'He’s spent a lot of money so we’re hoping we’re in for a good year' - footballer Ryan Kent strikes again at Tattersalls with 200,000gns Mehmas filly

A broad cross-section of buyers gathered at Tattersalls on Wednesday as the December Foal Sale went through the gears. Among the crowd of pinhookers and end-users was professional footballer Ryan Kent, who capped his latest trip to Park Paddocks by securing a 200,000gns Mehmas filly bred by Michael O’Leary’s Plantation Stud. 

Kent, who is out of contract having left Fenerbahce by mutual consent in October, was bidding through agent Daniel Creighton of Creighton Schwartz Bloodstock. Kirsty Spence also signed the six-figure docket. 

The filly is out of the Listed-winning Natalie's Joy, a daughter of Lope De Vega who was added to the Plantation broodmare band at a cost of 300,000gns back in 2021. The pedigree goes back to the champion two-year-old Blue Duster. 

Kent deferred media duties to Creighton, who said: “She’s been bought to race. Obviously Mehmas is flying this year and she’s out of a Lope De Vega mare, which is the same cross as Persian Force and Gubbass. That’s worked before and she’s out of a black-type mare too. She’s a lovely physical, a nice, well-grown filly, so it made a lot of sense.” 

On the six-figure price tag, Creighton continued: “You’d expect to have to pay that when the stallion is so proven and given her pedigree. If I bred a foal like that I’d be disappointed if I didn’t reach those sorts of heights!” 

Daniel Creighton: "You’d expect to have to pay that when the stallion is so proven and given her pedigree"Credit: Alisha Meeder

Mehmas recently broke the world record for two-year-old winners in a single season. The Tally-Ho Stud stallion has 66 European juvenile winners to his name in 2024, including the elite scorers Magnum Force, Scorthy Champ and Vertical Blue, the latter of whom is due to be offered at Tattersalls next week.

This is not the first eye-catching purchase Creighton has made on Kent’s behalf, and the agent expanded on the winger’s bloodstock interests by saying: “He’s spent a lot of money so we’re hoping we’re in for a good year next year, he’s got some nice prospects. He’s got half-brothers to Marshman and El Caballo going into training. He’s got a nice Sea The Stars filly in France who’s a half-sister to Stanhope Gardens. He uses Karl Burke mostly, he’d be the main trainer.” 

Creighton added that Kent was something of a bloodstock aficionado and had been hands-on during the purchasing process, particularly with online research. “He loves the sales and is very into his pedigrees,” he said. “He’s very involved in looking at videos and pictures online. I always tell vendors, especially as a lot don’t put pictures and videos up, that they don’t realise how important it is.” 

Yeomanstown on a spree

The O’Callaghan family of Yeomanstown Stud were by some way the busiest buyers on the day, with their double-figure haul of foals headlined by the 180,000gns Havana Grey colt out of the Listed-placed Fairy Dust from Whitsbury Manor Stud. 

After signing for the first six-figure lot of the week, Robert O’Callaghan said: “The sire speaks for himself. We sold a couple of good ones by him in the autumn, and this colt is one of our top picks of today. He’s out of a good fast mare, by a good fast stallion and will come back to the yearling sales next year.”

The Havana Grey colt out of Fairy Dust takes his turn in the sales ring Credit: Alisha Meeder

The Yeomanstown purchases also included the 175,000gns Blue Point colt out of Jeeds Legacy from Northern Bloodstock, while Guy O’Callaghan of Grangemore Stud went to 160,000gns for a filly by the same sire consigned by Newsells Park Stud. 

Kavanagh seeing Stars

Roderic Kavanagh, signing as RC Bloodstock, went to 175,000gns for the Starspangledbanner filly out of Zoella from Newsells Park Stud. There is plenty of black type beneath the second dam on the page, and Listed form has recently been added to the most recent generation in the pedigree too, as the filly’s half-sister Back See Daa was last seen finishing third in the Fleur De Lys Stakes. 

