‘When a nice horse goes in there anything can happen’ - powerhouse bidders clash as Starspangledbanner filly from a hot pedigree brings 900,000gns

A crowd of major players followed the sister to recent Listed winner Avicenna into the Park Paddocks ring midway through day two of Tattersalls Book 2 on Tuesday.

Ed Sackville, standing opposite the Coolmore crew at the back of the packed gangway, had a major bearing on proceedings, but eventually backed down when Godolphin’s Anthony Stroud struck a bid of 900,000gns.

The daughter of Starspangledbanner was bred by Sue Ann Foley, daughter of JP McManus, and sold through her Islanmore Stud.

Godolphin already know plenty about the pedigree as Sheikh Mohammed’s royal blue colours were aboard Avicenna when he won the Flying Scotsman Stakes at Doncaster last month. That form received a notable boost on Saturday when runner-up Hankelow landed the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Newmarket.

“She’s an exceptionally good-looking filly,” said Stroud, who signed for Avicenna at 450,000gns at last year’s Book 2. “She’s a very good mover and it’s a current pedigree. We have the full-brother and he’s done absolutely everything correctly. This is a very good individual who’s been very, very well prepared by Islanmore. She’s a lovely filly. She’s a bit of a standout.”

He added: “She’s quite similar to the brother; it’s hard to compare a filly with a colt but in many ways she’s more attractive. She’s a pretty outstanding-looking filly.”

Anthony Stroud: "Night Of Thunder has done amazingly well"

Anthony Stroud: 'She’s a pretty outstanding-looking filly'Credit: Laura Green

The youngster is out of the Galileo mare Love Potion. This means she is a sibling to three winners, with Avicenna joined by the highly rated pair Amortentia and Old Cock. The six-figure filly is also bred on the same cross as recent Fillies' Mile winner Precise.

“We weren’t expecting that,” said Islanmore stud manager Nigel Anderton. “She’s a gorgeous filly and she must’ve had over 200 shows during the week. She’s beautifully balanced and each and every time she came out she walked like a queen. We arrived here on Thursday, started showing on Friday and then got the big update with Precise, who’s also out of a Galileo mare.”

Reflecting on watching the bidding unfold, Anderton said: “It was amazing and it just shows you what can happen when two people like the filly. When a nice horse goes in there anything can happen, and she was a beauty queen. She’s very similar to her brother but she’s probably bigger at this stage and has a bit more scope. I actually liked her more. Sometimes you have to convince other fellas to like them too, but it wasn’t too hard this week.”

Read the Monday's Book 2 sale report

Anderton also paid tribute to the team at Islanmore in County Limerick, and explained they had been working with this family for the best part of two decades.

“We bought the granddam here [for 230,000gns] 20 years ago,” he said. “It’s a real good-looking family that’s produced some beautiful stock. We raced most of them ourselves but we got a big touch here last year with the full-brother, Avicenna, who got the big update since the catalogue came out. Thanks kindly to Mr Stroud for buying him last year and to Mr [Roger] Varian for training him so well. Hopefully he’ll go on and be a Group horse next year.

“A big, big thanks to the team at home too. Danny Mulcahy lunged this filly every morning, Seamie Cregan fed her at night and Alan Carey foaled her. She was very well minded all the way along. Johnny Mulcahy, who’s been coming here for 40 years, said his legs have been walked off from showing her all week! He’s done over 200 shows so he’s due to go on holiday next week. It’s a big team effort.”

The youngster became the joint second-most expensive filly in Book 2 history. The record is held by Shadwell buy Tarhib, who fetched 1,050,000gns in 2019.

Ryan makes some Thunder

Kevin Ryan’s North Yorkshire base will welcome two exciting new recruits after the trainer bagged a big-money brace during Tuesday’s session. First, and most notably, was the Night Of Thunder colt out of Habbat Reeh from Genesis Green Stud. Karl Burke filled the role of underbidder after Ryan signalled a play of 550,000gns.

The May-born foal is a sibling to two winners, including Dhabab, whose record features a third-place finish behind Native Trail in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes.

“I’d seen him four times over the last few days,” said Ryan. “He’s by a great sire and he has an amazing attitude; he’s very laid-back and never put a foot wrong each time I went back to see him. Even when he came up here to the ring, he just had a great way of going about him. He’s a great physical, even though he’s a May foal there’s a lot of strength there. I just hope he turns out to be a racehorse now.”

The transaction continued a productive October Yearling Sale for the Kildangan Stud-based stallion. He had 22 lots change hands during Book 1 for a combined 13.445 million guineas and an average price of 611,135gns. His current yearling crop was bred at a fee of €100,000.

