Sun Stud eclipse the opposition on day two of the December Foal Sale

On a day beset by increasingly heavy snow showers, the second session of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale was topped by a son of Kodiac who went the way of Sun Stud for 210,000gns.

It was another day of strong trade, with 216 lots changing hands for turnover of 9,258,500gns for a ten per cent year-on-year gain, an average of 42,865gns for a seven per cent increase and a median of 33,500gns - up from 30,000gns.

The session-topping son of Tally-Ho Stud's record-breaking sire Kodiac was the first foal this week to break the 200,000gns barrier, as the Australian-based Sun Stud team saw off Hubert Honore for the Meadowlands Stud-consigned colt.

"He's really well bred, obviously Kodiac is a high-class stallion and he's a full-relation to a stakes winner," said the stud's bloodstock adviser David O'Callaghan of the brother to Grade 3 winner Spirit Of Xian.

"He's a lovely balanced, attractive colt and will be raced by Sun Bloodstock. It would have been a lot of money for a pinhook, and it was a lot of money to race too, but when you're buying to race you can afford to spend a little more. If he can run he won't look expensive."

Sun Stud have been active as sellers as well as buyers this week, having bred the Kodiac half-sister to Barney Roy who topped Monday's December Yearling Sale at 400,000gns.

The transaction also provided Meadowlands' Brian Kennedy, who bred the colt out of the Touch Gold mare Gold Again, with his best ever result at Tattersalls.

"I bought the mare here as a maiden at the December Sale in 2009 for 6,200gns," explained Kennedy. "I liked her because of the Miswaki in her pedigree. Her second covering was by Kodiac and she produced Spirit Of Xian. I like working with Tally-Ho and we have been lucky together. I always sell my stock as foals, then I can concentrate on the mares in the spring."

Kodiac, who has supplied a staggering 54 two-year-old winners in Europe in 2017, has had seven lots sell this week for an aggregate of 702,000gns and an average of 100,285gns for foals bred at a covering fee of €45,000.

View full sales results

New blood for Cheveley

Cheveley Park Stud, which has been a major force at a variety of sales throughout 2017, made a noteworthy addition during Thursday's session when securing an Acclamation filly from Trickledown Stud for 200,000gns.

The January foal is out of the Whipper mare Party Whip, meaning she is closely related to the Sweet Solera Stakes winner Nations Alexander.

"We're looking to invest in different families," said Cheveley Park's managing director Chris Richardson. "This was a beautiful filly, very athletic, and the half-sister is a good filly."

"From the minute she walked off the lorry she was a queen," said consignor Paul Thorman, whose Trickledown Stud was leading vendor by aggregate on Thursday.

"Both Sarah [Thorman] and I loved her, which is a rare thing, but you'd have to be blind not to see that she's a beauty. We had 13 vets and in 40 years of selling I've never had 13 vets on one horse."

Just two lots later Trickledown landed another blow when Yeomanstown Stud went to 125,000gns for the Gutaifan colt out of the Listed-winning Cape Factor.

"He was the best Gutaifan I've seen," said Thorman. "He was an outstanding physical with an outstanding temperament. I've looked at all the Gutaifans at Goffs last week and I've looked at most of the ones here, and none have come close to him.

"Dark Angel's third cousin could sell well at the moment, but the Gutaifans are some pretty impressive foals."

Absolutely Acclamation

The second Acclamation foal to bring a six-figure sum came late in the session when trainer Joe Tuite struck at 130,000gns for a brother to the Group 3 winner Absolutely So offered by Castledillon Stud.

"He'll go back to a stud in Ireland," said Tuite. "An owner of mine wanted a foal, he picked this one out and asked me to come and get him. I'm not sure what the longer-term plan with him will be just yet."

By the close of trade on day two, four lots by Rathbarry Stud's Acclamation had sold for 416,000gns and an average of 104,000gns.

Drawing Breath

The first lot to hit the six-figure mark was the Bated Breath colt out of Lifting Me Higher, who went the way of Frannie Woods of Abbeylands Farm for 150,000gns.

The colt was bred by the Pococks and offered by the family's Stringston Farm, and is out of the daughter of Sea The Stars, who was bought carrying the Bated Breath colt for 42,000gns by Rob Speers at last year's December Sale.

"He's from a great farm that we've had some luck buying from before," said Woods, alluding to the Australia half-brother to Rekindling who he pinhooked for 165,000gns and sold on to MV Magnier, Mayfair Speculators and Peter and Ross Doyle for 525,000gns at Book 1 back in October.

"He was a pretty obvious horse, by a very good sire and that was his value. I'm glad to have him because I've loved him from the minute I saw him so I was always going to make a play for him. He'll be back here next October all being well."

The sale continued the hot spell for the Pococks, who bred the recent Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling, whose Gleneagles half-sister comes under the hammer at Tattersalls on Friday.

A second lot fetched 150,000gns later in the session, with Amanda Skiffington signing the docket for a colt from the first crop of Gleneagles offered by Glashare House Stud.

Selwood Exceed

Yeomanstown Stud, which picked up Wednesday's session-topping Farhh colt at 160,000gns, was back in action 24 hours when snapping up a son of Darley's stalwart shuttler Exceed And Excel for 130,000gns. The colt, out of Red Intrigue and a half-brother to the Listed winner Riflescope, was offered by Selwood Bloodstock on behalf of breeder Jeremy Gompertz.

"I'm delighted for Jeremy," said Selwood Bloodstock's James Read. "He's been a longstanding client and the mare boards with us. This is a cracking colt and he has gone to a great farm."

Gompertz added: "The mare was bought for me by Adrian Nicoll carrying to Dark Angel and Riflescope, her 2013 foal, emerged as a good horse since. I have retained her yearling by Toronado and she is currently in pre-training. Red Intrigue is in-foal to Muhaarar."