Crystal Ocean makes waves as Aiden Murphy signs for two €80,000 colts

Expectations surrounding the first crop of foals by the world champion Crystal Ocean were high ahead of the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale and while it took a while for the tide to come in, when it did it became a tidal wave.

Two beautiful colts who were sculpted in the image of their Royal Ascot-winning sire set buyers’ pulses racing at Fairyhouse on Tuesday, and Aiden Murphy was the man who was the most determined to land the pair, securing lots 641 and 677 for €80,000 apiece.

Both colts are out of young mares by Yeats and therefore bred on a variation of the Sea The Stars – Sadler’s Wells cross that has a 15 per cent stakes winners to runners strike-rate on the Flat, headed by the Group 1 winners Fifty Stars and Taghrooda.

Lot 677 was consigned by Oliver Loughlin and hails from a deep French family that includes Louisa Carberry’s back-to-back Grand Steeplechase de Paris hero Docteur De Ballon and the 2020 Champion Chase and Tingle Creek winner Politologue.

The March-born colt is the first foal out of Hour Before Dawn and has plenty of size, scope and presence.

Murphy, like so many this year, has been impressed by Crystal Ocean’s progeny.

Aiden Murphy: 'For that extra spend you get three times the horse'Credit: Peter Mooney

"Crystal Ocean looks like he's producing good stock, I've seen a number of them," he said. "You have to pay that bit extra, it makes a big difference, for that extra spend you get three times the horse."

Of this particular individual, Murphy said: "This is a nice colt with a good walk and a good pedigree. He'll be offered for resale."

Much earlier in the day Murphy had purchased a Walk In The Park half-brother to the 2019 Paddy Power Handicap Chase winner Roaring Bull for €70,000.

Fenton farm to the fore

Lot 641 was the first Crystal Ocean foal to make waves in the ring. Offered by breeders Hillview Stud, the colt is out of Carrowmore, an unraced half-sister to Grade 1 Top Novices’ Hurdle winner Pingshou from the family of Group 1 winners Almutawakel, White Muzzle, Germance and Mekhtaal, who shares his sire with Crystal Ocean.

The sale teed up an exciting 20 minutes for the Fenton family’s Fermoy farm, which also sold a Blue Bresil colt, lot 657, for €50,000 to Redpender Stud.

Kenneth Fenton, who is also head of bloodstock for Tattersalls Ireland, reflected on the family’s best day in the sales ring.

“We're delighted with the results, we had two really good foals coming here but you never know what to expect," he said. "They ticked a lot of boxes and luckily we had the right people on them.”

Both mares are young and have yet to have their progeny set foot on the track but, by the time their Crystal Ocean sons appear in a store sale catalogue, they will have plenty of opportunities for major catalogue updates, as Fenton explained.

“We're from Fermoy ourselves so the farms [The Beeches, where Crystal Ocean stands, and Blue Bresil’s home of Rathbarry Stud] are either side of us and the guys in both of the studs are very good to us," he said.

Kenneth Fenton was celebrating a good day for his family's farmCredit: Tattersalls Ireland

"They are two exciting stallions and Carrowmore is back in foal to Crystal Ocean. Both mares have fillies going into training with Willie Mullins so it’s an exciting time."

It is also an exciting time for Tattersalls Ireland, whose team has assembled a high class catalogue of National Hunt mares to sell on Thursday.

One of the potential stars of the mares’ section is a relative of lot 641. Carrowmore’s Flemensfirth half-sister, Jessica Harrington’s Grade 2 winner Magic Of Light, who was runner-up to Tiger Roll in his second Grand National triumph, is due to take her turn under the sales ring spotlights during that session.

Consigned by Baroda Stud, she is catalogued as lot 1251 and is offered in foal to none other than Crystal Ocean.

A third Crystal Ocean colt out of a Yeats mare made a splash on Tuesday evening - lot 686, out of Blixt, a winning half-sister to the legendary Hurricane Fly, made €70,000 to John Kilbride, who purchased him from the Motherway family's renowned nursery of Yellowford Farm.

He’s the second foal by Crystal Ocean that Kilbride has purchased this week, and the buyer elaborated on his reasons for being so positive about the sire.

“My thinking about Crystal Ocean is this, when the best horse in the world retires straight to National Hunt, then you have to take note," he said.

"This colt isn't massive, but neither was Hurricane Fly, so that helps. He might not be a traditional National Hunt horse but as action goes, I think he has the best action in the sale. He will come back for resale, is for a client, and he goes now to England.”

By the close of trading on Tuesday night, Crystal Ocean was responsible for three of the five most expensive foals sold so far during the second foal session. He also had an average price of €44,385 and a median of €40,000 for 13 sold on Tuesday, with the average higher than that of Walk In The Park.

Logan makes his run

“I think the stallion is a bit special, his stock is very, very good and they are real racy with beautiful heads too,” said Joey Logan after beating Kevin Ross and Ben Case in a protracted duel for the most expensive foal yet from the first crop of Poet’s Word.

Logan’s assessment of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner is one that is widespread amongst buyers and breeders. Poet’s Word does indeed appear to have something special about him, with his foals all bearing the hallmarks of their sire; a deep bay colour, effortless walk and a handsome profile.

Lot 729, consigned by Mountain View Stud in Tipperary, was also able to offer a high-class French-bred racemare as his dam.

The May colt is the second foal of Dinaria Des Obeaux, who won the Grade 3 Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle just across the road from the sales complex at Fairyhouse for Gigginstown House Stud.

The Saddler Maker mare's son set Logan back €85,000, which is the highest price for a foal to date at this year’s sale. The Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle third is back in foal to Poet’s Word.

Logan also purchased the first Poet’s Word foal through the ring, Graiguebeg Stud’s colt out of Regal Return, a Getaway half-sister to last season’s Grade 1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle winner Ballyadam. Lot 528 was a smidgen less expensive at €53,000.

“His foals put their heads down and walk very well, they have some step on them too,” Logan added. “I bought one earlier on too and when I saw the Poet’s Word foals earlier in the year I liked them a lot. This foal is a lovely colt out of a very good racemare but he has to be lucky now.”

Goliath growing in stature

Goliath Du Berlais has a different profile to Crystal Ocean and Poet’s Word but the first crop of the Grade 1 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure winner are also bred to excel in the National Hunt sphere.

The first foal by the son of Saint Des Saints to go through the sales ring in Ireland was lot 698 and Burgage Stud’s offering also boasted the brilliant Martaline as his broodmare sire.

The third foal out of the Grade 3 Prix Andre Michel Hurdle winner Martalette who is a half-sister to the Listed Prix d’Iena Hurdle winner Cutting Edge, he was knocked down to JC Bloodstock for €68,000.

Goliath Du Berlais stands for €7,500 under the Haras d’Etreham jumping banner at Haras de la Tuilerie. He has 72 reported foals and covered 131 mares last spring.

His five-year-old Muhtathir half-brother James Du Berlais was second for Willie Mullins in the Grade 1 Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown on just his second start for the champion trainer.

Insatiable demand for stock fuelled an increase in turnover of six per cent on last year’s second foal session, with the €5 million mark breached for the first time during the second day of foals.

The median grew by five per cent to €20,000 from €19,000 for the equivalent session last year, while the average dipped by a single point to €24,050 from €24,371, with an 83 per cent clearance rate.

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