Book 2 sale statistics ( +/- % compared with 2019)

Lots catalogued: 816 (791)

Lots offered: 747 (730)

Lots sold: 637 (620)

Aggregate: 48,362,500gns (0%) * matching last year's record

Median: 50,000gns (-10%)

Average: 75,922gns (-3%)

Lots sold for 300,000gns+: 19 (11)

% clearance: 85%

Top lot: Lot 945 Lope de Vega (IRE) / Loch Ma Naire (IRE) Ch/Gr.C. (GB) sold by Newsells Park Stud Ltd. bought by Godolphin for 675,000gns

Leading consignors (by aggregate): 1. Newsells Park Stud Ltd, 2. Yeomanstown Stud, 3. Barton Stud

Leading purchasers (by aggregate): 1. Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, 2. Shadwell Estate Company, 3. Blandford Bloodstock

Leading sires (by aggregate): 1. Kodiac, 2. Dark Angel, 3. Lope De Vega

Leading sires (two or more sold, by average): 1. Frankel, 2. Teofilo, 3. Kingman (23:00)

Ground-breaking results for Newsells Park Stud.

Five years' ago, Newsells Farm Stud sold the top lot in Book 1, was Book 1's leading consignor by aggregate. The farm also sold that year's top lot in Book 2.

In 2020, the farm has taken its record a stage further dominating the top of the consignors' list in both Book 1 and Book 2.

First, the farm has sold this year's top-priced lot in both sections. In Book 1, the Galileo ex Shastye filly sold to MV Magnier for 3,400,000gns, the only lot to top the 3 million guineas mark. In Book 2, the farm has led this week's proceedings with the sale of the Lope de Vega ex Loch Ma Naire bought by Godolphin for 675,000gns (Lot 945).

Second, Newsells is also leading consignor in both Book 1 and Book 2 by aggregate.

It is the first time since the development of the October Yearling Sale that one farm has claimed all four accolades. (21:02)

Lot 1323: the Day 3 session is topped by the late sale of the Starspangledbanner colt from Ballyhimikin Stud, the February-born yearling selling for 360,000gns to Anthony Stroud and Stroud Coleman Bloodstock.

James Hanly of Ballyhimikin is no stranger to selling top-priced horses at Tattersalls, and was delighted that this good-looking colt from a long-term farm pedigree was so well received.

"We felt he was a very special horse all the way along, he has been special always, and we love Starspangledbanner," said Hanly. "I just want to thank Helen and Frisk [Jones] who do the daily hard work and minding this horse so well.

"This is a family we have had for ever, we bred every single horse on the page. They are all very fast horses so hopefully this one will continue and will add to the family. It is lovely to be able to show horses such as this, it is a pleasure to be around them. Please god he is a good runner."

Of the mare Violet's Gift (Cadeaux Genereux), Hanly said: "She has a Kodiac colt foal and she is in-foal to Night Of Thunder."

Hanly rounded off: "I'd just like to thank Sheikh Mohammed for his support and Tattersalls for putting on the show in such difficult times."

The Kodiac foal is a full-brother to the mare's stakes horse Kodiak West - a Listed runner-up and fourth placed in the Prix Chloe (G3).

Buyer Stroud said: "He is a very good-looking horse who looks fast and he is by a sire who has done really well. He's just a good specimen."

Of this week's trade, Stroud described it as having "a good vibe, with lots of different buyers".

He added: "All of us connected to the bloodstock industry should be grateful to the Maktoum family. They have really shown their true mettle in times that none of us have experienced before. For them to come and support the sales and people's livelihoods has been amqzing. You can not underestimate how much they have done, it's humbling." (20:22)

Lot 1301: Mountain View Stud's pin-hook with JC Bloodstock at 67,000gns reaped rewards tonight selling for 290,000gns. The colt is by Bated Breath who has enjoyed a very strong Book 2 – the Juddmonte son of Dansili has had 13 Book 2 lots sell for an average price of 102,846gns. The sire's top three yearling prices have come this week, with this colt becoming the sire's best-ever yearling sale.

The colt was bought by Shadwell and Angus Gold chatted outside the sale ring.

"I have found it harder than normal to buy horses this week," said Gold. "Obviously with Sheikh Mohammed coming in so strong it has been fantastic for the industry, but hasn't made my job any easier! It has been harder to get the ones we really wanted.

"It is incredible the support the whole business has had considering where we are in the world, I can not believe there is a person who foresaw what was going to happen over the last three days. And it is fair play to everyone who has supported this – there is no prize-money, there is no racing, not a single thing to look forward to on the face of it, it is just the wonderful optimism that the whole thing is based on!"

Asked why Gold thought the market had been so strong this week, he said: "I think that people suddenly thought that if they wanted to buy a horse they needed to get stuck in. From our point of view, Sheikh Hamdan has traditionally bought here with our trainers and, obviously, coming into the sale I didn't know if he was going to be doing that, but he said yes and was happy to do so. We have obviously had a good year on the track and it was lovely that he was willing to go back in."

