ON the day it was announced that Enable would be covered by Kingman, a yearling colt by the same stallion fetched the top price of 400,000gns during the opening session of Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket.

The statistics for the session were very strong and not far off last year’s numbers. Some 214 of the 253 lots offered were sold at an average price of 71,030gns. Today’s clearance rate of 85% was actually higher than the same day last year (82%) and the average price was just 9% down. The median price of 52,000gns was a mere 5% off last year’s figure.

Godolphin was once again the purchaser of today’s top lot, agent Anthony Stroud seeing off Joseph O’Brien for the youngster from Norelands Stud in Co Kilkenny. Stroud said: “He is from Norelands who do a fantastic job, he is a well-balanced horse, moved well and we have had a lot of luck with Kingman – Palace Pier and Persian King. He will go to be trained by Andre Fabre.”

Last week Harry McCalmont’s Norelands Stud sold three lots at Book 1 for an aggregate of 2,530,000gns, an average price of 843,333gns with a top price of 2,000,000gns given for the filly by Frankel out of Fleche d'Or, bought by Godolphin.

“He is a very nice horse, nice horses are easy to sell, and there is a strong market for nice horses," admitted Harry McCalmont of Norelands. "Dam Allez Y is going to Australia, she belongs to John Camilleri, who bred Winx, and is in-foal to Lope De Vega on southern hemisphere time. I am delighted I have sold a good horse for him, very happy.”

Allez Y (Rip Van Winkle) is a half-sister to Master Of Reality (Frankel), who is trained by Joseph O'Brien, owned by Lloyd J Williams Syndicate and holds a Melbourne Cup entry.

QATAR RACING

David Redvers of Qatar Racing paid 390,000 for a Dark Angel filly from Yeomanstown Stud. She is sister to two stakes horses – her three-year-old half-sister Queen Of Love (Kingman) winner of the Listed Prix Coronation Stakes since the catalogue was published. It means that the mare Extricate (Exceed And Excel) has two stakes winners from three runners.

"I thought she was lovely," said Redvers. "She joins Qatar Racing and is one for the long term for our breeding plans. She looked all speed, she is a little cracker."

David O'Callaghan of Yeomanstown said: "She is a beautiful filly, very fast looking. She is a full-sister to the listed winner Dark Liberty and a half-sister to a very promising filly in Queen Of Love. The best thing though – Guy [O'Callaghan, David’s brother] bought Extricate back from Sweden and entered her to sell and Gay [O'Callaghan, their father] bought her. Guy says that he didn't charge him half enough!”

MEHMAS IN DEMAND

Roger O’Callaghan of Tally-Ho Stud has the leading first season stallion in Mehmas and that sire was responsible for a 320,000gns colt sold by John Noonan’s Cregg Stud in Fermoy to agent Tom Goff.

Goff, who had been standing next to football agent Kia Joorabchian of Amo Racing in the bidders' area, said: “I think a lot of people wrote Mehmas off at the beginning of the year as cheap speed, and he has defied all of that! This is a lovely, lovely colt and I had a brief to buy a horse to hopefully makeup into a sharp two-year-old and he fits the bill. He is out of an Exceed And Excel mare, he is a beautifully topped colt, he has a great action and looks rapid. John Gosden will train."

John Noonan said: "I'm delighted for the O'Callaghans. He's been the busiest horse at the sale. The mare has been very lucky for us, I didn't sell her as a yearling but she's been good to us since. She's in-foal to Ribchester at the moment, I bought her dam here at the December Sale and I bred her. I have 10 flat mares and five National Hunt – I'm a National Hunt man through and through really."

Newsells Park Stud were celebrating when their daughter of first season sire Churchill out of George Washington’s only foal Date With Destiny sold for 350,000 guineas. The three-parts sister to the Group 3 winner Beautiful Morning, who realised 1,400,000 guineas at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2018, was knocked down to Stroud Coleman’s Anthony Stroud after he saw off Amo Racing’s Kia Joorabchian stood alongside Robson Aguiar.

The sale continues on Tuesday and concludes on Wednesday. Books 3 and 4 will be offered on Thursday and Friday.

FULL SALES COVERAGE IN THE IRISH FIELD NEXT WEEKEND