Further Progression At The September Yearling Sale
Part I of the Tattersalls Ireland September Sale concluded with the best-ever set of returns for the two-day sale with a record average, record median and the best aggregate of any year aside from 2006 when the sale was held over three days.
The average price of €24,963 and median of €19,000 were improvements of 4% and 6% on 2015, while the aggregate of €10,209,700 is only the second time in the sale's history that the aggregate has topped €10,000,000.
At the conclusion of Part I of the September Yearling Sale on Wednesday afternoon, Managing Director Roger Casey said:
"It has been heartening to witness the robust trade over the two days of Part I and there have been plenty of positives to acknowledge with improvements in the majority of key indicators and in particular a record average and median for the September Yearling Sale despite the increase in numbers catalogued. This year represents the highest turnover for this sale since 2006 and the sale has now had seven consecutive years of growth and understandably has grown in popularity from both a vendor and purchaser perspective. There was a good spread of international buyers with no less than eleven countries represented amongst the purchasers list along with the customary strong UK presence. Special thanks as ever must go to our wide network of Tattersalls representatives and to the hard working team of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing who collectively continue to ardently market this sale to an increasing international audience.
Purchasers all week have commented that the best yearlings have been hard to acquire however they have also alluded to the continuing progressive nature of the sale in terms of the standard of yearlings offered and of course the outstanding achievements of our graduates on the racetrack with four individual classic winners in 2016, with QIPCO 2,000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold being the highlight. Looking ahead to Part II of the September Yearling Sale on Thursday and Friday we still have a good solid selection of commercial yearlings to offer over the next two days. All yearlings offered in Part II are also eligible for the €300,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend 2017 and which continues to be a unique and important incentive for this week's sales."
Top lot honours on day 2 went to a first-season sire, Ballyhane Stud's son of Redoute's Choice Coventry Stakes(G2) runner-up Elzaam whose colt from John Davison's Killarkin Stud sold for €95,000.
Buying the colt became a battle of the Irish 2016 Guineas winners - John Kilbride, buyer of the 1,000 Guineas heroine Jet Setting, taking on Kevin Prendergast, trainer of Awtaad, the winner of the colts' Classic.
In the end Kilbride, standing with Jet Setting's trainer Adrian Keatley, won the day.
"He is for a new group of owners," said Kilbride, "and will be going to Adrian to train. He is the spit of his father."
A daughter of the leading Tally-Ho Stud sire Kodiac (Lot 379) and out of the Royal Whip Stakes (G2) winner Tropical Lady was bought by Castlefarm Stud's Mark Gittens for €88,000.
"She will come back to the farm, we'll break her in and then see where we are - no trainer has been decided yet," reported Gittens of the Ballybin Stud-consigned filly. "We really liked her. She is out of a talented mare and by the right sire - you have to spend a few more quid to buy a horse by him."
There was plenty of interest from the sale ring and bidders included trainer John Quinn standing with his son Sean, as well as trainer David O'Meara.
A colt by Footstepsinthesand from Loughmore Stables (Lot 384)went to Peter & Ross Doyle for €85,000.
"We thought he was the best colt in the sale," said Ross Doyle, speaking on behalf of his father Peter. "We are delighted to get him. He is a big, strong scopey sort - a mid-season type and comes from a good farm.
"He is for a client and will go to Richard Hannon. We bought the talented Larchmont Lad here last year - he is also a son of Footstepsinthesand."
Larchmont Lad, trained by Hannon, finished third in a Listed race at the beginning of September and holds a number of autumn Group 2 and Group 1 entries, including in the Dewhurst Stakes and Racing Post Trophy.
That price was matched by Lot 468, a Cassamento colt sold by Danesrath Stud. He was bought by trainer Archie Watson on behalf of the early-departed Tom Goff of Blandford Bloodstock.