Solid Start To Tattersalls' 250th Year

Records were broken at the Tattersalls February Sale, the first sale of Tattersalls’ 250^th Year with the turnover breaking new ground with 251 lots sold realising 2,718,800 guineas, a 5% increase on last year’s record turnover. The average and median were 10,832 guineas and 5,000 guineas respectively with the Godolphin mare DOLDRUMS recording topping the sale at 145,000 guineas.

The top lot for the day and the second highest priced mare in the history of this fixture was the six-year-old mare DOLDRUMS who realised 145,000 guineas to the bid of Italian agent Marco Bozzi. The Godolphin consigned mare was offered in foal to Darley’s resident stallion EXCEED AND EXCEL and also attracted the interest of BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe who finished the underbidder. The daughter of BERNADINI is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner VACARE and hails from the family of four-time Grade 1 winner and successful broodmare SERENA’S SONG.

"She has been bought for a group of Italian owners who have some mares in America and she will go to join them," said agent Marco Bozzi

"She will go to board at Frankfort Farm, we have not yet made mating plans.

"She is a winner and it is rare to get a pedigree such as this."

The next lot in the ring, also from Godolphin, was the winning three-year-old filly SOOFIAH who was knocked down to Gary Hadden for 95,000 guineas on behalf of Craig Bennett's Merry Fox Stud. The filly is a half-sister to the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free winner SAJJHAA and a grand-daughter of the Group 1 Oaks second NOUSHKEY.

"We like King's Best mares and Kingmambo blood," said Hadden. "She is only a three-year-old, and we will not cover her until next year. We might put her in training and see how she goes. Her pedigree means that when we come to covering, she will be open to most stallions."

Earlier in the afternoon HIGH LUMINOSITY also sold for 95,000 guineas when knocked down to Linda Sadler after she saw off agent Tina Rau. The daughter of ELUSIVE QUALITY was offered by Highclere Stud to dissolve a partnership and was offered in foal to ACCLAMATION.

HIGH LUMINOSITY is from one of the great Niarchos families, being a daughter of the French champion two-year-old filly DENEBOLA and a grand-daughter of COUP DE GENIE, also a Champion two-year-old in France.

"I have bought her on behalf of Highclere Stud," said Sadler. "The farm has bought out its partners. She is a lovely quality mare and is from a top Niarchos family. She will visit Cable Bay."

At the conclusion of the 2016 Tattersalls February Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;

“Our 250th year will undoubtedly have sales which attract more headlines than today’s fixture, but the 2016 February Sale has given a solid start to this special year in the long history of Tattersalls.

“While the February Sale is one of the newer fixtures in the Tattersalls sales calendar it epitomises so many of the elements that have formed the basis of the company’s illustrious history. Quality, integrity, value for money and a truly global outlook, have all been essential to the development of the company since its beginning in 1766 and in its small way, today’s February Sale has encapsulated all these features. Buyers from nearly 20 different countries have been active today, with participants from twelve European countries as well as Hong Kong, Japan, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the USA all making a valuable contribution.

“The largest ever February catalogue has achieved record turnover in excess of 2.5 million guineas, a 145,000 guineas sale topping mare, which is the second highest price for a broodmare at this sale, and a record number of lots selling for 60,000 guineas or more. As ever, quality consignments from Godolphin, Juddmonte Farms and Shadwell Estates, have proved particularly popular with buyers in all sectors of the market, and the enviable clearance rate in excess of 80% has yet again demonstrated the ability of sales at Tattersalls to attract a uniquely global audience."

The next sale at Tattersalls is the Craven Breeze Up Sale that takes place from April 11-13.