Kevin Ryan: among the buyers at Book 2 on TuesdayCredit: Alisha Meeder

With 19 black-type winners on the board, including Group 1 scorers Desert Flower, Gewan and Ombudsman, and with more than £6.339 million in progeny prize-money banked, Night Of Thunder is well on course to claim a maiden British and Irish champion sires’ title.

Ryan added: “Following these Night Of Thunders in here, you just don’t know what you’ll have to pay. I’m delighted to get him, though. He’s for an owner in the yard. It’s always hard trying to buy them but I’m very lucky to have owners with the money to come and buy these horses.”

Ryan was back in business later in the day and went to 350,000gns for the Starman half-brother to Listed scorer Mehmento from Tally-Ho Stud. Starman’s yearling crop was conceived at a fee of just €15,000, and this youngster was the third lot by the sire to make 300,000gns or more at Book 2.

French connection

The second lot to break through the half million mark was the French-bred Siyouni filly offered by La Motteraye Consignment. She was knocked down to Ross Doyle at 525,000gns.

The youngster was bred by Haras Voltaire and is a half-sister to Zalina, an impressive winner of a Deauville maiden for owner Nurlan Bizakov and trainer Mario Baratti.

“Honestly, we knew she was nice and that we were about to have a good sale, but we weren’t expecting such a price,” said La Motteraye’s Gwen Monneraye. “We’re really happy. The filly has been so straightforward and easy to deal with. She’s a Siyouni with scope and a good walk, there are not that many of them. She reminded me a lot of Laurens.

“On the dam’s side of the pedigree there’s been a big update this summer. The half-sister won a very good maiden at Deauville by three lengths. That helps. We know the family well and it all went according to plan – better than according to plan actually!”

La Motteraye Consignment's Siyouni filly was knocked down to Peter & Ross Doyle at 525,000gnsCredit: Alisha Meeder

On the cross-Channel consignment, Monneraye added: “Haras Voltaire sells a lot so they had horses at Arqana in August, but I think it’s a good idea not to put all your yearlings in the same place, just in case the sale doesn’t go to plan. They like to spread the horses around and have always been a supporter of Tattersalls, and of La Motteraye.”

Doyle explained the filly would head back to France to be trained by Pia Brandt on behalf of Stall Perlen, the racing vehicle of Norwegian-born entrepreneur Magne Jordanger and his wife Bente.

“She’s a lovely filly, the cross is very good, but she’s gorgeous physically and she has a nice bit of size to her,” said Doyle. “She’s probably a backend two-year-old type, a Classic filly for the future. It’s a big shout, but I hope that’s what she ends up becoming. Her Pinatubo half-sister Zalina won at Deauville on debut in August. She was extremely impressive and hopefully will give us a black type update.”

Another Star for sire on fire

Starspangledbanner’s progeny enjoyed a productive weekend on the Newmarket turf, with Precise running out a most impressive winner of the Fillies’ Mile and Gstaad recording his third consecutive Group 1 runner-up effort in the Dewhurst Stakes.

That hot run of form was mirrored in the sales ring, as it was not only the 900,000gns session-topper the Castlehyde resident was responsible for. The Amo Racing recruitment drive continued when Kia Joorabchian’s outfit went to 340,000gns for the half-sister to Lumiere Rock.

The filly was offered by Castletown Stud, whose Joe Hernon oversees Starspangledbanner’s stallion career at Coolmore’s Castlehyde operation.

“I’ve loved Starspangledbanner since the days that his sire Choisir was in Castlehyde,” said Hernon. “I love what he makes; horses with short cannon bones and speed. It’s a privilege to be standing Starspangledbanner. He’s had an amazing year and he’s just such a consistent sire. He’s a source of speed, as was Choisir, it’s all coming through from his dad, that sprinting mould and sprinting frame.”

Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing contiuned to spend at Book 2 on TuesdayCredit: Alisha Meeder

The dam, Gold Away mare Last Gold, has bred three winners, headed by the Group 2 Blandford Stakes scorer Lumiere Rock. Those accomplishments far outshine her modest price tag.

“I’m just lucky to have a good mare,” continued Hernon. “Desmond, my son, bought her at Arqana for €10,000. I thought she’d be way out of our league but she was announced as having a vice. We bought her anyway and she’s been nothing but good to us. It’s been great.”

He added: “I was expecting a good price, we’d had a lot of vets so I thought things might go well, but I didn’t think we’d go this high. The mare’s back in foal to Starspangled. He’s been putting it together as he’s gone up in fee and now that he’s getting those better mares he’s just getting better and better. We all saw what happened here on Saturday, so you’ll hear a lot of him in the Classics next year.”

Starspangledbanner spent the most recent covering season at a fee of €45,000, while his current yearlings were conceived at a career high of €50,000.

Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale concludes on Wednesday with a session starting at 10am.