Buyers trod carefully during the opening session of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale Nov. 25, with the first of four days finishing with a clearance rate of just 66%.
That figure came after 172 lots were offered and 114 found a new home. In turn, the aggregate stood at 1,684,200gns (US$2,324,196; 1 guinea=US$1.38), which was actually up 26% year-on-year despite a 5% reduction in offered lots. The average price was up 22% to 14,775gns (US$20,390), while the median was up 8% at 9,750gns (US$13,455).
While selectivity was the theme of the day, there was almost a stampede when Norris Bloodstock presented the Dragon Symbol colt (Lot 304) out of Perfect Showdance.
Glenvale Stud's Ciaran 'Flash' Conroy and agent Matt Coleman were among those who took an active part in driving the price, but the final bid of 75,000gns (US$103,500) came from an online participant. Leading pinhooker Paul McCartan signed his Ballyphilip Stud brand on the digital docket.
"He's a lovely individual," said McCartan after emerging from the sales ring. "The sire was a fast horse and this colt's out of a Showcasing mare. She's still a young mare and she's bred a horse that's rated 94 already. It's all 2-year-old speed, and that'll do for anybody."
The colt was bred by Bridget Drew's Mildmay Bloodstock and is a half brother to the improving 3-year-old Itsatenfromlen, a two-time winner in France for Amy Murphy, who was last seen scoring at Jebel Ali on debut for the Doug Watson stable.
"At home, he's been so straightforward and we felt he was a good type of a horse, but it was hard to gauge how much he'd make once he got up here," said Mildmay's stud manager, Oliver Nash. "The Dragon Symbols we've seen are lovely and I think people have confidence he's come up with a nice crop of foals.
"This colt's a nice, clean, straightforward, scopey individual, and the mare's going great guns too. Her Sergei Prokofiev (Itsatenfromlen) has done fantastically and won some nice races. She's back in foal to Sergei and it looks like she'll go back to Dragon Symbol after this!"
The colt is one of 114 foals in the debut crop of Whitsbury Manor Stud's Dragon Symbol. The son of Cable Bay won four races for Archie Watson, but is arguably best remembered for being demoted to second, having finished first past the post, in the Commonwealth Cup (G1), awarded to Campanelle.
He also reached the podium in the July Cup (G1) won by Starman and the Nunthorpe landed by Winter Power. He registered a fifth victory in a Hamilton conditions stakes having switched to Roger Varian for his 4-year-old campaign.
He covered his first two books at £8,000, a fee that remains unchanged for 2026.
Dragon Symbol ended the day with 15 lots changing hands for a combined 409,500gns and an average price of 27,300gns.
