Pedigree parallels with Pinatubo see Night Of Thunder colt top Book 3 finale

After numerous highlights over the previous seven sessions of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, from Godolphin's purchase of Barney Roy's half-brother for 3,600,000gns to the delight of small breeder Thorsten Feddern after selling a Territories filly for 145,000gns, trade proved rather more prosaic on day two of Book 3 on Friday.

The market was headed by a 75,000gns son of Night Of Thunder, who shares a key common trait with Pinatubo being out of a Dalakhani mare.

The combination of sire power and an affinity with Dalakhani mares proved an irresistible combination for Johnny Hassett, who got the better of the likes of Matt Coleman and Daniel Creighton, and will now prepare the youngster for resale at the breeze-ups.

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"I've bought two yearlings out of Dalakhani mares before," said Hassett. "One went from 30,000gns to 200,000gns and the other went from 29,000gns to 160,000gns, so Dalakhani mares were my own little niche, until Pinatubo came along!"

Night Of Thunder's popularity in the ring has been underpinned by some eye-catching early results on the racecourse. His debut two-year-olds include 25 European winners, which have been supplied at a taking strike-rate of 66 per cent.

Heading his stud record are the Group 3-winning Under The Stars and the Listed scorers Thunderous and Molatham.

"He's by the right sire too and I just think he looks like a quick horse," continued Hassett. "He'll go to whichever sale fits in best with his preparation, I don't make those calls until just before the catalogues come out. I like to see how they're going first."

Johnny Hassett: 'Dalakhani mares were my own little niche, until Pinatubo came along!'Credit: Laura Green

Having struck on Friday, Hassett added that it has been hard work for buyers throughout the three books of the October Yearling Sale, saying: "It's been very difficult buying here, the market is very strong, which is great. I hope all these buyers come back to the breeze-ups!

"Book 2 was exceptionally strong, the middle day there was maybe the strongest ever. It's a solid and very discerning market."

The free-moving youngster was consigned by Beechvale Stud of County Antrim, whose Trevor Armstrong explained his son was responsible for pinhooking the colt at €15,000 at Tattersalls Ireland last year.

"Chris picked him out," he said. "He couldn't be here today – he works in the office at Ballydoyle – but hopefully he's been watching online. This colt was a nice, scopey foal and he has done well since. Dalakhani is a top broodmare sire too and Night Of Thunder has been on fire this year with his first two-year-olds."

The colt, who is from the family of Behkabad and Vital Equine, was led up by Armstrong's daughter Tara, who added: "He's a lovely, sweet horse but can be a bit cheeky!"

Foley follows up

Joe Foley has had a productive two weeks in Newmarket, having signed for nine lots across Books 1, 2 and 3 of the October Yearling Sale. Those purchases include a daughter of Ajaya offered by Rathbarry Stud on Friday, who drew a winning bid of 55,000gns.

"I like the idea of Ajaya," said Foley, whose purchase will race for Steve Parkin's Clipper Logistics. "He's a very quick horse, I was there the day he won the Gimcrack, he was very impressive. We underbid the Territories filly [who topped day one of Book 3 at 145,000gns] yesterday and Ajaya has a lot of similar qualities to that sire; a well-bred colt who was very fast on his day."

Joe Foley: 'I like the idea of Ajaya'Credit: Laura Green

Out of the Giant's Causeway mare Thousandfold, the filly is a half-sister to three winners, including the Grade 2-placed Kazan. In turn, her dam is out of the smart Salut D'Amour, a Listed-winning daughter of Danehill Dancer whose page also includes Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Line Of Duty.

Foley was another purchaser to namecheck the damsire of his acquisition as a major influence, saying: "We're big fans of Giant's Causeway as a broodmare sire. The dam has done well so far, she's three out of three, including a couple of promising ones. The grandmother was good too, she was second in the Queen Mary and Cherry Hinton Stakes. The filly was well produced by the team at Rathbarry Stud, as usual."

The filly is one of 31 foals from the debut crop of Ajaya, who stood at Rathbarry during the 2017 and 2018 breeding seasons. The son of Invincible Spirit has since been stood down from covering duty having been deemed infertile.

The other lot to reach the 50,000gns mark came late in the day when the name HP Bloodstock appeared on the docket of Nafferty Stud's New Bay filly.

Murphy makes hay

County Cork-based John Joseph Murphy was among the trainers stocking up at Tattersalls, and walked away with a Tamayuz colt from Acorn Stud who was secured in conjunction with Matt Coleman at 43,000gns.

"We'll aim to run in - and win - a maiden next summer and then get him sold abroad," Murphy said of the half-brother to the Group 2-placed Haky. "He looks like a mid-summer horse."

Murphy has enjoyed success with this modus operandi already this year, with Shared Ambition – a son of Born To Sea bought for €44,000 – winning twice before being sold to continue his career in Australia. The three-year-old has already won twice since switching hemispheres.

"We have to be sellers now," said Murphy. "We can't survive on training fees and prize-money. I've bought ten this week, some of those are for owners but others have been bought to trade on."

If Coleman's assessment of the colt proves correct, Murphy should have no trouble getting a tune out of the May-born foal, as the agent added: "I thought this horse was the nicest today; he has lots of quality and is a super model with a strong back pedigree."

The colt is out of Marah Dubai, a Dubawi half-sister to the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Belle Et Celebre, Prix Jean Romanet scorer Whortleberry and Ysoldina, who is best known as the dam of Derby hero Wings Of Eagles.

Kelleway leaves it late

A dramatic late bid of 38,000gns was enough to see Gay Kelleway secure a Territories filly offered by Bearstone Stud. However, after she had sprinted into view of the auctioneer to deliver the decisive play, the trainer explained she was acting as agent rather than end-user.

The filly is a half-sister to Raasel, an 80,000gns Book 2 purchase by Shadwell last year. The Marcus Tregoning-trained son of Showcasing gave the pedigree a last-minute boost when he made a winning debut at Bath on Wednesday.

"She's for a Dubai-based client of my sister's," said Kelleway. "She looks like a real two-year-old type, a lovely filly with a pedigree. She will be trained in the UK but not by me. The half-brother won well at Bath earlier this week and looks a nice type too."

The filly, out of the winning Dubawi mare Dubai Affair, was bred and sold by Bearstone Stud, whose owner, Terry Holdcroft, said: "We bought the mare in 2014 and she has a Profitable filly foal and was covered by Oasis Dream earlier this year. The win by the half-brother certainly helped with this sale."

The dam is out of Palace Affair, a Pursuit Of Love half-sister to July Cup hero Sahkee's Secret. The Bearstone Stud team have been in good form in recent weeks, with the homebred Glass Slippers winning the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye and the nursery selling an Acclamation colt to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 150,000gns during Book 2.

Final figures

After two days of Book 3 trade, almost all key market metrics bore a remarkable similarity to the results generated 12 months ago. After 545 lots had been offered, 434 had sold for a clearance rate of 80 per cent - an identical rate to 2018's Book 3.

The aggregate stood at 7,007,900gns, down eight per cent from 7,590,800gns in 2018, albeit when 38 more yearlings changed hands.

The average closed at 16,145gns and the median was 10,000gns, both of which were unchanged year-on-year.

The Tattersalls October Yearling Sale concludes on Saturday, with Book 4 beginning at 10am.

More from Tattersalls:

'We're over the moon' - small breeders in clover as Stroud buys 145,000gns filly

Mick Kinane rueing retirement after landing Hong Kong-bound colt at 425,000gns

Shadwell land seven-figure Dark Angel filly to smash Book 2 record