First season sires continued to be popular during a strong session of trade on Day 2 of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale with a colt from the first Northern Hemisphere crop of Darley's Australian dual Group I winner Epaulette fetching 70,000 guineas.
It was a son of Cheveley Park Stud's freshman sire LETHAL FORCE that topped proceedings when selling to Mick Flanagan for 110,000 guineas. Overall a total of 179 lots sold for 2,592,600 guineas at an average of 14,484 guineas and a median of 9,500 guineas.
Leading the day on the Wednesday of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale was a son of Cheveley Park's Champion sprinter and dual Group 1 winner LETHAL FORCE who sold to Mick Flanagan for 110,000 guineas.
Consigned by Ian and Kathryn Hutchinson's Yorkshire-based Battlefield Stud, the colt out of the ERHAAB mare HA'PENNY BEACON is from the family of dual Oaks winner SARISKA and became only the second foal ever to break the six figure barrier on the Wednesday of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale.
Mick Flanagan who fended off competition from Amanda Skiffington and Michael Fitzpatrick said of his purchase:
"We put a partnership together for this horse - a few of us from Britain and Ireland have pooled resources on him. We knew he'd go well - when we did our lists last night he jumped out at us. He goes now to Ireland and will be back next year - hopefully he'll leave a few quid behind then.
"He is by a good racehorse, who is a grandson of Acclamation, and he has a strong page too with some good European black-type," added Flanagan.
Presented by Charlie Mason's Silfield Bloodstock and sired by Darley's dual Group 1 winning freshman sire, the April foal is from the fast family of the Group 3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes winner TROPICAL, Group 1 Golden Shaheen Stakes runner-up TROPICAL STAR and Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye winner Move In Time.
The second highest price of the day was achieved by a son from the first crop of Group 1 Champion Stakes winner FARHH out of the CADEAUX GENEREUX mare STONEACRE SARAH and made 85,000 guineas when selling to Glenvale Bloodstock's 'Flash' Conroy.
Conroy commented:
"He is a nice horse, and will be for resale and looks a nice Book 2 horse. It is a very nice pedigree."
Another of Darley's first season sires EPAULETTE, a reverse shuttler from Australia, added to his already popular stock in the sale ring with a colt out of EMPRESS ELLA who was bought by Oaks Farm Stables for 70,000 guineas.
Sold by Yeomanstown Lodge Stud, the bay March-born colt is from the first crop of the Darley sire, a son of Commands and a dual Group 1 winner over 6f and 7f in Australia.
Mark Dwyer of Oaks Farm Stables commented:
"He looks a lovely strong straightforward type - you always hope that you'll be able to buy these sort of foals cheaper, but you always have to pay for a good foal. We like the horses we have seen by the sire, and this horse is well grown and will be for resale."
The second lot of the day to make 70,000 guineas broke the first season sire trend – a colt by SIR PERCY. Sold by Bumble Mitchell and bought by Grove Stud's Brendan Holland, the son of the ELUSIVE CITY mare ROUGE DANCER is a half-brother to one winner - DURAND who was rated 92 and sold at the Tattersalls July Sale for 260,000 guineas.
Brendan "Blarney" Holland of Grove Stud commented:
"He is a great foal and by a very good sire. I had a lovely horse called Sir Keating by Sir Percy in training with Kevin Ryan. He won a couple of races this spring as as a three-year-old and has been sold abroad."
The Tattersalls December Foal Sale continues at 9.30am on Thursday, November 26.
Tattersalls Release
