A SON of Pinatubo headed the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale on Monday at 200,000gns, on a day that saw a record 13 lots realise six figures or more. The average was a record, whilst the turnover has only been bettered once. It was a positive start to two weeks of selling at Park Paddocks.

Colourful owner Clive Washbourn drew laughter, and a round of applause, after securing Lynn Lodge Stud’s Pinatubo colt for 200,000gns, having jumped the price from 170,000gns along with a call of ‘show us your money’, and ending with a roar of ‘get in’ when the hammer fell. The colt is a son of the Dubawi mare Narak, herself a daughter of the Group 1 Matron Stakes winner Chachamaidee.

Washbourn commented: “Laura, my lovely girlfriend, was supposed to be keeping me under control here. I am a small insignificant owner who has had seven or eight group winners, but I have a brilliant pedigree man. I also have my own rules, and then I have a brilliant trainer.

“This colt for us has a four-star rating, as near to Thundering Blue as we have had. I sent David [Menusier] up and whilst I was driving up from London I got a call, and he said ‘God this colt is beautiful’ so that was it, number one target. If anyone is going to train a colt to be a Group 1 winner for me it is David. He is a real horseman and Coombelands where he trains is so quiet and so calm. And we have had some finish to this flat season.

“The sales are very quiet, I am quite loud, but I love the theatre of it all.”

Earlier in the day Eddie O’Leary’s Lynn Lodge parted with a colt by Sea The Stars for 120,000gns, and he was purchased by Norman Court Stud. The colt is the second produce of a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Lillie Langtry, now an exceptional dam of Group 1 winners Minding, Tuesday and Empress Josephine.

Second-highest

The second highest-priced lot of the day was a Mohaather colt out of the stakes-placed No Nay Never mare Jm Jackson who was knocked down to Conor Quirke for 175,000gns on behalf of RP Racing. He saw off underbidder Anthony Stroud who was among those who tried to acquire the day’s top lot.

Quirke said: “He stands out here and hopefully it will work out. He is out of a fast two-year-old, there was a lot of No Nay Never about him. I think he will be sharp, the stock by the stallion look to be the business. He will go to Mick Appleby.” Quirke will be hoping he can follow the path of Big Evs who he purchased last spring, and who hit the heights when he was victorious in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Consignor Derek Veitch and his daughter Stephanie of Ringfort Stud were delighted with the price. Stephanie said: “He has far exceeded our price thoughts; we are very thankful to him [Conor]. The mare is actually owned in partnership. Dad is the main partner, but all the women in the family have 10% shares. We are the ‘silent partners’, but we do give Dad a lot of grief behind closed doors!”

Tropbeau

Anthony Stroud was not to be denied when he secured the Showcasing colt consigned by Folland-Bowen Bloodstock out of the Dansili mare Frangipanni for 170,000gns. The March-born bay is an own-brother to the André Fabre-trained Tropbeau, winner of the Group 2 Prix du Calvados and second in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. Stroud bought the winning mare Frangipanni, a daughter of the Group 1 July Cup winner Frizzante, for breeder Lord Margadale.

“This colt will be going to André Fabre,” said Stroud. “He comes from a good nursery, he is an athletic horse and I liked him. He looks an earlyish sort and we like Showcasing.” Natalie Folland and Matthew Bowen are based at Lord Margadale’s Fonthill Estate, and this is the best result in the Tattersalls sale ring yet for the young organisation.

The sale got off to a strong start when Lot 9, a Sea The Stars colt out of the German listed winner Pirouette, a daughter of Pivotal, was hammered down to trainer James Tate on behalf of Rabbah Bloodstock for 150,000gns. “He is a lovely big horse, his dam was a good racemare and Sea The Stars needs no introduction. He is a lovely physical and I am delighted to get him,” said Tate of the WH Bloodstock consigned colt.

Leading buyers

The day’s leading buyers, Agrolexica International Trading, made three purchases, and the most expensive was one of the last lots in the catalogue, Mount Coote Stud’s daughter of Sea The Stars out of a Shamardal mare. The third living offspring of her dam, the filly is a full-sister to a pair of winners, and her third dam bred the dual classic winner, and leading international sire, Lope De Vega.

Ananios Antoniadis was acting for Agrolexica International Trading, and on their behalf also signed for a son of Frankel from The Castlebridge Consignment for 125,000gns, and Barton Stud’s Justify filly for 110,000gns.

Multiple champion

The final lot in the catalogue was the only representative of Dubawi, and this son of the Group 2 German 1000 Guineas winner Nyalati was purchased by JS Bloodstock for Rogue Gallery Racing at 130,000gns. He was sold by Chasemore Farm. Just as he was the sole lot by the exceptional Dubawi, the multiple champion Galileo had a single lot catalogued, and he made a small piece of history.

The last yearling to be sold at public auction by Galileo, this half-brother to the stakes winner Hidden Dimples was knocked down to Roderick Kavanagh’s Glending Stables for 125,000gns. The purchaser will be hoping that he can do another ‘Vandeek’ when he reoffers the colt for sale at the breeze-ups.

The Castlebridge Consignment was responsible for four of the 13 six-figure lots, and they included a son of No Nay Never, now a half-brother to three winners, his dam’s three previous foals. JB Bloodstock signed for him at 115,000gns. BBA Ireland struck at 105,000gns for Rathbarry Stud’s War Of Will filly, the first foal of a stakes-winning mare, while Mags O’Toole was acting for the Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm when securing a Too Darn Hot colt for 100,000gns. The colt has two older siblings, last year’s stakes-winning juvenile Dance In The Grass, and this year’s unbeaten juvenile Feigning Madness.