Tattersalls Sales Season Ends On High Note

The final day of the Tattersalls December Sale saw a pair of stallion prospects top the day’s trade with results again resulting in rises across the board as the Tattersalls sales calendar was brought to a successful close. The final session saw 129 lots sold for 868,200 guineas which took the final December Mare Sale figures to 629 lots sold for 44,121,500 guineas – up 28% on 2010. The average rose 31% to 70,145 guineas whilst the median rose 24% to 21,000 guineas. The two-week December Sale saw turnover of 71,747,900 guineas whilst turnover at Tattersalls in 2011 rose 13% to 182,685,600  guineas.

TARTAN BEARER, who was second to NEW APPROACH in the Group 1 Derby, is heading to stud in Turkey after being purchased by Omer Halim Aydin for 50,000 guineas. The brother to the 2,000 Guineas winner GOLAN was purchased by Aydin after he saw off a determined effort from the Ashaab brothers from Libya.  

"He is a lovely horse and I had no plans to buy him but when I saw him I wanted him, I was amazed a horse such as this was selling for that price. Hopefully I will get some partners involved now!" said Aydin. "He was a great performer and a brother to a great horse. He is also by Spectrum, who has done well in Turkey."

The Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye winner TOTAL GALLERY is headed to India after being purchased by Centaur Bloodstock’s Ian Deane on behalf of Badal Stud in the Punjab. The son of NAMID won the Arc-day sprint in 2009 when under the care of Stan Moore and the six-time winner collected £417,000 in prizemoney throughout his career.

Purchaser Ian Deane commented; "I just thought he is a lovely horse and from a good family. He will ship in about month and will be probably the quickest stallion to stand in India."

At the conclusion of the 2011 Tattersalls December Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;

“From start to finish the 2011 Tattersalls sales season has outperformed expectation and the December Sale has continued the momentum bringing the year to a highly successful conclusion. Last week’s December Foal Sale produced returns bettered only twice this century and set the tone for the breeding stock this week. Total sale turnover in excess of 70,000,000 guineas is the fourth highest ever for the December Sale, and the average and median have both also risen dramatically. Despite a climate of continuing economic uncertainty, the Tattersalls December Sale has yet again demonstrated the extraordinary resilience of the bloodstock industry and also enhanced its reputation as probably the most international bloodstock sale in the world. The sheer diversity of the participants at Park Paddocks this week has, as ever, been the feature of the sale with buyers drawn from every continent in a shared quest for quality breeding stock.

“The four seven figure lots were the obvious highlights of the sale and between them they encapsulated the essence of the December Sale. These four outstanding fillies and mares matched vendors from Britain, Ireland France and America with buyers from Ireland, Japan, Kuwait and Kazakhstan. Bloodstock is a global currency and nowhere is this more evident than at the December Sale which year after year serves up an international catalogue for an international audience. Overseas demand at all levels of the market is the hallmark of so many sales at Tattersalls and to see buyers here in such numbers this week is a wonderful tribute to the enduring reputation of European bloodstock. In the course of the last twelve months our team have visited more than 30 different countries building up contacts and relationships throughout the world and we will continue to explore as many overseas markets, both established and emerging, as possible.                          

“As each sales season concludes it gives us an opportunity to thank all our clients for their continued support. This year I would also like to pay tribute to our bloodstock sales director Martin Mitchell who retires at the end of the year after 40 years with the company. Martin has made a huge contribution not only to Tattersalls but also to the wider industry and we wish him well for a long and happy retirement.”