Tattersalls made a solid start to their 2023 auction campaign with last week’s February Sale highlighted by a top price of 250,000gns, the top lot achieved on the opening day when blueblooded 10yo mare Now Or Never was knocked down to BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe. Unsurprisingly, there was plenty of interest in the Classic and Group One placed daughter of Bushranger with Baroda Stud’s David Cox, Avenue Bloodstock’s Mark McStay and Tally-Ho Stud’s Tony O’Callaghan all making bold attempts to secure her.

'A HIGH CLASS RACE FILLY'

On the track, she won the Group 2 Rose of Kingston Stakes and the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial, while also placed in the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas. She is a half-sister to the dual Group One winner Fairyland, and their dam, Queenofthefairies, is a half-sister to the Group 1 July Cup winner Dream Ahead. She was offered in foal to 2000 Guineas winner Kameko whose first crop were foaled last year.

"She is for an existing client, she will be foaled down in Ireland and then we can decide what to do with her," reported Donohoe. "She might be covered southern hemisphere time or could head to Australia. My client has mares in Europe and Australia, so can look at options. "She was obviously a high class race filly herself and she is from a proper fast family.

Her late cover and the fact that she missed a year might be the reason why she has not made quite what she might have, hopefully she might be a bit of value." Two lots earlier Hugo Merry, buying on behalf of Blue Diamond Stud, had secured the 6yo mare Queenhope for 140,000gns. The twice winning Kendargent mare is a full-sister to Kenhope, winner of the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte and placed in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes and Prix Rothschild.

Queenhope was offered in foal to stallion of the moment New Bay who was represented by Group One winners Bay Bridge, Bayside Boy and Saffron Beach in 2022. Merry said: "This mare is a complete outcross and will be a very easy mare to mate. We have seen her Galiway yearling at Barton Stud and she is a very, very good first foal.

Queenhope is a very commercial mare, and I know the family well through my client Dr Poonawalla. Blue Diamond was keen to buy into this Grey Sovereign line. It is so hard to buy interesting pedigrees now, and ones that are a complete outcross but really it is the quality of her first foal that really sold her to us.

She is carrying to New Bay and he is now a €75,000 cover." For the same price of 140,000gns, an unnamed 2yo Galileo colt, offered on behalf of Lady Ogden, was purchased by the father and son team of Con and Neil Sands under their Bronsan Racing banner. The colt is out of the Tale Of The Cat mare Messias Da Silva and is a half-brother to the dual Group One winner Amazing Maria, who won the Falmouth Stakes and Prix Rothschild for the late Sir Robert Ogden.

After the purchase Neil Sands said: "They are becoming a rare breed these Galileos, obviously he has been one of the greatest stallions of the modern era and my father, who is the principal of our team, has had this type of horse as a target for a long time.

"The plan is to get him home, we have great trust in Irish trainers. We have a good few of our stable with Joseph O'Brien and we will make a plan over the next few weeks. We are very excited to add this colt to our stable, which is growing exponentially." Placed multiple times in Group company and once touted as a potential Derby contender, Brentford Hope was the star turn on the second day of the auction, selling to agent Ed Bailey and rookie National Hunt trainer Harry Derham for 90,000gns, making him the fifth top lot overall. The 6yo Camelot gelding has been Group placed on three occasions and is no stranger to hurdling, finishing second on three occasions over hurdles at the end of last year for trainer Richard Hughes. That price was 8,000gns less than Stroud Coleman Bloodstock had paid for 4yo filly Moon De Vega the previous evening.