Oliver strikes for Pinatubo colt on a day that proves tough going for vendors

On a difficult day to sell horses, when the wind that blew through the sales ring was as cold as the gale that howled outside, the efforts of Tattersalls Ireland and Irish Thoroughbred Marketing ensured that horses were finding buyers from around Europe, although vendors and breeders were left to feel the chill.

Trainer Andy Oliver had been tireless in his trawl through the catalogue for Parts One and Two of the September Yearling Sale, spending €115,000 on fresh stock during the first section and his research alighted on one of the pricier yearlings in the second section, being pushed to spend €32,000 on Rathbride Farm's colt from the second crop of Pinatubo.

The chestnut is a half-brother to a pair of winners and out of the winning Elusive Quality mare Sidra. Offered by Steve Parkin's Irish farm, which is on the market, he was purchased in utero for €26,000 by Ballyhane from the Aga Khan Studs.

"He is by a successful young sire and from a strong Aga Khan female line," said Oliver. "He's a nice, good strong colt. I am a great pedigree man, that always is a good start, and he has the pedigree, and there's a lot of Shamardal in him, too."

His dam is a half-sister to the Listed Prix Joubert and Derby du Languedoc winner Sirrin, dam of the Listed Derby du Midi winner Sibayan. Sidra is also a half-sister to the dam of the Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes winner and Flying Five Stakes third Sonaiyla.

Second dam Sindirana won the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial and is a half-sister to the dam of Group 3 Anglesey Stakes winner and Group 1 Queen Anne third Marie's Diamond who stood his first season at Ciaran de Barra's Bellewstown Stud this year.

The colt's third dam is a half-sister to the Aga Khan's outstanding champion Sinndar who remains the only horse to win the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the one year.

Gerrardstown House Stud's Cotai Glory made €30,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale

Oliver explained of his week's search that: "You have to keep pumping away, and when something comes at your price level you have to strike."

"You have to have the racehorse first, and that is what I look for when I am buying – it is the most important part," said the trainer when explaining how much of an influence possible onward sales have in his choice of yearlings."

Right at the end of proceedings a New Bay colt from Rockview Stables was bought to go breezing for Kilronan Stables but Timmy Hillman had been entrusted with bidding for the chestnut half-brother to Shangri La, a winner in Spain at two, four and five.

Out of Double Lady, a winning daughter of Stormy River, he was knocked down at €36,000.

On an extremely trying day for vendors, the only other horse to make at least €30,000 was a Cotai Glory colt who was sold by Gerrardstown House Stud to Wyanstown House, which it transpired was owner Vincent Gaul.

Successful with the likes of Group 3 Amethyst Stakes winner Power Under Me and Indicative Vote, who continued his racing career in Hong Kong following his placed finish in the Ballysax Stakes, Gaul's yellow and purple silks are a familiar sight on Irish racecourses and this Cotai Glory colt will follow their path to the Glenburnie yard of Ger Lyons.

"I liked him as an individual he looks like a two-year-old type," said Gaul, who was bidding from the balcony. 

"I have a few already with Ger and I like to keep them until the end of their three-year-old years. This chap has a reasonable page; the dam's first foal is a winner and it goes back to some quality."

That first foal is Ladise, a daughter of Calyx, who won this season at two in Italy and the quality Gaul referred to includes the champion three-year-old sprinter of 2001, Mozart, who won the July Cup and Nunthorpe and was the sire of Dandy Man.

Mary Reynolds was delighted to secure the Mohaather colt from Ladytown Stables

The colt is out of Lady Hanson, a daughter of Galileo who was placed over ten furlongs for Jessica Harrington and is a half-sister to the Group 3 Prix Eclipse third Spirit Of Battle.

The cliche goes that timing, in comedy and politics, is everything. It's also true of auctions and when a pedigree update comes along in the lead-up to a sale, the vendor is hoping it translates into a few extra euros.

That was certainly the case for Glidawn Stud's Circus Maximus filly whose full-brother Green Storm won his maiden at Yarmouth just nine days earlier, having been placed on each of his three previous starts.

