September symphony at Tattersalls Ireland as strong trade creates records

As the final notes of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale symphony were carried on the autumn breeze last evening, the crescendo will have been a sweet tune for Simon Kerins and his team, as well as the vendors who supported the sale with a strong line-up.

A diverse orchestra came together to create an auction which was bustling with excitement and brimful of buyers and that was reflected in a trade that never let up across two days of selling in Fairyhouse.

At the weekend the sale recorded two-year-old winner number 104 from last year's renewal and in Dawn Charger the third Group winner, and sixth individual successful at black type level to emerge from the 2022 catalogue. 

That level of return on investment, in tandem with the work engaged in by the team at Tattersalls Ireland and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing attracted buyers from across Europe to Fairyhouse, from where horses were bought to race in Ireland, Great Britain, France, Italy, Norway, Spain, the Czech Republic Republic, Poland and the Middle East in addition to the strong contingent destined for breeze-up sales next spring.

The diverse buying bench of trainers and breeze-up consignors created sustained demand across the sectors and at all levels which led on Tuesday to the highest average and median for a single session in the sale's history of €32,287 and €30,000 respectively.

The score for a dramatic finale was being composed with a sale record median of €28,000 and at €30,995 the second highest average in the sale's history. Turnover of €12,522,000 was bettered only once in the record books, and that, like the average came at the 2021 renewal.

The second session of the sale was also on course to record the highest average in the sale's history at €29,521, with the median coming in strong at €26,000,

These statistics backed up the anecdotal evidence of busy barns, car parking spaces at a premium and a bustling trade in coffees indicating that the health of trade was robust.

More than 60 yearlings sold for a minimum of €50,000 which was a little shy of last year's record-breaking figure of 70 but another indication of the buying power which fuelled trade over the two days.

There were fewer six-figure lots than last year but the sale's top lot, at €190,000, exceeded the highest price returned at the 2022 renewal.

First-season sires are always of interest and the debut crop of Earthlight, Darley's Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes winner by the sublime Shamardal, made quite the impression at Tattersalls Ireland. The Prix de la Foret runner-up returned an average of €43,250 for eight sold in Part One, which was the best average of any stallion with more than five sold.

Fabulous Fairyhouse for Flannery

Paula Flannery's week at Fairyhouse began with the best result from the family's breeding operation when Megarry won the Listed Blenheim Stakes across the road from the sales complex on Monday and it continued on Wednesday with two of the session's most successful pinhooks.

Paula Flannery (right, pictured with brother Mark) of Egmont Stud who enjoyed a fantastic week at FairyhouseCredit: Laura Green

Megarry, who is from the first crop of Tally-Ho's Inns Of Court, is out of Highest Praise, an Acclamation mare Flannery snapped up for just 2,000gns as a three-year-old. She has gone on to produce four winners with Megarry, trained by Gavin Cromwell, the first to earn winning black type. What makes the achievement even more remarkable is that Flannery has just three mares to breed from on the Cork farm.

"It was brilliant to see Megarry win," commented Flannery. "She's been a great mare and everything she breeds wins so to have that black type winner out of her now is fantastic."

Flannery has been renowned for her pinhooking successes and Wednesday's results were no exception with a colt from the first crop of Arizona, the Coventry Stakes winner by No Nay Never who stands at Castlehyde Stud, a particularly eyecatching result. Gerry Aherne went to €68,000 to secure the son of Quality Road mare Princess Theodora.

"I loved him as a foal, he was beautiful," she said of the bay colt from the family of Grade 1 winners Saint Liam, Funtastic, Lull and exciting young sire Gun Runner.

"He turned into a lovely yearling with superb action, he really is a great mover."

Listed winner Megarry was bred by the Flannerys at their Cork farm Credit: Caroline Norris (racingpost.com/photos)

The colt was the only one by his sire in Wednesday's second session and one of six in Part One by the stallion who is from the family of Dabirsim and Sea Of Class. His price of €68,000 was the best attained by any of them.

Havana Grey's reputation was already sky high when Flannery snapped up a colt from his third crop for 16,000gns last December and it has since gone into orbit with the emergence of Group 1 Prix Morny winner Vandeek in his second crop. Out of the Hellvelyn mare Starlight June, he is a half-brother to a winner by Coach House from the family of Group-winning juveniles Birchwood, Rumble Inthejungle, Prince Sabo and Millyant.

The Egmont Stud-consigned colt turned a handsome profit when making €75,000 to Gary Halpin and Sean Davis of GS Bloodstock for the breeze-up sales next spring.

Egmont Stud ended Part One with five of their six yearlings sold for an average of €46,000.

