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Sells for 225,000 guineas on a day when 13 lot sell for 100,000 guineas or more

The Tattersalls December Foal Sale continued in robust fashion on the second day of the sale at Park Paddocks on Thursday, with significant increases in all the key indicators, a top price of 225,000 guineas, and thirteen lots selling for 100,000 guineas or more. 

St Albans Secure Sea The Stars Filly for 225,000 Guineas

Leading the way on the second day was a filly by Sea The Stars (Cape Cross) who was knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock's Richard Brown for 225,000 guineas on behalf of Andrew Stone's St Albans Bloodstock. The filly is the first foal out of Careful Thought (Brazen Beau), a half-sister to the Group Two winner Best Terms (Exceed And Excel) who has in turn produced two stakes winners. 

The family is well known to Brown – he bought the dam Careful Thoughtfor Peter and Ed Player of Whatton Manor Stud, breeder and consignor of this filly.

Ed Player explained the story; "We are absolutely over the moon, flabbergasted," said Player. "She'd been very popular, vetted a lot of times, we hoped she'd make up to the 200 mark but to actually get it, we couldn't be happier. It is quite a good story – we had had a good yearling sale a couple of years ago. We always say to Richard Brown that if he sees a future broodmare prospect we are always in the market, and he found this lovely filly in Book 3 from Newsells. 

"We bought her for 20,000 guineas as a yearling, sent her to Mark Johnston and he thought she was quite useful, but she got injured after one run. We retired her and it has now all come full circle."

Purchaser Richard Brown continued; "She's been bought for Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock. Andrew had a phenomenal Book 1 sale, he sold a Frankel for 925,000 guineas and a Lope De Vega for 725,000 guineas, and he's had a great year on the racecourse too. We're always looking for opportunities and she's been bought to race before hopefully being a broodmare for the future. He's trying to build a boutique, high-quality broodmare band and she'd be a great addition to that.

"I manage quite a few horses at Whatton Manor, we do quite a bit together, so I've seen this filly all the way along. In the summer she was a bit first foal-like, she probably lacked a little bit of muscle, but she's just improved and improved and turned into a very nice filly. She's on a very steep upward trajectory, although I had a bit of an advantage having seen where she's come from. She's got a load of class and is by a top-class stallion. This is the first foal we've bought as a racing prospect." 

Night Of Thunder Filly to Fitzpatrick for 130,000 guineas

Michael Fitzpatrick's JC Bloodstock secured a filly by former Darley shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) for 130,000 guineas. The filly is out of unraced mare Pacifica Highway (Pulpit) making her a half-sister to promising two-year-old filly Spanish Baroque (Lope e Vega), a winner in France this year for Jean-Claude Rouget, as well as a yearling colt by Showcasing (Oasis Dream) who realised 200,000 guineas at Book 2 of the October Yearling Sale.

"She has been bought off a good farm, and hopefully there will be some updates next year," said Fitzpatrick. "We have had foals by Night of Thunder before, no stand outs but he is a good sire."

Of buying a filly to pinhook, he said: "It is very difficult to get a filly by a proven stallion and with a pedigree – this filly has a champion mare on the page and she is out of a young mare, who has two winners from four foals. I would only really pinhook a filly who is likely to get into Book 1."

The filly was bred and sold by Overbury Stud.

Ten Sovereigns Colt to Yeomanstown for 130,000 Guineas

The top price on the second day amongst the first season sires was the 130,000 guineas given by Yeomanstown Stud for the Ten Sovereigns (No Nay Never) colt out of the Sea The Stars mare Fashion Darling. 

He was consigned by The National Stud and manager Tim Lane commented; "We met him here, he has been very popular with a lot of vets. He was bred by Andrew Rosen and has been reared at Kilshannig Stud."

Overall on Thursday, 235 lots sold for 9,225,000 guineas at an average of 39,255 guineas and median of 30,000 guineas.