Of the bidding competition for the choice lots this week, Gold added: "I didn't expect Darley to be as strong as they have been, which has made a big difference, and we saw Demi [O'Byrne] buying so many horses for Peter Brant, and Kia [Joorabchian, Amo Racing] buying so many and lots of others, too. I do think people have just thought they have had to get stuck in – hence prices are what they are."

Of Sheikh Hamdan, Gold updated: "Sheikh Hamdan sounds in great form, he is a little bit angry that we haven't bought more horses, he is angry with me! It think he is in good form, hopefully back to his best." (19:39)

Lot 1272: Meah / Lloyd Bloodstock for US-based owner Calvin Nguyen go to 150,000gns for the Caravaggio filly out of Sutton Veny (Acclamation) sold by Camas Park Stud.

Sutton Veny was a five-time winner and her stakes victories in Ireland and the US included the City Of Hope Mile Stakes (G2), the Ballycorus Stakes (G3), the Thunder Road Stakes (G3) and the Celebration Stakes (L).

Sutton Veny was bought at the December Mares Sale in 2017 by BBA Ireland for 240,000gns

She is from the further family of 2,000 Guineas winner Mystiko. (19:08)

Lot 1270: John and Denis Noonan of Cregg Stud will have reason to look back at the 2020 renewal of the Book 2 October Sale with great pride – the County Cork-based farm brought two colts to sell, Lot 600 by Mehmas and Lot 1270 by Kodiac.

The former sold in the first session for 320,000gns bought by Blandford Bloodstock, the second sold for 300,000gns, bought by Godolphin. Both were led up by Denis Noonan.

"I am gobsmacked at the minute," said a clearly emotional John Noonan, checking his phone to see all the congratulation messages, including from his son who is based in Dubai and had watched online. "I always knew they were a pair of lovely colts and that is why they have come here. This is better than winning the Lotto!

"The mare is good servant to me, she is young mare, and the grand-dam has been a good servant to me, too."

The pedigree has done the Noonans well over the years. This colt's second dam Pirie was bought for just 11,500gns at the December Mares Sale in 2004. She produced Shim Sham in 2005, whom Cregg sold for 180,000gns in Book 1 in 2009; the Noonans bought her back in 2018 just €1,000.

Supreme Occasion was born in 2012and she was leased to Hambleton Racing Ltd XXXIII as a racehorse. She won her first two starts and was fourth placed in the May Hill Stakes (G2) and finished third in the £100,000 Tattersalls Millions Fillies' Stakes. She failed to win again, but achieved a BHA rating high of 99.

"I was hopeful of a good week, there were my two bankers! A lot of work went into them both, and this horse was an easy horse to do. I wish Godolphin the best, he is a lovely colt. Supreme Occasion was rested but is in-foal to Invincible Army," added Noonan. (18:00)

Lot 1243: also out of a Galileo mare, this time an unraced Ballylinch Stud mare named Special Gal, is this lot by Lope De Vega. He was sold for 170,000gns to Shadwell Estate Company.

Special Gal was bought by Ballylinch Stud for €140,000 in 2016. She is a half-sister to two French-based Listed performers as well as Sand River, dam of the Listed winner Sahrawi and the French and Australian Group placed Sarrasin.

Lope De Vega has had 14 yearlings sell in Book 2 for an average price of 135,786gns. He is leading sire by average of those stallions with double-figure representatives in Book 2. (17:06)

Lot 1215: the Parkway Farm-bred daughter of Mastercraftsman out of Simkana sells for 325,000gns and is bought Cormac McCormac for M V Magnier. She is a full-sister to Simannka, a three-time winner and Listed placed.

Breeder Denis McDonnell said: "She has got a Ribchester filly foal and is in-foal to Zoffany. I bought Simkana out of the Aga Khan's after she had foaled Simannka. This is a nicer filly than Simannka. She was a grey filly, she was bought by Paul Makin for €200,000 and was shipped to Australia. She was supposed to be a Group filly, but Paul Makin died and she never ran."

Simkana (Kalanisi) is a half-sister to Sinndar, the champion of 2000, as well as two further black-type runners – Sequence and Simawa, who is dam of four black-type winners and performers.

Mastercraftsman has had 13 yearlings sell in Book 2 for an average price of 92,154gns. (16:01)

Lot 1205: "We are all excited, it is great for the grand-dam too," said Jimmy Murphy of Redpender Stud after selling this son of Bated Breath out of Shy Audience for 260,000gns.

Although she is from Redpender Stud's leading family and is a half-sister to the champion Group 1 winner Toormore and Group 2 winner Estidhkaar, Murphy did not breed her.

"My sons Brian and Eoghan bred Shy Audience and I bought her as a yearling from them," he explained.

