Strong Demand at Tattersalls August Sale

The third renewal of the Tattersalls August Sale produced a record average and median with turnover of 5,267,300 guineas on a par with the 2021 sale which took place over two days. Strong trade throughout the day saw the average and median rise 29 and 40 percent respectively, and a remarkable clearance rate of 92%.  

Operating Tops August Sale at 250,000 Guineas  

OPERATING was widely expected to be one of the highlights of the Tattersalls August Sale and did not disappoint when selling to Najd Stud for 250,000 guineas, the second highest price ever achieved at the sale. Offered by the Castlebridge Consignment the progressive three-year-old colt has won two of his five starts for John & Thady Gosden and was offered with an official rating of 91.  

Saudi Arabia-based Najd Stud have been strong supporters of the Tattersalls August Sale and were bidding via Tattersalls’ Jimmy George, who commented:  

"The team has been following the sale at home and they had a few on their short list that they have had a go at, but OPERATING was the number one target. He is a nice prospect and very much fits into the mould that the Najd Stud team has bought in the past."  

The son of WAR FRONT is out of the winning UNBRIDLED’S SONG mare GOOD VIBES and is a full-brother to Group 3 winner INTELLIGENCE CROSS and the dual Listed winner and Group 1 placed WARNING FLAG.  

Donald Strikes at 210,000 Guineas for Mr McCann  

An opening bid of 160,000 guineas for MR MCCANN indicated the strength of interest in the Hugo Palmer trained colt and bidding concluded at 210,000 guineas with Alastair Donald of SackvilleDonald the successful purchaser.  

Offered by the Castlebridge Consignment, the three-year-old son of KODIAC is a four-time winner and was fourth in both the Group 2 Superlative Stakes and Group 2 German 2000 Guineas. He was offered with an official rating of 101 and will head to Bahrain with Donald’s earlier purchase SOAPY STEVENS.  

Donald commented:  

"He is for Bahrain, the same destination as this morning. They are hard to find - three-year-olds with that kind of rating and that kind of price. He is pretty rock solid; he goes on all ground, he is a good-looking type and vets very well."  

Of the Tattersalls August Sale, Donald added:  

"I think it has been a really good market. I think it makes much more sense to get your money in before the yearling sales and it saves two months' training fees, and for the fast ground horses they are going to lose their ground shortly. I hope the sale gets bigger and stronger."  

MR MCCANN is out of the Group 1 placed COPPERBEECH, a daughter of Group 3 winner AYNTHIA, and was bought for 45,000 guineas at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale by Margaret O’Toole.  

The Covex Kid Bound for Bahrain at 160,000 Guineas  

THE COVEX KID has improved from an official rating of 46 in May to his current rating of 80 for trainer Amy Murphy and prompted a flurry of bids from around the sale ring before he was knocked down for 160,000 guineas to HH Sultan Aldeen MS Al-Khalifa.  

Ali Majeed conducted the bidding on behalf of HH Sultan for the five-time winning son of MEHMAS and revealed:  

"The horse is to now be trained by Fawzi Nass in Bahrain. The horse has some improvement, he will suit 1m2f and firm ground. It is good to come to Tattersalls in August – we want more horses here! The horses we have had from last year’s August Sale are all winners, I am keen now!"  

A delighted Amy Murphy commented:  

"He has been an absolute dude of a horse. He is really straightforward and has gone from strength to strength throughout the whole summer, and I don't think he is finished here – it won't be the last we will hear of him.  

"He has got a great constitution and a great racing brain. He loves fast ground, goes around a bend so well. I think Bahrain will be perfect for him."  

Murphy added: "He has been owned by a syndicate and I am thrilled for them. They've all had a great kick out of the wins as well as a great payday today. I think this sale works great - it is good for the new buyers as they can plan for the autumn. Hopefully my owners can reinvest in the yearlings, the yearling sales are just around the corner!"  

THE COVEX KID was bought for £26,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale and is out of a half-sister to the Listed winner and multiple Group 1 placed GABRIAL.  

Mulcaster Strikes for Mostly Cloudy at 150,000 Guineas  

MOSTLY CLOUDY has been a fine flag-bearer for trainer Gemma Tutty in her first season with a training licence, accumulating an impressive sequence of five wins, and provided a highlight of the Tattersalls August Sale when selling for 150,000 guineas to Mulcaster Bloodstock. Fifth last time out in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup, the son of HARZAND will now head to Australia and Tattersalls' Jimmy George, who was bidding on behalf of Guy Mulcaster, commented:  

"Mostly Cloudy was bought very reasonably here at last year's Autumn Horses in Training Sale and Gemma Tutty has done a great job with him. He ran up a sequence of five wins and is a real tribute to Gemma Tutty and her team. He looks an ideal type to go on in Australia."  

The colt was purchased by Tutty with Kings Bloodstock for 23,000 guineas at last year’s Tattersalls Autumn Horse in Training Sale and she had mixed emotions following the successful sale.  

"It is bittersweet, my best horse gone but it has been an amazing return and hopefully the owners will reinvest. He has really put me on the map and done wonders for the profile of Kings Bloodstock and myself in finding him and buying him. With the sales upcoming it’s the right time of year to be getting returns like this, so we can reinvest and owners can have confidence that we can find them.  

"It has been a hell of a journey. We are sorry to see him go but I hope he has a wonderful career in Australia."  

The three-year-old colt is out of a half-sister to Group 1 winning sire CLODOVIL.  

Chairman’s Statement  

At the conclusion of the 2022 Tattersalls August Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;  

“We saw records broken across the board at the recent Tattersalls July Sale and it has been encouraging to see the Tattersalls August Sale follow on in similar fashion. This is only the third renewal of the August Sale and very much the smallest catalogue for this new fixture, but the level of trade has demonstrated the sustained global demand for horses in training at all levels of the market and the extraordinary ability of sales of this nature at Tattersalls to attract buyers from throughout the world with such consistency.  

“Domestic British and Irish buyers have been competing strongly throughout the day and the diverse international participation has as ever made a huge contribution to a successful sale. The customary strong contingent from the Gulf region has been active from start to finish and the Gulf buyers have faced stiff competition from all corners of the world including Australia, Hong Kong, India and the USA, all of which is a source of encouragement as we turn our attention to the Tattersalls yearling sales season which starts with the Somerville Yearling Sale on Tuesday 6th September.”