Exciting Starspangledbanner Colt Sells For €475,000

A Starspangledbanner colt provided Cristiano Martins and Ronaldo Sosa with a career-best result when selling for €475,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze Up Sale on Friday.

CAJ Stables’ colt entered the ring with a reputation, having produced an impressive breeze the previous day, and bidding opened at €100,000. Alex Elliott, Alessandro Marconi and Mark McStay were among the strongest players, but the hammer eventually fell in favour of Anthony Stroud, acting on behalf of KHK Racing.

“He did an excellent breeze,” the agent later commented. “I think when you convert it to sterling it will look favourable compared to the earlier sales we have had this season. He is a very nice individual, with a pedigree.”

A delighted Cristiano Martins added: “It is a fabulous result. He has always shown himself to be very smart; he has never put a foot wrong. We were expecting him to sell well, but not to that level.

“He is a lovely, strong horse. I don't think he is fully developed yet, and the buyers could see as well that he is a horse for next year. He was just a lovely horse to have in the yard.”

On what it meant to him and his operation, Martins commented: “This is the biggest result at the sales, it is fantastic for us. It is very hard to make a living in this game, most of the time you lose money you don't make it so this means a lot for me and him.”

The prized colt continued a fine week for his sire, who gained his latest stakes winner the previous day when Rafale Design landed the Group 3 Prix Hocquart.