900k Dark Angel filly breaks longstanding record at Tattersalls December

Cover image courtesy of Tattersalls

Previous record broken

Among a boutique offering, a half-sister to two Group 1 winners, by the champion sire-elect, was always going to be a standout and the 18-year record for the top price at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale duly fell to Clara Stud's Dark Angel (Ire) filly, who was sold for 900,000gns (AU$1.8 million).

Solo De Lune (Ire) (Law Society {USA}), now best known as the dam of Irish Oaks winner Moonstone (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), held the previous record at 775,000gns (AU$1.56 million) back in 2006 as part of the Britton House Stud dispersal. That transaction also contributed to record turnover for that sale, but that marker was also surpassed by three-quarters of the way through Monday's single session at Park Paddocks.

Henry Lascelles saw off competition from a number of interested parties for the day's top lot, including Oliver St Lawrence, Jason Kelly, Will Douglass and eventual underbidder Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong Investments. Though Lascelles was unable to divulge the name of the filly's buyer, he did confirm that the half-sister to Group 1 winners Camille Pissarro (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire}) would remain in the UK to be trained for an English owner-breeder.

There was a happy sense of déjà vu for her breeder James Cloney of Clara Stud, who, since buying the Pivotal (GB) mare Entreat (GB) from Cheveley Park Stud for 14,000gns (AU$28,400) at the 2016 July Sale, has seen the 18-year-old mare's profile soar. Back in 2016 she was carrying to Dark Angel's Group 1-winning son Lethal Force (Ire) and the resultant foal became known as Golden Horde, winner of the G1 Commonwealth Cup and G2 Richmond S. for Clive Cox and now a stallion for Nurlan Bizakov's Sumbe operation.

The pedigree has also been upgraded by the Listed success of Exhort (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) in the Cheveley Park colours and by fellow Listed winner Line Of Departure (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), but it is the mare's most recent runner who is currently the most exciting prospect. Camille Pissarro, a 1,250,000gns (AU$2.5 million) Book 1 purchase last year by MV Magnier, won the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere last month and will be one of Coolmore's leading Classic hopes for next season.

Cloney said of the filly, who was forced to miss Book 1 herself after getting cast in her box, “Typically, just as you get the update you get a setback. These things happen, but it's great for Tattersalls to put on today and deliver this result.”

Of the 18-year-old Entreat he added, “She's some mare, she just pours pure class into her stock. It's an emotional rollercoaster with her but when she does it, she does it so well. As breeders, we're all dreamers and you do kind of dream for this to happen. It's unbelievable that it just keeps happening with this mare. It's kind of exciting, especially because Entreat has travelled to Justify so we're expecting a nice foal by him in early January. She's back with me now, she came back home in May, so she'll be getting an extra scoop of nuts this evening.”

Cloney continued, “Sometimes you get mares who produce good racehorses, but they don't perform at the sales. But in my eyes, and I think in a lot of people's eyes, she ticks every box because she's able to throw the stock and then they go and back it up. There are not too many mares with two Group 1 winners under their belt, or four stakes winners, especially all by different stallions.

“She stamps her stock no matter what stallion she goes to. This is a big strong filly, and I'd draw a lot of comparisons with Camille Pissarro. I know I might sound biased, but I actually thought she might be that little bit stronger at the same stage.”

A Day of Stars

Three of the top five prices in the December Yearling Sale's history were achieved on Monday. Along with the day's leading lady, a filly and a colt by the perennially popular Aga Khan Studs resident Sea The Stars (Ire) brought the morning session to life when selling for 400,000gns (AU$812,000) and 375,000gns (AU$762,000) respectively.

Lot 53, Norelands Stud's filly out of Crimean Queen (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), was bought by Jamie McCalmont on behalf of owner Marc Chan, who already races the filly's full-brother, the 2-year-old Seacruiser (Ire), winner of a Newmarket maiden on debut for Ralph Beckett.

“We hope that (Seacruiser) will be a really nice horse for next year,” said the agent. “We bought Sir Dinadan from Norelands last year, and Seacruiser, and Green Impact was raised there. It was a farm that was founded by Harry (McCalmont) and my grandfather, so there is a lot of sentiment, and, more importantly, it seems to be working.”

He added, “Marc wants to start breeding horses and Sea The Stars is a a great broodmare sire and if the brother ends up really good, it will be really nice to have a sister. Marc is really happy; he really wanted this filly.”