Of the decision to send Shy Audience to visit Bated Breath, Murphy said: "He is a proven horse. She has an Expert Eye filly foal and is in-foal to Dandy Man."

Danetime Out, the dam of Shy Audience and the Redpender stars, had a Galileo colt foal this year and was covered by Blue Point. 2021 No Return to Blue Point (IRE)

Agent Matt Coleman was purchaser, buying on behalf of Hong Kong-based trainer John Size 🇭🇰.

"We thought he is a fast-looking, strong, a lovely-looking colt, and from a good farm from Jimmy Murphy's best pedigree,"said Coleman. "This colt is ideal for Hong Kong – he is a big strong great moving horse, plenty of strength and size and a great attitude. He will be pre-trained here, and then will go to Hong Kong."

Of the suitability of stock by Bated Breath for Hong Kong racing, Coleman explained:"Bated Breath is a proven horse and his stock go on fast ground and he gets fast horses, and we are trying to buy a horse with good physicality, with a good pedigree, by a proven sire that goes on fast ground. That Dansili line works very well out there.

"It is about trying to find the fast horse with clean x-rays and got real quality – Anthony [Stroud] and I both loved him, and he put on a great display in the back ring here."

A potential horse for Hong Kong also need some size as Coleman continued.

"They have to race against those big strong rugged Australian-bred sprinters so they need a bit of size and physicality to cope," said the purchaser. "When they are running around those sharp tracks against those big Aussie horses the lighter framed European horse can get bashed out.

"It is hard to find a horse to tick every box, they need size, strength, quality, action, x-rays, pedigree. Obviously many of the pedigrees here are a little bit 'stayery' for Hong Kong and a lot of our sprinters are not enough 'horse'.

"And as these horses don't run until they are three so a horse has got to have a bit of a future, we can't go a ad buy a little 'sharpie' – there is no point buying something that should be going to Royal Ascot." (15:38)

Lot 1192: bred by Faisal Meshrf Alqahtani, his Kingman colt is sold by Barton Stud for 260,000gns. Out of Secret Keeper (New Approach), a half-sister to Prix de Diane (G1) winner Confidential Lady and bought here in 2015 for 45,000gns, the good-looking colt by the Juddmonte sire was bought by Shadwell.

"My client has been incredibly loyal to me and stud. We sold another Kingman colt for him in Book 1 [Lot 183, Kingman ex Go White Lightning, Mike Ryan Agent, 260,000gns] and we love doing well for him, he is great man," said Tom Blain of Barton Stud. "The mare boards with us, she is from a great Cheveley Park Stud family. She has produced some lovely stock and this colt is by far and away her best individual. We wish the best of luck to Sheikh Hamad and Shadwell."

Of this year's foal and her pregnancy status, Blaine updated: "She has a very nice Harry Angel foal and she is in foal to Land Force. She has lots to come and we are very excited." (14:55)

Lot 1164: Corduff Stud sells its Fast Company filly out of Roo to David Redvers Bloodstock for 260,000gns. The Rudimentary dam is ancestress to this year's Sussex Stakes (G1) winner and new Shadwell sire Mohaather (Showcasing) and to the Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 placed Prize Exhibit, whose first foal by Galileo sold for 2.5 million guineas here last week. Redvers was underbidder to sucessful purchaser MV Magnier.

"I finished behind on the Prize Exhibit filly and also behind Mohaather on the racecourse [with Kameko] so it is nice to win one,"smiled Redvers. "She is one for the broodmare band, and it is a rich seam developing from this line through the daughters. We already own Cockney Dancer so it is good to add to the family."

Roo, bred by Gay Johnson Houghton, was bought here in 2009 by Bandford Bloodstock for 200,000gns. (13:42)

Lot 1144: has a romantic twist to the tale and Philipp von Stauffenberg was quite emotional when chatting about the successful 200,000gns sale of the Sea The Moon filly already named Rain to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock.

"My wife Marion and I met through this filly's third dam Fraulein Tobin, and she was our foundation mare," said Stauffenberg. "We had some daughters but they are all retired and we did not have second generation, that's why we were keen to buy back into the family and we bought Relevant here in 2017.

"We put her into training with Stuart Williams in Newmarket, and he is brilliant trainer and she won by 8l, that was very exciting. Because she was in training in Newmarket and we wanted to cover her in Newmarket we sent her to Sea The Moon – he is a good stallion, he is doing well and I have prepped a big number of the Sea the Moons and the results were very good not only in the sale ring but on the race track, as well. So we thought it was a good mating for a first time. This is a lovely lovely filly."

Relevant has a colt by Gleneagles and is in-foal to Dark Angel – Stauffenberg added: "We have some faith in Relevant!"

Of his two weeks at Tattersalls, Stauffenberg said: "Last week was very good for us, and this sale was a fantastic result."

