Ballylinch Stallions Dominate Second Day of December Foal Sale

Foals by LAWMAN and LOUP DE VEGA, both standing at John O’Connor’s Ballylinch Stud, filled the top three spots on the list of top lots on the second day of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. LAWMAN has enjoyed a bumper 2012 with Group 1 wins to LAW ENFORCEMENT in the Gran Criterium and MOST IMPROVED in the St James’s Palace whilst the LOPE DE VEGA is being represented by his first foals.

The second day of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale saw a total of 207 lots sold for 5,508,000 guineas, at an average of 26,609 guineas and a median of 20,000 guineas. Remarkably, the clearance for the day was 87%. Compared with the corresponding session in 2011, the turnover was up slightly, the average down slightly and the median stayed the same.

The top lot on the second day of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale was the LAWMAN colt out of the POLISH PRECEDENT mare WHOLE GRAIN who was knocked down to Timmy Hyde for 120,000 guineas. Consigned from Brendan Boyle’s Ashbrittle Stud, the colt is out of an own-sister to the Group 1 Irish Oaks winner PURE GRAIN.

"He is a very nice individual and a good walker," reasoned the successful buyer, standing in the gateway to the ring. "He is from a good family, and his stallion is doing very well.

"He'll come back for resale next year. The market has been very strong, and has carried through from yesterday.

"There are a lot of nice horses here and some good young sires, who are producing some nice horses.

"I have only bought one other today - I was feeling left out and thought I had better get one!" laughed Hyde.

There was no shortage of interest when lot 779, the LOPE DE VEGA colt out the WOODMAN mare WOODMAVEN entered the ring. Tom Goff, Ed Sackville, Dermot Farrington, Liam Norris and Jim McCarten all got bids in but it was Croom House Stud’s Paul McCarten who finally secured the colt at 115,000 guineas.

Consigned from Nafferty Stud, run by the father and son team of Patrick and Justin Cassidy, the colt is a half-brother to the listed-placed pair SYLVESTRIS and ROOF FIDDLE and is from the first crop of Ballylinch Stud’s French Guineas winner LOPE DE VEGA. The colt was bought on behalf of Denis Brosnan’s Epona Bloodstock and looks set to return to Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale next year.

The fireworks started early in the day with the ring swelling with buyers as lot 544, the EXCEED AND EXCEL colt from Redgate Bloodstock entered the ring. Ben Harris was amongst the early pacesetters, but the bid to secure the colt soon settled down to a three-way battle between Liam Norris, Hursley Bloodstock’s David Bowe and Carmel Stud’s Peter Morgan with the latter the last one standing when the hammer came down at 110,000 guineas.

"We thought he was the best foal in the sale," said Morgan. "We did well with the sire in the autumn, we like the sire - we are very happy.

"We do think we have got some value, he is an absolutely fantastic foal and, yes it is a plenty for a pin-hook, but there is always a customer for a nice horse"

Carmel Stud's autumn success with EXCEED AND EXCEL was the sale of the yearling colt out of GOWER SONG at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale to Charlie Gordon-Watson for 200,000 guineas having been purchased as a foal for 70,000 guineas.

Norris was more successful later in the day when he secured the LAWMAN colt out of the QUIET AMERICAN mare FONDA for 110,000 guineas. Consigned by The Castlebridge Consignment, the colt is a three-parts brother to Shadwell’s impressive two-year-old winner RIBAAT who is in training with Roger Varian.

"We were just mad for him,' said Liam Norris after securing the colt out of the half-sister to Group 1 Prix Morny second LAYMAN.

"He is a beautiful colt, we were very keen to get him," he added. "We tried on the Exceed And Excel colt and filly earlier, but are delighted to get this horse.

"He will come back to Clairemont Stud and then be reoffered next year."

The first two-year-olds by the Breeders Cup Classic winner RAVEN’S PASS have caught plenty of attention on racecourses this year, with four Group/Listed performers headlined by the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes winner STEELER. So it was no surprise to see the first colt by RAVEN’S PASS through the ring at this year’s Tattersalls December Sale sell for 100,000 guineas.

Consigned by The Castlebridge Consignment as lot 638, the colt is out of the ZAFONIC mare SUPERFONIC who is a half-sister to the legendary fourteen-time Group 1 winner GOLDIKOVA as well as the Group 1 Prix Vermeille winner GALIKOVA.

The colt was knocked down to John Ferguson after he saw off the efforts of Dermot Farrington.

The Tattersalls December Foal Sale continues at 10am on Friday, November 30.