A COLT by Havana Grey topped the second day of the Tattersalls October Book 2 Sale when selling for 425,000gns on Tuesday.

The session-topper was consigned by Michael Fitzpatrick's Kilminfoyle House Stud in Portlaoise and was bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock’s Anthony Stroud with Qatari Mohamed Al Mansour a persistent underbidder.

The Whitsbury Manor Stud bred colt was bought by JC Bloodstock for 82,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. Fitzpatrick, no stranger to pinhook success, said: "I bought this colt as a foal solely on the full-brother - I sold him last year and loved him. Whitsbury Manor is a great breeder and this horse is pleasure to do anything with. My thanks go to Anthony Stroud, and I wish the new owners the very best of luck. I also can't thank my staff enough - Pamela, Hannah and Santos. It is only for them, the work they do, I actually think they are made of iron!"

The colt’s full-brother Elite Status was bought for 56,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale and sold for 325,000gns to Karl and Kelly Burke at October Book 2 last year. Racing in the colours of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, the talented juvenile won the Listed National Stakes, Group 3 Prix de Cabourg and placed in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot this summer. Their dam Dotted Swiss is out of a sister to Sweepstake, the dam of Group 1 winner Broome and Group 2 winners Point Lonsdale and Diego Velazquez.

Stroud commented: "He’s a very nice horse with a current update. Havana Grey has done terrifically well, and he’s a very well-balanced horse who moves very well."

Stroud has enjoyed notable success with progeny of Whitsbury Manor Stud’s record-breaking young sire this year, having purchased Group 1 Middle Park Stakes and Prix Morny winner Vandeek for 625,000gns at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale. When asked to compare this colt to the dual Group 1 winning colt he said: "With Vandeek we were lucky enough to see him breeze, but this colt has the credentials to be a very, very nice horse. He’s got the pedigree and he’s by a stallion who’s done very well and is really on the up. He’s been bought for Sheikh Nasser and will go to Simon Crisford.”

The average [rice paid on day two was 88,171gns, on a par with day one which was over 10% down on last year's record-breaking levels. Tuesday's median price was 66,000gns, down slightly from Monday's level of 70,000gns.

Wootton Bassett pair

Two colts by Wootton Bassett were among the top lots on day two.

"I am a little bit shaky!" laughed trainer Charlie Fellowes after successfully buying, with agent Will Douglass of Charlie Gordon Watson Bloodstock, a colt by Wootton Bassett for 350,000gns from vendors Mimi Wadham and Violet Hesketh of WH Bloodstock.

It is the most expensive purchase for Fellowes in the ring. Underbidder was Richard Ryan.

The colt is out of the Galileo mare Beluga, a three-quarters sister to the Derby winner Pour Moi. He was bred by Westerberg.

"I am delighted to have got him, we loved him the first time we saw him," added Fellowes. "He is by a very good stallion, out of a Galileo mare, he has a very good pedigree, he walked around the back ring like he owned the place and he seems to have a good mind, there is a lot like.

"He will be running for Paul Hickman, I bought a Frankel colt for him last week. He lives in Singapore, but his children go to school in England so he is over a quite bit. He has had horses for a long time, and had horses with Sir Henry Cecil.

"We had a good go on several horses last week and earlier in the season, but I think this one is as good as any of them."

Douglass added: "Paul Hickman is a very nice owner, he likes pedigrees and understands them. This is very special horse and, hopefully, he is lucky."

Of the experience of buying such horses, he said: "It is not easy to buy, you follow the nice horses through and you are basically competing against countries! It is very tough to get the ones you want and get involved."

"He is a very bred horse, he comes from a fantastic family, he is wonderful mover and everyone who looked him really liked him," said Wadham. "We expected him to sell well, and although he surpassed expectations, he is worth it as he could be anything. Let's hope he is as good as he looks. He has not turned a hair since he has been here, he just gets on with the job and has a great attitude."

She added: "The successful buyers have been coming up to me all day and asking what interest there had been, they were determined to have him as was the underbidder. We were very lucky that two groups wanted to buy him that much."

Earlier in the session Stringston Farm sold a Wootton Bassett half-brother to the recent Group 1-placed Melo Melo (Gleneagles) and the Group 3 winner Treasuring (Havana Gold) for 260,000gns to BBA Ireland, bidding online.

it is a pedigree that has not only done well on the track, but also produced the goods for Stringston in the sale ring.

Ballyhimikin colt

When successful breeder James Hanly of Ballyhimikin Stud reports that his Pinatubo colt out of Boston Rocker is one of the nicest colts he has bred, then the buying audience should take note, and indeed it did. At 325,000gns, the successful buyer was Ben McElroy, who signed as Ben McElroy / Hamish Macauley/ Robson Aguiar.

"He is a very imposing colt, very fluent mover, he has carried himself well over the two or three days of showing, just a lovely horse," said McElroy. "I actually thought he might cost a bit more. He has been bought for Amo Racing, and will go to Robson Augiar who will assess him for Kia and decide on a trainer next spring. Robson will see how he fits in with the other yearlings / two-year-olds and will decide whether he will make up into a Royal Ascot type."

Yesterday McElroy and Amo bought a filly by Pinatubo and out of Queen Of The Stars, for 110,000gns, and the buyer said of the young sire: "We bought a beautiful filly yesterday from Barton Stud. The sire seems to be getting nice stock and he was a great racehorse and I think this colt has a great chance. I'd be impressed with what I have seen of the sire's stock."

James Hanly said: "He is a homebred, but we bought his dam Boston Rocker. She has been a great servant and has already produced a horse rated 116 [San Donato]. Hopefully, this guy will be every bit as good. She is in-foal to Blue Point and has a Night Of Thunder at foot – we are hopeful of her. We wish the new owner every success and he is as nice a horse as we have ever had. He is a great reflection of Pinatubo."

Redpender touch

Another Darley first season sire provided an excellent pinhooking result early in the evening when Redpender Stud’s son of dual Group 1 winning two-year-old Earthlight sold for 325,000gns to the bid of Ben McElroy, Hamish Macauley and Amo Racing, the highest price for a colt by the sire to date.

The colt had been purchased by Redpender Stud for 78,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale and Redpender’s Jimmy Murphy was delighted with the result, reflecting: "He was a nice, good-looking horse and we took a chance - plenty of others don't work out so well! Earthlight is a son of Shamardal and he is from a very good damline. We were lucky that Selenaia came up in the first dam and then Lake Forest in the second dam won the Gimcrack. He is very much a two-year-old, precocious type of horse, hopefully we will see him at Ascot."

The colt is related to this year's Gimcrack Stakes winner Lake Forest.

The Book 2 Sale concludes on Wednesday.