In Book 1 Stauffenberg Bloodstock averaged 297,000gns for five sold with a top price of 600,000gns given for Lot 189 – a filly by Wootton Bassett and out of Green Diamond Lady, bought by Charlie Gordon Watson Bloodstock. (12:56)

Lot 1116: Kilminfoyle House Stud lands a nice touch with a colt by Sea The Moon – the January colt was bought as a foal with Five Star Bloodstock for €42,000 and is sold today for 200,000gns, bought by Anthony Stroud for Stroud Coleman Bloodstock.

"He is very nice horse," said Michael Fitzpatrick of Kilminfoyle. "He is out of a Dubawi mare and has lot of Dubawi about him. He will probably be a more back-end two-year-old type – his sire has had a very good year.

"I really do want to mention my staff Pamela and Santos, I really could not do this without them."

The Lanwades Stud sire Sea The Moon (Sea The Stars) achieved his first Group 1 progeny win this summer with Alpine Star's Coronation Stakes (G1) victory at Royal Ascot. The Jessica Harrington-trained and Niarchos Family-owned filly has subsequently collected three Group 1 runner-up spots in the Prix de Diane, the Prix Jacques les Marois and in the Prix de l'Opera. She is entered in this weekend's 1m2f Champion Stakes at Ascot. (12:00)

Lot 1111: the daughter of Churchill fetches 340,000gns, she is bought by Simon Crisford's Gainsborough Thoroughbreds for MV Magnier, from Croom House Stud, bred by Epona Bloodstock Ltd.

"She is a lovely filly, very racy and athletic, and she showed herself off well," said Crisford. "MV Magnier really loved her, she will be for a Coolmore partnership."

The filly is out of Pussycat Lips, dam of three winners (Surround, her three-year-old by Iffraaj, recently got off the mark in the US), two of which are black-type placed with Special Purpose (2015 by Scat Daddy) Group 3 placed in the Dick Poole Stakes.

Through the 2020 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale so far, Churchill has had three yearlings make over 300,000gns bred off a 2018 covering fee of €35,000. (11:39)

Lot 1108: "He is the spitting image of Oasis Dream at this stage. This is an incredible horse, a great walker. He is bred on the same lines as Kingman, he was an obvious horse for us," said Simon Mockridge of Juddmonte Farms after going to 310,000gns for the colt by the Juddmonte's son of Green Desert and out of Pure Line (Zamindar), a daughter of Pure Grain (Polish Precedent), the 1995 champion three-year-old. The April-born colt was bred by W. & R. Barnett Ltd.

Mockridge said: "Once he is broken then we will let everyone know about his trainer. We are hoping he is going to be a good horse."

Of the last couple of weeks for Kingman, Mockridge added: "Kingman has had an extraordinary sale, he is extraordinary horse and physically he stamps them vey well and meets the commercial market. He has had a fantastic year on the track."

Take a look at the 📷 to see the colt's likeness to Oasis Dream with this link here: https://www.tattersalls.com/gallery/2020/october-yearling-sale-book-2-2020?url=gallery/2020/october-yearling-sale-book-2-2020&page=6#lg=1&slide=19 (11:26)

Day 2 session statistics: ( +/- % compared with 2019)

Lots catalogued: 270 (263)

Lots offered: 252 (240)

Lots sold: 21613 (207)

Aggregate: 17,987,500gns (+4%)

Median: 52,000gns (-20%)

Average: 84,448gns (+1%)

% clearance: 85%

Top lot: Lot 945, Lope de Vega ex Loch Ma Naire, sold by Newsells Park Stud Ltd, bought by Godolphin for 675,000gns

Leading consignors (by aggregate): 1. Newsells Park Stud Ltd, 2. Ballylinch Stud, 3. Barton Stud

Leading purchasers (by aggregate): 1. Shadwell Estate Company, 2. Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, 3. Blandford Bloodstock

Leading sires (by aggregate): 1. Kodiac, 2. Lope De Vega, 3. Night Of Thunder

Leading sires (by average): 1. Frankel, 2. Teofilo, 3. Siyouni (22:19)

Lot 1053: from the first-crop of the Cheveley Park Stud sire Ulysses (Galileo) and out of the black-type mare On Her Toes (Kodiac), this homebred colt fetches 200,000gns, bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock.

It is the second-best price given so far for a yearling by the sire after Shadwell Estate spent 320,000gns on Lot 501 in Book 1.

On Her Toes is a half-sister to the black-type runner Jane's Memory and to the dam of Internationaldream, placed third in this year's Molecomb Stakes (G3) and second in Ripon Champion 2yo Trophy (L).

The sire's stud fee in 2018 was £30,000. He is averaging 80,750gns for four sold this week. In Book 1 , the sire had 12 sell for an average price of 99,333gns. (20:44)

Lot 1037: the New Bay colt from Ballylinch Stud sells for 400,000gns and is the most expensive yearling by the young Dubawi sire so far to sell in the auction ring.

