IN recent years, the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale has surprised market observers by performing better than expected.

It seems a distant memory when this sale was moved to Newmarket during Covid for two years. In 2021, when staged at Park Paddocks, turnover soared from €8 million to €12 million as demand for racehorses peaked.

But even when moved back to Fairyhouse, this sale has maintained that €12 million turnover for the past two years, despite the usual fears about a downturn in the commercial yearling division.

In the past few weeks, we have seen drops of between 10-20% in trade at the major European yearling sales. How will Fairyhouse fare?

Tattersalls Ireland has added an extra 50 horses to Part I of the sale and another 20 yearlings to Part II, so it won’t be easy to repeat last year’s statistics. In 2023, the average price at Part I was €31,000 and the median was €28,000. Part II returned an average price of €8,224 and a median of €6,000.

All lots catalogued at the September Yearling Sale and Sapphire Sale are eligible for the 2025 running of the Tattersalls Ireland €250,000 Super Auction Sales Stakes, which will be run during the Irish Champions Festival and offers prize money down to 10th place.

Last Sunday’s running of the race was won by Spirit d’Or, bred and consigned by the Irish National Stud at the 2023 September Yearling Sale. As the winning consignor, the Irish National Stud will be presented with the keys to an Overlander R240 horsebox at next week’s September Yearling Sale.

The dam of Spirit d’Or, Across The Sea, was a two-time winner, while the second dam on her page Alsindi was a smart juvenile, winning the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes for Clive Brittain on her second start. The winner was purchased for €55,000 last September by David l’Estrange and Drummona House, and was adding to her maiden win three weeks previously at Moulins.

The win of Spirit d’Or marked a significant pedigree update for Lot 417 in next week’s sale, as he is a full-brother to Gavin Hernon’s two-year-old.

Other notable stallions represented in this year’s catalogue include Australia, Camelot, Churchill, Dark Angel, Galiway, Ghaiyyath, Gleneagles, Havana Grey, Lope De Vega, Mehmas, No Nay Never, Oasis Dream, Sea The Moon, Showcasing, Sioux Nation, Sottsass, Space Blues, Blue Point, Sea The Stars, Kodiac, Dandy Man, Phoenix Of Spain, Sergei Prokofiev, Wootton Bassett, Earthlight, Starspangledbanner, Too Darn Hot, Saxon Warrior, Cotai Glory, Palace Pier, Nando Parrado, Invincible Army, Starman, Too Darn Hot, Wootton Bassett and Zarak.

Catalogue highlights

Part I

Lot 13: Sottsass colt out of a Group 3-winning Holy Roman Emperor mare.

Lot 16: Starspangledbanner filly out of a Frankel own-sister to Middle East and half-sister to Nayef Road.

Lot 18: Phoenix Of Spain filly out of multiple Group 1 winner Furia Cruzada.

Lot 20: Starman filly from the family of Queen Mary winner Leovanni.

Lot 26: Sioux Nation half-brother to Sixties Groove, out of a half-sister to Irish 1000 Guineas winner Samitar.

Lot 39: Palace Pier half-brother to blacktype winner Five Towns, out of a Group 3-winning Giant’s Causeway mare, from the family of Aclaim and Montjeu.

Lot 46: Blue Point half-brother to three winners including blacktype winner Haziya. His dam is a half-sister to Harzand.

Lot 72: Ten Sovereigns own-brother to Leonardo Dax, winner at two years this season.

Lot 83: Camelot half-brother to two blacktype horses, out of Group 3 winner and Group 1 Irish Oaks placed Just Pretending.

Lot 86: Nando Parrado (first crop) half-brother to seven winners including Dream Eater.

Lot 89: Supremacy half-sister to Karmology, placed four times including second in the Listed Galtres Stakes.

Lot 99: Saxon Warrior colt out of Group 2-winning Rock Of Gibraltar mare Kitty Matcham, herself out of champion filly Imagine.

Lot 105: Cotai Glory half-brother to Champers Elysees. This colt was bought as a foal for €37,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Sapphire Sale.

Lot 134: Galileo Chrome half-brother to Al Riffa, Group 1 National Stakes winner at two, and winner of the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin this year.

Lot 179: Lope Y Fernandez half-sister to listed-winning and Group 1-placed Baileys Jubilee.

