Fresh off a record-breaking renewal of Book 1, the second book of the Tattersalls October Sale wasted little time in kicking off in a similar vein on Monday morning, with a Sea The Stars colt commanding 800,000gns from Anthony Stroud barely 40 minutes into proceedings.
The colt ultimately topped a session that saw 209 yearlings sell for a total of 18,618,000gns and average of 89,081gns, down marginally from 2021. The median fell by seven per cent to 65,000gns.
In a frenzied round of bidding, Stroud outbid Charlie Gordon-Watson and then MV Magnier to land the April-foaled youngster on behalf of a long-standing owner with horses in Newmarket.
The figure not only smashes last year’s top mark of 525,000gns but is also the highest price achieved at this sale in 2019.
Bred by the Kitcarina Partnership in a foal share with Sunderland Holdings, the colt is out of the Shamardal mare Kitcarina, whose sister Kitcara has produced the high-class Al Aasy to Sea The Stars. He is the only yearling offered this week by Fiona Marner’s Windmill Farm, in whose colours Kitcarina won at Kempton Park as a four-year-old following her sale for €90,000 through Axel Donnerstag at the 2018 Arqana December Sale. The Sea The Stars colt is the mare’s first foal.
“We bought the mare in partnership and since then the pedigree has just really developed – her full-sister Kitcara became dam of Al Aasy,” said Marner. “She is owned with two very long standing and loyal partners, Derek James, who is in America and Peter Wollaston.
“We have a lot to thank John Clarke for as we had the foal share to Sea The Stars. It is just fabulous to have such a good first foal out of her.
“This colt has been so special all along – but I am not sure we realised he was that nice! He has done so well in the last month. Every day he keeps improving and he just loves his work – he has a wonderful temperament. It is such a team effort, we are just a tiny farm – we only have five young mares.”
Stroud confirmed that the colt would be trained by John Gosden although not for Godolphin, for whom he was so active at Book 1 last week.
“He’s a very good-looking horse with a good pedigree,” he said. “The nick works quite well, with the Shamardal mare and also you have Al Aasy, by Sea The Stars, in the family too. He’ll be trained by John Gosden for a long established client.”

This Sea The Stars colt realised 800,000gns to kick off Book 2. Photo – Tattersalls
Fiona Marner wasn’t the only member of her family to enjoy a good day on Monday. Her son Charlie Vigors of Hillwood Stud sent up a draft of four attractively-bred yearlings to the ring, among them a daughter of Lope De Vega who will join Paddy Twomey after selling for 375,000gns.
Bred by Fortescue Bloodstock out of a Listed-winning daughter of Teofilo in Moi Meme, the filly walked into the ring with two live updates as a sister to King Vega, the recent winner of the Buckland Stakes at Colonial Downs, and Capital Structure, a recent second in the Waya Stakes at South Ozone Park.
“She’s by a top stallion in Lope De Vega and out of a Teofilo mare,” said Twomey after outbidding Hugo Merry. “Two siblings are stakes horses already. She is for an existing owner and will make a very nice broodmare when she has finished racing.”
He added: “Last week was hard work, we bought one filly and have been sent two more, but it was harder to compete. I went home on Wednesday and said to the guys that we’d retrench and come back this week.”
The sole Frankel, meanwhile, provided a late evening highlight when sold for 700,000gns to the BBA Ireland via an online bid.
The agency outbid Will Douglass of Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock for the colt, who hails from a deep Gerry Oldham family also responsible for Ectot and Most Improved.
“We thought he would do well but we’re delighted with such a price, that was very pleasing,” said Michael Swinburn of Genesis Green Stud, who sold him on behalf of Rabbah Bloodstock.
“He came to us this time last year. He was originally in Book 1. It’s a nice page and the Frankel – Dubawi cross is so good, with three Group 1 winners [Adayar, Homeless Songs and Dream Castle] on it.
“He just toed in a tad, nothing extravagant. But when we had to make our mind up as to which sale to go to, the owners decided to come here. He was always a big horse, tall and narrow when he was younger, but during prep he just blossomed and widened, and turned into a Dubawi type with a Frankel walk. He’s a lovely horse to deal with.”