Having brought his Blue Point filly to the Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale in an attempt to make her stand out, it's fair to say that Paul McCartan's methodology paid off and then some at Park Paddocks on Wednesday when the daughter of Darley's red-hot stallion smashed the record price for the Somerville at 190,000gns. Kerri Radcliffe struck the winning bid, with the filly reportedly heading into training with Richard Hannon.Lot 244 was the second yearling on the day to change hands for a greater sum than 160,000gns – the previous record for this sale – with lot 114, a Sioux Nation filly from Luke Barry's Manister House Stud, being the first to put her flag on the summit when knocked down to Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock for 185,000gns.Whilst a satisfied Barry would later reveal his quiet optimism that such a result might have been within the reach of his pride and joy, a phlegmatic McCartan suggested that anything other than a record-breaking showing from his Blue Point filly would have come as a disappointment, with such feats all coming in a day's work for the Ballyphilip Stud boss.“No, no, absolutely not,” he swatted back when asked whether he was shocked to set a new benchmark for the Somerville, in its sixth year, with the only yearling by Blue Point in the catalogue.“We put her in this sale to stick out, really. She was a very good package. Blue Point, we all know about him – he's had a super year and he's been a very lucky stallion for me. It's a young Pivotal mare that has bred two black-type horses already. The horse in Italy [Listed-winning juvenile Niente Scuse] could be very, very good. He's owned by Mike Repole and he could be anything.”He added, “I was very happy with the price and I think the people who bought her have got good value, actually.”The top lot was bought on behalf of a syndicate, according to Radcliffe, who confessed that the filly had indeed stood out, at least once the agent had taken a second look to make sure that all was as it seemed.“I was actually at a Bon Jovi concert on Sunday night so, when I came in here on Monday, I wasn't very fresh, I have to say!” she joked. “But when I saw her, I thought, 'Oh, I need to see her again just in case my eyes are deceiving me.' She was a standout.“The breeder, the pedigree, everything about her is just fabulous. Blue Point is on fire, she's a great filly, so it's happy days. She's going to go to Richard Hannon, I've been told. So, Richard, you're getting this filly!”'We always had a lot of confidence in her'Paddy Twomey is set to be the lucky recipient of the Sioux Nation filly bought by McStay and consigned by Barry, with the purchaser of Sun Goddess and the vendor of Velozee combining to provide another boost to the reputation of Coolmore's stallion of the moment.Describing the progeny of Sioux Nation as “hard to walk away from” – as he found with the subsequent G1 Phoenix Stakes heroine Sun Goddess at last year's Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale – McStay was buoyed in this pursuit by the confidence instilled in him by Barry.Barry, of course, knows a thing or two himself about what a good Sioux Nation looks like, having bred and consigned the other standout juvenile for the sire this year in Velozee, the winner of the Listed First Flier Stakes and third-place finisher behind her paternal sibling in the Phoenix.“We were very lucky to breed a good filly that I sold last year and loved,” Barry said of Velozee. “I saw this particular yearling at the sales as a foal [at Goffs when led out unsold at €47,000] and I saw a huge resemblance. She was just a little bit immature in places, which allowed me to buy into her.“Then along came Velozee, who has been a flagbearer for the farm this year, another Sioux Nation filly. Paddy Twomey has done a great job with her and I'm led to believe that this filly will end up with Paddy as well. She's just a very nice filly, by a stallion who is on fire, so all the stars aligned.”Asked whether he could have envisaged those stars carrying him all the way to a record-breaking sale, there was a definite twinkle in Barry's eye as he replied simply, “We always had a lot of confidence in her.”Bred by Stanley Lodge, this filly is the third reported foal out of the Listed Premio XCII Royal Mares scorer Silberpfeil (Clodovil), with the others including the two-year-old Varzi (Havana Grey), the impressive winner of a Pontefract novice last month, an update Barry described as “a big help”.For McStay, a helping hand was needed from “his two men in New York” in order to see off stiff competition from Jono Mills of Rabbah Bloodstock to secure the Sioux Nation filly. He signed for her in tandem with Emeraldway and Steve Weston's Parkland Thoroughbreds.“There were lots of different people interested in her and I'm delighted we got her,” said McStay. “I had to ask my two men in New York for an extra five thousand, because that was my last bid. But she came well recommended from Luke Barry, which means a lot.“She's been purchased for a number of existing owners with Paddy Twomey – Steve Weston, Steve Rocco and Patrick O'Brien – and she's going to go to Paddy. She looks fast, so let's hope she is fast. She's a lovely filly.”He added of the overall market, “When people bring nice horses to it, they get paid. There is no shortage of money in the ring for the right individual.”'A prolific source of top-class racehorses'Whether those right individuals were on show in the kind of numbers that might have been anticipated is perhaps open to debate, certainly when viewed through the prism of the record-breaking trade witnessed at Park Paddocks 12 months ago.The number of six-figure lots, for example, dropped to five when we saw 10 such yearlings elevate proceedings last year, while the aggregate fell by 14% at 6,781,750gns, despite 12 more yearlings going through the ring than in 2025.Of the 269 yearlings offered, 215 sold at a clearance rate of 80%, down from 91% last year. The average was 31,543gns and the median was 23,000gns, with both of those figures representing an 8% decrease.Tattersalls managing director Matthew Prior said, “The Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale took place for the first time in 2021 and, in its short history, has made significant progress, quickly establishing itself as a prolific source of top-class racehorses. These include the Group 1 winners Bradsell and Anisette, as well as this year's Group 2 Railway Stakes winner, Celeron.