Strong Trade on Opening Day of Tattersalls December Mare Sale

The first day of the Tattersalls December Mare Sale began strongly with an international cast of buyers and the top lot INCAHOOTS sold for  420,000 guineas to Wertheimer Et Frere.  A total of 200 lots sold for 11,577,000 at an average of 57,885 guineas and a median of 38,000 guineas.

Getting the sale off to a strong start early on was INCAHOOTS who sold to Wertheimer Et Frere for 420,000 guineas, the best price of the day.  The three-year-old filly by OASIS DREAM is a daughter of Group 3 winner IN CLOVER and a sister to Group 1 Prix de l’Opera winning WE ARE, as well as, Listed winner DREAM CLOVER.

James Wigan’s West Blagdon Stud, who topped the Tattersalls December Foal Sale last week with the 800,000 guineas DUBAWI filly out of HIGH-HEELED, consigned the winning filly on behalf of owner/breeder George Strawbridge.

Pierre-Yves Bureau, the racing manager for Wertheimer Brothers, carried out the bidding and commented:

"It is a family we know well - we had Bellarida and sold her to London Thoroughbred Services in 1997 and we have been trying to get back into the family.

"We will probably send her back into training, she is very close to getting good black-type. And she will go back to Freddy Head, he knows her and the family well."

NIGHT VISIT, the dam of Irish Derby winner and consistent Group 1 performer TRADING LEATHER, was the second highest lot of the day.  The eleven-year-old mare, in foal to DAWN APPROACH, was bought by Diane Nagle of Barronstown Stud for 300,000 guineas.

The former resident of Jim Bolger’s Redmondstown Stud is from the family of Group 1 winners IRISH PRIZE and HATOOF.

Nagle said of her purchase:

“She is a lovely mare. She looked really well and she is the sort of mare we like – she has already proved that she can breed a good one.  The foal will be sold as a yearling.”

Listed winning mare NEED YOU NOW became the third highest lot of the day when catching the eye of Ballylinch Stud’s John O’Connor, who bought her for 275,000 guineas.

The five-year-old daughter of KHELEYF began her racing career with Peter Chapple-Hyam under whose guidance she won the Listed Radley Stakes at two before transferring to Simon Callaghan in California where she was twice placed at Grade 3 level.

NEED YOU NOW is a half-sister to Listed winner SNIPPETS and was offered in foal to Ballylinch resident LOPE DE VEGA.

O’Connor, who fended off competition from Hillwood Stud’s Charlie Vigors and Blandford Bloodstock’s Tom Goff said:

"She's a mare I like. She won the Radley Stakes at two, which is a good two-year-old race, and then went on to be a stakes performer in the States.  It is a very deep pedigree, which stretches right back to Hyperion, she is a good-looking horse, and in-foal to a stallion I hold in high regard!"

The following lot in the ring WITTGENSTEIN, a Stakes performer in America, was the fourth highest lot of the day and sold to John and Jake Warren for 270,000 guineas. 

Consigned by Whatton Manor Stud, the daughter of SHAMARDAL was campaigned by trainer Doug O’Neill in California and is from the family of dual Group 3 winner and the Group 1 placed DUTCH CONNECTION.  She is in foal to Juddmonte Farms’ Champion Miler KINGMAN.

John Warren who bought the five-year-old mare commented:

"She has been bought for Newsells Park Stud.  I am thrilled to have bought her - she ticks a lot of boxes for the commercial operation. She is in-foal to Kingman, a stallion I have great respect for, Dutch Connection in the family is a prospective Group 1 winner and she is by Shamardal, which, as a broodmare sire, opens up a lot of options."

The Tattersalls December Mare Sale continues tomorrow, Tuesday December 1, at 9.30am.