Green Storm is trained by Charlie Johnston and it was an online bid from Johnston Racing that secured the daughter of Banimpire, who was once the most expensive broodmare/racing prospect sold in Ireland.

At €26,000 she was considerably cheaper than her mother, who once changed hands for €2,300,000 and is now the dam of four winners from five runners.

However, this filly was making a significant return on the €3,000 that Gerry Burke of Glidawn Stud paid for her as a foal.

Burke said: "Timing is everything and the recent update was very helpful. She has been a good sort all the way through and we are delighted. We wish the new buyer all the best with her." 

They were the only horses to make more than €25,000 during Thursday's sale.

Two more hit that mark and both were grandsons of Showcasing.

First up was a second-crop son of Mohaather, who has sired the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes winner and Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes runner-up Big Mo and Yah Mo Be There, successful in the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes, from his first crop.

New Bay colt out of Double Lady sells for €36,000 at Tattersalls Ireland

Shadwell's Sussex Stakes winner is one of only two British-based sires in his cohort to have two black-type winners and his strike-rate at that level is 33 per cent.

One of his first-crop winners is Mojave River, who won on her debut at Deauville for Joseph O'Brien and Go Racing. The daughter of Soldier Hollow mare Quintessenz was sold at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale to Blandford Bloodstock for €105,000 and Mary Reynolds, of Ardglas Stables was the vendor.

Reynolds bought the day's most expensive Mohaather yearling, a colt from Ladytown Stables who was returning a modest profit on the 5,000gns that Hannah Quinn spent on him at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale.

Inbred to Green Desert, he is a half-brother to four winners foaled by the winning Diamond Green mare Miskin Diamond.

Being the elder half-brother of 2,000 Guineas and Dewhurst winner Chaldean is probably both a blessing and a curse for Alkumait, but the son of Showcasing was a talented juvenile in his own right, winning the Mill Reef Stakes for Shadwell.

He is a year behind Mohaather in his stud career but that Showcasing horse's run of success has done this particular son of Whitsbury Manor's sire no harm whatsoever and the team at Capital Stud, the Kilkenny farm where Alkumait, stands, will have been encouraged by the response to his first yearlings this week.

Capital's stallions are based at Ger O'Neill's farm and it was an Irish international showjumping colleague of O'Neill's who signed for the day's most expensive Alkumait yearling, going to €25,000 for Ard Erin Stud's colt out of South Ring, a winning daughter of Titus Livius and a full-sister to the Listed Lansdown Stakes and Starlit Stakes second Crimson Fern.

It was the trusted word of another horseman that swung it for Duffy.

John O'Kelly in full flight at Tattersalls Ireland

"I am a big fan of the stallion and this is a lovely type," said Duffy. "I am friendly with jockey Jim Crowley, he rode the horse to win the Mill Reef Stakes, and he said that the horse was one of the best he ever rode. The colt will probably go to England to be trained."

Thursday's trade was as damp as the rain-sodden ground outside, with a clearance rate of just 72 per cent and the vast majority of those that were sold were not making back the cost of production.

The clearance rate compared to 81 per cent on the equivalent day last year, with 186 of the 259 offered changing hands – although fewer horses were offered last year, more were sold.

Turnover from the 186 was €1,236,400, whereas last year the 188 yearlings sold generated receipts of €1,546,100. That created a significant fall in the prices, with the median dropping 33 per cent from €6,000 to €4,000 and the average coming in at €6,647, which was a drop of 19 points on last year's figure.

At the conclusion of the sale, Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins said: “After a hugely successful September Yearling Sale it was always going to be a challenge to match the momentum of the previous two days, but it was encouraging to see a diverse international buying bench, with many clients visiting for the first time and expressing their intent to return next year.

"The market at this level, however, does remain selective, as reflected in today’s clearance rate of 72 per cent. History does show us that stakes performers can be sourced at this level of the market too with Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Helvic Dream and Group 1 Matron Stakes winner Champers Elysees both being September Yearling Sale Part Two graduates. I am confident that today’s sale will yield winners at all levels in the future."

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