Spectacular Results at Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale
The Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale cemented its place as Europe’s most progressive yearling sale with significant increases in turnover, average and median. Turnover was up 56% whilst the average and median jumped 42% and 60% respectively. Four lots sold for 100,000 guineas or more compared to just one last year, and the number of lots selling for 50,000 guineas or more increased from seventeen in 2021 to 39 this year.
Zoustar Filly to Hughes for 160,000 Guineas
Leading the way at the one day Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale was the ZOUSTAR half-sister to US Stakes winner UNANIMOUS CONSENT, who was knocked down to trainer Richard Hughes for 160,000 guineas. The Plantation Stud consigned filly had plenty of suitors including French owner/trainer Louis Baudron, local trainer Sean Woods and Australian interests bidding via telephone but it was Hughes who landed the top lot. UNANIMOUS CONSENT is the first foal of the FASTNET ROCK mare FAST LILY and runs in the Grade 3 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs tonight.
Hughes commented: "I loved her from the first time I saw her, but she will take a bit of time. We will see how the brother gets on tonight, if he wins she will be half-price! He is probably a 115 horse. This filly is very nice, a good walker and has very good movement."
Plantation's stud manager James Berney said: "We are over the moon. She deserves to make that type of money, she is a beauty. She has improved greatly through the year, and her brother's form has helped as well.
"She has been A1 since she got here; she has been very busy, she has had a lot of vets on her and she has never turned a hair. We are delighted that she is going to Richard Hughes and I am pleased for the mare. She has got a Showcasing foal at foot and she is in-foal to Pinatubo."
Plantation Stud brought two lots to the sale, the second a SHALAA colt that sold to Oliver St Lawrence for 120,000 guineas earlier in the day.
Berney explained the decision regarding consigning these two lots at the Somerville Sale:
"There has been a bit of motion with this sale and we thought we'd bring along horses who might stand out a bit."
Aughamore Stud’s Mehmas Sells to Doyle for 135,000 Guineas
Another lot to sell for a six-figure sum was Aughamore Stud’s MEHMAS colt out of the EXCEED AND EXCEL mare CLASSIC IMAGE, who was knocked down to Ross Doyle, stood alongside Amo Racing’s Kia Joorabchian, for 135,000 guineas.
"He is a very nice colt and both Robson Aguiar and Richard Hannon thought so. Mehmas needs no introduction, the farm has done a great job prepping him and he looks fantastic. He is a good mover and Mehmas has already been a very good friend to a lot of people," commented Doyle, who signed the docket under Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock and Aguiar Bloodstock.
The colt was bred by Aughamore Stud’s Laurence Gleeson who bought the dam CLASSIC IMAGE for just 6,500 guineas at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale in 2015.
"It has worked well and Mehmas had Minzaal win his Group 1 recently. He is a superb stallion," said Gleeson. "We sent the mare when he was just about to have his first two-year-olds as we had heard there were some good breezers. We took a punt and it has worked out.
"This colt has been a star here and everyone was saying that he was a standout, but you don't want to get your hopes up too much. But it all worked out in the end!"
Teme Valley Buy Starspangledbanner Colt for 130,000 Guineas
STARSPANGLEDBANNER has enjoyed an excellent year on the racecourse with STATE OF REST and ARISTIA both recording Group 1 victories, and his colt out of the BAHAMIAN BOUNTY mare BLACK RODDED proved one of the highlights of the Somerville Yearling Sale when selling for 130,000 guineas to agent Richard Ryan on behalf of Jim Cockburn’s Teme Valley Racing.
Ryan knows the stallion well through his involvement with four-time Group and Grade 1 winner STATE OF REST, who was purchased for 60,000 guineas at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
"He was a slightly unexpected horse to find this horse in this sale," revealed Ryan. "He was a different ball game than the rest of the field I thought – a good strong Starspangledbanner colt with a good backside on him. He is from a real speed family and will make a lovely two-year-old. He is for Teme Valley and will probably go into training in Ireland."
Of the sire, Ryan added: "Starspangledbanner is a super stallion, mates with all sorts of families and will help the female line. This horse had particular strength about him and he has been very well prepared by the farm. He is a proper horse and would be in any sale. He is pretty nice!"
The sale was a good pinhooking result for the colt’s owners who purchased him for €62,000 as a foal and consignor Ballyhimikin Stud’s James Hanly explained the decision to sell him at this sale:
"They have been getting so many good winners out of this sale, it is a great venue and everyone is here. It is a very good format as a one day sale - people can get in and have plenty of time to see them over the weekend.
"It is a strong market and I am very pleased with that price. The sire has had such a good year, there has been a big uplift in the stallion. Let's hope this colt goes on and wins lots of good races, it is a good way to start the yearling sale season."
St Lawrence Hopes History Repeats with Shalaa Colt
The headline horse from last year’s Somerville Yearling Sale was Group 2 Coventry Stakes winner BRADSELL, who was purchased for 12,000 guineas and races for Victorious Racing. His trainer Archie Watson secured the SHALAA colt from Plantation Stud for 120,000 guineas and agent Oliver St Lawrence, who signed for the colt, indicated that the same connections would be involved.
"He is a lovely individual," said St Lawrence. "He is for Fawzi and team, and will probably end up in the red and white colours of Victorious Racing. The mare is two from two and both are rated up in the 90s. He will probably be going to Archie Watson."
The colt is out of the DREAM AHEAD mare DREAM DANA, a daughter of dual Group 3 winner LIDANNA and a half-sister to LIDANSKI, the dam of Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp winner WIZZ KID.
Chairman's Statement
At the conclusion of the 2022 Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said;
“Last year’s inaugural Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale proved to be an immediate success and today’s second renewal has made further significant progress with wide margin gains in all the key indicators of average, median and turnover, as well as a new record top price for a Somerville yearling of 160,000 guineas.
“It was very apparent as we were inspecting yearlings in the Spring that there was genuine enthusiasm for our newest yearling sale from both British and Irish consignors and they have supported the fixture with exactly the profile of sharp, precocious, commercial yearlings which we were looking for. To see the average and median prices both rise by more than 40% and the sale turnover increase from under five million guineas to well in excess of seven million guineas demonstrates a sale of real vibrance from start to finish. Equally impressive has been a clearance rate nudging 90% and the number of yearlings selling for 50,000 guineas or more which has risen from 17 to 39 while six figure transactions have increased from one to four.
“The sheer number of buyers here at Park Paddocks over the past few days is also a reflection of the racecourse success enjoyed by so many graduates of last year’s sale, most notably the Group 2 Coventry Stakes winner BRADSELL, and we look forward to similarly impressive results next year as well as to sustaining the momentum of today’s sale into Books 1 to 4 of the forthcoming Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.”
The next sale at Tattersalls is Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale which takes place from October 4 – 6. Catalogues are out now and available from Tattersalls and Tattersalls representatives, and online at www.tattersalls.com.