Sea The Stars filly from a hot family tops December Foals day two at 225,000gns

A Sea The Stars filly closely related to this year's Book 1 top lot emerged as the market leader as buyers kept their foot on the gas on day two of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale.

Thirteen lots brought a six-figure sum on Thursday as key market indices continued to trend well ahead of last year, with Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock responsible for the 225,000gns bid that secured the session-topping Sea The Stars filly.

Bred and offered by Whatton Manor Stud, the filly is the first foal out of Careful Thought, a daughter of Brazen Beau who Brown bought for 20,000gns as a yearling. Although injury restricted the descendant of Time Charter to just one racecourse appearance, her breeding career could hardly have got off to a better start.

She is a half-sister to six winners, most notably the Barnetts' Lowther Stakes winner Best Terms, whose own Sea The Stars filly topped the October Yearling Sale at 1,500,000gns to the bid of Godolphin.

While many of the foals who changed hands on Thursday were bought with resale in mind, Brown explained the filly had been sourced as a future racing and breeding prospect.

He said: "She's been bought for Andrew Stone of St Alban's Bloodstock. Andrew had a phenomenal Book 1 sale, he sold a Frankel for 925,000gns and a Lope De Vega for 725,000gns, and he's had a great year on the racecourse too.

"We're always looking for opportunities and she's been bought to race before hopefully being a broodmare for the future. He's trying to build a boutique, high-quality broodmare band and she'd be a great addition to that.

Richard Brown: 'She's got a load of class and is by a top-class stallion'Credit: Laura Green

"I manage quite a few horses at Whatton Manor, we do quite a bit together, so I've seen this filly all the way along. In the summer she was a bit first foal-like, she probably lacked a little bit of muscle, but she's just improved and improved and turned into a very nice filly.

"She's on a very steep upward trajectory, although I had a bit of an advantage having seen where she's come from. She's got a load of class and is by a top-class stallion. This is the first foal we've bought as a racing prospect."

The result was a personal best foal sale for Whatton Manor Stud, whose Ed Player said: "We're absolutely over the moon, flabbergasted. She'd been very popular and vetted a lot of times so we hoped she'd make up to the 200,000gns mark, but to actually get it, we couldn't be happier."

The filly's price surpassed Whatton Manor's previous best, which came when Nando Parrado made 165,000gns to Ballyphilip Stud in 2018.

Night Of Thunder filly bound for Book 1

Michael Fitzpatrick of JC Bloodstock, who signed for a 66,000gns Time Test colt on day one, returned to the front row of seats by the exit and delivered a bid of 130,000gns to secure the Night Of Thunder filly out of Pacifica Highway offered by Overbury Stud. Billy Jackson-Stops filled the role of frustrated underbidder.

The late-April foal, whose third dam is 1990 champion Irish older mare Kostroma, is a half-sister to two winners, namely the Grade 3-placed Ayacara and the two-year-old Lope De Vega filly Spanish Baroque. Her year-older half-brother by Showcasing sold to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 200,000gns during last month's Book 2.

Michael Fitzpatrick: 'Hopefully she's a Book 1 filly next year'Credit: Laura Green

"She was bought off a good farm and hopefully we'll have a few updates next year," said Fitzpatrick, who operates out of Kilminfoyle House Stud in County Laois. "Hopefully she's a Book 1 filly next year. Night Of Thunder is a good stallion and it's hard to buy fillies with a pedigree by those proven sires.

"She's got a champion mare on the page and she's out of a young mare who's had two winners from four foals. There are a few Night Of Thunders tomorrow and I think they'll get a bit dearer. I think she was a fair price for a nice filly by the sire."

The progeny of Pacifica Highway, who was bought by Blandford Bloodstock at $110,000 at Keeneland in 2014, have now generated receipts totalling 645,000gns at Tattersalls alone.

Yeomanstown continues to restock

Fresh from investing €815,000 at Goffs, the O'Callaghan family of Yeomanstown Stud were back in action on Thursday and secured the sale's first six-figure lot when going to 110,000gns for the Sea The Moon colt out of Pearly Spirit from Kellsgrange Stud.

Bred by Haddenham Stud Farm, the colt is out of an unraced Invincible Spirit sister to dual Group 3 winner Pearls Galore and is also a sibling to the stakes-winning Lucky Lycra and Pearly Steph. As the name suggests, Pearly Spirit descends from Haras de Saint Pair's foundation mare Pearly Shells.

Pearly Spirit was bought in foal to Vadamos at Arqana in 2018, when she fetched €52,000 from Blandford Bloodstock.

"He'll probably come back here next year but could go to any sale really because he's a big strong horse with a great walk, he kind of had everything really," said Yeomanstown's Robert O'Callaghan. "He's got a great page and is by a good stallion who we've had luck with before. I was hoping to stay just under the hundred [thousand] mark but you have to stretch for the good ones.

Robert O'Callaghan: 'You've just got to pick and choose your battles'Credit: Laura Green

"Hopefully he'll be lucky next year and leave us a bit of profit. Sea The Moon is getting better and better year on year and his better crops are still to come. His own sire Sea The Stars is doing phenomenal stuff too so hopefully he can follow suit."

Having been busy pinhooking prospects for next year's yearling sales, O'Callaghan reflected on the state of trade at the foal sales, saying: "It's been very strong, especially for the good foals as we all zone in on the good ones. You've just got to pick and choose your battles and not get too carried away.

"We bought 20 between ourselves and Grangemore at Goffs last week and hopefully we'll pick up a similar number this week. That's two bought now and it's time to get stuck in and restock for next year."

By the close of play on Thursday Yeomanstown had secured five lots at an outlay of 398,000gns, an expenditure that included the purchase of a Ten Sovereigns colt from the National Stud for 130,000gns.

