3 minute read

A daughter of Zoustar is the most expensive filly when bought for 400,000gns

A colt by the Tally Ho Stud-based Kodiac (Danehill) topped the opening day of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale on Tuesday when bought for 525,000 by trainer David Loughnane and OMNI Horse for 525,000gns. 

Offered by Tally Ho Stud early on in the session as Lot 29, the colt is the first foal out of winning mare No Lippy (Oasis Dream). The colt's second dam is the French Group 2 winner Freedonia (Selkirk). 

"I loved everything about him, he is a lovely animal, he is very well balanced, he did an exceptional breeze, the fastest breeze of the lot," said Loughnane. 

"He just looks an out and out Royal Ascot horse. He has a very good pedigree, his dam was a very good two-year-old for Mark Johnston. I love everything about him, he has a lot of quality and let's hope he can back up on the track, fingers crossed."

Here's the breeze that led to @DaveLoughnane_ & OMNI Horse going to 525,000gns to secure @HoStud's son of Kodiac, top lot on day one of the #TattsCraven Breeze Up Sale. pic.twitter.com/nGGktrwL3J

— Tattersalls (@Tattersalls1766) April 12, 2022

Of ownership plans, Loughnane said: "He is for a new syndicate. I didn't think that we would have to go that far for him, I knew he was not going to be cheap, but thankfully I have some owners who are willing to back him. The sire has done it year in and year out and he comes from a very good farm in Tally-Ho Stud."

Kodiac's 2022 fee is advertised at €65,000. 

The colt was the only lot to sell for more than 500,000gns on a night which saw 52 lots sell for 6,311,000gns. The aggregate was down three per cent compared to the opening session in 2021, with 20 per cent fewer horses sold this year. The average was up 22 per cent to 121,365gns while the median rose eight per cent to 86,000gns. 

The second most expensive lot was a son of War Front (Danzig) who sold to Durcan Bloodstock for 425,000 while the most expensive filly to sell was a daughter of Widden Stud's Zoustar (Northern Meteor) who was bought by Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock for 400,000gns. Entered in the sale as a wildcard and the last lot through the ring on Tuesday night, the filly is out of winning Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Saccharose. 

"She is outstanding, I have not seen a filly like that for a long time," said Ross Doyle. "She is an unbelievable individual, she breezed well, she comes from a very good home and came highly recommended. She is for a new client."

Explaining why this filly was such a stand-out, Doyle said: "She is just a bit different, you don't see many like that and physically she stands up as a very good specimen. She has a lovely big ear, an honest head, everything is in the right place and she takes everything very easy."

Of Zoustar, whose first northern-hemisphere crop are two-year-olds of this year, he said: "We have one of two at Richard's (Hannon) that he likes, and he is obviously a sire sensation Down Under."

Underbidder was Tweenhills Stud's David Redvers and the sale represented a successful pinhole having been bought by Midland Equine last August for €75,000 from Ecurie des Monceaux. Zoustar has shuttled to Tweenhills Stud for a fourth time this year where his fee is advertised at £25,000. 

The first breeze up to be offered by Darley shuttler Harry Angel (Dark Angel) made 180,000 when bought by Avenue Bloodstock for 180,000gns. The colt was bought for 23,000gns at Book 2 of last year's Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.