Woodman colt makes 1.125m guineas at Kill

A WOODMAN yearling submitted by Navan breeder Miss Pat O'Kelly, lit up the Goff's arena at Kill last night when fetching over 1.1 million guineas.

Demi O'Byrne finally secured the close relation to Salsabil and other recent Classic winners from Miss O'Kelly's Kilcarn Stud when his second bid at 1.125 million guineas saw off some spirited International competition.

Sheikh Hamdan Al-Maktoum and agent Billy McDonald, acting for a syndicate of Paul Cole's owners, appeared to have settled into a decisive duel with McDonaId getting the better of the argument with a bid of one million.

Then in came O'Byrne, responsible for quite a few of John Magnier and Michael Tabor's best horses of recent seasons such as Thunder Gulch, with just two bids to see off McDonald and leave the packed Goff's crowd gasping.

The son of Woodman is out of Danse Royale, trained by Michael Grassick on the Curragh for Miss O'Kelly to be placed in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and later to score at Group Three level in France.

Before the session ended Sheikh Hamdan signed for lot 100, a full-brother to his good horse Marju submitted by Miss O'Kelly and which was knocked down to the Sheikh for 550,000 guineas.

Trainer Jim Bolger unusually filled the role of leading vendor in the early stages. Bolger's Redmondstown Stud received 200,000 guineas for a February yearling colt by Sadler's Wells out of the Habitat mare Belle Epoque, with agent Michael Keogh of the European Bloodstock Agency the purchaser.

O'Byrne had earlier secured a Sadler's Wells colt from the family of Flame Of Tara and Salsabil for 160,000 guineas.

Man of the moment Frankie Dettori delighted Northern racegoers as he paid a flying visit to Redcar yesterday, and grabbed another three winners at combined odds of 27 1/2 to 1 from his six rides to lift his 1996 tally to 108. The popular Italian enjoyed victories in successive races on Eurolink Spartacus and Darling Flame, and went on to take the finale on Chirico.

But the afternoon had not started the way his followers had hoped for, Dettori's fancied mounts in the two opening events each having to settle for the runner-up spot.