He was bred by the Kilkenny-based stud and, in the dark early evening at Park Paddocks, John O'Connor, who was standing outside the sale ring, was a delighted breeder and stud managing director.

"We bought the mare at Tattersalls here five years ago," he reported. "We sold a very nice Kodiac filly out of her a couple of years ago, and she was trained by Saeed bin Suroor. She looked very promising. She was beaten a short head first time out and then was second twice, I think she had a little set back since then, but she's a talented filly.

"I think more this horse as an individual that caught the eye, when he was down at the barn, when viewers came to see him, he just had an extraordinary action and he is the same when he is lunging, he has a lot of quality."

Three leading Ballylinch Stud-based stallions – Lope De Vega, New Bay and Make Believe – have been getting consistently strong results through the past two weeks at Tattersalls. Through the two sessions so far of Book 2, Lope De Vega is averaging 143,400gns for ten horses sold, New Bay 160,143gns for seven sold and Make Believe is averaging 82,667gns for three. "The stallions are going well, we are delighted with the way the market is receiving them," said O'Connor. "But the reason the are selling well is that they are getting winners in the right places and the right types of tracks and the right stakes races. That is what it is all about in the end – sales should be about racing."

The colt was bought by Anthony Stroud, who said: "He is by New Bay who is a son of Dubawi and has been going well. He is an athletic, well-balanced horse. He is for Godolphin." (20:19)

Lot 1034: the bidding was opened up at 200,000gns, and closed down at 400,000gns, Angus Gold on both ends of the transaction.

"He was always going to be an expensive horse so I thought why not get on with it?"said Gold. "He is a sharp racy horse by Kodiac, a stallion who gets proper sharp two-year-olds and is out of a Dark Angel mare who could run. Lots of our trainers liked him and he is going to William Haggas," concluded Gold.

The colt is out of Nations Alexander, winner of the Sweet Solera Stakes (G3) and threetime Group 2 placed. He was sold by Mountarmstrong Stud.

It was a 24th horse bought through 2020 Book 2 by Shadwell and Gold had some thoughts on the trade so far this week.

"I think it is the strongest sale I have been to in ten years! We have been underbidder at least 12 times at relatively big sums of money," he recalled. "There are a lot of people spending money. We really struggled [to buy] yesterday, but we have had a better day today in terms of numbers. The world is upside down, no one can go racing, there is no prize-money, yet trade is like this!

"And fair play to everyone for putting on the sales this year, working together, it has been incredible, the good will between all. It is remarkable that after two weeks of sales we are all here, we are very lucky and there should be a lot of credit to those who have made it happen." (20:05)

Lot 1006: Ringfort Stud has had a fine year on the track – courtesy of Miss Amulet's win in the Lowther Stakes (G2) and second placing in the Cheveley Park Stakes (G1), Minzaal's victory in the Gimcrack Stakes (G2) and third placing in the Middle Park Stakes (G1), and Ubettabelieveit's Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes success.

Today that run of form transferred to the sale ring, the farm's Fastnet Rock May-born colt out of Miss Liguria selling to the Hong Kong Jockey Club today for 240,000gns. The mare is a placed Galileo half-sister to the Listed winners Miss Cap Estel (Hernando) and St Jean Cap Ferrat (Domedriver).

Third dam is the Sun Chariot Stakes (G2) runner-up and Nassau Stakes (G2) third Miss Beaulieu.

It is a fourth Book 2 purchase for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, average price being 173,750gns. (19:22)

Lot 986: Camelot has had a great year on the track in 2020 gaining two new Group 1 winners – Russian Camelot in the southern hemisphere and Even So, winner of the Irish Oaks, for trainer Ger Lyons. The son of Montjeu is now the sire of five global Group 1 winners.

Bids came from all around the sale ring for this filly by the sire and consigned by Baroda Stud, but in the end it was Simon Crisford, standing in the bidders, who prevailed at 360,000gns. The trainer just finishing his bidding rushing off to watch a runner at Leicester.

The filly out of Matorio (Oratorio) was bred by Frank Antonacci and David Reid, who own a share in the stallion No Nay Never.

Matorio, runner-up in the Prix du Muguet (G2), was bought by Mick Flanagan at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2017 for 125,000gns. She is a half-sister to the 5f Group 3 winner Batwan and has bred one winner from one runner – Thaniella (Nathaniel), a winner as a three-year-old in France this year.

"The mare is at Baroda and she went to No Nay Never but didn't take and transferred to Camelot," said Cox, who added:"Luckily it has all worked out well. She had a No Nay Never colt foal this year and is in-foal to No Nay Never. "

With all the sale location changes that have taken place through this strange year of 2020, it has been a long stint in the UK for the Irish-based Baroda team, as Cox said: "It has been my fourth week in England in a row, but it is great that the sales are happening, I can't complain."

Comparing the trade through Book 1 with this week's Book 2 sale, Cox said: "This week there has been demand at all levels, I'd say the clearance rate is very high."

