BRUFF, Co Limerick stud farm Ballyvolane, owned by John and Ann Foley, had a result and a half on Wednesday, selling the top-priced colt of the final session of Book 1. This was a 600,000gns first foal by Starspangledbanner out of a winning daughter of Dandy Man, Great Dame.

Last year Ballyvolane Stud sold a Time Test colt out of Aurelia for 400,000gns in Book 2, but this time they bettered it and achieved the farm’s best-ever result at Tattersalls. Last year’s highlight came from a pinhooked yearling; this year it was from a mare who was bought by Barry Lynch at the 2019 December Sale for just 28,000gns, and Great Dame was also sold as a yearling by Ballyvolane.

Great Dame won twice at two, including the Lily Agnes Stakes at Chester, and she is a half-sister to the Group 2 winner Donnerschlag and listed winner Izzy Bizu. John Foley said: “She is owned by myself and good friend Jason Kelly, who is David O’Meara’s assistant, and he liked the mare. We bought the syndicate out at the sale, and bred her and this is her first foal.”

Lovely individual

The colt was bought by Richard Knight, who said: “He was the only one we picked out in this sale. I thought he was a lovely individual. He is by Starspangledbanner, who I am a big fan of having had The Wow Signal.

“I like the fact that the mare was a useful two-year-old herself and he looks like he will be sharp. We felt he will be a great addition to the horses we have already bought. He is a horse who should not take a huge amount of time, he is very athletic and vetted very well.”

Trainer Kevin Ryan spent 250,000gns on a Sioux Nation colt from Ballyvolane Stud, a half-brother to the stakes-winning Night Of Thunder filly Stormy Girl. Their dam Refusetolisten is a half-sister to the dam of Tiger Tanaka, winner of the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac. Jason Kelly bought Refusetolisten carrying the yearling for 110,000gns.