AT the conclusion of the 2022 Tattersalls December Foal Sale, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony summed up an unbelievable week when he said: “Strong yearling sales will always drive demand for foals, and the extraordinary strength of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sales has been followed by a foal sale which has achieved significant increases in average and median, as well as a record turnover in excess of 35 million guineas.”

The sale was responsible for the four highest-priced foals in Europe, and a record-equalling 27 foals who sold for 200,000gns or more. In addition to the buyers from Ireland and Britain, the sales company revealed that purchasers also came from the USA, China, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Spain, Switzerland and from throughout the Gulf region.

The sale was headed by the 1,000,000gns sale to Juddmonte of the Kingman half-sister to Group 1 winning juvenile Chaldean, and it was notable that eight of the top 10 lots at the sale were fillies. Most of these will not be reoffered for sale, being purchased by end-users such as Juddmonte, Shadwell and Moyglare Stud.

Many of the top lots were reported on in last week’s issue, but those who sold after the print deadline included the second-highest price of the week. This was the 550,000gns paid by Fiona Craig on behalf of Moyglare Stud for a daughter of Frankel out of a mare bought by the consignors, Luke and Tabitha Lillingston’s Mount Coote Stud, for just €15,000 in 2017. Since then the progeny of the Shirocco mare Sunny Again have thrived, and include Group 3 winner Elisa Again, the Group 1 St Leger runner-up Berkshire Rocco, and Sunset Shiraz who finished third in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.

Craig said of the filly, whose Sea The Stars yearling half-brother was bought by Godolphin for 550,000gns this year: “She is a Frankel! And we all know how much he is going to be next year!” Moyglare enjoyed classic success this year with Frankel’s daughter Homeless Songs.

Minutes earlier and another Frankel filly, New England’s daughter of the Oasis Dream stakes-winning mare Mrs Gallagher, sold to Sumbe, home in 2023 to Mishriff, for 425,000gns. This was the most expensive of their four purchases.

It is the fast family of Xtension, Harry Angel and Supremacy. Tony Fry said: “She’s a lovely filly; she’ll go back to Hesmonds now. We have a plethora of stallions and she will, hopefully, join our broodmare band when she finishes racing. The sire can’t do any wrong.”

Quick succession

Shadwell made its presence felt when purchasing two of the top 10 lots in quick succession. They were a colt by Frankel out of Wonderful Filly, the dam of Group 2 winner Wonderful Moon, sold by Marwell Park for 370,000gns, and a Ghaiyyath filly from Harry McCalmont’s Norelands Stud. She is out of the Dalakhani mare Tanoura, dam of two Group 3 winners Tanaza and Taniyar, and she cost 375,000gns. The dam was purchased last year by Barronstown Stud for €200,000 at Goffs.

Jamie McCalmont’s 400,000gns purchase of the Galileo son of the stakes-placed Bounce was actually a little piece of history. The colt is one of just a dozen foals from the final crop of the multiple champion, and he was the last of the sire’s 2022 progeny to grace a sale ring.

Sun Bloodstock bought the Group 2 winner Sans Equivoque for €180,000 as a two-year-old and the daughter of Stormy River’s first foal has won three times this year. Her second is an unraced daughter of Frankel in training in France, and her yearling filly by Kingman sold for 200,000gns in October. Last week her Dubawi filly foal was snapped up by Camas Park Stud for 350,000gns, the most expensive of their eight foal purchases.