Five mares broke the six-figure mark during the fifth and final day of the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, and Benie des Dieux (Fr) (Great Pretender {Ire}) was undoubtedly the star of the show. Offered by Closutton Stables, the bay went for €350,000 to MV Magnier/Bective Stud. Sold as lot 1253, she is a three-time Grade 1 hurdle winner and was in foal to Walk In The Park (Ire).
Closutton also offered the third- and fourth-dearest lots– lot 1254 and lot 1257, Buildmeupbuttercup (GB) (Sixties Icon {GB}) and Salsaretta (Fr) (Kingsalsa), respectively. The former was snapped up by Jayne McGivern for €165,000 and is a listed winner and Grade 1-placed hurdler in foal to the popular Crystal Ocean (GB). Salsaretta, a Grade 2 winning-chaser entered the ring carrying to Blue Bresil (Fr), and went to Seamar Bloodstock Ltd.
Magic of Light (Ire) (Flemensfirth) (lot 1251) was second at the end-of-day standings at €185,000 and caught the eye of Coolmara Stables. The Baroda Stud draft member ran out a dual winner of the G2 Warfield Mares' Hurdle, as well as the G2 Glencarraig Lady Mares H. Chase. She is a half-sister to Grade 1 hurdler Pingshou (Ire) (Definite Article {GB}) and sold in foal to young sire Crystal Ocean (GB).
At the conclusion of the sale, 857 lots sold of 1,182 (73%) offered for an aggregate of €15,758,100. The average dropped three points to €18,388 and the median was also marginally down to €12,500 (-4%). Thursday's trade ended with 135 sold and a gross of €2,420,250. The average was €17,928 and the median was €7,000.
Commenting on the conclusion of the November NH Sale, Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins said, “What an amazing couple of days we have witnessed at Tattersalls Ireland as the November NH Sale reached unprecedented heights with a trade that was simply extraordinary. The November NH Sale continues to be such a strong hallmark sale for breeders and the 2021 renewal is one that only adds to the story in a hugely positive way. The sale kicked off with the highest turnover for a yearling session since 2015, setting the tone for a week of tremendous highs that saw records continue to fall with the turnover, average and median all making huge gains on the previous decade.
“Our foal session set records for a four-day sale and to break the €5,000,000 barrier on Tuesday was remarkable. The sale was a superb representation of the cream of the 2021 foal crop with so many leading breeders continuing to sell their best in November at Tattersalls Ireland.
“The Breeding Stock Sale continued the trend with top prices of €350,000, €185,000, and €165,000 to buyers from France, Ireland and UK illustrating the enduring appeal for the best NH broodmares, and they were the highlights of another incredibly strong renewal of our mare and filly sale with strong trade which enjoyed a record top lot.
“On behalf of all the team at Tattersalls Ireland, I extend our appreciation to the vendors for giving us the opportunity to promote their top-class yearlings, foals and breeding stock and to each and every one of our buyers.”
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