Record-Breaking Trade at Tatts December Yearling Sale

It has been five years since the Tsui family acquired the star-crossed Sea Of Class  from the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale after agent Johnny McKeever struck a bid of 170,000 guineas ($220,377) on their behalf.

The daughter of Christopher Tsui's Sea The Stars  proved to be one of the finest fillies of her generation, with victories in the Darley Irish Oaks (G1) and Darley Yorkshire Oaks (G1) as well as an agonizing short neck defeat to Enable  in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1), all in 2018.

The Tsuis will be hoping to repeat that success after the family's racing and breeding manager John Clarke secured a full brother to Sea Of Class during the Nov. 22 renewal of the December Yearling Sale at 240,000 guineas ($338,707).

Offered through Oak Lodge & Springfield House Stud as Lot 30, the June 8 foal was bred by Razza del Velino from the remarkable producer Holy Moon , whose own production record almost takes up the whole catalog page.

"He's a lovely horse and we really liked him," said Clarke, who consigned Jane Chapple-Hyam to the role of frustrated underbidder. "He's a very late foal but then Sea Of Class was a late-May foal too, so we hope we can do the same again.

"He will eventually go to William Haggas but it's far too early to be thinking about things like that yet, he'll go back to Ireland now and be allowed time to develop."

Holy Moon has bred 11 winners from as many runners, seven of whom have gained black type. While none of her siblings could match Sea Of Class's raw talent, she is not the only group 1 winner bred by the daughter of Hernando , as Holy Moon is also responsible for the Premio Longines Lydia Tesio (G1)-winning half sisters Charity Line  in 2013 and Final Score  of 2014.

Another sibling, Cherry Collect , won the Oaks d'Italia (G2) before being sold to Japan, where she produced the listed-winning Wakea when bred to Heart's Cry .

Clarke continued: "Ling Tsui is absolutely thrilled because she had so much success with Sea Of Class. This colt is by the right sire too; Sea The Stars has had a great year and there's a lot of the stallion about him.

"He's such an athletic horse but is still just a baby. He was reared in Felino at the Bottis' farm in Italy and has come here looking the part. This sale was always the plan because he was so immature."

Holy Moon was purchased by Alessandro Botti for just £2,600 at Goffs in 2001. There could be plenty more to come from her brood yet as her 2-year-old Camelot  colt has been named Waterville and is in training with Aidan O'Brien, having been bought by M.V. Magnier for €280,000 ($310,194) at the 2019 November Foal Sale.

A lively session of selling duly produced a buoyant set of figures, including an 88% clearance rate as 145 of 164 offered lots found a new home.

In turn, those transactions generated a turnover of 5,067,500 guineas ($7,151,520), a 27% year-on-year increase, an average of 34,948 guineas ($49,319), which was up 7%, and a record median of 27,000 guineas ($38,103), which was up by 7,000 guineas ($9,878) 35% on the corresponding figure in 2020.

Shalaa Sibling Brings Six Figures

The first six-figure lot of the day came when Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock stood besides Hugo Palmer and outbid BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe at 150,000 guineas ($211,688) to secure the Invincible Spirit  filly out of Ghurra  offered by Castlefarm Stud, as Lot 22.

The youngster is a sibling to three winners, most notably her Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes (G1)-scoring brother Shalaa , who has sired a group 1 winner of his own, No Speak Alexander , from his time standing at Haras de Bouquetot. The filly was making a quick reappearance in the Park Paddocks sales ring, having been bought back by her vendor at 200,000gns ($285,770) at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale.

"She's a beautiful filly and I probably should have bought her when she was in Book 1," said McStay. "Hugo trains her sibling Nova Legend, who's by Galileo, and we think a lot of him so we were keen to follow his sister through.

"She comes from a great nursery at Castlefarm Stud and has a beautiful pedigree. She's by Invincible Spirit, who's still one of the best sires in Europe, and she's a full sibling to a very good horse in Shalaa. She was purchased on spec so shares—or all of her—are for sale!"

Bred under the Mogeely Stud banner by Mark and Aisling Gittins, the Invincible Spirit filly is the tenth foal out of Ghurra, a grade 3-placed daughter of War Chant  who was bought for 320,000 guineas ($498,154) in 2008 while carrying to Mr. Greeley . Her yearlings have now generated receipts totaling 2,215,000 guineas ($3,125,920) in the Tattersalls ring. 

"She stood out here today and the trainer was salivating over her from the minute he saw her," added McStay. "I was kicking myself that I didn't buy her at the earlier sale, she made our list but for one reason or another, we just didn't pull the trigger. On her residual value alone she's a free swing of the bat for anyone who wants to buy her."

The Tattersalls December Sale continues Nov. 24, when the foal section of the catalog will be offered from 10 a.m.