Exciting jump prospect Media Naranja tops Tattersalls standings at 110,000gns

Tom Malone took advantage of a second chance offer to buy Media Naranja as the Tattersalls Online December Sale concluded on Thursday with the agent arranging an 110,000gns fee for the exciting French prospect.

An easy winner on her racecourse debut only a few days ago, the three-year-old was initially bought back by her trainer and consignor, Hugo Merienne.

Media Naranja landed a mile and a half maiden on the Flat at Craon but is bred for going over obstacles as she is a Yeats three-parts sister to Mossy Fen, who won an Irish point-to-point as well as the Grade 2 Leamington Novices' Hurdle at Warwick at the start of 2020 for Nigel Twiston-Davies.

Bred by Whitebarn Farming, she is out of Inch Native, a winner over fences in Ireland who is in turn out of a sibling of the Tingle Creek winner and brilliant two-mile chaser Sound Man and is also related to cult hero Samcro.

"I bought her on spec but she's been bought by a client," Malone said.

"She's got a really lovely pedigree, by Yeats out of a Supreme Leader mare and is a sister of a black-type horse so she made a lot of appeal. I'd think there would be plenty of options open to her, either starting now or keeping her as a novice for next season."

Merienne added: "Media Naranja was very impressive on her first run and I am sure she will have a brilliant future. She is jumping like a stag and she showed her class first time out on the Flat, she will have no problem to do a great novice season I am sure.

"She hasn’t finished growing and I don’t think we have seen half of what she will be able to do in the future. I wish a lot of luck to her new owner, but I don’t think luck will be needed."

Malone also snapped up Whispering Royal, a two-year-old by Haras d'Annebault's new arrival Gustav Klimt, for 75,000gns. The juvenile had made a winning debut for his consignor Barry Fitzgerald in a mile maiden at Dundalk but is not only a sibling of a handful of scorers on the Flat but several over jumps too, headed by Jonjo O'Neill's Mont Royale.

"He's a really nice horse, he has some good jumpers in his pedigree and should be the ideal dual-purpose horse," Malone continued. "He's going to come over to England for owners over here."

The sale, which began on Wednesday, drew a final list of almost 80 lots and although trade was generally slow, it featured a great variety of horses. The different nature of each online event makes comparisons impossible but the standings showed that in total, 41 had sold for an aggregate of 612,600gns, which left an average of 14,941gns and a median of 5,500gns.

Hugo Merry made a late private purchase of Sophie, a once-raced half-sister to this year's 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet with a deal agreed at 90,000gns.

The filly is now four and was offered by Karen George in foal to Cachet's sire Aclaim, with George Boughey's fleet-footed Classic star also set to remain in training next season. Sophie's trainer Paul George had acquired her for just 1,800gns as a yearling at Book 3.

"She has been bought for Blue Diamond Stud," said Merry. "We had to wait to see if we could get her and she's a lovely strong mare. You'd hope that if we could get a nice Aclaim out of her that there would be a good chance of getting a large part of the money back."

Hugo Merry was among the busy online buyersCredit: Laura Green

Merry also signed for a nomination to Havana Grey's fellow newbie Cracksman, who defied general expectations by producing 17 individual winners so far, and two at stakes class, with his first intake from Dalham Hall Stud.

The European champion's breeding right made 78,000gns and Merry confirmed this was also for Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud near Newmarket.

"It was a very simple process, I'd bought one via Fasig-Tipton's platform and found it all very easy to use," he added.

It had looked as if Havana Grey would continue to prove in strong demand at the end of a year in which he is set to become the champion first-season sire of Britain and Ireland.

A breeding right to the Whitsbury Manor Stud highflyer initially topped proceedings at 115,000gns but was later offered for resale.

Doonbeg Don, who had finished second for Tom Keating behind Donnchadh Doyle's exciting Iorangi De L'Isle in a four-year-old maiden point-to-point at Borris House last weekend, was also declared as bought back for 88,000gns.

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