While last year’s December Foal Sale at Tattersalls produced a top price of
only 320,000 guineas, the lowest sum for a top lot at the event since 2000,
there will be some glum faces in Newmarket if that figure is not surpassed this
week. The 1,003-lot foal catalog, up from 941 youngsters in 2010, gets underway
Wednesday morning and there are nine offerings remaining in the sales from the
first crop of champion Sea the Stars, as well as five lots by his half-brother
and champion sire Galileo.
The six-time Group 1 winner had foals sell for €850,000
and €800,000 twice at Goffs last week, and
among his representatives at Newmarket is Lot No. 984, a half-brother to Group 1
winners Youmzain and Creachadoir bred by Frank Dunne and offered in the
Castlebridge Consignment.
Sea the Stars’ jockey, Michael Kinane, is joint-breeder via his County
Kildare-based Eadling Farm of Lot 1004, a colt out of Ice Mint, a half-sister to
Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Falco offered from Jackie Norris’s
Jockey Hall Stud.
Meanwhile, Lot 939 is a Sea the Stars colt who was bought in utero with his
dam Ripples Maid for 240,000 guineas at last year’s December Sale by the Al-Thani
family’s Qatar Bloodstock investment company. He appears from David Redvers’
Tweenhills Stud.
Also in the Castlebridge Consignment is Lot 945, a Sea the Stars
three-quarter sister to both Group 1 Irish One Thousand Guineas heroine Nightime
and a Galileo yearling filly who sold for 700,000 guineas to the Niarchos family
at Tattersalls last month. The March foal was bred by Gita Weld.
Galileo’s team includes Lot 983, a full sister to 2009 Group 1 Epsom Derby
runner-up At First Sight and Lot 1010, a half-sister to this year’s Group 1
Golden Jubilee Stakes winner Society Rock bred by San Gabriel Investments and
another consigned from Jockey Hall Stud.
Among those with expensive in utero price tags is Lot 971, a Montjeu colt who
was sold inside his dam Thinking Positive for 235,000 guineas at last year’s
Tattersalls December Sale. The colt, bred by the Breeding Capital partnerships,
is offered from Peter Stanley’s locally-based New England Stud.
Lot 918 is one of no fewer than 34 for representatives for Exceed and Excel
on offer. The filly, bred by BBA 2010 and offered from Kirsten Rausing’s St
Simon Stud was bought in utero inside her dam First Turn for 200,000 guineas at
Tattersalls 12 months ago.
Most pinhookers have enjoyed a good year and there were some familiar faces,
especially from Ireland, looking for foals to resell at Tattersalls’ Park
Paddocks Tuesday as well as those looking for longer-term racing and even
breeding prospects. Pinhookers can be expected to be fickle towards what is
regarded as fashionable stallions, but they should have plenty to choose from,
including 24 lots by Rathbarry Stud sire Acclamation, whose yearlings dominated
book 2 of the October Sale.
Company officials are expecting to see a carryover of the momentum from two
months ago.
“Our October Yearling Sale gave everyone cause for a degree of optimism and
I’m sure the trade we saw in books 1, 2 and 3 will have an impact on the market
this coming week,” Tattersalls Marketing Director Jimmy George noted. “It’s a
quality catalog and all the top European-based stallions are well represented in
there.”
The sale is graded, with the foals improving from Wednesday into Thursday.
Friday’s session looks to have the best lots on paper, though trade is likely to
slightly step back down a level again on Saturday. The sale runs today through
Saturday. For catalogs, visit
www.tattersalls.com.