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Avenue Bloodstock pay £160,000 for colt by former Darley shuttler

Given his extraordinary start to stud it was no surprise to see the progeny of former Darley Stud shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) prove popular at the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale on Friday, with the five lots sold making £320,000, with the most expensive of those being a colt who was purchased by Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock for £160,000.

The colt was offered by Katie Walsh’s Greenhills Farm and catalogued as Lot 26 and McStay said the colt would head into training with Irish-based trainer John Oxx. 

"The sire speaks for himself, he is doing fantastic things,” said McStay. “This horse did an exceptional breeze, he vetted particularly well and was well presented by Katie [Walsh]. 

“I am delighted to get a Night Of Thunder, they are only going to get more expensive as the year goes on. He is for an existing client, goes to Ireland and probably to John Oxx.”

The colt is the first foal out of the unraced Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Kymera, who is herself a daughter of Myrine (Sadler’s Wells).

The colt’s third dam is Group 2 winner Saganeca (Sagace), who is herself the dam of Group 1-winning pair Sagamix (Linamix) and Sagacity (Sagaro) and Group 2 scorer Sage Et Jolie (Linamix), who in turn produced Prix d'Ispahan (Gr 1, 1850m) winner Sageburg (Johannesburg). 

Saganeca is also the dam of Shastye (Danehill), who in turn produced Group 2-winning pair Secret Gesture (Galileo) and Mogul (Galileo), Group 3 scorer Sir Isaac Newton (Galileo), Ipswich Cup (Listed, 2150m) winner Maurus (Medicean) and dual Group 1 winner Japan (Galileo), who will look to add a third elite level to his CV when he takes on multiple top-flight champion mare Enable (Nathaniel) in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth (Gr 1, 1m4f) at Ascot on Saturday.

"That was fantastic, he was always straightforward,” said Walsh. “He is from Micheal Ryan of Al Eile Stud, they bred him and didn't go to a yearling sale. They decided they would go to the breeze ups, my father [Ted] trains for Michael Ryan, Micheal's father. When Pat Connell, who works for them, rang me and asked if I would take this horse to breeze, I said: 'Absolutely no problem'.

"He breezed really well. He has been with me since the middle of January. It is a fantastic result, it is great for the breeder, and great for Greenhills Farm, as well. Hopefully, he will go on now and be lucky for Mark McStay and his owners."

Of the change of sale venue, Walsh said: "Personally, I was delighted to see the sale moved to here, you need the British clientele and the British-based clients, this is where they are. It is apparent when you go into the sale ring.

"He is an April foal and the breeders wanted to give him every chance - he is tall scopey and rangy and so this Goresbridge sale was always the plan. Goresbridge has been very lucky for me in the past, I was delighted to come here with him.

"Trade has been great, it has not been an ideal year for everyone, but trade has been really good and everyone's getting them sold, that's the main thing. We can all go back shopping in a couple of weeks now, and that is what it is all about, it has been a short turnaround for everyone."

The next most expensive progeny by the stallion was a filly, who was purchased by Jono Mills on behalf of Rabbah Bloodstock for £85,000 from the The Bloodstock Connection draft. Mills and Rabbah know the stallion well having purchased him for 32,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2012. 

Catalogued as Lot 98, the filly is from the family of Group 3 winner Jaameh (Iffraaj).

Walsh was celebrating again later on in the afternoon she sold a colt by Ballylinch Stud-based Lope De Vega (Shamardal) to Peter Nolan Bloodstock for £100,000. 

Catalogued as Lot 172, the colt is out of Montjeu (Sadler’s Wells) mare Danish Princess, who is a sister to Group 3-placed Dawn Dew. 

The colt’s third dam - the unraced Dibenoise (Kendor) - produced Prix De Ganay (Gr 1, 2100m) winner Corre Caminos (Montjeu), Recital (Montjeu), who won the Critérium de Saint-Cloud (Gr 1, 2000m), Group 2 scorer and Racinger (Spectrum). 

Walsh, understandably delighted with her day, said: "He was a pinhook for a client. He came to me in January and has just developed all the way through. He is a backend two-year-old type and will be a three-year-old. The sire is on fire and this is a lovely sort.”

He was purchased by Peter Nolan, who also spent £60,000 on Lot 99, a colt by Oaklands Stud-based stallion Power (Oasis Dream) and also consigned by Greenhills, and £40,000 on Lot 173, a filly by Camelot (Montjeu).

"They are for the same client, who is new to me," said Nolan. "They will head to Ireland. The colt looks as though he will be a two-year-old type, the others are more types to have a couple of backend runs and be prepared for a three-year-old career."

The son Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) - who has sired 15 stakes winners in total - shuttled to Australia for one season and his southern hemisphere crop is headed by two stakes winners, including Group 2 winner A Beautiful Night. The stallion fires at an extraordinary stakes / runners rate of 13.9 per cent. 

Night Of Thunder now resides exclusively at Darley's Kildangan Stud in Ireland where his fee for 2020 was set at €25,000. It was announced last month that he would also be available to cover to southern hemisphere time.

Overall 125 of the 147 lots offered were sold for 3,816,490gns compared to the 2019 renewal when 179 of the 196 lots offered were sold for 5,010,500gns. The average this year was 30,532gns, down nine per cent from 27,922gns a year ago whilst the median rose 22 per cent from 18,000gns last year to 21,978gns this year.