Lot 186: Awtaad own-brother to Al Qareem, winner of seven races including Group 2, Group 3 and listed races.

Lot 195: Coulsty half-brother to Westminster Moon, placed five times including third in Group 1 Bayerisches Zuchtrennen.

Lot 249: Wootton Bassett filly out of an winning own-sister to Ambition, herself out of Epsom Oaks winner Talent.

Lot 263: Ten Sovereigns half-sister to American Grade 1 winner Off Limits.

Lot 273: Kodiac filly out of multiple Group 1 winner (including Irish and English 1000 Guineas), Finsceal Beo.

Lot 292: Palace Pier colt out of French Group 2 winner Sans Equivoque. The Dubawi half-sister realised 350,000gns as a foal.

Lot 300: Blue Point half-sister to multiple stakes winner Layfayette.

Lot 306: Saxon Warrior filly out of Pretty Polly Stakes placed Sea Karats; she is an own-sister to Al Aasy.

Lot 316: Lope De Vega half-brother to five winners including Group 3-winning Abby Hatcher.

Lot 406: Palace Pier filly out of the Group 3-winning Galileo mare Wonderfully; she an own-sister to Gustav Klimt, Cuff, Blissful and Friendly.

Lot 417: Invincible Spirit full-brother to Spirit D’Or, winner of this year’s €250,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale Stakes.

Lot 422: Sergei Prokofiev half-brother to Group 3 winner Streamline, out of a sister to Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye winner Gilt Edge Girl.

Lot 450: Ten Sovereigns half-sister to Group 1 winner Technician.

Lot 478: Cotai Glory half-sister to Irish Oaks third Purple Lily, a graduate of both the 2022 Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale and 2023 Tattersalls Ireland Breeze Up Sale.

Lot 503: Too Darn Hot filly out of a winning half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Enable.

Part II

Lot 593: Invincible Army half-sister to eight winners including two blacktype winners; out of 15-time winning Indian Ridge mare Indian Maiden.

Lot 600: Kuroshio filly from the family of Arizona Blaze, placed third in Group 1 Phoenix Stakes.

Lot 601: Bungle Inthejungle colt out of an own-sister to Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes winner Borderlescott.

Lot 613: Space Blues filly out of an own-sister to Flying Childers Stakes winner Sir Prancealot.

Lot 640: Saxon Warrior colt out of a half-sister to Group 1 winning two-year-old Lucky Vega.

Lot 644: Expert Eye filly out of Group 2 and Group 3 winning mare, Modern Look. Also a half-sister to the Group 3 winner and Group 1 placed Grand Jete.

Lot 650: Waldgeist half-brother to Group 3 winner and Grade 1-placed Zona Verde.

Lot 651: Dandy Man filly out of multiple listed winning mare Nashmiah, also a half-sister to the listed winner Fond Words.

Lot 682: Soldier’s Call filly out of a half-sister to multiple group winner and Group 1 performer Go Bears Go.

Lot 704: Ten Sovereigns filly out of a winning half-sister to 11 winners including Matterhorn, The Foxes and Bangkok.

Lot 713: Ten Sovereigns filly out of a winning own-sister to dual Group 1 winner and proven sire Raven’s Pass.

Lot 719: US Navy Flag colt out of an own-sister to Irish Derby winner Trading Leather.

Lot 726: Study Of Man colt out of multiple Group 3-winning and Group 1-placed mare Suffused.

Lot 737: Waldgeist half-brother to American listed winner Miss Sugars.

Lot 738: Starman filly out of a half-sister to Group 1 sire Kyllachy.

Lot 742: Gleneagles filly out of Group 3-winning and Moyglare Stud Stakes-placed mare Ugo Fire.

Lot 764: Kodi Bear colt out of an own-sister to champion two-year-old filly Embassy. Also a half-sister to Group 3 winner Duchess Andorra.

Lot 827: Inns Of Court half-brother to eight winners including four blacktype horses.

Sale information

Sale: Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale (Parts I and II) at Fairyhouse, Co Meath

Dates/time: Tuesday to Thursday, September 24th-26th. Part I on Tues-Wed, Part II on Thurs. Starts 10am each day.

Lots: 555 in Part I, 275 in Part II

Web: tattersalls.ie