THE former Cheltenham Festival winner Let’s Dance ensured that this week’s sale ended on quite a high as she sold for €200,000 yesterday afternoon to become the highest price lot to come under the hammer at this sale in 11 years.

A feature of the mares section of the sale in recent years has been a consistently strong and coveted draft of mares from Willie Mullins’ Closutton Stables and for the fifth year in succession the champion trainer was responsible for the overall sale topper.

This year marked the first time that Mullins offered a Cheltenham Festival heroine and in addition to that victory Let’s Dance notched up three other graded victories and amassed several Grade 1 placings.

All this made her a breeding prospect of rare distinction and she became the subject of a protracted battle between Katie Rudd and French agent Herve Bunel from which the former emerged victorious.

Let’s Dance was bought on behalf of French client Bertrand Le Metayer’s BLM Bloodstock.

Another Katie Rudd purchase came in the shape of the Mullins-trained Karalee who fetched €65,000. The Grade 1-placed seven-year-old daughter of Martaline was bought on behalf of Dr Richard Newland after Katie Rudd had seen off the attentions of Stephen Kemble.

Another fascinating lot was the Mullins-trained Augusta Kate who was sold in foal to Champs Elysees and was a Grade 1 winner over hurdles in addition to notching up a pair of listed victories in bumpers.

DOYLE SCORES

At €85,000 the hammer came down in favour of Irish soccer international Kevin Doyle who was seated with his father and Slaney River Stud owner Paddy.

Doyle keeps four mares at his father’s farm and reported that Augusta Kate, a daughter of the exceptional Feathard Lady, will be heading back to Slaney River Stud with the plan being to sell her progeny.

Herve Bunel may have missed out on the sale topper but he did enjoy better luck when securing the French Grade 3 winner Laskaline for €70,000.

The daughter of Martaline was sold in foal to Saint Des Saints and she was consigned by Ridge Manor Stud.

Elsewhere the trade over the entire sale yielded a turnover of €13m which was a six point decline on last year.

The average of €16,884 was an improvement of 6% while the median dropped from €11,5000 to €11,000.

The clearance rate dropped by 10 points to 63% and this is representative of a sale where quality stock sold especially well but it was far tougher for those in the lower tiers of the market and this will remain the case into the future.