Indeed the clearance rate for the Book 2 October Yearling Sale so far (two-thirds of the way through the second session) is holding steady at 86 per cent.

(And sadly this report has not quite run to script to provide us with the fairytale ending... Simon and Ed Crisford's runner Persian Beauty was not a winner... the son of Dubawi finishing a decent fourth on the heavy ground 🏇) (18:08)

Lot 954: matches last year's Book 2 lots sold for 300,000gns or more at 11 when this filly by Frankel out of Love Is Blindness (Sir Percy) makes 460,000gns. She was bought by De Burgh Equine / Glen Hill Farm, and is another top October sale for consignor Norelands Stud.

The filly was bred by Mr John Camilleri, breeder of the wonder racemare Winx. Sadly, the news came through today from the southern hemisphere that the 33-time winner has lost her first foal, a filly by I Am Invincible.

De Burgh Equine purchased dam Love Is Blindness on behalf of Camilleri for €380,000 in 2016, and so knew her Frankel daughter since birth.

"She has been bought for Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farms to go into training with Fozzy Stack," said de Burgh. "We tried all week through Book 1 and could not get anything.

"This filly is by one of the great sires of the modern era and there are Classics winners in her page, she could be Guineas or Oaks filly.

"On top of that she is a beautiful looking filly from a top farm where I keep a lot of stock, and I've known her since she was foaled.

"I watched her and every time I have seen her she gets better and better and better. As you can see she is Queen. Now keep our fingers crossed and hope she is going to be as good as we think she is going to be!"

Of the buyer Craig Bernick, De Burgh added: "Craig is a great lover of the horse industry and going to be a great breeder, he has got some wonderful stock in Europe already. He wants to collect this quality of bloodstock because he is thinking 20 years ahead, hopefully she will be one of the foundation mares in the broodmare band. Craig is developing an Australian operation, European and American, it is very exciting."

De Burgh rounded off by saying; "You just don't get your hands on fillies like this. She has a bit of Frankel about her, she really walks, has a really good hind-quarter, she is just all quality."

In the US, Glen Hill is based in Ocala, Florida with a division in Kentucky (16:41)

Lot 945: new top lot of the sale, Lope De Vega colt sells for 675,000gns and becomes the 10th lot to sell for 300,000gns or more this week. He is out of the mare Loch Ma Naire (Galileo), was bred by St Albans Bloodstock and sold by Newsells Park Stud.

"He is bred on a successful cross – Lope De Vega ex Galileo – he is an attractive horse and beautifully bred and Lope De Vega has done incredibly well," said Stroud, after buying on behalf of Godolphin.

"The team did a great job prepping him but we have only had him for eight or nine weeks, that must go to Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock that bred him and the farm that raised him," said Julian Dollar of Newsells Park Stud.

"In this climate we did not think it would be at all easy, but the sale seems to have taken off something incredible this week. I keep thinking there was value last week, but I am not complaining it is fantastic, thanks to all the people prepared to take their hands out of their pockets and spend big money on racehorses, long may it continue." (16:16)

Lot 931: Laurence Gleeson of Aughamore Stud was all smiles after selling his Mastercraftsman colt for 210,000gns – he and his brother Michael pinhooked the Ross Moorhead-bred colt for €62,000 last autumn.

"He was just a quality foal," said Gleeson, "and he has become a very attractive yearling. He has turned inside out and is a sashing horse. He vetted well and all the right people were on him."

The trade through the two sessions of Book 2 has been very strong, but still the Gleesons were not sure what to expect coming into the ring. "We were hopeful, but that is quite a lot more we could have expected," he added.

The colt is out of the placed Araafa mare Lea Valley and hails from the extended family of the 14-time winner and five-time Group 1 winner Fame And Glory and the champion three-year-old filly Legatissimo, winner of the Nassau Stakes (G1), the 1,000 Guineas (G1) and the Matron Stakes (G1). (15:13)

Lot 915 and Lot 916: both lots provide good turns for their pinhook investors.

Lot 915, a son of Shalaa, was bought by Peter and Ross Doyle for 90,000gns, and he was sold today by Pier House Stud for 250,000gns, bought by Sackville Donald. Since last year his half-sister Pretty Gorgeous (Lawman) has provided a significant pedigree update – she won the Fillies' Mile (G1) last week and was runner-up in the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) in September.

"This colt has improved all year," said Ger Morrin of Pier House Stud. "The pedigree has, of course, developed, but I am very hopeful he could become a very good horse."

Lot 916 was bought as a foal for 125,000gns by Yeomanstown Stud, who sold the son of Acclamation today for 300,000gns to Anthony Stroud. The colt is a half-brother to Burnt Sugar (winner Sirenia Stakes (G3)) and Brown Sugar (winner Molecomb Stakes (G3)). The mare has had five winners from seven runners.

