Tattersalls Ireland was celebrating an outstanding day’s trading as the
opener to their flagship September Yearling Sale witnessed a record individual
price at 225,000. It was Hip No. 66 who broke new ground at the Fairyhouse
venue, a colt from the first crop of Coolmore’s dual Derby and two-time
Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) hero High Chaparral (Ire) offered by the Castlebridge
Consignment of Bill Dwan.
Featured in the sale’s New Sires’ Showcase, he is out of a half to the 1995
Phoenix S. (Ire-G1) third-placer Catch a Glimpse (Gulch) and his third dam is
the top-class Holiday Dancer (Masked Dancer). Soccer agent Willie McKay, whose
blue-and-white silks have been carried to success in the Golden Jubilee S.
(Eng-G1) at Royal Ascot and July Cup (Eng-G1) at Newmarket by Les Arcs this
season, stood beside that gelding’s jockey John Egan as he outbid David Wachman
and David Myerscough.
“John has a great record and he’s never let me down,” McKay said. “He liked
this colt and that was good enough for me.”
Later in the session, Frank Barry went to 150,000 to purchase Norman
Ormiston’s Hip 169, a Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) half-brother to last year’s
homebred Moyglare Stud S. (Ire-G1) runner-up Ugo Fire (Bluebird) from the family
of the 2002 Prix Vermeille (Fr-G1) heroine Pearly Shells (Efisio). Lady
O’Reilly’s battalions had earlier been strengthened by the purchase of Hip 131,
a colt by Xaar from the draft of Michael Dalton’s Broguestown Stud. Castlemartin
Stud and Skymarc Farm was the name on the docket after a final bid of 115,000
for the gray, who is a half to Caldra (Elnadim), runner-up in Sandown’s Solario
S. (Eng-G3) after the publication of the catalog, as well as the useful Kestrel
Cross. That price was later matched by trainer Sylvester Kirk, who has enjoyed
high-profile success with Norman Ormiston’s juvenile Elhamri (Noverre) this
term.
That juvenile’s sire Noverre is responsible for Tuesday’s purchase from the
consignment of Brendan Holland’s Grove Stud. Hip 162 is a son of the
stakes-placed Perugia (Ire) (Perugino), dam of last year’s Royal Lodge S.
(Eng-G2) second-placer Kilworth (Kalanisi [Ire]) and will carry Ormiston’s
green-and-yellow colors next year.
“That might seem like a lot of money, but he is a lovely colt and is the
spitting image of Elhamri,” Kirk explained.
Grove Stud were also responsible for the joint highest-priced filly of the
session, an Orpen yearling offered as Hip 129. Out of a half to last year’s
Derby Trial S. (Ire-G2) winner Fracas (In the Wings [GB]), she was knocked down
to the Curragh-based conditioner Ken Condon for 100,000.
That price was equaled by trainer Ger Lyons when securing Hip 155, a daughter
of Galileo (Ire) from Newtownbarry House Stud on behalf of Patrick Doyle. Her
dam is a half to Revoque and King of Tara.
Tattersalls Ireland’s Marketing Manager Sophie Hayley summed up the feeling
of the Sales Company following a successful opening session.
“The idea of the New Sires Showcase was to offer select individuals in order
to highlight this year’s first-season sires and we really felt that vendors gave
the concept their vote of confidence by supplying such a high standard of
yearling,” she commented. “The quality of the pedigree and type of yearling on
offer here is clearly evident in the results. It meant a lot to us that the
highest ever priced yearling at Tattersalls Ireland was bought from the New
Sires Showcase.”
Selling can be seen via live video at www.tattersalls.ie.