Stars colts heads buoyant second day of Tatts Book 2

A son of Sea The Stars topped a buoyant second session of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Sale on Tuesday when sold for 700,000gns to Roger Varian.

Bred by Highview Bloodstock out of the dual Listed winner Along Came Casey, the colt is a half-brother to Group 3 winner Feliciana De Vega and was sold as part of the draft from Longview Stud.

“He’s by a stallion who can’t do much wrong at the moment,” said Varian after outbidding Michael Donohoe of the BBA Ireland. “The mare was a stakes winner and has bred a very good one already. We had to dig deep to get him, but we are delighted. 

“I think he is a late summer type, one who is bred for middle-distances at three. But you never know how quickly they will come to hand. For a big horse, he is quite mature, quite well grown, and he has a lovely way of going.”

His sale to Roger Varian topped an extremely strong day of trading that featured the sale of 217 yearlings for a total of 23,366,000gns and average of 107,677gns, which represented a rise of 26 per cent from 2021. The median also improved, rising by eight per cent to 70,000gns.

Chasemore’s celebrations continue

It has been a great year for Andrew Black’s Chasemore Farm on the track thanks to stud graduates Lezoo and Noble Style, and that momentum continued over into the sale ring on Tuesday as they sold a Starspangledbanner relation to champion two-year-old The Wow Signal for 550,000gns to Mick Kinane of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

A half-brother to the Group 3-placed Breege (Kingman), the colt is out of the winning homebred Wowcha, whose half-siblings include the Japanese Group 3 winner Unicorn Lion and Listed scorer Miss Infinity  alongside to The Wow Signal.

“The Wow Signal was an unbelievable racehorse and the mare was lovely and scopey, so it made a lot of sense to send her to [his sire] Starspangledbanner,” said Jack Conroy, stud manager at Chasemore Farm. “Breege has obviously really helped the pedigree as well. 

“He had been incredibly popular – I’ve never had so many vettings on a horse, even in Book 1. Sadly we lost the mare last November but she has left us Breege.” 

He added: “I’m really proud of the job the team has done over the past few weeks. Every horse is prepped exactly the same, from Book 1 to Book 3, and we have had a lot of comments on how well they look. We take a lot of pride in that.”

The progeny of Night Of Thunder also remained in great demand on Tuesday, with the Darley stallion accounting for xx of the top xx lots led by a colt out of Listed winner Asidious Alexander who sold for 575,000gns. Jamie McCalmont, standing with the Coolmore team, came out on top at  over the Anthony Stroud and Ben McElroy for the colt, who was bred by Noel O’Callaghan’s Mountarmstrong Stud.

“He’s for Coolmore and we thought he was the best horse in the sale,” said McCalmont. “He was the one horse in the sale that we wanted – we thought that he was probably the best individual between this sale and Book 1 by the stallion.”

Frankel fever

Only two Frankel yearlings were offered during yesterday’s session and both went on to yield a fine return for their breeders, with the colt in question realising 450,000gns and the filly selling for 425,000gns.

Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock, acting on behalf of Derby-winning owner Saeed Suhail, came out on top for the colt, a son of Listed winner September Stars bred by Andrew Rosen and Edward Easton and sold by Watership Down Stud.

“He is a smashing colt,” said Brown. “We tried on a load of Frankels last week and did not get close. 

“This colt is an immature horse – he needs a little bit of imagination – but there is a lot of improvement to come as he has a big frame. 

“He will be given plenty of time and hopefully will reward us as a three-year-old.”

Meanwhile, Michael Donohoe of the BBA Ireland, acting on behalf of an existing client, landed the Frankel filly on a bid of 425,000gns following a lengthy battle with Juddmonte Farms.

Sold by Fittocks Stud, the filly is out of the unraced Via Lazio, a Lawman daughter of Group 3 winner Via Medici and therefore a half-sister to Japanese champion Admire Mars.

“She’s for an existing client who has had some luck with Frankel before,” said Donohoe. “Obviously Frankel is a wonderful stallion who has had another great year and I thought this was a lovely, sweet filly.

“A trainer will be decided in due course but she’ll be trained in either Britain or Ireland.”

The day also provided a career high for vendor Ballyshannon Stud thanks to the sale of its Sea The Stars colt for 350,000gns. Bred by Angela Roche, the colt is the first foal out of Group 3 winner Waitingfortheday, and will now carry the colours of former trainer Peter Harris following his sale to Anthony Stroud.

“It is our biggest result,” said James Hughes of Ballyshannon Stud. “He has been a great horse since he arrived here, very settled and very straightforward. He has a great walk about him and it just shows there with the price in the ring.”

He added: “The credit has to go to the staff at home – they have reared him and produced at home and from the feedback we have been getting we did ok!”

Harris confirmed that the colt would join his Zetland Stakes runner-up Blanchland in Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Newmarket yard.

“I like first foals because you start with a clean sheet,” said Harris. “I always ignore first-season sires as 75% of them are no good, but statistically a mare’s first and second foals tend to be better – that’s my theory anyway.”

The sale continues on Wednesday at 10am.