He was bred by Ballylinch Stud. (14:36)

Lot 878: "This is the mare's first foal and I wanted to send her to a proper stallion, he is beautiful yearling and I am so delighted he has gone to such a fabulous owner," said Henrietta Egan of Corduff Stud after selling her Teofilo colt out of her own mare Island Remede to Shadwell Estates for 260,000gns.

Egan had bought and signed for the mare herself at the 2015 December Mares Sale paying 43,000gns for the daughter of Medicean, who had finished runner-up in the St Simon Stakes (G3) and was BHA rated 101.

"She is the only mare that I have 100 per cent of!" she laughed, adding: "She has got a beautiful Camelot filly foal and she is in-foal to Phoenix Of Spain – on the back of that we might have to go back to Teofilo."

Coming into the sale she said: "I have been very nervous, we had a bit of a shaky week last week – this has definitely put a smile back on all our faces. He was very popular, we are very lucky." (13:00)

Lot 853: White Birch Farm / Demi O'Byrne quickly buy again, this time going to 300,000gns for a filly by first-crop sire Ribchester. It was another good sale through the 2020 October for Norelands Stud, who bred the filly in partnership with Patrick Robinson, author of the famed bloodstock novel "Horse Trader: Robert Sangster and the Rise and Fall of the Sport of Kings".

The filly is out of the young mare Hint Of Pink and Parchemin, her second foal by Lope De Vega and in training with Andre Fabre, became her first runner and winner on his sole start to date.

"Her half-brother winning in the last week or so that was big plus, timing is everything in this business," said Harry McCalmont of Norelands. "I am very pleased because she belongs with my good friend Patrick Robinson. A couple of years ago Patrick wrote a book called 'Lone Survivor' which became a blockbuster movie. Patrick decided to retire and take up breeding horses, and gave me a few quid to spend on horses. I am delighted for him."

Explaining the reason for the Ribchester cover for the mare, McCalmont said: "We liked the horse a lot, we use quite a lot of first-season horses and he was a very good racehorse and is a good-looking horse. We got a beautiful filly. It is nice when a plan comes together, it doesn't happen very often."

Hint Of Pink had a Saxon Warrior colt foal this spring, and was covered by Ten Sovereigns.

This colt is the second by Ribchester to fetch over 300,000gns – Book 1's Lot 425 from Highclere Stud sold to Ben McElroy for 350,000gns last week. (12:30)

Lot 843: the Aga Khan Studs-based sire Siyouni is currently leading the Book 2 way by sire average – he has had two lots sell for an average price of 205,000gns, and this colt by the son of Pivotal from Newsells Park Stud fetched 300,000gns, bought by Godolphin.

He is out of the Oh So Sharp Stakes (G3) winner Havant (Halling) , the dam of two winners, both of whom have won as two-year-olds.

"He belonged to James and Anita Wigan, and they are delighted with that and he is a really lovely little horse, he had a great temperament," said Julian Dollar of Newsells. "James rang me and said 'I got two yearling colts, one that I want to keep and one that I want to sell, would you look after them?' One is a very nice Dubawi out of Dank, and he is in the paddock and I keep looking at him admiringly, and the other is this colt.

"Just very lucky that their owners entrusted us with their lovely horses." (12:15)

Lot 840: White Birch Farm and Demi O'Byrne spend 310,000gns on this son of Showcasing out of Harlequin Twist (Acclamation). He was sold by Kenilworth House Stud, the second-best price the farm has achieved with a yearling sale at Tattersalls.

Gerry Ross, manager of Kenilworth, pinhooked the colt with a "couple of mates" named Friends Bloodstock going to 70,000gns for the colt here last year when he was offered by Whitsbury Manor Stud. He was bred by Silver Bloodstock.

Ross said: "He had a good walk – as auctioneer Alastair Pim said he had one of the best-looking walkers he had seen through the two weeks. A foal will never lose its walk. Hopefully, he will go to fulfil his potential. he has been flat to the board here all week and his last show was as good as his first. He has been a pro so far, hopefully he will continue."

Of the prospects ahead of this sale for a profitable result, Ross said: "A week ago I would never had dreamt of that sort of money, but once you've a couple of big players involved you never know where it is going to end.

"Yesterday's trade was the best trade there has been all year. There was no vendor going into the ring with their chest out, but at least you've a bit more confidence. We had just the two pinhook yearlings here, with a lovely Starspangledbanner coming up this morning, and then a few foals to sell later this year. "

Of the plans to roll the dice again at the foal sales with another pinhook venture, Ross smiled: "We have to try to do something!" (12:01)

Lot 828: becomes the first to fetch over 200,000gns today, the May-born Bated Breath colt from Baroda Stud selling for 260,000gns, bought by Anthony Stroud for Stroud Coleman Bloodstock. He is the most expensive yearling sold in the auction ring by the Juddmonte sire.

