Fresh from spending over 11 million guineas on Tuesday, Kia Joorabchian was back on the trail for well-bred fillies at Tattersalls on Wednesday. However, in his quest to gain Grangemore Stud’s Dark Angel sister to Charyn he came up against a formidable foe in Sheikh Mohammed, to whom he ultimately had to give best at 2.9 million guineas.

Yet that was only following a lengthy bidding duel that will live long in the memory, one during which Joorabchian cried enough several times, only to turn back round to auctioneer Edmond Mahony at the last minute to throw in just one more bid. Each time, however, that was met by a rapid response from Anthony Stroud, standing outside with Sheikh Mohammed alongside David Loder and Charlie Appleby, and once the 2.9 million guineas bid was fired, that was enough for Joorabchian to turn his back for good.

The filly’s appeal is obvious, being a sister to this year’s standout miler Charyn, whose wins for Nurlan Bizakov and Roger Varian include the Queen Anne Stakes and Prix Jacques les Marois, as well as the 2021 Mill Reef Stakes winner Wings Of War. There is also a two-year-old sister to come in Shinara, who was bought for 850,000gns by Sumbe at this sale last year.

“Her pedigree speaks for itself and she was a very nice individual,” said Anthony Stroud. “The brother has done fantastically well this year. It was probably more than we anticipated but there seems to be a premium on these fillies and she was a filly that we all liked a lot.”

The sale continues the remarkable story of their dam Futoon, a mere 3,000gns two-year-old herself who went on to become a Listed-placed sprinter for Kevin Ryan. At the end of her career, the daughter of Kodiac was purchased by Guy O’Callaghan for 100,000gns – and has now returned a total of 4.14 million guineas in the sale ring.

“The stars just aligned,” said O’Callaghan. “Charyn will be champion miler this year and she was a beautiful filly. I am doing cart wheels inside! It’s been a massive team effort from everyone at home.

“It’s great when it’s such a vibrant market and when you have two operations like that – Kia and Godolphin – ready to take each other on, then anything can happen. It’s a dream for any breeder and I hope she’s very lucky for them.

“When Charyn won the Queen Anne and got his Group 1 breakthrough, I knew then that I was sitting on some very hot property and every day you’d be checking her in the field! But every step of the way, she never missed a beat. She has been flat out since she got here but she has never turned a hair. She has a great mind and Charyn was the same – it’s a lot to ask of a yearling, they need the mindset but the good ones can take it.”

He added: “Futoon has been the mare of a lifetime. She has another very good foal on the ground by Dark Angel and is back in foal to Blue Point. She’s been the mare of a lifetime.”

It was a productive morning for Godolphin as not long after, Stroud went to 800,000gns for the Mehmas half-brother to Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Mac Swiney. Bred by Jim Bolger and sold through Clare Manning’s Boherguy Stud, the May-foaled youngster is out of Halla Na Soire, a Teofilo sister to the Classic-placed Light Heavy.

“A very nice horse,” said Stroud. “He looks a quick, two-year-old type and of course Mehmas is doing very well. He looked like he should – being a sharp type – and he came from a good farm and a very good breeder.”