A daughter of Kingman selling for 370,000 guineas (US$498,213) and eighteen lots topping 100,000 guineas were the highlights of the second day of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. A total of 211 lots realised 9,142,000 guineas, on a par with last year’s session whilst the average and median came in at 43,327 guineas and 30,000 guineas respectively.
Kingman Filly Soars to 370,000 Guineas
A daughter of freshman sire KINGMAN lit up the sale ring on the second day of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale when knocked down to John Gosden and Anthony Stroud for 370,000 guineas after a prolonged battle with Jamie Railton.
"Kingman has had a fantastic year," said Anthony Stroud, "and we had to go further than we had thought, but if you really like one then you need to stretch. She does trace back to a very good Wildenstein family."
He added: "She has definitely been bought as a racing prospect!"
The filly was bred by Geoff Howard-Spink who has "two or three mares" including this filly's dam BLUE ANGEL who boards with the Castlebridge Consignment’s Bill Dwan.
"Blue Angel's first foal Viren's Army was a stakes horse and her second was a good racehorse too, so we decided the mare deserved an upgrade," reported Howard-Spink.
"Kingman was such a good racehorse, which was why we chose him for her - but he had such a good season with his first runners, and everything has just fallen into place. We always try and sell as foals, and this is easily the best result we have had in the sale ring," smiled the breeder.
Consignor Dwan added: "She is a queen, a beautiful filly. She has been very busy here - she was vetted nine times. We were obviously very hopeful, but that certainly exceeded expectations."
The sale was the best price achieved on the ‘Thursday’ session of the December Foal Sale since 2007.
Paca Paca Buys Le Havre Colt for 200,000 Guineas
Harry Sweeney’s Paca Paca Farm purchased the LE HAVRE colt out of the Listed winning SINGSPIEL mare VILLAGE FETE for 200,000 guineas. The half-brother to the dual Group 3 winner KINGS FETE was consigned from Nafferty Stud, run by the father and son team of Patrick and Justin Cassidy. They purchased VILLAGE FETE at the 2015 Tattersalls December Mare Sale for 27,000 guineas before selling the SEA THE MOON colt she was carrying for 90,000 euros.
Showcasing Foals in High Demand
The demand for progeny of Whitsbury Manor Stud’s SHOWCASING continued on from the yearling sales with four of his sons selling for 100,000 guineas or more on the second day of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. The star of that quartet was the Trickledown Stud consigned colt out of the EXCELLENT ART mare LISIERE who was knocked down to Joe Foley for 190,000 guineas.
Penny Cave, who bred the colt in conjunction with Whitsbury Manor Stud, was delighted with the sale and recounted;
"[Lisiere] was in the 2013 horses-in-training sale and it was blowing a gale. A lot of the horses could not get in and I rang Paul [Thorman] and said this might be an opportunity to buy a filly.
"So he said to me that he would go through the catalogue and find six lots, and that I was to do the same and we'd compare the names – Lisiere was the first to come up.
"Aidan O'Brien had bought Dick Whittington as a yearling three weeks before for 280,000 euros so I was hoping that he would come good! We paid 15,000 guineas for Lisiere."
DICK WHITTINGTON subsequently won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes.
Of the decision to send the mare to Showcasing, Cave reported:
"Well Showcasing is all-singing and all-dancing but we could not afford the £35,000 stud fee and Whitsbury very kindly agreed to a foal share."
Cave and her husband Simon keep the mare in a small broodmare band of three at home, the couple foaling down and doing all the work themselves.
Kodiac Sister to Global Applause Sells For 180,000 Guineas
Robin Knipe’s Cobhall Court Stud enjoyed a great return when their KODIAC half-sister to the Listed National Stakes winner and multiple Group-placed GLOBAL APPLAUSE sold for 180,000 guineas. The filly, who is out of the ROYAL APPLAUSE mare CROWN, was knocked down to Damien Burns.
The filly received a significant catalogue update when her TORONADO half-brother REVELSTOKE was placed in the Group 2 Gran Criterium in Italy last month.
Purchaser Damien Burns commented:
"She had been bought possibly to race. She is bred on the same cross as Kodiac's Group 2 winner and the Whitsbury Stud sire, Adaay."