€85,000 3yo heads great day for Westerner at Derby Sale

A first-crop son of Westerner was the early star at the opening session of Tattersalls Ireland’s Derby Sale at Fairyhouse on Thursday when selling for 85,000 euros. The half-brother to this year’s G1 Champion Bumper winner Cue Card, out of the high-class King’s Ride mare Wicked Crack, was bred in Wales by Roland Crellin and - having made 40,000 euros when nine months old at Fairyhouse in February 2008 - he showed a good profit when offered from Goldford Stud on Thursday. M V Magnier signed for the gelding and told EBN: "Westerner has been doing well with his first crop already having produced a Listed winner on the flat and also one over hurdles in France. This horse was a very attractive, good moving sort and his pedigree speaks for itself." M V Magnier also paid 45,000 euros for a Goldford Stud-bred Westerner three-year-old out of Daprika (by Epervier Bleu), a winning half-sister to G1 winner Geos. Milan - whose form horses made up to £310,000 at Doncaster in May - was another sire in demand. His offerings including a 62,000 euros four-year-old three-parts sister to last season’s G1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle fourth Oscar Whisky (5g Oscar-Ash Baloo, by Phardante). The Stephanie Hanly-bred filly was bought by trainer Ian Ferguson, who said to EBN: "She’s a very nice filly and it’s a family that I like quite a lot. I’ve bought her for a client and she will most likely be kept in Ireland to be trained. We’ll take her home and break her and after that a decision will be made on who trains her."