Trade at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale went up a notch on Wednesday with a top price of 200,000gns paid by professional footballer Ryan Kent for a filly by Mehmas.
As the session drew to a close at 8pm the day's average price was 44,000gns and the median was 34,000gns.
The clearance rate came in at an impressive 82%, massively better than Tuesday's 61%.
Bloodstock agent Daniel Creighton of Creighton Schwartz Bloodstock signed for the day's top-priced lot accompanied by Kirsty Spence, partner of Ryan Kent.
Kent was at Park Paddocks today and is fully involved in selection of any purchases.
Creighton said: "Ryan loves pedigrees and he is quite involved when he can looking at pictures and videos of stock. I always tell vendors that they should do this, it is important."
The 28-year-old footballer made his name with Rangers and Liverpool but is a free agent at the moment having left Turkish side Fenerbahce. He has been linked with a move to Ajax next.
His latest purchase was consigned by Michael O'Leary's Plantation Stud in Newmarket.
The filly's dam Natalie's Joy won two races at two, including the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes. She was bought by Plantation Stud at the 2021 December Mares' Sale for 300,000gns. She is a grand-daughter of Blue Duster, a European champion two-year-old filly of 1995, winner of the Cheveley Park Stakes.
Creighton said of his purchase: "Mehmas is flying this year, she is out of a Lope De Vega mare, a similar cross to Persian Force and to Gubbass. She is a lovely blacktype mare, the filly is a lovely physical, nice and well-grown, and it made a lot of sense."
He added of the price: "It was probably what we thought we'd have to pay – you would expect to pay that for a filly who is by such a proven a stallion and out of a blacktype mare. If I had a foal like this I would be disappointed if it did not reach those sort of heights."
Minutes later Plantation sold a Mehmas colt for 130,000ns to Yeomanstown Stud. The colt is a half-brother to this year's two-year-old Hawksbill (by Kameko), a winner for Hugh Palmer at Haydock in August and unplaced in listed and Group 2 company afterwards.
David and Robert O'Callaghan's Yeomanstown Stud also bought the very next lot into the ring, a Blue Point colt for 175,000gns. This fellow was consigned by Richard Auld's from Northern Ireland and is out of an unraced Raven's Pass filly, from the speedy family of Nidhaal, Burwaaz and Moss Gill.
Auld, who is based around five miles from Down Royal, said: "We had two foals make 100,000gns before but this is our highest price here so far, and we are delighted.
"The sire helped a lot – he was a very fast racehorse and this is a fast pedigree so we thought it would suit, speed with speed."
Northern Bloodstock had a draft of three sell here today and they have sold for an average price of 91,667gns.
Earlier in the day Yeomanstown paid 180,000gns for a Havana Grey colt from Whitsbury Manor Stud.
The January-born colt is out of the two-year-old winner and listed-placed mare Fairy Dust (Gregorian).
Robert O'Callaghan said: "The sire speaks for himself but we sold a couple of good ones by him in the autumn, and this colt is one of our top picks of today. He is out of a good fast mare, by a good fast stallion and will come back next year."
Trainer Paddy Twomey is also a fan of Havana Grey, paying 130,000gns for a filly by the stallion. She is the first foal out of Telepatic Glances (Pride Of Dubai), a Group 2 winner in Italy.
"This filly has been bought to race," said Twomey. "The way my model works, I attend every sale I am happy to buy them in training, as foals, in training, as yearlings or in utero, I don't mind when we get them as long as we get the good ones. When you get the chance to buy a nice filly like this, out of a good two-year-old you have to act, and I as a trainer might not get the chance to buy her if she went to a pinhooker."
He added: "The yearling sales were strong, but I am lucky to be well supported by a great group of owners, and if I say that I have seen a foal as a racing prospect, especially a filly they are inclined to add them to the list. We bought some yearlings on spec and luckily they were all sold quickly."
The Foal Sale continues on Thursday.