By Lizzy Sainty
NEWMARKET, UK–The fifth and final session of the Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale featured a distinctly lower quality catalogue, which was reflected in the day's figures. There were just 120 lots offered, with an median of 3,000gns and an average of 4,569gns. The turnover was 424,900gns, with a clearance rate of 77.5%. This was the first time that this sale has stretched over to a fifth day of selling, and it broke the turnover record thanks to plenty of competition at the top end of the market, although the large number of lots at lower end of the catalogue saw a decreased median and average by 18.5% and 3.3%, respectively.
The draft from the stable of Newmarket-based trainer Robyn Brisland provided the two top prices of the sale and the only two lots to make over 20,000gns. Beckton (GB) (Finjaan {GB}) was the star turn of the day when making 50,000gns. This 2-year-old filly, offered as lot 1730, has run twice, finishing second both times over a mile. She will head to Qatar to be trained by Gassim Mohammad Ghazali.
Will Douglass signed the ticket on his behalf, and said, “She was unlucky not to win last time out. The form of her first race is pretty good. There are lots of mile maidens in Doha for her to run in. She has a nice pedigree as well.”
Ghazali, who was a frequent feature on the buyer's list here last year, has bought 13 lots in total at this sale. This filly is from the first crop of her sire Finjaan (GB), who stands at Gazeley Stud. She is a half-sister to the Oasis Dream (GB) mare Chigun (GB), a Group 3 and listed winner. Her dam, Stormy Weather (GB) (Nashwan) is a sister to two black-type winners, and the stakes-producing mare Summer Night (GB), who has produced the Group 3-winning 2-year-old Songerie (GB), amongst others.
Another 2-year-old filly, Line House (GB) (Kheleyf), was the next lot through the ring, and she made the second-highest price of the day. She was also consigned by Brisland's Sackville House Stables as lot 1733 and it was Nick Bradley Racing who were the successful buyers, bidding in absentia through Matt Prior. Although marked as unraced in the catalogue, this filly has had three runs since the catalogue was printed, winning recently at Newcastle and never finishing out of the money. She comes from the tough family of Group 2 winner Franklins Gardens (GB) (Halling), and MGSW Polar Ben (GB) (Haafhd {GB}).
At the conclusion of the 2017 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented, “The one word which best describes the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale is 'unique.' The sale is unique in that there is nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world in terms of size and diversity and it is also unique for the extraordinary number of overseas buyers it attracts every year.”
“This year's catalogue was the largest ever, with almost 250 more lots catalogued than last year, and the sale has still managed to achieve a clearance rate of 85% as well as record turnover for the third time in the past four years,” he said. “The obvious highlight of the sale was the 700,000 guineas record top price for the outstanding Galileo (Ire) filly Elizabeth Browning (Ire), and in addition we have had a record 51 six-figure lots including an unprecedented 18 selling for 200,000 guineas or more, all of which demonstrates the sustained demand for quality horses.”
He continued,”While the top-priced lots grab the headlines, the real feature of the Autumn Horses in Training Sale is the international participation which is evident at all levels of this market. The top 20 lots have been shared amongst buyers from Britain, Ireland, Australia, China, Dubai, Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the USA and in total buyers from more than 30 different countries have all played their part in this week's record breaking sale. The British and Irish National Hunt fraternity have been very active all week, European buyers, in particular those from Greece and Spain, have been prolific, and as ever the extraordinary support of buyers from throughout the Gulf region continues to have a massive influence on this truly unique bloodstock sale.”
Book 4 Yearling Sale…
Selling at Park Paddocks concluded Friday with the single-session Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 4 following directly on from the horses in training. This was the first year that Book 4 has been held after the Horses in Training Sale, as opposed to just after Book 3. There were only 38 yearlings on offer from 48 catalogued, nearly half the number of the same sale last year (86 catalogued, 67 through the ring), and a clearance rate of only 68.4% was nonetheless slightly up from last year's 64.2%. However it remained quite a low key affair, with just two horses making 10,000gns and 11,000gns respectively, leaving the breeders out of pocket. The median rose to 3,250gns (+30%) and the average increased to 3,727gns (+12.9%).
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