It's the start of a big fortnight of sales in the UK with Tattersalls December kicking off overnight with the yearling session to be followed later this week by Foals and then next week the stellar Mares will be offered, a sale that produced reigning Australian Horse of the Year Via Sistina (IRE) in 2023.
A record-breaking renewal of the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale saw new benchmarks set for turnover, average and median and the highest priced colt in the sale’s history. There were a record seventeen six-figure lots and the clearance rate was an impressive 85%.
Record Price of 425,000 Guineas for Frankel Colt
Among the records set at the December Yearling Sale was the benchmark for the highest priced colt ever sold at the sale with the FRANKEL half-brother to top sprinting filly DRAMATISED realising 425,000 guineas to bloodstock agent Alex Elliott.
Consigned by Hazelwood Bloodstock, the April-foaled colt is out of the Listed winner KATIE’S DIAMOND whose talents as a broodmare have been amply demonstrated by DRAMATISED, winner of the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot at two and the Group 2 Temple Stakes at three.
“He is for a partnership,” revealed Elliott. “He looks a fast Frankel and I am pleased to get him. He obviously should have been in Book 1, but he got a foot abscess and that needed time to grow out.
“It is a fast family and I remember the mare racing for Karl Burke, she has produced a good one in Dramatised. I didn’t think that I would get him, the December Sale has produced good horses and hopefully he will be one who can add his name to the roll of honour.”
The colt’s dam KATIE’S DIAMOND will be offered next week in the Sceptre Sessions of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale as lot 1742 carrying a FRANKEL own-sibling to today’s top lot.
Sea The Stars Filly to Stroud Coleman for 260,000 Guineas
SEA THE STARS has enjoyed an exceptional year on the racecourse and his progeny proved duly popular at the December Yearling Sale with the sire responsible for the second and fifth highest priced lots of the day. Stroud Coleman Bloodstock’s Anthony Stroud struck for the filly offered by the Castlebridge Consignment at 260,000 guineas and commented:
“Sea The Stars speaks for himself, and this is a very nice filly. The mare has been bred to Sea The Stars a number of times and all the runners she’s produced have been highly rated. The stallion’s fee has gone up to €300,000 next year, so this represents reasonable value. He’s undoubtedly a very good stallion.”
Bred by Sunderland Holding, the May-foaled filly is out of the STREET CRY mare MY TIMING who has produced five fillies to date by SEA THE STARS. Her three daughters to have raced thus far have all won and have all been rated 90 or higher.
MY TIMING is out of the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes winner LAY TIME, a granddaughter of the Oaks winner and Champion Older Mare TIME CHARTER who won the Group 1 Coronation Cup, the Group 1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Group 1 Champion Stakes.
Rau Secures Lope de Vega Filly for 235,000 Guineas
Fillies were to the fore at the December Yearling Sale with four of the five highest priced lots of the day. Bloodstock agent Tina Rau saw off Anthony Stroud and Mags O’Toole at 235,000 guineas to secure the day’s third highest priced lot, a daughter of LOPE DE VEGA consigned by Rathbarry Stud.
Tina Rau revealed: “She’s been bought to race for a partnership in France. I obviously know the family well, she was born on a very good German stud farm and she was raised on a very good Irish stud farm. The mare is without fault. The three-year-old is staying in training and should be a Group winner next year. The two-year-old is exciting too so there’s a lot to like.”
Bred by Gestut Etzean, the filly is a half-sister to Group 3 winning sire SEA BAY, Champion Two-Year-Old Colt in Germany, the Listed winner SAMOA and the three-year-old filly STARLIGHT LIPS, fourth in the Group 1 German Oaks this year beaten just three-quarters of a length. Their dam STRAWBERRY is a half-sister to the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin winner SIRIUS and an own-sister to the Listed winner and Group 2 placed SAN SALVADOR.
The Tattersalls December Foal Sale starts at 11am on Tuesday, 25th November.
