Shadwell Draft Heads Final Session of Record-Breaking Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale

The final day of the record-breaking Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale was dominated by the Shadwell Estates consignment which was responsible for the top five lots, including the session topping LAATANSA who realised 250,000 guineas. The strength of the earlier sessions continued into the fourth day with significant rises in all key indicators resulting in the sale recording a record turnover, average and median, all of which rose substantially compared with last year’s sale. 

Shadwell's Laatansa Dominates Final Session

The top price on the final day was 250,000 guineas for the two-year-old LAATANSA who has finished third on his last two starts for trainer Ed Dunlop. The son of NEW BAY was greeted by a packed sales ring and after some early brisk flurries, the bidding soon settled into a head-to-head battle between the Najd Stud team and Ronald Rauscher, with the former successful at what is the second highest price for the final session of this sale.  

Najd Stud’s Saad bin Mishraf had left Park Paddocks bound for Saudi Arabia, leaving Saudi-based trainer and consultant Saud al Qahtani in charge of bidding and taking instructions over the telephone.  

"Saad called me and told me not to leave here without this horse. He is a beautiful horse and a lovely physical. He is by a very promising stallion, whose progeny are booming. He has a very good family and we hope he will be a very good horse next year.  

"We have bought 14 horses here this week and they are of great quality. We will have a great race in Saudi Arabia at the end of February, our race will be the destination for all the very best horses from Europe and America, and our Jockey Club racing manager is doing a great job."  

LAATANSA was third at Newmarket on his most recent appearance and was offered with a ‘Timeform’ rating of 86. He is out of the Listed placed ROCK OF GIBRALTAR mare LOUVE RARE, herself a half-sister to the Group 2 winner and triple Group 1 placed LOUP BRETON.  

The Najd Stud and Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock team purchased fourteen lots this week totalling 2,791,000 guineas, whilst Shadwell Estates’ consignment saw a total of 118 lots realise 5,238,500 guineas.  

Chairman’s Statement  

At the conclusion of the 2021 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;  

“An extraordinary renewal of a unique sale. There is no sale in the world quite like the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale and there has never been one quite like the sale that has just taken place.  

“Records for turnover, average and median are always notable landmarks for any sale, but when the record margins are so large it suggests that maybe new factors have come into play and to an extent that may have been the case this week. There is no doubt that the major consignment from the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Shadwell Estates has introduced a new dynamic. A consignment of that size and quality does not go unnoticed and the buyers have seized the rare opportunity to source horses from one of the finest owner/breeder operations in the world.  

“Additionally, the numerous racing carnivals that now take place during the Autumn and Winter months throughout the Gulf region have had a huge impact on the sale. Buyers from the Gulf have been major contributors to Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sales for many years, but new racing opportunities have brought buyers from the region in even greater numbers than before and crucially, they have been active at all levels of the market.  

“Equally important has been the sustained success-driven demand throughout the sale from Australian connections and this has been despite continued difficulties surrounding travel. There will be around 40 horses heading to Australia from this week’s sale and that is in addition to the 30 or so yearlings which were purchased at the recent Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The Australian buyers deserve huge praise for their collective commitment using every means possible to continue buying here despite being unable to travel and we look forward to them being rewarded with more success along the lines of recent Tattersalls Australian superstars ZAAKI and RUSSIAN CAMELOT.  

“The strong domestic demand we saw at our yearling sales has also been replicated and we can not only look back on a successful month at Tattersalls, but also take encouragement as we look forward to the Tattersalls December Foal and Mares Sale which, similar to this week, features outstanding consignments from Godolphin, Juddmonte Farms and Shadwell Estates.”