JOSEPH O’Brien on Tuesday paid €750,000 for a half-sister to State Of Rest, the top price during the opening session of the Goffs Orby Book 1.

State Of Rest won four Group/Grade 1 races for O’Brien before retiring to stand at Rathbarry Stud. The trainer also handled State Of Rest’s Group 3-winning half-sister Tranquil Lady. Repose, their dam, was sold last year by Dermot and Meta Cantillon of Tinnakill House Stud to Juddmonte, but they retained her then Sea The Stars filly foal.

“She will run for an existing client, an owner-breeder,” O’Brien reported. “She was a very obvious filly for us to be interested in. Both Tranquil Lady and State Of Rest were high-class performers on the track, so we’re very excited to have her on the team for next season. All the family so far have progressed with age and racing, and her pedigree speaks for itself. Her relations have gone to great breeders, so those fillies will be producing stock by the best stallions in the world over the next few years.”

A delighted vendor Dermot Cantillon said: “I was hoping to get a figure like that. She’s an exceptional filly with a great pedigree. When you tick those boxes you expect to get paid. The mare has been unbelievable for us. We bought the grandam [Monaassabaat] at Goffs in 2007 for €42,000. I would like to acknowledge the role played by the late John Clarke in organising the Sea The Stars foal share for us, and we are very grateful to Mrs Tsui for facilitating us to use the stallion.”

Twelve yearlings by Sea The Stars sold over the two days for €2.5 million, placing him fourth on the leading sires table by average for stallions with more than two lots sold, behind Frankel, Kingman and New Bay. The sole yearling in the sale by Dubawi was purchased by Godolphin for €400,000. This was Ballylinch Stud’s son of the stakes-winning Galileo mare Solage.