THE final curtain fell on the European flat yearling market at Monday’s one-day Tattersalls December Yearling Sale.

While the final figures for this auction were down on the equivalent sale 12 months ago, the overall value of the yearling trade at Newmarket reached an astonishing new record level.

A daughter of Sea The Stars headed the day’s proceedings at 260,000gns, one of nine lots to do so. That number has been bettered only once in the history of the sale. The sale saw a turnover figure posted of 4,501,500gns for one of the smallest catalogues of yearlings for some time, reflecting the buoyant nature of the year’s previous sales.

With a clearance rate of 86% to boot, this all meant that the total value of the yearling sales at Tattersalls in 2022 was an incredible 211,572,800gns, and this is a figure that is 27% higher than the previous record set in in 2018.

The highlight on the day was a Sea The Stars own-sister to Group 1 Australian Cup winner Fifty Stars, and a half-sister to Grade 1-winning hurdler Whiskey Sour, and she was knocked down to bloodstock agent Alex Elliott for 260,000gns. Consigned by Ed Player’s Whatton Manor Stud, the filly is out of the unraced Sadler’s Wells mare Swizzle Stick, herself a half-sister to the Group 2 Park Stakes winner Viztoria.

Classic type

“She is for Valmont and goes to Ralph Beckett,” explained Elliott. “She is a Book 1 filly. She picked up a slight injury then and did not get to the sale in October, so she is a Book 1 filly in December. We had to pay a Book 1 price for her. We have a good Sea The Stars filly called Trust The Stars who won a Newmarket maiden.

“She is going to be, hopefully, an Oaks-type of filly, and it is that middle-distance three-year-old profile we are looking for, the classic type of horse. Hopefully this filly can develop into one!

“She has got a pedigree; she was bred by Airlie Stud, a fantastic breeder. I love trying to buy off the farm, I often can’t. The farm gets such great results. The mare has a filly foal by Sea The Stars, she is in foal to him and she is going back to him.”

Speaking about Valmont, Elliott said: “We bought 33 yearlings and we have 60 horses in training now. We trade, we have sold a few and we play the game.”

Just one other yearling filly made it into six-figure territory, and she is heading to Australia and the stables of trainer Annabel Neasham. Consigned by Barton Stud, the daughter of Ten Sovereigns was bought by Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman, who said: “She has been bought for Nathan Bennett of Bennett Racing, who owns her half-brother Sibaaq who I purchased at the Horses In Training Sale last year.

Residual value

“It is a bit of a longer term project, but Sibaaq has already won over half a million in prize money; it is quite extraordinary the state of prize money in Australia; it is phenomenal,” said Boman. “He has worked out very well and this filly has huge residual. I saw her at Barton Stud a couple of weeks ago; it makes sense and we think Sibaaq is up to group class in Australia.”

Boman added: “The Australians are interested in buying more yearlings in the northern hemisphere. This filly would now be six months behind, so effectively you have to write off the juvenile year. Physically, she is a nice filly but she is going to need a bit of time anyway.”

The filly’s Oasis Dream dam Maid To Dream has already produced two blacktype winners.

Only son of Dubawi offered is bought for the breeze-ups

THE only Dubawi colt to be offered was purchased by Yeomanstown Stud for 180,000gns, with a view to returning to the breeze-ups next year.

Consigned by Shadwell Estate Company, the colt is the fourth foal out of the listed winner and Group 2 Rockfel Stakes runner-up Fadhayyil, dam of the Australian Group 2 winner Turaath.

David O’Callaghan said: “We liked him a lot and thought he was very fast-looking. He’s by a top stallion and out of a very good mare, and we don’t get too many opportunities to buy this type, so we said if he didn’t make a silly price we’d step in. Thankfully he fell just within our range. He looks quick so let’s hope he goes okay.”

Yulong purchase

BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe secured the fifth lot in the ring, a son of No Nay Never and the first foal of the unraced Galileo mare Lady Corsica, for 155,000gns on behalf of Yulong Investments. The colt was consigned by the Castlebridge Consignment and bred by Cregg Castle Stud’s Michael Enright.

“I had previously bought the dam for Michael Enright, so I know all about her, and I bought her in foal carrying this colt,” said Donohoe. “I told Mr Zhang about him, and when he saw him this morning he liked him, so he said we’d have a go. The colt is going to Karl Burke.” The colt is out of an own-sister to Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes winner Deauville and Group 3 winner The Corsican.

Dick O’Gorman

Avenue Bloodstock’s Mark McStay struck for a Lope De Vega half-brother to the Group 3 Prix Paul de Moussac winner Azano for 150,000gns.

“He is a very nice colt,” said McStay. “Dick O’Gorman, who helps me at the sales, identified him and shortlisted him on Saturday. He told me that, in his opinion, he is the nicest horse here, and when I saw the horse I agreed. He has been bought for an existing client and is a horse who ticked all the boxes.”

The colt’s dam Azanara is a half-sister to the Group 1 Prix Ganay winner Astarabad, and to the listed-winning dam of champion and four-time Group 1 winner Azamour. The Castlebridge Consignment sold the colt on behalf of Elysian Bloodstock Ltd.

“He has been bought for Willie Browne to go breezing,” reported Ross Doyle after buying a colt by Sea The Stars for 145,000gns. “He is a nice horse from a good home and out of a good mare. Sea The Stars is such a good stallion and I myself am a big fan of German pedigrees; they are tough and hardy.”

Bred and consigned by Gestüt Fahrhof, the colt is out of the Siyouni mare Sequilla, a listed winner in France. She is out of a half-sister to the German and Italian Group 2 winner Santiago and the Group 1 German Derby runner up Sordino.

Breeze-up prospect

Late in the sale Tally-Ho Stud bought a breeze-up prospect in the shape of a colt by the champion sire Frankel for 130,000gns. He is out of the winning Dansili mare Hoh My Darling, dam of two stakes winners including the good two-year-old Peace Envoy. That son of Power won the Group 2 Anglesey Stakes and was placed in the Group 1 Prix Morny.

Consigned by the Brosnan’s Croom House Stud, a son of Ten Sovereigns made 110,000gns and was purchased by Alex Elliott. The colt will go into training with Paul Cole, and was another purchased for Valmont. He is a half-brother to four winners, the first four foals of his Montjeu dam. The best of that quartet is Barbill, winner of the Listed Prix Yacowlef and group-placed.

Norris Bloodstock sold an Invincible Spirit colt for 100,000gns to the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Bred by Eric Chen, the colt is out of the winning Frankel mare Aspirer, a Juddmonte Farms-bred daughter of the Storm Cat mare Nebraska Tornado, winner of the Group 1 Prix de Diane-French Oaks and the Group 1 Prix du Moulin.