Kingman daughter the star of the show as figures start to rise

A Kingman daughter of the smart Blue Angel dominated a much improved second day of trading at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale on Thursday when selling for 370,000gns.

Although the median fell ten per cent adrift of last year’s corresponding session to 30,000gns, the average held steady at 43,327gns for 211 sold, which translated to an 80 per cent clearance rate. Overall, it was a day of greater vibrancy, as illustrated by the presence of 18 six figure lots compared to 14 last year.

As ever, the majority of Thursday's foals were bought with an eye to resell next year but a number of end users also made their presence felt, none more so than Anthony Stroud, who struck the winning bid for the session-topping Kingman filly.

The second most expensive foal to sell during the Thursday session since 2007 and sold through The Castlebridge Consignment, she is a half-sister to the 2016 Dee Stakes winner Viren's Army. Further back, it is the family of top miler Bigstone.

“She's been bought to race," said Stroud. "Obviously Kingman has made a wonderful start to his stud career and this filly traces back to a good Wildenstein family. It was probably more than one wanted to spend but when you want one, sometimes you have to stretch for it.”

The filly’s Listed-placed dam Blue Angel, by Oratorio, belongs to a broodmare band of ‘two or three’ maintained by breeder Geoffrey Howard-Spink, making this filly’s sale all the more memorable for her connections.

“We always try and sell as foals, and this is easily the best result we have had in the sale ring,” he said. "Blue Angel's first foal Viren's Army was a stakes horse and her second, Eagle Creek, was good too, so we decided the mare deserved an upgrade.

”Kingman has had such a good season with his first runners and everything has just fallen into place.”

International demand fuels top end

A marked international air to Thursday's trade included the sale of a Le Havre colt from Nafferty Stud to Harry Sweeney of the Japanese-based Paca Paca Farm for 200,000gns. One of six purchases made Thursday by Sweeney, the colt is a half-brother to the Geoffrey Freer Stakes winner Kings Fete and out of Listed winner Village Fete.

American agent Justin Casse, meanwhile, went to 175,000gns to land the Kodiac brother to recent Caulfield Cup winner Best Solution presented by his breeder McCracken Farms.

“He’s staying here and will come back next year to resell,” said Casse, who signed as Magnolia Bloodstock. “He has a great walk and is a good individual. He should do nothing but get better.”

There was also an antipodean flavour as Australian heavyweight Aquis Farm dipped their toe into the market.

A good day’s work for the farm’s chief executive officer Shane McGrath saw him come away with two foals, including the Acclamation half-brother to American Grade 3 winner Spirit Of Xian at 130,000gns.

"He was my pick of the day," said McGrath. “He’s a strong, quality colt by an established sire. Hopefully he'll go the right way and we'll have a bit of fun with him.”

McCartans return to the Kodiac well

Few people outside of Tally-Ho Stud have had as much success with Kodiac as Paul and Marie McCartan of Ballyphilip Stud - think Tiggy Wiggy, Kodi Bear and Coulsty. And they will be hoping that their luck continues with their latest acquisition by the sire, a colt out of Argentinean Group 3 winner Chibola from Whatton Manor Stud for whom they paid 165,000gns.

The colt is a half-brother to two winners including recent Ben Marshall Stakes runner-up Muntadab.

"We've had luck with Kodiac before," said Paul McCartan. "He was the one we wanted today and there's an update there as well under the first dam - it all helps.

"There are a lot of lovely foals here and plenty of money for good ones - lets hope there's plenty of money for them as yearlings too!”
The Kodiac show rolled on not long afterwards with the sale of Cobhall Court Stud’s filly for 180,000gns to Damian Burns, signing under the Emerald Bloodstock banner.

Burns had to outbid Angus Gold for the filly, who boasts plenty of residual value as a half-sister to the dual Listed winner Global Applause and this season’s Group 2-placed juvenile Revelstoke.

