Miss Keller Tops Opening Day Of Tattersalls December Mare Sale

The Grade 1 winner MISS KELLER was the top price on the opening day of the Tattersalls December Mare Sale which saw rises across the board and overseas buyers, especially from Australia and Japan play a role. A total of 168 lots were sold for 10,577,000 guineas, a rise of 19% on the opening session of the 2010 sale. The average of 62,958 guineas represented a 14% rise on last year whilst the median rose 17% to 30,500 guineas.

Last year’s Canadian Champion Turf Filly MISS KELLER topped the opening session of the sale when knocked down to  Michael Goodbody for 625,000 on behalf of Waratah Thoroughbreds’ Paul Fudge who he was sat with. The Grade 1 winning daughter of MONTJEU was secured by the Australian after he saw off a determined effort by Japan’s Nakamura Tomoyuki from KI Farm. The daughter of the Listed winning WARNING mare INGOZI was consigned from Three Chimneys Sales with a ‘Timeform’ rating of 116.

Late in the evening the multiple Group winning filly LOLLY FOR DOLLY was knocked down to Onishi Keisuke from JS Company for 500,000 guineas. The four-year-old daughter of ORATORIO triumphed in the Group 2 Windsor Forest Stakes at Royal Ascot this year and was consigned from Thomastown Castle Stud. A winner of five races for trainer ‘Fozzy’ Stack, four of them at Group level, the four-year-old mare was offered with a ‘Timeform’ rating of 119. Japanese buyers have benefitted greatly from the depreciation of Sterling against the Yen and that clearly played a factor for Keisuke.

"Three years ago, horses were far more expensive," said Keisuke. "It is very good for Japanese buyers now.

"She was the pick of the sale to us, we wanted to by a maiden mare so she can be covered early in the season. She will visit either WORKFORCE or DEEP IMPACT."

LOLLY FOR DOLLY was purchased as a yearling at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale for 57,000 guineas by Cormac McCormack Bloodstock.

DORCAS LANE, who was third in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier this year is set to stay in training after being knocked down to Jeremy Brummitt on behalf of Bjorn Nielsen for 475,000 guineas. The daughter of NORSE DANCER was trained by Lucy Wadham and consigned with a ‘Timeform’ rating of 108 but will be heading to the Nielsen’s redeveloped Kingsdown Stables in Lambourn where David Lanigan is set to take up residence this week.

"She is a very exciting prospect," said Brummitt, before Nielsen added: "Hopefully there is still some improvement in her. She is lightly raced, and is a nice outcross and she is a broodmare prospect."

The Sadler’s Wells mare QUELLE VITESSE was signed for by Cathy Grassick after being knocked down to Eishin Farms’ Katsuhiko Hirai for 360,000 guineas.

"She is a very special horse to me," said Hirai, son of the farm's owner Toyomitsu. "She is a sister to SILK AND SCARLET, the dam of EISHIN APOLLON, who is the first horse I bought."

EISHIN APOLLON registered a major catalogue update for QUELLE VITESSE when winning the Group 1 Mile Championship at Kyoto last week. He is to be aimed at the Asian Mile Challenge and might come over for Royal Ascot in June.

"SILK AND SCARLET is in the US, and I do not have enough money to buy her!" laughed Hirai.

QUELLE VITESSE will be travelling west rather than east from Tattersalls - she is heading to Ireland to foal and will visit a British or Irish stallion before heading to Japan.

The Tattersalls December Sale continues at 10am on Tuesday, November 28.