The Tattersalls December Mare Sale finished with a flourish on the fourth and
final day with
134 lots selling for a total of 850,400 guineas and a clearance rate, which has
been strong
throughout the week, of 81 percent. The December Mare Sale finished with 628 lots
bringing a total
of 33,197,700 guineas, at an average of 52,863 guineas and a median of 14,500
guineas.
The
nine-day Tattersalls December Sale saw a total of 1,399 lots sell for 56,903,100
guineas, a
rise of 14 percent on 2008 whilst the 2009 turnover for all Tattersalls Sales rose to
169,407,800
guineas.
“The economic upheavals of 2008 had a dramatic effect on the bloodstock industry
throughout
the world and we approached the 2009 sales season with an air of trepidation,
but the
resilience of the market has been extraordinary,” Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony
said at the conclusion of the 2009 Tattersalls December Sale. “From the beginning of Book 1 of
the October
Yearling Sale to the conclusion of the December Sale today, all of the sales at
Tattersalls have
outperformed expectation and, while we are a fair way off the dizzy heights of
2006 and 2007,
it has been particularly gratifying to see a real sense of confidence return to
the industry. The
Tattersalls December Sale is a key indicator of the health of the bloodstock
industry and we
can all derive a measure of optimism from the 2009 renewal.
“In total we cataloged 2,183 lots for this year’s December Sale, which was 545
less than last
year and the smallest December Sale since 1993. Remarkably, turnover for the
sale has risen
by 13 percent and all the key indicators of average, median and the percentage of lots
sold have
shown significant improvement on 2008. Not only have the figures provided
encouragement
for the industry going forward, but equally importantly there has been a
genuinely vibrant feel
to the proceedings of the last two weeks at Park Paddocks. The Tattersalls
December Sale has
long set the benchmark in terms of international appeal and the overseas buyers
have been
crucial to the sustained competition at all levels of the market. It has also
been evident that
the successful foal and yearling sales which preceded the December Mares’ Sale
have instilled
renewed confidence in British and Irish breeders.
“Our 2009 sales have demonstrated that we have a product which continues to be
coveted by
buyers from all corners of the world with our annual turnover bouncing back from
the
substantial declines of last year,” Mahony concluded. “There is little doubt that there remain many
challenges ahead,
but it is also clear that throughout the year vendors have reacted quickly and
positively to the
new economic realities and they have been rewarded for such pragmatism. Most
importantly
2009 has shown that there is an enduring and widespread demand for quality
bloodstock which has always been synonymous with the Tattersalls name.”
The top priced lot on the final day was WANNABE GRAND (Ire) (Danehill), the
13-year-old mare who captured the 1998 Cheveley Park S. (G1) and whose first six
foals are all winners. The daughter of Wannabe (Shirley Heights) was consigned by The Castlebridge Consignment
as Lot No. 2068 on
behalf
of Chippenham Lodge Stud and knocked down to Australian owner/breeder Scott
Springott for
62,000 guineas after he withstood the effort of Coolmore’s Kevin Buckley.
“They don’t make Danehill mares any more and she’s a Group 1 winner as well,” Springott
said.
“She’s empty so we can take her straight home and she’ll probably go to More
Than Ready. It’s
been a successful cross and we hope to get a good two-year-old. She’s going to
Duncan
Grimley’s Glastonbury Farms, where I now have 22 mares and this is the first
time I have been
here. The mares are different to those back home and the market has been very
strong.”