Record-breaking Returns At Tatts HIT

High Commander | Tattersalls

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The prices may have been reduced for the fourth, smaller session of the Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale at Tattersalls but the finale brought the curtain down on a blockbuster edition of the auction with record-breaking gains across most sectors.

The 'Brexit' referendum divided Britain like no other issue of recent times but one positive which can be taken from the precarious situation is that the plunging value of sterling has enticed overseas visitors to Park Paddocks in far greater numbers than ever before.

The final session was topped by a twice-placed 2-year-old son of Teofilo (Ire) named High Commander (GB) (lot 1328), who, for 57,000gns, has left the ownership of Qatar Racing to race in Qatar itself after being bought by trainer Gassim Al Ghazali.

The son of Pellinore (Giant's Causeway), a sister to Classic winner Footstepsinthesand (GB) and half-sister to Group 1-winning juvenile Pedro The Great (Henrythenavigator), was one of more than 20 horses bought throughout the week to race on in Qatar, and the Thursday buyers' sheet continued to feature a diverse list of nationalities.

Kuwait featured most prominently at the sale as a whole, with 118 horses bought to race there, while 50 are on their way to Greece, 40 to Italy, 33 to Saudi Arabia, and more than 20 to each of Australia, America, Bahrain, Spain and Israel. By the end of Thursday, buyers from more than 30 different countries had participated to a level that was described by Tattersalls' Chairman Edmond Mahony as “almost overwhelming”.

Just over 1,500 horses were catalogued for the sale and, as ever, there was a high number of withdrawals, with around a third of those in the book being scratched. Some of the owners of those horses taken out may well be regretting that decision now that the final figures are in, with the sustained demand throughout the four sessions leading to a notably high clearance rate of 92%, a 35% rise in the average price to 26,488gns, and the same percentage increase in the median to 13,500gns. The latter set a new record, as did the aggregate of 25,137,100gns, which was up by 24% on last year but from 89 fewer horses sold, and surpassed the previous high of 24,304,100gns set in 2014.

A reduction in numbers offered for the final session––199 compared to 301 last year––helped to boost the final day's figures but so too did the large number of buyers who remained at the sales ground with orders still to fill. Only 16 of the 199 were unsold, boosting the median by 75% to 7,000gns and the average by 67% to 6,115gns. Thursday's turnover stood at 1,668,100gns, which was up by 24%.

Whether any of the juveniles offered this week will go on to win a Classic in the style of last year's 12,000-guinea purchase Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) remains to be seen, but that high-profile boost combined with a favourable exchange rate for foreign visitors led to a memorable auction for the team at Tattersalls. Assessing the week's events, Edmond Mahony said, “It is perhaps not surprising to see such frenetic demand at this unique sale. Jet Setting winning this year's Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas only seven months after being bought here is yet another in a long list of outstanding success stories to come from the Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale, and I have no doubt that there will be plenty more to come from this year's sale.

“The turnover and median at this week's sale have both risen to record levels and the average has leapt by around 35%. Even more impressive has been the clearance rate of more than 90%, yet again demonstrating the enduring international appeal of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale. Every year we reflect on the extraordinary diversity of buyers, both domestic and overseas, who attend the Autumn Horses-in-Training, but the sheer number of people here this week has been almost overwhelming. The beauty of this sale is that it caters for every possible requirement, both Flat and National Hunt, and the sales paddocks have been a hive of international activity throughout the four days.”

He concluded, “Competition at the top of the market has been particularly fierce with the number of lots making 200,000gns or more rising from five last year to 12 this week, but it has been the sustained demand at every level of the market which has been the real feature. Buyers from more than 30 different countries have all contributed to the success of the sale, with those from the Gulf region making a massive contribution, American, Australian and Hong Kong interests all playing their part, and prolific activity from throughout Europe with Greek and Spanish buyers very much to the fore. A huge proportion of the horses sold this week will go abroad, but the renewed vigour from the British and Irish National Hunt fraternity has also been particularly welcome and another major factor in making the 2016 renewal of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale so vibrant.”

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