Not only is the filly a sibling to three winners, but she is bred on the same Starspangledbanner-Invincible Spirit cross responsible for the Group 3-winning and multiple Group 1-placed Flotus. 

“She’s a lovely filly and by a great stallion,” said Kavanagh. “The mare’s a proven producer too, and there might be a bit more to happen in the family with two good siblings to race on. One’s gone to Dubai and the other’s just got black type. Starspangledbanner has been lucky for us in the past and he’s obviously a thoroughly proven stallion. 

“Hopefully she’ll come back here next October. Book 1 will be the plan. We’re aiming for the top end of the October Sale trade. It was very strong this year and hopefully we can catch it next year too.” 

The Starspangledbanner filly out of Zoella receives a reassuring hugCredit: Alisha Meeder

The Kavanagh family’s Kildaragh Stud enjoyed a personal-best result at Book 1 this year when Godolphin went to 1,600,000gns for the Sea The Stars sister to Prix de Royallieu winner Sea Silk Road. 

On the Starspangledbanner filly’s six-figure price tag, Kavanagh added: “We were a bit beyond where we wanted to be, we actually thought we mightn’t be able to get to her, but we got there in the end. She’s got a bit of developing to do but hopefully she’ll do it.”

Amo on target

The purchaser of the session-topper was not the only football professional to get involved at the head of the market. Amo Racing's Kia Joorabchian, who oversees a rapidly expanding bloodstock portfolio alongside his day job as a player agent, entered the fray with the 170,000gns acquisition of the Havana Grey filly out of Roxie Lott from Whitsbury Manor Stud. 

The February-born filly is a sibling to two winners, most notably her Havana Grey brother Holguin, whose record includes a Listed victory at Chester and a close fourth to Angel Bleu in the Group 2 Celebration Mile Stakes. 

“She’s been bought for Amo Racing,” said agent Alex Elliott, who signed the name Abercorn Investments on the ticket. “She was our pick of the day from the fillies, and obviously it’s important to get some fillies into the operation. Havana Grey is an exceptional stallion and this filly is a full-sister to a very good horse. Kia’s had some great luck with Havana Grey, as have most people, and she fits into that early programme. She was bought for a very fair price given what Havana Grey is going to stand for next year. I thought it made a lot of sense.” 

Alex Elliott: "Havana Grey is an exceptional stallion and this filly is a full-sister to a very good horse"Credit: Alisha Meeder

Amo Racing created a major stir at the yearling sales, most notably when signing for 25 lots at an outlay of 22,940,000gns during a bumper renewal of Book 1. Elliott said the operation was conscious of spreading its investment throughout the market, and highlighted that its involvement in last year’s foal sales had already been made to look like a shrewd move given the strength of yearling trade.  

“We bought a Kingman brother to Dragon Symbol here last year for 350,000gns,” he continued. “What would he have made at the yearling sales given how strong the market was? He’s already at Robson Aguiar’s being broken in and we’re very happy with him. Any operation has to look at all levels and all disciplines and we’re doing that. I was very happy to get her at that price.” 

On immediate plans for the filly, Elliott said: “Kia has some youngstock at Tally-Ho, some at Baroda and some with the McEnery family, so this filly will go back to Ireland from here and then go into the system some time next year.”

Twomey switches sights to foals

Trainers, for understandable reasons, tend not to do their shopping at the foal sales. But Paddy Twomey is not like most trainers, and the Group 1-winning handler applied some outside-the-box thinking when securing the Havana Grey filly out of Telepatic Glances as a long-term racing project at 130,000gns. 

The Whitsbury Manor Stud-consigned youngster has plenty going for her on pedigree as not only is she by a rising star stallion but is the first foal out a mare who was crowned champion two-year-old filly in Italy during her racing days.

Telepatic Glances’ biggest success came in the Group 2 Premio Dormello for Endo Botti, while she also won a Capannelle Listed contest during her four-year-old season. 

“She’s been bought to go racing,” said Twomey. “She’s a lovely filly and her dam was a champion two-year-old in Italy. I thought she was very nice and I’ve bought her for an existing owner in the yard.”

