SOLID RENEWAL OF THE NOVEMBER NATIONAL HUNT SALE
A great strength in depth of trade saw improved returns compared with 2014 – a rise of 34% in the aggregate to €1,437,050, the median increase by an impressive 36% to €7,500 and the average improve by 17% to €13,952.
The session was topped by the Grade 1-winning race mare Adriana Des Mottes, who sold for €145,000, the second-best price given for a broodmare at the November Sale since 2006. The daughter of Network was bought by Michael Carty of Kilmoney Cottage Stud with under bidder Tom Malone.
"She is a quality and talented mare and ticked all boxes," says Carty. "She will be based in the UK and has been bought for a client who likes a quality mare."
Sold by Closutton Stables on behalf of owner Susannah Ricci, Adriana des Mottes’ Grade 1 victory came in the Mares’ Novice Hurdle Final at Fairyhouse in April 2014. This March, on her last racecourse start, she was just touched off for third in the RSA Chase (Grade 1) at the Festival.
She is in-foal on a May cover to popular sire Shantou.
Agent Martin Cullinane, who bought 15 foals earlier in the week, went to €60,000 for the Shantou two-year-old sold by Landscape Stud, part of the farm’s dispersal.
The gelding is out of Sudden Beat, who was placed in a NH Flat race and is a half-sister to Finalmente, winner of the Group Henry II Stakes.
"He'll be coming back here," said Cullinane. "He has a very good pedigree, comes from a good farm and I didn't manage to buy any by Shantou earlier this week - he is a sire going well at the moment.”
The dispersal of Patrick Burling’s young stock has been well received all week, and the five mares sold today fetched an average price of €42,800.
Dare To Doubt, a Grade 2 winner and in-foal to Leading Light, fetched the highest price of €54,000. She was bought by Gerry Mullins of Ballydune Stud.
"She is a talented mare, and is for a client," said Mullins. "We paid a bit more than we had planned!"
David Keys of Lakeview House Stud, who bought the French Listed winner Histoire De Moeurs and already owns the mare's first foal, a 2011 Robin des Champs filly named Biento Madame, echoed those sentiments.
"We paid more than we had planned, but if you are not in you can't win!" smiled Keys. "We like the filly we own, she is by Robin Des Champs and we will probably send this mare to the stallion as well."
The Oscar yearling and the Martaline foal out of Histoire De Moeurs made €24,000 and €45,000 earlier this week.
STRONG TRADE
Strong trade was seen throughout the six-day Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, which has produced figures comparable to the outstanding 2014 returns. After a vibrant yearling show, held as a prelude to the sale on the Sunday, the yearling section produced a best median since 2007 of €12,000, and an average of €14,342 level with last year. The aggregate did show a fall of 29%, a reflection of the smaller catalogue and a more selective market. In total 15, yearlings made €30,000 or more, with the top lot being a Soldier Of Fortune gelding sold by Kilmoney Cottage Stud to Trickledown Stud for €60,000.
UK and domestic-based pinhookers and agents were busy at all levels throughout the following four-day foal sale, resulting in 68 lots selling for €30,000 or more, 11 making over €50,000 and a second-best ever median of €11,000. Wednesday’s trade also produced the highest ever turnover for a one day National Hunt session at €3.8m. The top price of €110,000 was given for a son of leading sire Flemensfirth out of a half-sister to the brilliant chaser Master Minded. Patrick McCann’s Brooklands Stud purchased the colt and future options for him will be kept open – he might be reoffered as a three-year-old at the Derby Sale or kept by the stable to race. The colt is just one of three foals to have made more than €100,000 at the sale since 2010.
Ballincurrig House Stud was the week’s leading consignor, a position it has held since 2011 and mirroring the farm’s performance at the Derby Sale. Richard Rohan of the farm was also the second-busiest foal buyer, picking up 15 foals as future store horses to be reconsigned at the June sale. Rohan’s purchases were behind only Aiden Murphy on aggregate – the British-based agent bought 14 lots for an average price of €38,357. His total purchases topped €500,000 and he was the only buyer to breach that barrier.
At the conclusion of the Sale, Managing Director, Roger Casey said:
“There have been many highlights over the last week; a robust clearance rate of 74% for foals, 68 foals achieving €30,000 or more (up from 63 in 2014), the highest aggregate and median on record for a one day foal sale during Wednesdays electric session and the €110,000 highest price achieved for a foal since 2010. The third staging of the National Hunt Yearling Show in association with the ITBA was again a success and set the tone for a positive week and while the yearling section itself proved to be more selective than 2014, it still produced the highest median for this category since 2007. Demand for Older Horses was also the strongest it has been in recent years and a definite highlight was the contribution of the Landscape Stud Dispersal which generated an average of €30,700 for their older horses. The significantly improved Broodmare section also produced its strongest set of returns in many years with the highest clearance rate achieved for this category since 2006. The top price of €145,000 Adrianna Des Mottes will generate the headlines but a general increase in quality was evident as illustrated by the stand out Patrick Burling Dispersal. The results in the ring this week certainly demonstrate a consolidation of sorts of the record breaking renewal of this sale in 2014 and are indicative of the overall changing demand/supply dynamic being felt across the bloodstock industry. We acknowledge again our industrious vendors, purchasers and sales day team who had to again endure such unfavourable weather conditions throughout the week and for their tireless efforts all week. We look forward now with anticipation to our next sale, the 2016 February National Hunt Sale.”