December Yearling Sale Gets Newmarket Action Underway

Sea of Class, one of the leading lights of the 2018 flat season, flew the flag for the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale having been purchased for 170,000gns (US$220,377) by McKeever Bloodstock in 2016.

In a case of quality over quantity, the catalog for this year's sale has been trimmed to 200 for the third year in a row despite a record average of 34,488gns ($48,222) and median of 25,000gns ($34,997) posted last year. 

Among the headline acts in the Nov. 26 auction is a Frankel colt out of Vodka offered by Mount Coote Stud as Lot 59. 

The mare was crowned champion 2-year-old filly and champion older mare at 4 and 5 in Japan, and won the Yasuda Kinen (G1) over a mile twice, as well as the Autumn Tenno Sho (G1), Japan Cup (G1), and Victoria Mile (G1). She was named the country's Horse of the Year in 2008 and 2009.

The yearling's 3-year-old brother Tanino Frankel landed the valuable Seibu Suponichi Sho at Kokura in August.

Also of interest is Drumachon Stud's Teofilo colt out of Artisia (Lot 87), who has a double dose of Melbourne Cup (G1) success in his pedigree as he is by the same sire responsible for this year's winner Cross Counter and is a half brother to the three-time runner-up Red Cadeaux. 

Buyers looking for a more precocious type need look no further than Mount Eaton Stud's Make Believe half brother to the Norfolk Stakes (G2) scorer and sire Prince of Lir (Lot 133), with the colt hailing from his sire's first crop.  

Make Believe won both his starts at 2 and annexed the Poule d'Essai des Poulains - Prix Le Parisien (G1) and Qatar Prix de la Foret (G1) as a 3-year-old. The son of Makfi is a €12,000 option for breeders at Ballylinch Stud next spring. 

Ballylinch are not only represented by their stallions, as the operation also consigns a Motivator half brother to Forest Ranger (Lot 73), who won this year's group 2 Homeserve Huxley Stakes at Chester. 

Tweenhills Stud recruit Lightning Spear was the joint-oldest group 1 winner in Europe this season after winning the Qatar Sussex Stakes as a 7-year-old. The same race was won by a horse of the same age last year in Here Comes When, who will see his Lope De Vega half brother (Lot 18) offered by Brendan Holland's Grove Stud. 

Last year saw a Kodiac half sister to Barney Roy top the sale when hammered down for 400,000gns ($559,944) to David Redvers on behalf of Qatar Racing. In training with Richard Hannon, the unraced filly has already been given the auspicious moniker Qatar Queen. 

Edmond Mahony, chairman of Tattersalls, said: "The December Yearling Sale is a consistent source of top-class performers and the outstanding filly Sea of Class, purchased at the sale two years ago, shows why the fixture is so popular year after year."