The Havana Grey filly out of Telepatic Glances snapped up by Paddy TwomeyCredit: Alisha Meeder

Expanding on the thinking behind his December Foal Sale buying mission, Twomey said: “I attend every sale and I’m happy to buy them in training, as yearlings, two-year-old, foals, almost in-utero! I don’t mind, so long as we get the good ones. If you get the chance to buy a nice filly like that out of a good racemare, well, if she went to a pinhooker then I might not get another chance to buy her.

“The yearling sales were strong but I’m very lucky to be well supported by a good group of owners. Some of them were still keen to buy and if I say I've seen something I’d like to race one day, especially a filly, then they’re inclined to add to their string.” 

The trainer is yet to saddle a runner by Havana Grey but confirmed himself a big fan of the sire of Vandeek, Arabian Dusk and Jasour, to name but a few of his 36 stakes performers.

“I like Havana Grey and we’ve also bought five yearlings by him this year,” he said. “When you pay attention and read the results, his progeny are winning a lot of races. It’s my job as a trainer to try and get the best horses I can into the yard. I haven’t run anything by Havana Grey before so this year is our first time getting involved with him.” 

The filly was bred in 2023 in the afterglow of her sire’s first two-year-olds. Those exploits boosted his fee to €18,500. His upward trajectory has seen his fee continue to rise from last year's career high of £55,000, although he is officially listed as private for 2025.

Something new and something blue 

Pinhookers rarely miss a chance to get behind the progeny of first-crop sires, particularly those whose forte was precocious speed. Derrinstown Stud’s Minzaal was responsible for the day's biggest result on this front when Tally-Ho Stud went to 165,000gns for a colt from the further family of Speciosa. Kellsgrange Stud consigned the six-figure youngster, who was bred at a fee of just €15,000. 

But other thoroughbred prospectors were content to stick with more proven names, including those better known for producing more Classically inclined stock. Paul McCartan of Ballyphilip Stud noted the pinhooking market giving middle distance pedigrees a warmer reception after successfully bidding 140,000gns for a Camelot filly from the Drumlin and Yellowford draft. 

There is no shortage of stamina in this filly’s pedigree as her dam is a winning half-sister to Mahler, sire of Grade 1-winning jumpers Ornua and The Real Whacker. Another sibling is the dam of the star-crossed hurdler Sir Erec, who shares his sire with this filly.

The Camelot filly from the Drumlin and Yellowford draftCredit: Alisha Meeder

“There’s no doubt there’s been a bit of a shift back towards the middle-distance pedigrees,” said McCartan. “When we started out we were always looking for the sprinters and the speedy, precocious types. But there’s demand for those middle distance fillies with a pedigree.” 

Even those who consider stamina a dirty word would be hard pressed not to have been impressed by the year Camelot has had, with the Coolmore sire supplying Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Bluestocking, Irish Derby winner Los Angeles and the redoubtable Luxembourg, who added to his Group 1 tally in the Coronation Cup. Bluestocking's Longchamp exploits helped propel her sire to the head of the European sire standings.

“Camelot is a very, very good stallion and this is a beautiful filly,” said McCartan. “I loved her from the first time I saw her and she showed well each time I went back. She comes off a very good farm and from great breeders who are friends of ours.”

He added: “We all saw the filly who won the Arc this year, and we actually had a quick look at the buyers of Camelot yearlings this year; everybody likes him, everybody buys his stock. Hopefully one of those names will show up next year when this filly comes back to the sales. Or maybe even two, that would be better than one!”

Trade on day two proved much more solid than on day one, as had been widely expected in the graded catalogue.

The ten-hour session saw 249 foals offered and 204 found a buyer at a healthy clip of 82 per cent. Turnover was up eight per cent year-on-year at 8,996,000gns, while the average price rose by seven per cent to 44,098gns.

The median is often the most representative barometer of market health and this metric showed the day’s biggest gain, up ten per cent to 34,000gns, having been 31,000gns 12 months ago. 

The December Foal Sale continues on Friday with the headline session that features the likes of Chaldean’s full-sister.

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