“The record price at the Somerville Yearling Sale was broken twice today, headlined by Ballyphilip Stud's outstanding Blue Point filly, who realised 190,000 guineas, whilst the average and median prices were broadly in line with last year's results. However, it must be acknowledged that trading conditions, particularly in the lower echelons of the bloodstock market, remain challenging for some, while cost pressures continue to rise.“This must also be viewed against the backdrop of the current Government's approach to gambling, including increased taxation across the wider gambling sector and the impact of affordability checks, alongside a growing tax burden on businesses, agriculture and high-net-worth individuals. The prospect of further tax increases only adds to these pressures, undermining business confidence and sentiment and doing little to encourage continued investment in British horse racing and the bloodstock industry.”He added, “Despite these headwinds, we now look forward to Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Europe's premier yearling sale, and to welcoming an international cast of buyers to Park Paddocks for one of the highlights of the global bloodstock calendar.”Boughey and Abdullah at the doubleWhilst having to play second fiddle on the Sioux Nation filly, Rabbah Bloodstock had enjoyed better luck earlier in the session with the acquisition of the day's first six-figure yearling, a Mehmas colt from Tally-Ho Stud, at 150,000gns.Lot 45, a half-brother to the GI American Oaks heroine Lady Prancealot (Sir Prancealot), will soon be making the short journey to Craven House Stables, home to George Boughey, who did the bidding alongside his long-time assistant and now bloodstock agent Henry Morshead.“He is a nice colt, perfect for this sort of sale,” said Boughey. “He is forward, ready to rock on with early. Hopefully, he can emulate his half-sister who did so well. He is pretty typical of the sire and behaved beautifully up here. We saw him a couple of times in the yard and we are delighted to get him. He was about where we wanted to be – probably the top end of it.”Boughey later confirmed that the Mehmas colt will sport the familiar silks of Jaber Abdullah, likewise lot 252, a Havana Grey colt who was consigned by Houghton Bloodstock and is also now destined to represent the Boughey/Abdullah axis following his purchase, again for 150,000gns.“It is similar to this morning, trying to find forward two-year-olds, and he fitted the bill,” the Classic-winning trainer added. “It is the same price, the same owner, the same job, really, as this morning. They were two colts who stood out for us and we are very lucky to get them both.”Havana Grey might have made his name as a top-class sprinter, so too the majority of his best progeny, but staying power was the name of the game for his supporters on Wednesday as those in attendance waited for his latest star turn at this sale. As night follows day, it eventually came in the shape of lot 252.Responsible for the top lot at this sale in both 2023 and 2024, and the joint top lot last year, Havana Grey was responsible for four yearlings this year, with the first of them not entering the ring until the autumn chill came in approaching 6pm. All four ended up selling for a total of 360,000gns and at an average of 90,000gns.Another tour de force from Tally-HoMehmas led the sires' table with eight yearlings changing hands for an aggregate sum of 509,000gns, with the sale of lot 45 setting Tally-Ho on the path to leading consignor honours for the second time in as many weeks after the Mullingar farm's strong showing in Doncaster. On Wednesday, Tally-Ho sold 21 yearlings for a total of 976,000gns to end the day as the leading vendor at the Somerville for the second consecutive year.The Tally-Ho draft included four yearlings from the first crop of the G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Good Guess, who enjoyed a productive sale with 11 sold at an average of 34,273gns and for a total of 377,000gns. The most expensive of them was lot 36, a filly out of the winning Requinto mare Mollie The Moo, who is also bound for the Hannon stable after selling to Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock for 72,000gns.Later in the session, Tally-Ho's Roger O'Callaghan found himself on the other end of the transaction when adding lot 192 to his family's squad of breeze-up prospects for 100,000gns. Consigned by Norris Bloodstock, the Harry Angel filly is a full-sister to the Listed Marygate Fillies' Stakes second Harry's Girl (Harry Angel), as well as the colt who now resides in Australia after selling for 160,000gns last year at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.“I'm just so thrilled for [breeders] Clive and Tina [Cox] as they're such good clients,” said Jenny Norris. “The filly's been an absolute superstar. She's had 140-odd shows over the past few days, but she just coped with it all so, so well. We were very realistic with the price and I didn't think she'd make that much. The mare just produces very good-looking stock.“This sale has been really lucky for us. Clive has had a good day because we had the Timeless Gift filly [lot 139] sell for 60,000gns as well -both our Harry [Angel]'s have sold well. It's been a good day.”Eustace finds his next Sands Of MaliHarry Eustace can be forgiven for having a soft spot for Yeomanstown Stud stallion Sands Of Mali, the sire of his Commonwealth Cup winner Time For Sandals, but his purchase of lot 107 from Culworth Grounds Farm was by no means out of sentiment.“We've obviously looked at plenty since her [Time For Sandals] and he's really the first one that we've really thought fit the bill,” Eustace said of the 92,000gns colt. “We were pretty deep into where we thought we'd have to go, but I'd rather buy the one that I remember from the whole sale than anything else. We haven't quite pinned down ownership plans, but I hope he'll be popular. If I can't find an owner for a Sands Of Mali, then I am doing something wrong!”The post Cream Comes To The Top At Somerville With Blue Point Filly Setting New Record At 190,000gns appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.