Sapphire Sale concludes the 2022 sales season at Tattersalls Ireland
The top price of the day was €38,000 and went to a colt foal from the second crop of the Showcasing sire Advertise (Lot 123). Sophie Buckley of Culworth Grounds Farm made a determined play for the February-born colt but in the end had to stand aside for Micheal Orlandi, who was buying on behalf of Ballyphilip Stud.
The colt, consigned by Olive O’Connor, is a February-born son of the winning Fusaichi Pegasus mare Come Touch The Sun. She is a half-sister to Misty For Me (Galileo), the champion French and Irish juvenile filly of 2010, and the 2011 champion Irish three-year-old.
Paul McCartan of Ballyphilip Stud said on the telephone: "I saw some of the sire's stock through the autumn at the yearling sales and liked them. I also like the fact that Advertise was a Group 1-winning juvenile and then went on to win the Commonwealth Cup. I viewed this colt yesterday and this morning – he has a fine pedigree and has four champion two-year-olds on his page."
The highest-priced mare was Super Proud (Lot 174), the four-year-old daughter of Pivotal. She was consigned by Rockview Stables and bought by BBA Ireland for €35,000.
Paul Curran was in charge of bidding and said: “She is for a client and we love her sire, that was a very important factor. There are some well-bred, unraced half-siblings to come and it is a nice page. She is an outcross so that gives lots of options.”
A filly by Calyx (Lot 20) took the top spot through the yearling section, bought by the father and daughter team of Con and Amy Marnane, who spent €30,000 on the March-born filly sold by Browne Brothers Bloodstock.
Out of Staceymac (Elnadim), the filly is a half to the speedy Easton Angel (Dark Angel), winner of the Westow Stakes (L), and runner-up in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2), the City Walls Stakes (L) and the Lowther Stakes (G2).
Marnane said: "We'll take her home and prepare her for the breeze-ups next spring. She has a gorgeous pedigree with black-type under every dam on the page.
"Calyx was unbelievable the day he won at Royal Ascot and we supported him with our own mares. We sold a colt by him out of Mia Divina to Andrew Balding at Book 2 for 145,000gns."
At the conclusion of the Sapphire Sale, CEO Simon Kerins commented:
"Once again, we are indebted to every vendor and each purchaser for their trust and support of the Sapphire Sale. European buyers, particularly from Italy and Poland, have made a contribution and the network of Tattersalls Ireland's International Agents played a significant part in today’s sale. It was very apparent as we were inspecting yearlings in the Spring that there was genuine enthusiasm for our newest yearling sale and we are in a position now to work on it and move it forward for next year.
"So as the year closes, we can reflect on a year of so many achievements with the Goresbridge Breeze Up Sale smashing records, headed by a historic top lot of €520,000 and a record number of six-figure lots and a best-ever average of €38,155. The September Yearling Sale continued in the same fashion setting its own records with 70 lots selling for €50,000 or more as well as a record median and an average and turnover just below 2021’s records. These results prove that when we are provided with the best horses we can deliver. Our hope is that these results and our improved facilities will continue to convince more consignors that they can and will achieve the very best results in the Tattersalls Ireland sales ring.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the team for their hard work and dedication throughout the year and to ITM for their continued support. We can now look forward to following the careers of our new graduates and get back on the road searching for the class of 2023!"