EXTRAORDINARY TRADE ON DAY ONE OF SEPTEMBER YEARLING SALE

The aggregate of €5,070,000 is the first time the €5 million barrier has been breached since 2007, and is a huge 33% increase on 2014.

The average of €24,759 is an increase of 27% from 2014, while the median of €20,000 showed an increase of 33% on last year. Neither statistic has topped the €20,000 mark since 2007.

The strong 94% clearance rate revealed a great depth in the buyers’ bench, with horses well produced by consignors and matching purchaser’s demands.

Progeny by the popular sire Kodiac were in high demand and a colt out of the Always Fair mare Fee Eria (Lot 164) topped the session selling for €130,000. Bought on behalf of owner Kevin Bailey by bloodstock agent Amanda Skiffington, the yearling will be going into training with Hugo Palmer.

“He is a lovely horse and by a hot sire,” said Skiffington. “This sale has been lucky for me and last year we bought They Seek Him There and Galileo Gold here.”

A first-crop son of Harbour Watch (Lot 199) became the most expensive yearling colt to sell by the young sire so far at auction when fetching €120,000. Trainer Joseph Tuite and owner Tony Byrne, the pair having enjoyed Ebor success this year with their gelding Litigant, were pushed to the six-figure sum by trainer Ger Lyons. Always a strong supporter of the September Sale, Lyons trains Glass House, the winner of this year’s Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes.

“Tony really loved this horse,” said Tuite, delighted with the new acquisition. “He is by an unproven stallion, but he is a gorgeous horse with a great walk.”

Ross Doyle picked up a colt by Footstepsinthesand (Lot 177) for trainer Richard Hannon at €110,000. “He is a gorgeous individual,” said Doyle, “and we liked him more every time we went back to see him. He was well produced by Coole House Farm.”

Three lots fetched €80,000 or more - Betrand le Metayer of BLM Bloodstock bought a good-looking, strong son of Wotton Bassett (Lot 133), Emma Armstrong purchased an Avonbridge colt (Lot 151) from Grove Stud, also consignor of the day’s second top lot. Late in the session breeze-up vendor Con Marnane went to €82,000 for a colt by Kodiac (Lot 234) out of the Fayruz mare Kathoe and consigned by Knockatrina House Stud.