Magna Grecia makes his mark

Two lots by Coolmore's first-crop sire Magna Grecia made their way into six-figure territory, headed by the filly out of She's So Flawless sold by Petches Farm to Arthur Hoyeau at 110,000gns.

The mare, a Fastnet Rock half-sister to Group 2 winner Parvaneh and the Group 3-placed Mehdi, was bought by Petches Farm for 80,000gns in 2018 and her first two foals have sold for a combined 190,000gns after Mags O'Toole signed for her Churchill colt, Executive Pool, at 80,000gns in 2019.

"She's been bought to race and will go back to the owner's farm in France," said Hoyeau. "The owner is looking to buy fillies specifically. It's been tough to buy yearlings this year, so the idea is to get a bit of value by buying foals; it's really a response to the strength of the yearling market.

"This is a lovely scopey filly, a good mover and strong, and she looks like a good mix of Invincible Spirit and Fastnet Rock, who is a very good broodmare sire. It's more the physical that attracted us though."

Arthur Hoyeau: 'It's been tough to buy yearlings this year, so the idea is to get a bit of value by buying foals'Credit: Laura Green

Later in the session Tom Malone went to 100,000gns for the colt out of Alltherightmoves offered by Glashare House Stud. The agent explained he had simply been filling in for Megan Nicholls, who had departed Park Paddocks after selecting the colt during inspections.

"I'm just acting on behalf of Megan Nicholls," said Malone. "She picked out this colt but had to leave. He's been bought for her client Roger Peel, he'll board at Steve Parkin's Branton Court Stud and will be reoffered by Hillwood Stud next year."

That six-figure transaction continued a fruitful foal sale season for Glashare House Stud, which keeps a seven-strong broodmare band in County Kilkenny. Alltherightmoves is a Namid half-sister to four black-type performers, including the Listed winners Crown Of Light and Alboostan, and The Hermitage, dam of Princess Margaret Stakes scorer Angel's Hideaway.

Anthony Phelan: 'We've been very lucky this year but the main thing for us is that they go to good homes'Credit: Laura Green

"He was a good, strong foal by a first-season sire," said the stud's Anthony Phelan. "That's exactly what the market wants. St Mark's Basilica [Magna Grecia's half-brother] coming up this year has helped the sire. I've had the mare for five years and I own her in partnership with my nephew so it's worked out well for us. I hope this colt is as lucky for his new owner.

"The mare is in foal to Acclamation, so we're looking forward to that foal in the spring, and we'll try to find another nice first-season sire to mate her with. We sold four foals in Ireland last week, which we were happy with, and we always like to bring one here every year.

"We've been very lucky this year but the main thing for us is that they go to good homes. We'd take a lesser price to have our horses go to a better home because that's what it's all about."

Magna Grecia, a 2,000 Guineas-winning half-brother to St Mark's Basilica, covered 180 mares in his debut book at a fee of €22,500. The son of Invincible Spirit is priced at €17,500 for 2022.

Wootton Bassett filly in favour

Magna Grecia's Coolmore studmate Wootton Bassett also had a big result when a filly from his ninth crop, the last conceived at a fee of €40,000 before the sire moved to Ireland, sold to Ladyswood Stud for 105,000gns.

The youngster was consigned by Alex Whitehead's Altenbach Bloodstock having been bred by the consignor's husband, Tom Whitehead, who pinhooked the dam, Lorelei Rock, as a breeze-up prospect. The daughter of Camacho was initially raced by Michael O'Callaghan before transferring to Giuseppe Botti in France, for whom she won an Italian Listed contest.

"Ladyswood is looking for some fillies to race and we loved this filly, she has great action," said Ladyswood representative Harry Fowler.

"The mare was fourth in a Group 2 in Ireland, she was class, and she was an early type – she won on her race debut in the May of her two-year-old season. Alex [Frost, Ladyswood Stud] is looking for a couple of fillies to go back and join the broodmare band, if they are good enough."

Soldier's first foals go into battle

Another first-crop sire to supply a six-figure lot was Ballyhane Stud's Soldier's Call after a colt out of Safeenah, a daughter of Oasis Dream from the family of Muhaarar, was knocked down to Joe Foley, signing as B B Bloodstock, at 100,000gns.

The youngster was offered by Amy Marnane and bred by the consignor's father, Con, who purchased the dam from Shadwell's Derrinstown Stud at just €7,500 in 2018. The mare's first foal, a colt by Invincible Spirit, was then sold to Shadwell for 150,000gns at last year's December Foal Sale.

Con Marnane: 'I told Joe when this foal was born that he was special'Credit: Laura Green

"She's a queen of a mare," said Con Marnane. "The first foal is very good and hopefully he'll be a good racehorse for Shadwell next year as they're retaining him. Joe Foley is an absolute gentleman to deal with. I had two of the stallions at his place as breezers, Prince Of Lir and Sands Of Mali.

"I told Joe when this foal was born that he was special, and he obviously thought he was special tonight too."

Marnane had a particularly good word for Soldier's Call, a Flying Childers-winning son of Showcasing who covered 164 mares at a fee of €10,000 last year.

Marnane said: "The stallion is getting gorgeous stock; I sent two mares to him and should have taken a share! This was a belter of a foal and we're over the moon."

The near 11-hour session saw 283 foals offered and 235 sold for a clearance rate of 83 per cent. A 15 per cent larger offering helped yield a 32 per cent increase in turnover, which clocked in at 9,225,000gns.

The average price went up 16 per cent to 39,255gns and the consistency of demand was highlighted by the 20 per cent gain made by the median price, which rose from 25,000gns to 30,000gns.

The Tattersalls December Foal Sale continues on Friday with a session starting at 10am.

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