Friday 18 November 2011
A quintet of SEA THE STARS foals set off fireworks at Goffs November Foal Sale on Thursday with a colt heading the market at a record-breaking 850,000 Euros and two of his fillies reaching 800,000 Euros apiece.
“He’s got it all!” This was no understatement from the Goffs auctioneer when describing SEA THE STARS’ son lot 734 as bids rose rapidly to 850,000 Euros before the hammer dropped to John Clarke on behalf of Sunderland Holding. From the first crop of legendary racehorse SEA THE STARS, the colt’s dam has produced five winners including champion three-year-old Soldier Of Fortune and Group 3 scorer Heliostatic. This pair are three-quarter brothers to the Redmondstown Stud foal as they are by Galileo, SEA THE STARS’ half-brother out of the exceptional race and broodmare Urban Sea.
The first of the Gilltown Stud-based sire’s progeny to enter the Goffs ring was a daughter of Finsceal Beo (Mr Greeley), lot 581. This dam’s record on the racecourse is more than worthy of her champion racehorse suitor SEA THE STARS as Finsceal Beo was a champion two-year-old filly and dual Guineas winner. The result of this union was understandably eagerly anticipated in the ring and the Al-Eile Stud-consigned chestnut was eventually knocked down to agent John McCormack after seeing off John Clarke at 800,000 Euros.
The second filly to reach 800,000 Euros was lot 685, a bay foal born in May and presented by Redmondstown Stud. This three-quarter sister to three Galileo black-type fillies including dual Group 3 winner and 1000 Guineas runner-up Cuis Ghaire and 1000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes second Gile Na Greine went to agent Rob Spears on behalf of Ibraham Araci, owner of dual Group 3 scorer and 2000 Guineas third Native Khan (Azamour).
Jim Bolger’s Redmondstown Stud also presented a SEA THE STARS filly out of a winning full sister to champion two-year-old and promising young sire Teofilo. This lot 687 was sold to owner Julie Wood for 300,000 Euros. Lot 601, from the Castlebridge Consignment and out of Listed winner Humilis (Sadler’s Wells), raised 110,000 Euros from Blandford Bloodstock.
The five foals recorded an average of 572,000 Euros, way above the three-day sale average of 28,478 Euros and median of 16,000 Euros. SEA THE STARS’ fee for the 2012 breeding season at H.H. the Aga Khan’s Gilltown Stud has recently been announced as 85,000 Euros.
Updated on 18/11/2011.
