Second-Crop Son Of St Mark’s Basilica Brings 800,000gns At Tattersalls

A son of the in-form St Mark’s Basilica caught the eye when selling to Amo Racing for 800,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1 on Wednesday.

The colt was consigned by Galbertstown Stables and is a half-brother to the Group 3-placed Technique, being out of the winning Sea The Stars mare Lifting Me Higher.

The son of St Mark’s Basilica was bought by Fearghal Hogan for €120,000 at last year’s Goffs November Foal Sale and provided a fantastic pinhook for the Apollo Bloodstock man when making 800,000gns this afternoon.

Hogan said: “I’m on cloud nine. He had 20 vets, I’ve never seen anything like it before. I knew we had a lot of people at that two to three hundred thousand level, but for the heavy hitters to come in and bring that kind of money was unbelievable. It’s a feeling I can’t explain. I was short of breath watching it! It’s a massive amount of money. It’s life-changing for me.

“I gave plenty of money for the foal on the day I bought him but I loved the individual, the way he walked, and I loved the stallion. It was only in the last few weeks that I started to get really confident.

“I followed every runner he’s had. I was a big believer in him as a racehorse and as a stallion. I’m just delighted.”

This result continued an excellent few days for St Mark's Basilica. The world champion three-year-old sired his first Group 1 winner when Diamond Necklace maintained her unbeaten record in the Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp on Sunday.