Success carved in Wood

John Foley of Ballyvolane Stud is a renowned judge and his shrewd eye picked out a colt from the first crop of Wooded, the Prix de l'Abbaye winner by Wootton Bassett, back in February. He snared the April-born bay for €15,000 and his alchemy turned that into €88,000 at Tattersalls Ireland.

Robson Aguiar, bidding online, purchased the half-brother to three winners. The breeze-up consignor bought Wooded's full-brother, this season's Phoenix and Railway Stakes winner Bucanero Fuerte, for €165,000 as a yearling last year, and although this colt cost a little less than half of that sum, he was the most expensive yearling through the ring on Wednesday.

John Foley who pinhooked the session-topper by Wootton BassettCredit: JASON BAX / EQUUIS

Foley explained that Wooded had been on his radar throughout the foal and weanling sales: "I really wanted to buy one by the sire. He was a good-moving foal, a bit weak, and I thought there was a chance he might grow into a nice horse. He has thrived, really thickened out, and most people who saw him said he was one of the better physicals here and that he stood out a little bit. He has been very popular."

A half-brother to three winners, he is out of Orayda an unraced New Approach daughter of Italian Oaks runner-up Wadaat and inbred to Sadler's Wells. His third dam, Shining Vale, is an unraced Twilight Agenda half-sister to German champion Walzerkoenigen, the dam of Deutsches Derby and Rheinland Pokal winner Wiener Walzer and the Prix Maurice de Nieuil winner Walzertakt who stands at Chapel Stud under the Dahlbury banner.

The placing of the colt was pitch perfect too as he is the only one by his sire in the catalogue, with a filly due to sell as the third lot in the ring for Part Two on Thursday morning.

"We always send five or six to sell at this sale, and always try to send a couple of nice horses. There are a lot of British trainers here and the Tattersalls Ireland team does a great job getting people to the sale. It has been a lucky sale for us; we sold Group 2 winner Sir Busker here and last year we sold a nice Fast Company horse to Kennet Valley as well [Fast Society]. He's run twice and won earlier this month so it has always been lucky sale for us."

Foley was keen to ensure that his teams at home in Bruff, County Limerick, and at the sales were given due recognition for all their hard work.

"I have a very good team of three at home, they all work really hard," he said. "The head man Conor Ryan had a leg in the colt and he will be chuffed. They are all great people and they try their best everyday. I also have had a great team here at the sale; with such good people here and at home it makes it very easy. We are trying to sell nice horses and it is great for all when it comes off."

As well as selling the session topping yearling, Foley and his teams are also the vendors of the second most expensive yearling so far to come under the hammer by Haras de Bouquetot's sprinting sire, who stood the most recent season for a fee of €12,000.

Diversity breeds success

Castletown Quarry Stud has topped Derby Sales in this ring over the years and sold National Hunt champions of renown at Tattersalls Ireland but a little diversification is always enjoyable, and in the case of the farm's Flat yearlings at the September Sale, this branch of the business has also proven that diversity can be successful too.

The Meath farm ended Part One at the top of the consignors' league on average with four sold for an average price of €68,500 which was the best of any consignor with more than two yearlings sold.

Rob Fox with Castletown Quarry's colt by Belardo and out of Rainbow Heart at Tattersalls IrelandCredit: Jason Bax/Equuis

The Parkhill family returned one of the day's best pinhooking results with a Belardo colt bought for €6,500 in February making €80,000 to Robin O'Ryan on behalf of Richard Fahey. 

O'Ryan's succinct comments on purchasing the colt were: He is a fine horse, a very nice horse and we had that sort of figure on him. We have not had many by the sire.

Their latest acquisition is a half-brother to Gunfighter, a two-year-old son of Siyouni who won a Newcastle novice earlier this month for Hugo Palmer and Michael Blencowe. They are the first two foals out of Rainbow Heart who was bred, as was this colt, by Sunderland Holdings. She is a daughter of Born To Sea and the Group 2 Prix de Royallieu and Listed Chalice Stakes winner Sea Of Heartbreak who is from the family The Last Drop. That Galileo colt was bred by Sunderland Holdings and along with Sixties Icon and Red Rocks provided the phenomenal sire with his first one-two-three in a Classic in the 2006 St Leger.

Peter Parkhill, the successful pinhooker and vendor of the Belardo colt was quick to deflect any praise for the profitable enterprise.

"He was a lovely foal and did not take much imagination. He was a good foal and turned into a good yearling. He has been very simple all the way. We are only 20 minutes over the road so we try and keep it simple. We have always been very lucky here, with the National Hunt horses especially, we like this place. Tatts are very good to us and we have never been as busy at a sale.."

On Tuesday another Parkhill pinhooking dart scored a bullseye as their Teofilo colt out of Amazing Grace, an unraced daughter of Dubawi and the Falmouth Stakes and Prix Rothschild winner Amazing Maria made €75,000 to Hubie De Burgh. The first foal of Amazing Grace, he had cost 21,000gns as a foal last December.

