at the Premier Sale, and to see that demand continue into the Silver Sale is excellent, as proven by a high 87 per cent clearance rate and a 43 per cent increase in median.

"We saw plenty of major owners and trainers stay for today's sale and a number of new faces arrive from throughout Europe and that created a good buying bench, a good atmosphere."

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