Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale Wraps Up

In years gone by, a half sister to an international group 1 star by one of Europe's leading sires would not be expected to feature in the pages of the catalog for Part Two of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale on Sept. 22 but such is the upwardly mobile profile of the event as a whole that the quality of yearlings on offer has improved markedly.

So it came to pass that Ringfort Stud consigned a Dark Angel  half sister to Hunter's Light , whose three top-level victories for Saeed bin Suroor included the 2015 Jebel Hatta Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) at Meydan.

The gray is a half sister to four further winners, including the listed Prix Dahlia third Linda Radlett, by Manduro, who is the dam of Sea The Stars ' Hardwicke Stakes (G2) and Darley Pride Stakes (G3) winner Fanny Logan .

The sunshine of Part One had been replaced by torrential downpours but the crowd sheltering from the rain inside the rings was bolstered by prospective purchasers all hoping to steal away the filly.

Joe Foley brought the hammer down at €52,000 (US$51,169) and revealed that the filly had prompted him to change his plans after he inspected her in Barn A on Thursday morning.

"She is a good model of a Dark Angel filly, really lovely and athletic and looks racy. I wasn't expecting to find a filly like her here this morning," Foley remarked.

To borrow a phrase from musical theater, the filly would be classified as a triple threat as she possesses the triumvirate of pedigree, conformation, and sire power that is so sought after and Foley commented on the attractiveness of that magic combination.

"Physically she is very nice but she also has lots of residual value as a half sister to a treble group 1 winner and from the deep family of Darshaan. She came well-recommended from the team at Ringfort," he added.

Her dam Portmanteau is a winning Barathea three-parts sister to listed Braveheart Stakes winner Scriptwriter and a half sister to the Grand Prix de Deauville (G2) and Sandown Thresher Classic Trial (G3) winner Courteous, by Generous.

The second dam, Dayanata, is a full sister to the champion 3-year-old and brilliant broodmare sire Darshaan and to Darara, the Prix Vermeille (G1)-winning dam of group 1 winners Rewilding and Dar Re Mi, who in turn is the dam of European champion 2-year-old Too Darn Hot.

The filly helped Derek Veitch's Ringfort Stud to the top of the consignors' charts for Part Two with their average of €30,000 ($29,529) for three yearlings the best for any vendor with more than one horse sold.

Trade was dominated by fillies with the nine most expensive yearlings on the day female.

Coolmore's Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G1) and Norfolk Stakes (G2) winner Sioux Nation  is in a close contest with Havana Grey  to be crowned champion first-season sire. The son of Scat Daddy has done particularly well with his first crop of fillies and they have provided him with six of his seven black type performers to date including both of his group 3 winners.

Patricia Doyle of Ashwood Stud consigned a €42,000 ($41,327) Sioux Nation filly from the legendary Ballymacoll Stud family of Hellenic, Islington, and Fiorente on behalf of Peter Stone. She was bought online by BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe on behalf of a U.S. client.

It was a very happy homecoming for the September Yearling Sale with Part Two following the lead set by Part One in posting impressive increases and a healthy 82% clearance rate.

From a smaller catalog than in the pre-pandemic years, it equaled or set records for both the median and average price. The former, at €8,000 ($7,872), was 12% higher than in 2021 and matched the previous best which was set in 2017 when 207 yearlings were sold.

The average of €10,495 ($10,328) was the best in the nine year existence of the sale and represented growth of 9% on last year's average.