Ballylinch Stud weighs in with support as New Bay pair sell well

Ballylinch Stud's New Bay proved to be the most in-demand first-crop sire when a pair of his offspring sold for a combined €80,000 at the third edition of the Tattersalls Ireland Flat Foal and Breeding Stock Sale at Fairyhouse on Friday.

The pair - both offered by Baroda and Colbinstown Studs - took their turn in the ring in close succession during the latter part of the day, giving the sale an injection of excitement on what proved a challenging day for vendors.

The star of the show was a March-born colt by the Prix du Jockey Club winner out of the placed Acclamation mare Soteria, and Edmond Mahony took a flurry of bids on the rostrum from the likes of Bobby O'Ryan and the Ballylinch team.

View sales results and buyers

Eventually though, it was leading breeze-up consignor Tom Whitehead of Powerstown Stud, standing by the ring in front of the buyers' bench, who won out with a bid of €60,000 - a new benchmark for a foal at this sale.

" was a talented racehorse and we'll bring this colt back for the yearling sales next year," said Whitehead.

The colt is a descendant of the Johnson Houghton family's foundation mare Sirnelta, also the ancestress of this year's Queen Anne Stakes hero Accidental Agent and Mohaather, who gave the page a further update when winning the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes in October.

Full backing

Mark Byrne of Ballylinch Stud, positioned at the far side of the gangway from the auctioneer, was also in the fray when New Bay's other offering, a March-born filly, went through the ring six lots earlier and emerged on top with a successful €20,000 bid.

"She was a very nice, correct, balanced filly and had a good walk to her," said Mark Byrne.

"She's for a small syndicate, and they'll probably re-offer her as a yearling. We thought she was great value for the day that was in it. We think New Bay has thrown some tremendously nice stock."

The filly's Footstepsinthesand half-sister Frosty Beach appears to be an exciting three-year-old prospect having finished second to subsequent Killavullen Stakes scorer Coral Beach on her penultimate start.

The New Bay colt who stole the show on Friday when knocked down for €60,000Credit: Pat Healy / Tattersalls Ireland

Brisk start

The O'Callaghan family's Tally-Ho Stud in County Westmeath helped drive trade during the first half of the day, giving the sale a lift when going to €44,000 to secure a colt out of the two-time winning Shamardal mare Elaysa.

The bidding rose in increments of €2,000 with auctioneer Simon Kerins describing the February-born colt as a "real good model by a proper sire".

The bids flew in from all sides of the ring, with Tony O'Callaghan making the winning bid from his position in the gangway.

Tally-Ho also secured a March-born Footstepsinthesand colt offered by Charel Park Stud for €26,000. The colt in question is a great-grandson of Fillies' Mile runner-up Dance To The Top.

The Dandy Man colt hammered down to Tally-Ho Stud for €44,000Credit: Pat Healy / Tattersalls Ireland

Shadwell castoff

Mares bought from Shadwell in the past have proven successful with Alsalwa topping this sale for €78,000 in its inaugural year in 2016. Her son Another Touch added black-type last year when scoring in the Listed Pomfret Stakes over a mile.

Ronan Burns of Herbertstown House Stud - who bred the classy performer Oh This Is Us - tapped into the same talent source during the mare section when stretching to €42,000 for the Listed-placed Naadrah, an 11-year-old daughter of Muhtathir offered in foal to Awtaad.

Muhtathir is noted as the damsire of this year's Prix Royal-Oak hero Holdthasigreen.

"She's a nice-looking mare with a good covering," said Burns.

Her best performer to date on Racing Post Ratings is Moonlight Bay with a mark of 94. He won the opening race of the Irish Flat season last year and followed up in a valuable handicap last October.

Naadrah also has an unraced two-year-old Mukhadram filly named Risaalaat and a yearling Dawn Approach filly.

Patient approach

Within the opening hour, Joe Foley of Ballyhane Stud had made a winning €17,000 play for a colt by first-season sire out of the winning Teofilo mare Amaany.

"He's a lovely colt with great movement and a great shape on him, and looks like he'll be a racehorse in time," said Foley. "He's a very well-bred colt out of a mare that won on her third start. He'll come back to a yearling sale next year."

The dam is out of Listed winner Almass, one of a remarkable seven stakes performers out of the Prix Marcel Boussac third Harmless Albatross, and hails from the further family of Eqtidaar.

"I've got an inkling that Mukhadram could prove to be quite a useful sire," added Foley. "He's done well for what you'd expect him to have done at this stage. I bought a nice yearling filly by him a couple of weeks ago and I've been following him quite closely since."

Mukhadram's first-crop of juveniles have been impressing despite the sire peaking as a four- and five-year-old in his own racing career, including a two-length victory over Trading Leather in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.

They include the Patrick Biancone-trained A Bit Special, winner of two of her three starts including the black-type Our Dear Peggy Stakes at Gulfstream Park on her most recent start, and the William Haggas-trained Jahbath, who posted his second win at Kempton on Tuesday.

Figures

The testing nature of trade away from the top end was reflected in the end-of-day figures.

Aggregate sales fell by 22 per cent to €599,100, the median was clipped from €3,500 to €3,000 and the clearance rate dropped by nine points to just 50 per cent, with only 97 of 195 offered lots finding a buyer. However, the average price rose by four per cent to €6,175.

If you enjoyed this, you should also read:

Barberini secures Zeelander for £52,000 at Ascot November Sale

Busy schedule for winning pointers as November Sale entries revealed