Strong Tattersalls July Sale Concludes

Trade on the second and final session of the two-day Tattersalls July Sale continued in robust fashion with the clearance rate of 96% matching yesterday’s remarkable figure. The Tattersalls July Sale always attracts a broad cross-section of buyers from throughout the world and this year was no exception with purchasers from Australia, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Japan, Libya, Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey, the UAE and the USA all represented on the buyers sheets.

Webber Lands Pawpaw for 62,000 Guineas

The top lot on the second day was last time out winner PAWPAW from Clive Cox’s Beechdown Stables. The three-year-old son of SHOWCASING was knocked down to Tattersalls Marketing Director Jimmy George for 62,000 guineas on behalf of dual-purpose trainer Paul Webber.

"Paul has been up here all week doing the hard yards, I have just stood here and waved!" smiled George. "He should be a fun dual-purpose type for Paul."

PAWPAW, who is out of a half-sister to the Group 1 winner LEND A HAND, won over 1m2f in June at Lingfield on his fifth career start.

Marconi Secures Wonderwork for Dubai

Trainer Karl Burke’s WONDERWORK, who was owned by his wife Elaine, is bound for Dubai after being knocked down to Dubai-based assistant trainer Alessandro Marconi for 60,000 guineas.

"The horse has some very good form and Night Of Thunder is on fire," said Marconi, adding: "But he comes from a very good trainer so it will be difficult to match! The horse will stay here for a couple of months and then head to Dubai."

The three-year-old gelding won on his debut as a two-year-old. He has run three times this year and has won or placed on all three starts, and was offered with a ‘Timeform’ rating of 93.

It was an eventful few minutes for Burke whose star filly DANDALLA won the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket five minutes earlier.

Chairman’s Statement

At the conclusion of the 2020 Tattersalls July Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;

“For a bloodstock sale conducted under normal circumstances to register a clearance rate in excess of 95% is quite an achievement. To do so in the current climate and with the prevailing Government travel regulations preventing so many regular buyers from attending this week’s sales is little short of phenomenal.

“There have been four COVID affected sales which have taken place at Tattersalls in the past three weeks and the clearance rate at every one of them has exceeded 80%. Not for a moment are we pretending that it has been plain sailing at all these sales, but they have all exceeded expectations and have all demonstrated an extraordinary resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges and an enduring appetite for British and Irish bloodstock at all levels of the market. 

“Over the two days of the Tattersalls July Sale we have sold horses to buyers from nearly 20 different countries, most of whom have had to explore unconventional ways in which to participate at the sale. Our recently introduced live internet bidding platform has added a new dimension and has been consistently used by international buyers, with many others using the telephone bidding service provided by our team on the ground. While the catalogue may understandably have lacked a little of the usual quality and quantity, demand for horses in training and in particular well-bred fillies and mares has given some cause for encouragement in uncertain times. We must thank vendors and purchasers alike, all of whom have shown a determination to keep the wheels of the industry turning in the face of considerable adversity."