"We have had as good a week as we have had in a long time," smiled Parkhill.

Breezing to success

From Castletown Quarry's Tuesday offerings, Mark Grant purchased a Saxon Warrior colt who is a half-brother to the Listed Knockaire Stakes third True To Herself for €55,000 and the former jockey was back among the buyers on Wednesday.

James Burke with Gildawn Stud's Sioux Nation colt out of Princess Severus at Tattersalls IrelandCredit: Jason Bax

Now a successful breeze-up consignor with Commonwealth Cup hero Bradsell his star pupil, he purchased four yearlings over the two days for next year's class including an Acclamation colt for €45,000. The first foal out of the winning Competitive Edge mare Point Reyes, he was offered for sale by Castletown Stud.

Grant's most expensive acquisition on Wednesday was an €80,000 colt from the third crop of Sioux Nation. Consigned by Gerry Burke of Glidawn Stud, he is a half-brother to four winners out of Princess Severus. She is a winning Barathea half-sister to the Grade and Group 3-placed Sweet Aclaim, the dam of this year's Grade 3 Marine Stakes winner Turf King.

The family stretches back to the equine celebrity and outstanding mare Goldikova, whose dam Born Gold is a half-sister to Coronation Stakes and Prix Marcel Boussac winner Gold Splash and she is the third dam of Grant's €80,000 colt.

"He was my pick of the sale, the sire is flying," smiled Grant. "I think he has got plenty in him, he looks like a Tattersalls Craven prospect. We will get him home, break him in and turn him out for a few weeks." 

Soldier sparkles for Millers

With pinhookers aplenty being rewarded, one of the most outstanding breeding success stories of the sale was that of Laois father and daughter Brian and Clare Miller who sold their Soldier's Call filly to Kelly Burke through Tom Foley's Ballygown Stud for €52,000.

Clare and Brian Miller after their homebred Soldier's Call filly sold for €52,000 at Tattersalls IrelandCredit: JASON BAX / EQUUIS

Known as Crystal at home on their farm in Ballickmoyler, where her dam Ruby Girl is the only breeding mare and lives with her dam, the retired Common Grounds mare Consensus. the filly sparkled from the moment she arrived at the sales complex last weekend.

"She's a very straightforward filly and has a lovely temperament. I think she'll be an early two-year-old," remarked Brian, whose main agricultural occupation is cattle.

The Millers got into the family through Kilbride Lass, an unraced Lahib older half-sister to the Dubai Sheema Classic, Hong Kong Vase and Canadian International winner Phoenix Reach out of a half-sister to Arc hero Carroll House.

"I bought Kilbride Lass and bred Consensus, her Common Grounds daughter who I then sold as a yearling, watched her race and later bought her back to breed from her. I bred Ruby Girl, dam of this filly, sold her and bought her back," Miller smiled.

As well as breeding Ruby Girl, a daughter of Fast Company, out of Consensus, Miller also bred the Listed Sweet Life Stakes second and Grade 3 Miesque Stakes third Cloneylass out of the mare who won four of her 35 starts.

Unlike most of Laois, the Millers will not be heading for the mud of nearby Ratheniska on Thursday and the final day of the National Ploughing Championships as they will be traveling almost all the way back to Fairyhouse, to Maynooth and the town's university where Clare starts her degree in primary education.

End Of Sale Statement

Commenting on the conclusion of the September Yearling Sale, Tattersalls Ireland, CEO Simon Kerins said: "Today completes two very successful days of trade at the September Yearling Sale, resulting in a turnover surpassing €12,522,000, the second highest ever recorded for this sale. 

"It was immensely satisfying to see advancements in most key indicators with this year’s catalogue producing a record median and the second highest average for the two days. There was also a record number of lots making over €40,000 a testament to the solid trade.

Simon Kerins with Jamie Piggott before the September Yearling SaleCredit: Jason Bax/Equuis

“Results do speak volumes and up to last weekend, the September Yearling Sale was Europe’s leading sale for two-year-winners, complemented by Dawn Charger and Tiger Belle’s recent Group 3 success in France. It is these winners that have reinforced the confidence with new and existing buyers to come to Fairyhouse, with more buyers in attendance than ever before. Heartfelt appreciation must go to Charles O’ Neill and his team at Irish Thoroughbred Marketing for their exceptional efforts that have contributed to a very successful week.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the vendors who supported us with a catalogue worthy of attracting so many visitors to the site. We wish all our purchasers continued success with their purchases as they go on to achieve great things on the racetrack.”

For everyone else not attending the ploughing, Part Two of the September Yearling Sale takes place over a single session, beginning on Thursday morning at 10am.

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