Tattersalls December Foal Sale

The unmistakably charismatic Stradivarius (Ire) became one horse to buck the trend of the top stayers being shuffled off to National Hunt studs after glorious careers on the Flat when his owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen elected to stand him at the National Stud in Newmarket. In his first two seasons there he has covered 220 mares and now foal judges and pinhookers will have their first chance to set eyes on a bunch of his debut crop at Tattersalls in just over a week's time, when 14 of his 80 weanlings...

A total of 1,008 foals will be offered at Park Paddocks, as the catalogue for the Tattersalls December Foal Sale was announced on Friday. Scheduled for Nov. 26-30, the sale will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with a day set aside for viewing on Thursday, Nov. 28. As previously announced, a full-sister to G1 2000 Guineas heroine Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) will feature as lot 945. She is among the lots that are half- or full-siblings to 129 group or listed winners, including six Group 1 winners....

With the foal sales at Goffs and Tattersalls confined to the rear view mirror, perhaps now is the time to get a good gauge on the young sires coming through.  Bragging rights belong to St Mark's Basilica (Fr), who topped the December Foal Sale at Tattersalls when a filly by the multiple Group 1-winning stallion out of Oaks winner Talent (GB) sold for 575,000gns.  The St Mark's Basilica sale-topper was consigned by Ashbrittle Stud and bought by agent Jill Lamb on behalf of Newsells Park Stud, with the former labelling...

Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony acknowledged the weakness of the lower end of the market as the Tattersalls December Foal Sale concluded on Saturday with a 125,000gns Showcasing (GB) filly leading the way.  Almost 30 million gns was spent on foals this week at Tattersalls while Friday saw the most expensive foal sold so far this year--a St Mark's Basilica (Fr) filly--in Europe and North America at 575,000gns. However, the aggregate of 29,842,902gns was down 15% on last year while the average dropped 6% to 44,608gns. The clearance rate was more...

Friday marked a breakout result for five-time Group 1-winner St Mark's Basilica (Fr) as a filly by Coolmore's freshman sire out of the Oaks winner Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) topped the December Foal Sale at Tattersalls on 575,000gns. The aggregate fell 11% compared to this day 12 months ago to 17,943,000gns while the clearance rate climbed 7% to 87%. The average fell 13% to 95,952gns and the median dipped 9% to 62,000gns. It was bloodstock agent Jill Lamb, bidding on behalf of Newsells Park Stud, who came out on...

Hanshen Tham has become one of the most recognisable faces on the bloodstock circuit in Britain and Ireland but that's not to say that many people know a lot about the owner-breeder and pinhooker. Instead, Tham prefers to go about his business quietly.  This year was a big one for the 34-year-old. His family enjoyed its greatest success on a racecourse when homebred Thornbrook landed a listed contest in France for Joseph O'Brien. Not long afterwards, the Tham family enjoyed its biggest day in the ring when a Night Of...

There was a familiar theme to develop at Park Paddocks on Wednesday as, for the second time in the space of 24 hours, the progeny of Havana Grey (GB) dominated at the December Foal Sale with a colt by the Whitsbury Manor Stud-based stallion fetching 250,000gns to unknown entity Rumstar Bloodstock.  A brother to G3 Cornwallis S. winner Rumstar (GB), lot 638 was one of two foals by the sire to clear six figures on the day, with five more foals by Havana Grey selling for at least 80,000gns. Whitsbury's...

NEWMARKET, UK--After a brief pause between sales to fill up the lungs before the next push, Tattersalls is now braced for some frenetic action throughout the coming fortnight at Park Paddocks. And in in time-honoured fashion, the December Sales begin with a session of yearlings which numbered 162 at the last count.  Just to guarantee strong interest in Monday's proceedings right through to the end, we have a Dubawi (Ire) colt in the ring last of all. Lot 188 is the second foal of the G2 German 1,000 Guineas winner...

As the darkness draws in on the Monday and Tuesday afternoons of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, it is a signal for the those around Park Paddocks to head ring-wards for the bloodstock world's version of captivating theatre. Who present, shoulder to shoulder in the packed auditorium over recent years, can forget moments such as the sale of Marsha (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) for 6 million gns? Even her trainer Sir Mark Prescott, always ready with a witticism, was for once lost for words in the drama of it all.  A...

The catalogue for the 2023 Tattersalls December Yearling Sale, set to be held Monday, Nov. 27, is out and can be viewed online. A total of 188 lots are set to sell over the one-day sale that immediately precedes the December Foal Sale, which will take place from Tuesday, Nov. 28 through Saturday, Dec. 2. Last year's sale produced a number of standouts, including dual Group 1 winning 2-year-old Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) and G1 Pretty Polly S. winner Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Ire}), purchased for 42,000gns and...

A Showcasing (GB) half-brother to this year's 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is among 1,084 weanlings to be consigned to the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. The sale begins on Tuesday, November 28 and runs until Saturday, December 2 with a 'dark day' for viewing of the later foals on Thursday. Bred by Whitsbury Manor Stud, Chaldean is himself a graduate of the foal sale, having been bought for 550,000gns by Juddmonte. His dam Suelita (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) has produced five black-type performers, including the G2 Mill Reef...

NEWMARKET, UK--A pair of colts by the young Darley and Shadwell stallions Masar (Ire) and Mohaather (GB) shared the top spot on the final day of foal trade at Park Paddocks which brought the curtain down, not just on a record week for weanlings but also a record year for Tattersalls--and that's before the Mares Sale even begins. The average and median for the fourth session were both up on last year, with a total of 2,267,750gns added to the overall tally from the sale of 150 foals. For the...