It was also a strong return on the colt's pinhook price from last year, David Cox of Baroda explained: "We bought him off Acorn Stud at €95,000 – he was an expensive pinhook, but it has worked out well.

"During the year I was worried whether he would be big enough, you had to take into account his date of birth, but through the last few months he has done well, and he is going to continue, I think he will be a smashing horse.

"It is a very fast family. Simon Crisford has the two-year-old half-brother by Twilight Son and I know he thinks a lot of him – Star Bloodstock had him a breeze up horse."

The mare Guana (Dark Angel) was unraced but she has more than made up for that omission with her three runners to date – all are winners, and her second runner Great Prospector was the winner of four races and was a Superlative Stakes (G2) third, while her third runner Rumble Inthejungle won the Molecomb Stakes (G3) and was placed third in the Middle Park Stakes (G1). All her foals have been bred by Patrick Gleeson.

There is speed all the way through this pedigree. Under the second dam is Birchwood, a winner of the Superlative Stakes (G2) and third in the National Stakes (G1) and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), while the third dam Jubilee Song is ancestress of another Molecomb Stakes (G3) winner in Millyant, also winner of the Prix du Gros-Chene (G1), and Prince Sabo, Group 1 placed and winner of the Flying Childers Stakes (G2).

Of the process getting to Book 2 through 2020, Cox said: "It was nervous few months trying to decide what sale to go to, and we wanted to give him as much time as possible and it has worked out. The lads at home have done a great job getting the colt here looking like he did.

Of this week's sale's progress so far, he added: "It has been strong trade, we kind of knew from the days showing beforehand as there were trainers looking for horses at all different levels.

"Considering what else is going on in the world, we are very lucky this is going ahead and it has been run very well by the sale companies." (11:35)

Day 1 session statistics: ( +/- % compared with 2019)

Lots catalogued: 273 (265)

Lots offered: 255 (249)

Lots sold: 216 (205)

Aggregate: 15,236,500gns (-5%)

Median: 52,000gns (-5%)

Average: 70,539gns (-10%)

% clearance: 85%

Top lot: Lot 576, Kingman-Allez Y, sold by Norelands Stud, Ireland, bought by Godolphin, 400,000gns

Leading consignors (by aggregate): 1. Barton Stud, 2. Newsells Park Stud Ltd., 3. Highclere Stud

Leading purchasers (by aggregate): 1. Stroud Coleman Bloodstock, 2. Blandford Bloodstock, 3. Sackville Donald

Leading sires (by aggregate): 1. Dark Angel, 2. Kodiac, 3. Night Of Thunder (21:57)

Lot 783: becomes the pinhook result of session 1... bought by McKeever from Rossenarra Stud for €30,000 as a foal, the Holy Roman Emperor colt is sold today for 235,000gns by Ballyhimikin Stud to Sackville Donald.

James Hanly of Ballyhimikin said: "We had a lot of interest in him and we've always liked Holy Roman and he has been a great sire to us. We have always bred to him and will continue to do so!"

"The McKeevers and I picked him out together, Johnny and Susie are in Australia and they were watching on. They are thrilled."

The colt was bred by Stuart McPhee Bloodstock out of the unraced Pivotal mare Fire Heroine. She is the dam of one winner, and her third dam is the black-type mare Anna Palariva, dam of Anna Salai, runner-up in the Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1), and ancestress of Group 1 winner National Defense.

McPhee bought Fire Heroine from the Darley draft at the July Sale 2015 for 6,000gns. She was covered in 2020 by Zoffany. (20:34)

Lot 769: this year's juvenile filly Saffron Beach won her first race on her first start on September 26, and, on her second start just 13 days later, won the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes. Trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam has said since the stakes win that she is considering a possible tilt at the Breeders' Cup with the daughter of New Bay and a Classic 1,000 Guineas campaign next spring.

The filly's half-brother by Exceed And Excel becomes Shadwell Stud's eighth purchase in the first session of Book 2 when spending 120,000gns on the Baroda Stud-consigned colt. (20:11)

Lot 767: becomes the day's second top price, the filly by Dark Angel sold to David Redvers Bloodstock by Yeomanstown Stud for 390,000gns. She is sister to two stakes horses – her three-year-old half-sister Queen Of Love (Kingman) winner of the Listed Prix Coronation Stakes since the catalogue was published. It means that the mare Extricate (Exceed And Excel) has two stakes winners from three runners.

"I thought she was lovely," said Redvers. "She joins Qatar Racing and is one for the long term for our breeding plans. She looked all speed, she is a little cracker."

David O'Callaghan of Yeomanstown said: "She is a beautiful filly, very fast looking. She is a full-sister to the Listed winner Dark Liberty and a half-sister to a very promising filly in Queen Of Love. The best thing though – Guy [O'Callaghan] bought Extricate back from Sweden and entered her to sell and Gay [O'Callaghan] bought her. Guy says that he didn't charge him half enough!" (19:59)