"She's been bought possibly to race," said Burns. "It's the same cross as Adaay and the mare gets very good-looking stock. She just looks a runner - like she'll try all day. She was the same down in the yard and the same when she came up here."

Busy day for Railton

Jamie Railton was also busy yesterday, signing for a Starspangledbanner colt from Hawes Stud, for whom he paid 150,000gns, and a Showcasing relation to German Group 1 winner Temida, who cost 140,000gns.

“The Showcasing colt cost plenty but for me he was the stand out physical of the day,” said Railton, who has spent 467,000gns here so far this week. “He is for the investment syndicates that we operate and will be coming back next year.

“Showcasing is looking to be a very, very good stallion. Obviously we sold Advertise and Quiet Reflection, and hopefully this will be the third one.”

The colt’s sale provided the highlight of a day for Showcasing that saw demand for one of Britain’s most ascendant stallions reach fever pitch.

In addition to the 140,000gns foal, the son of Oasis Dream was also responsible for a relation to Dick Whittington who sold for 190,000gns and a pair of colts who made 130,000gns apiece to Peter and Ross Doyle and Howson and Houldsworth Bloodstock.

Joe Foley landed the 190,000gns colt from Trickledown Stud, thereby providing a memorable result for Penny Cave, who bred the colt in a foal share with Whitsbury Manor Stud.

Cave paid just 15,000gns for his dam, Lisiere, through Bobby O’Ryan at the 2013 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale.

"Dick Whittington, her half-brother, had been sold as a yearling three weeks before for €280,000, so I was hoping that he would come good!” said Cave. “Lisiere was in the 2013 horses-in-training sale and it was blowing a gale," recounted Cave. "A lot of the horses couldn’t get in and I rang Paul [Thorman] and said this might be an opportunity to buy a filly. We went through the catalogue to find six lots each and then compared the names - Lisiere was the first to come up.”

On what was a good day for Trickledown Stud, Paul and Sara Thorman’s operation also sold a Kodiac half-sister to Sweet Solera Stakes winner Nations Alexander for 140,000gns to Bluecrest Bloodstock.

It was also a productive day for Newsells Park Stud thanks to the sale of a pair of well-related fillies by Dansili and Sea The Stars, who realised 170,000gns and 150,000gns respectively. Crispin de Moubray signed the ticket on both.

Market thumbs up for Shalaa

The market continued to react enthusiastically towards those first-crop sires represented, particularly Haras de Bouqeutot’s Shalaa, who ended the day with an average of 68,286gns for seven sold.

In a show of support towards their young stallion, Al Shaqab Racing went to 160,000gns to secure a filly bred by Liam Sheridan out of Princess Margaret Stakes runner-up Full Mandate from Newsells Park Stud while Frannie Woods paid 100,000gns for a colt out of the winning Last Tango from Plantation Stud.

"I loved Shalaa as a racehorse and we've seen a good few of them that we like," said Woods, who signed at Abbeylands Farm, ”so we were keen to get our hands on one. Hopefully he'll be a Book 2 horse. He’s a very good individual with a good pedigree."

Lonsdale’s Havana luck continues

There was a popular result early on Thursday in the sale of a Havana Gold half-brother to Albany Stakes winner Kiyoshi for 95,000gns to Paca Paca Farm.

Out of the Listed-placed Mocca, the colt was co-bred by his vendor Richard Kent of Mickley Stud with Lady Caroline Lonsdale, also the partnership behind Havana Grey from only a handful of mares.

"I've had amazing luck with Havana Gold," said Lady Lonsdale. "Richard has been very helpful and I'm very lucky that he bought into Mocca with me when she came back up for sale.

"Lord Huntingdon bought her for me as a yearling and I raced her with Denis Coakley.

“We later sold Mocca but we followed her and when she came back up for sale, we bought her back. She'd had a bit of bad luck in between but Richard has done a fantastic job with her.”

The sale continues today at 10am with the third session, traditionally the strongest day of selling.

Catalogue and results