Sister to Midday Tops Third Day of Tattersalls December Mare Sale

POSSET, the own-sister to the multiple Group 1 winner MIDDAY was the highlight of the third day of the Tattersalls December Mare Sale when selling for 625,000 guineas. The third day saw a total of 182 lots sell for 6,773,700 guineas at an average of 37,218 guineas and a median of 20,000 guineas.

The draft of 36 fillies to go under the hammer from Juddmonte Farms is traditionally the highlight of the third day of the December Mare Sale and it proved no different this year, with the draft realising 2,920,000 guineas including the top four lots for the day headed by POSSET.

Interest in the daughter of OASIS DREAM came from all parts of the ring and included Cormac McCormack, Federico Barberini, Sheikh Fahad, Hidetoshi Yamamoto and Canadian John Gunther, with the latter successful when no one improved on his bid of 625,000 guineas.

POSSET is a daughter of the KINGMAMBO mare MIDSUMMER, a half-sister to the Group 1 Eclipse Stakes winner ELMAAMUL and the Group 1 Oaks winner REAMS OF VERSE.

"It was a little more than we wanted to pay," said daughter Tanya Gunther, "but these opportunities don't come along very often and you have to front up.

"She is one of three that we really wanted. She will probably stay in Europe for now, and we'll make plans later.

"These Juddmonte families are wonderful and they have some great stallions too."

The Gunthers' farm in the US is Glennwood Stud in Kentucky, but they also board mares in England and Ireland.

Four lots later REIMPOSE was also sold to North American interests when knocked down to Brookdale Farm’s Fred Seitz for 270,000 guineas after he saw off underbidder Cormac MCCormack and Bobby Donworth.

"She is a beautiful filly and from a wonderful family," said Seitz, and echoing sentiments from previous purchasers of this Juddmonte draft added: "We went further than expected, and we were pretty much as far as we could go.

"She has been bought for a partnership, and we have not made plans yet but it is likely she will stay here in the immediate future - she may well be covered by one of the great stallions over here before shipping home.

"Being able to get into one of these Juddmonte families - well it's like hitting the jackpot! It is a great organisation."

The US twist to this pedigree attracted Brookdale Farm - REIMPOSE is by the US-based FIRST DEFENCE, out of ROUGEUR, a Listed US winner, and a half-sister to FLUTE, the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes winner.

The Seitzes had earlier been underbidders on another FIRST DEFENCE filly from Juddmonte Farms in AMBER ISLE when usurped by James Delahooke at 240,000 guineas for the sister to Group 3 Acomb winner DUNDONNELL. The filly is out of the DANZIG mare FAMILY, the half-sister to the legendary stallion DANEHILL.

The second highest price for the day was 375,000 guineas for TIME BEING, the sister to the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes winner TIMEPIECE and Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner PASSAGE OF TIME. By ZAMINDAR out of the SADLER’S WELLS mare CLEPSYDRA, the three-year-old was bought by Michael Baum’s Man O’War Farm despite the efforts of underbidder David Redvers, standing alongside Sheikh Fahad.  

The final session of the Tattersalls December Mare Sale starts at 9.30am on Thursday, December 4.