Lot 77: "The breeders are staying in for 50 per cent, the rest has been bought on spec," said Tina Rau after going to 100,000gns for the Invincible Spirit colt out of Olga Prekrasa (Kingmambo), sold by The Castlebridge Consignment for the breeders Viktor Tymoshenko and Andrey Milovanov.

"He is obviously a very late foal [June 2], very immature, but he is a very racy and athletic, and the pedigree makes sense," said Rau. "He is a lovely horse and with Zelzal as a brother it makes sense for him to go to France.

"He is going to Nicolas Clement, and he trained the half-sister Ibiza for the breeders so there is already a relationship in place."

Rau continued: "Zelzal and Zarak are the two most exciting young sires in France at the moment, so I am quite chuffed with this."

Zelzal, a son of Sea The Stars bred by Timoshenko and Milovanov, won the Prix Jean Prat (G1), the Prix Paul de Moussac (G3), was second in the Prix Bertrand du Breuil (G3), third in the Prix du Moulin and fourth in the Sussex Stakes (G1).

He stands at Al Shaqab's Haras de Bouquetot and is the first-crop sire of 10 winners, including Zelda, winner of the Listed Prix Saraca.

Ibiza (Redoute's Choice) won the Prix Chloe (G3) for Timoshenko and Milovanov. (14:25)

Lot 56: Richard Ryan buys again, this time in partnership with trainer Roger Varian's bloodstock purchasing arm of Ebonos.

The colt by Kodi Bear, sire of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G2) runner-up Go Bears Go, stands at Rathbarry Stud, and the farm sold this homebred colt out of Manaahil (Dubawi) for 55,000gns.

Manaahil was bought from Aislabie Stud (Agent) by Howson & Houldsworth Bloodstock at the 2018 July Sale for 50,000gns. (14:04)

Lot 30: the full-brother to Sea Of Class (Sea The Stars) is bought by John Clarke on behalf of Ling Tsui, signing as Sunderland Holding, for 240,000gns.

"He is a lovely horse, we really liked him, he is a very late [June 8] foal, but Sea Of Class was a very late May foal, so we hope we can do the same again," said Clarke. "Time will tell!"

Of plans for the colt, Clarke outlined: "He will eventually go to William Haggas [trainer of Sea Of Class], but it is far too early to think of that now – he will probably go back to Ireland and be given some time to develop and we will take it from there. Ling Tsui is absolutely thrilled, she had so much success with Sea Of Class! There is a lot of the sire in him – he is an athletic horse but a baby, we will just have to wait."

Of the reasoning to come to the December Sale with the colt, who was bred by Razza Del Velino on a foal share, Clarke said: "This sale was always the plan because he was immature, he was reared in Velino, the Botti farm in Italy, and he has come here looking the part."

Sea Of Class was a European joint champion three-year-old of 2018 having won the Irish Oaks, the Yorkshire Oaks and finished second in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe to Enable.

In all, dam Holy Moon (Hernando) has had five black-type winners and two black-type placed horses, in addition to Sea of Class headed by Charity Lane (Manduro) and Final Score (Dyan Thomas) both winners of the Premio Lydia Tesio (G1) and the Oaks d'Italia (G2).

Underbidders included Jane Chapple-Hyam, who was standing on the stairs. (12:38)

Lot 24: the Starspangledbanner colt sold by Allevamento Le.Gi., Italy, bred by Allevamento Le Gi Massimo Parri, is bought by trainer David Menuisier's Shinco Racing for 70,000gns.

The colt is a half-brother to the Group 2 Premio Gran Criterium placed Cima Emergency (Canford Cliffs) and a grandson of Prmier prize (selkirk), the Upavon Stakes (L) winner and placed third in the Sandown Mile (GG2), the Select Stakes (G3) and the Winter Hill Stakes (G3). She is dam of Cocktail Queen, a multiple Group placed runner and winner of the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville and the Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron. (12:30)

Lot 22: the full-sister to Shalaa, the champion French two-year-old of 2015, a dual Group 1-winning juvenile, was a vendor buy back at the October Book 1 Sale, but the filly, consigned by Castlefarm Stud, found a new home today – Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock going to 150,000gns in order to secure her on behalf of trainer Hugo Palmer.

