Listed-winning We Are Ninety tops Tattersalls Online March Sale at 75,000gns

Brittas House Stud's final dispersal proved all the rage at the Tattersalls Online March Sale on Tuesday, with the Listed-winning mare We Are Ninety topping the auction when selling to BBA Ireland for 75,000gns.

Bidding was competitive, with 19 lots selling for turnover of 354,100gns, with an average of 18,637gns and a median of 6,000gns.

The late Peter Magnier's six-strong consignment was not short on quality and We Are Ninety, an eight-year-old daughter of Thewayyouare, who sold alongside her Calyx filly foal, also has a covering by last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero and new Coolmore sire Sottsass to add to her broodmare value.

We Are Ninety, from the family of 2,000 Guineas hero Henrythenavigator, Fillies' Mile victress Listen and the Group 3-winning Irish 1,000 Guineas third Queen Cleopatra, was herself a Pattern-class performer, landing the Fillies' Trial Stakes at Newbury for Hugo Palmer and Lady Manton in 2016.

BBA Ireland's Michael O'Donohoe said: “We Are Ninety was an obvious pick; she was a smart performer from a very good family, she has a nice foal and it’s an exciting cover."

He added: "The Tattersalls Online platform worked seamlessly and it’s a format we're all becoming increasingly comfortable with.”

We Are Ninety's Ten Sovereigns foal half-sister was signed for by Sam Sangster at 31,000gns. The February-born filly is out of the Sadler's Wells mare Brigids Cross - a full-sister to the illustrious Moyglare Stud winner Sequoyah, the dam of Henrythenavigator.

The blue-blooded Zee Zee Gee was another to head the way of BBA Ireland when selling for the second-top price at 48,000gns.

Covered by No Nay Never, the daughter of Galileo is out of the prolific Prix de l'Opera heroine Zee Zee Top and therefore a half-sister to dual Group 1 heroine Izzi Top - a daughter of Pivotal and dam of the stakes-placed Prince Eiji and Willie John - and the Group 2-winning Danehill Dancer mare Jazzi Top.

Among Zee Zee Gee's winning offspring is Farzeen, a Meon Valley Stud-bred daughter of Farhh who was placed in three stakes contests, including the Group 3 Valiant Fillies' Stakes at Ascot. She has now joined the leading operation's broodmare band to be covered by Ten Sovereigns.

Farzeen: daughter of the blue-blooded Zee Zee GeeCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Zee Zee Gee's yearling filly by No Nay Never, catalogued as the previous lot, sold to Whitehall Stables for 45,000gns, while the winning Combine, a daughter of Zoffany and the stakes-placed Sadler's Wells mare Unity, made 42,000gns to De Burgh Equine.

The four-year-old was covered by Sea The Moon and is a half-sister to Wild Flower Stakes scorer and Geoffrey Freer fourth Crimean Tatar.

Innocent Air, notable for being Galileo's first stakes winner and out of The Minstrel mare Minskip, went the way of Mags O'Toole when selling for 25,000gns.

The Juddmonte homebred - a 65,000gns purchase by Brittas House Stud from the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2016 - was covered by the late Zoffany last year and has produced four winners so far including four-time scorer Fledged, a son of Dansili, and Inhale, a daughter of Bated Breath.

Jedd O'Keeffe, who announced the retirement of stable star and Grade 1-winning hurdler Sam Spinner last week, now has one to look ahead with after buying Woodway Stables' unexposed Sir Percy gelding Percy Willis for 28,000gns.

The three-year-old, who was bred and owned by Gaie Johnson Houghton, has been placed twice from four outings for Eve Johnson Houghton. He is the eighth foal out of the winning Dansili mare Peace Lily, a half-sister to Gimcrack winner Bannister and Roo, the granddam of Sussex Stakes hero Mohaather.

Eve Johnson Houghton said: “I was very pleased with the Tattersalls Online sale. The timing worked perfectly for my two horses and they both sold very well. The sale has definitely given me the confidence to use the Tattersalls Online platform again.”

Statement

Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said: “The final instalment of the dispersal from the late Peter Magnier's Brittas House Stud always looked set to be the highlight of the Tattersalls Online March Sale and so it proved.

"We were delighted at the confidence placed in the Tattersalls Online platform and each of the six Brittas House Stud lots attracted widespread interest and competitive online bidding.

"This was only the third Tattersalls Online Sale and the positive response from both vendors and purchasers is encouraging for the future development of Tattersalls Online Sales, which have already clearly demonstrated their appeal to domestic and international buyers."

Sale results

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