The filly's dam, bred by Hascombe and Valiant Studs, is a half-sister to the Group 2 winners Bronze Cannon (USA) (Lemon Drop Kid {USA}) and Across The Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and to Crimson Ribbon (USA) (Lemon Drop Kid {USA}), the dam of Ascot Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

The run of demand for the Sea The Stars yearlings continued later in the session through lot 140. William Haggas knows the family of her dam My Timing (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}) well, having trained all three of her winning offspring to date, all of whom are by Sea The Stars and bred by the Tsui family's Sunderland Holdings. The trainer went to 360,000gns (AU$731,000) to buy the mare's yearling filly.

“She is for one of my owner-breeders,” he said of the sister to Sea On Time (Ire) and Sea Just In Time (Ire). “I know the family well, all of them have been more than useful, the first (foal) was the best. This is a nice, straightforward but backward filly and it will be age three or four before she comes good.”

Willingham add a Sea The Stars colt

Underbidder on the day's top lot, the Yulong team, as Willingham, had earlier been successful in signing up Lot 46, the Sea The Stars first foal of the Group 3 winner Cloudy Dawn (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), at 375,000gns (AU$762,000). Sold as a foal by breeder James Wigan for 100,000gns (AU$203,000), the colt is from the family of French Group 1 winners Grey Lilac (Ire) and Golden Lilac (Ire) and will begin his racing career in the UK with the option to race in Australia in the future.

Yulong's general manager Vin Cox said, “He's by a good stallion out of a good mare and he's well put together. He fits our plans, which is to try to put together a good batch of horses to go to the races.”

Yulong, which has its base in Australia, has made its presence felt at the European sales in recent years, not least when buying Group 1 winner Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) from last year's December Mares Sale for 2,700,000gns (AU$5.5 million). The 6-year-old mare has repaid her new owner handsomely since joining Chris Waller's stable in Sydney.

Reflecting on Via Sistina's success in Australia, which includes breaking Winx's track record when winning the G1 Cox Plate by 8l, Cox said, “To have bought her last year for the money we did – she had the pedigree and the race record to justify that sort of price – but to end up where she is now is beyond our wildest expectations. She has had seven starts in Australia now for five Group 1 wins. It's a stunning record and we'd have to say she's on the way to being Horse of the Year in Australia, though of course there's a large part of the Australian season still to play out. But also to be rated the top mare in the world is quite phenomenal.”

Gallery: Images courtesy of Tattersalls

Blue Point Colt for Johnston

Charlie Johnston will train the Blue Point (Ire) colt out of the Group-placed Haatef (USA) mare Achnaha (Ire) who was bought by Anthony Stroud for 240,000gns (AU$487,000). Offered as Lot 18 by his breeder Plantation Stud, the colt is the second living foal of the 13-year-old mare, whose filly foal by Advertise (Ire) is in the same stud's draft for Tuesday's foal sale.

On behalf of Godolphin, Stroud also signed for a No Nay Never (USA) colt (Lot 138) out of a half-sister to new Ballyhane Stud stallion Sakheer (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) for 170,000gns (AU$346,000) from New England Stud.

Golden Touch

Dermot Cantillon of Tinnakill House enjoyed a decent pinhooking result with a colt bought back in February at Goffs for €30,000 (AU$48,000). By Make Believe (GB), he is out of the Moyglare Stud-bred mare Unaccompanied (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who was both a listed winner on the Flat and Grade 1-winning juvenile hurdler.

Returned to Tattersalls as Lot 7, the May-born colt from the further family of Kyprios (Ire) and Search For A Song (Ire) was bought for 125,000gns (AU$253,000) by John Gosden.

He said, “Thady came and found him. He is a lovely sort, scopey, a good mover and, of course, we know the sire well through Mishriff. We will put together a syndicate to own him.”

Cantillon added, “I don't pinhook too many foals, but I am a big admirer of that family and when I saw him in the ring in February, I just took a liking to him and bought him. I like stayers and I like late foals, when everyone else is going the other way, I like to buck the trend.

“It was always the plan to come to this sale because he was a May foal and he looked like he was going to need every day. It was always the plan – and he has made way more than I was expecting.”

Anderson-Jolag a trailblazer

An important milestone will be reached on Tuesday when Shirley Anderson-Jolag takes to the rostrum to become the first female auctioneer at Tattersalls. It is believed that she is also the only woman to be currently auctioning horses in the thoroughbred world.

An immensely popular member of the sales scene, Anderson-Jolag has a background in performing arts, and in particular opera singing, a talent which will surely aid her performance in the ring at Park Paddocks.

She said at Tattersalls on Monday, “I hope by this time next year there will be another woman auctioneer, and then another.”