Blue Bresil Yearling Leads Final Day of November NH Sale at €58,000

The five-day Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale 2023 came to its end with a session of NH-bred yearlings followed by NH broodmares, and it was stallion Bleu Bresil who once again headed up results.

Sold by Ballyhampshire Stud, the yearling out of the black-type Shantou mare Thanks For Tea (Lot 992) was bought by Kevin Ross Bloodstock for a session-topping €58,000. He became the 18th foal or yearling by Blue Bresil to sell for €50,000 or more over the five days’ sale, and was the week’s third session topper for the Rathbarry Stud stallion.

"The gelding has been bought on spec," said Anna Ross, who added: "We have the four-year-old half-brother by Mount Nelson, he goes pointing next spring and we like him. The two are quite different types of horses. The sire speaks for himself and we have been very lucky with the broodmare sire Shantou."

Consignor Edmond Kent said: "We had a lot of fun with Thanks For Tea, she won some bonuses for us, picked up black-type and was a hardy mare. She is back in-foal to Blue Bresil and is due on January 12th – she looks very big at the minute, I won't be taking any holidays in January!"

Of this yearling, he said: "This was always a nice foal, he was born a bit late and I said I'd keep him until he was a yearling.”

Sally and Matthew Darling of Knockbaun Bloodstock have just moved from England to Ireland and the couple got their new venture off to a great start selling the Golden Horn gelding out of Mary Elise (Mastercraftsman), a half-sister to the Grade 1 winner A Wave Of The Sea, to Richard Frisby for €44,000. The gelding (Lot 1040) was sold on behalf of breeder Elaine Chivers.

Sally was leading up the scopey gelding herself and said: "We foaled this gelding and he went to Folland-Bowen Bloodstock and they prepped him, they have done a great job with him. He is a fine big horse. The mare is in England and has a Sea The Moon filly foal and is in-foal to Stradivarius."

It was a two-way split for leading honours in the NH broodmares session with the Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed Bonny Kate (Beneficial) from Clonbonny Stud, and The Twelve Pins (Beat Hollow) out of Sixhills (Sabrehills) from the Closutton Stables draft, both fetching €40,000.

The Twelve Pins was bought by Temple Bloodstock and Aubrey McMahon said: "She has been bought to stay in Willie's. She is a sound racemare, she will race on and has been bought as a broodmare prospect – hopefully, she will do the two jobs."

At the conclusion of the November NH Sale, Simon Kerins, CEO of Tattersalls Ireland commented:

“It was always going to be a tough ask to follow two years of record-breaking trade at the November NH Sale, so for the foal section to return an average just off €18,000 and a commercially-bred yearling fetch €58,000, the best price given for a yearling at the sale since 2021, is a satisfying result. The mares’ session lacked the stars from previous years reflecting the desire for owners to retain good racemares as breeding prospects. We recognise that the yearling format on the last day did not prove effective, and we are committed to a thorough reflection on improving this particular section for 2024.

“For the November NH Sale to achieve record-breaking sales of top-level foals is a fine reflection on the quality of the stock produced by breeders and offered at Fairyhouse, supported by our regular as well as new buyers, both pinhookers and end users from Ireland, the UK and France.

“Foals sold at that top level were a feature of all four days’ trade, but whilst that top bracket of foals sold this week over €50,000 was a joint record and more foals were sold in excess of €80,000 than ever before, undoubtedly there are trade gaps further down the level and there is no denying the current market is selective.

“We look forward to seeing those foals bought this week as resale prospects returning to the Fairyhouse sales ring in 2026, and to seeing 2021’s stock at our May, Derby and July Store sales.”