"She is a beautiful filly, probably should have bought her when she was in Book 1," reported McStay. "Hugo [Palmer] trains her sibling Nova Legend by Galileo and he thinks a lot of her, so we were keen to follow her through.

"She comes from a great nursery, she has a beautiful pedigree, she is by Invincible Spirit who is one of the best sires in Europe and she is a full-sister to a very very good horse in Shalaa. She has been purchased on spec, so shares or all of her will be available and she is for sale! If anyone out there wants to get in touch, will be very gratefully received!"

McStay added: "She stood out here today and with that pedigree and the way she looks the trainer was salivating when he saw her yesterday. I really liked her too and was kicking myself that I had not bought her earlier. She had made our list then, but for whatever reason did not pull the trigger.

"When we saw her out the back today she looked a real superstar, was very professional and on residual value alone she is a free swing of the bat for anyone who wants to buy her."

She was bred and sold by Castlefarm, also breeder of Shalaa, and dam, the Grade 3 placed Ghurra (War Chant), was bought by BBA Ireland at the December Mares Sale for 320,000gns. Not only has she succeeded on the racecourse with her progeny, but in the sale ring, too – her 2019 filly by Dubawi named Peace Arch fetched 700,000gns, while Nova Legend was a 550,000gns. (12:28)

Lot 15: the interest from the southern-hemisphere in the European-bred horses, such a mark of this autumn's bloodstock trade, continues – this colt by Muhaarar is bought by agent Richard Ryan for export to Australia.

"He is going to Flemington for Nick Ryan, a small trainer and a boutique yard," said Ryan. "Nick has an huge strike rate and is was looking for an exceptional colt from this sale. In my opinion this is the best article here –athletic, clean, and with a great step to him. The mother has done it before. He is probably as good an article out of the mare having seen some of the others. I am very pleased to get him, H=he is a very fine specimen."

Ryan added: "Muhaarar has taken a bit of time to get going but he looks like he is established here now. The Invincible Spirit male line works hugely well in Australia, so there is some confidence on the male side as well as on the female side; the pedigree ticks a lot of boxes."

Adding why his client is interested particularly in buying a yearling in Europe and shipping to Australia, Ryan continued: "Our pedigrees and the better of our European stock continues to prove dominant down there, this horse will get a mile I am sure and there still isn't a huge pot in Australia for this type of horse.

"He will be fine there and 75,000gns isn't a lot of money in Australia, it is bizarre to say it, but it is still great value."

Bred by Denis and Joan Brosnan's Epona Bloodstock, the colt was sold by the family's Croom House Stud. He is a half-brother to Barbill, a son of Zebedee who won the Prix Yacowlef (L) and was placed third in the Cornwallis Stakes (G3) alongside five more placed efforts at Listed class.

He is out of the Montjeu mare Fiuise, and she had a colt foal by Ten Sovereigns last spring.

Nick Ryan was a champion apprentice in Australia in 2004/5, and after a stint working with Ciaron Maher, has been training since 2014. Initially based at Caulfield, he relocated to Flemington this spring. his best horse so far is Dice Roll, a son of Showcasing, runner-up in the 7f Neds Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (G1) in September. (12:02)

Lot 3: the first to top 50,000gns this week is the Caravaggio filly from Whatton Manor Stud, a half-sister to Al Tariq (Oasis Dream), winner of the Al Shindagha Sprint (G3) at Meydan, and to Lehaim, placed third in the Prix Robert Papin (G2). She was bought for 52,000gns by trainer Chris Wall.

The filly was initially bought as a foal for 35,000gns by Whatton Manor Stud at the 2020 Tattersalls December Foal Sale by Richard Knight Bloodstock from Altenbach Bloodstock having been bred by Powerstown Stud and Pat Byrne. (11:18)