THE four-day Tattersalls December Mare Sale starts on Monday in Newmarket. Over 1,000 fillies and broodmares are due to be offered for sale, the majority in foal.
Last year just one mare made more than one million guineas but seven mares reached that mark and beyond in 2018. A year earlier all records were smashed when top sprinter Marsha fetched six million guineas.
However, even though we can expect over 50 million guineas to be spent at Park Paddocks next week the median price is likely to be no more than 25,000gns, so there is something for (almost) all budgets.
Two mares in particular, Beach Frolic and Lady Gorgeous, are being tipped as potential sale-toppers next week, both dams of Group 1 winners this year with the promise of more to come in 2021.
Beach Frolic is one of nine mares catalogued in foal to the Kildangan Stud based first season sire Blue Point.
Lady Gorgeous is the dam of Europe’s highest rated two-year-old filly Pretty Gorgeous. She is one of nine mares catalogued in foal to top young Coolmore based sire No Nay Never.
Other potential highlights include the five-year-old Group 1 Queensland Oaks winner Winning Ways, one of five mares catalogued in foal to Kingman, and the listed placed four-year-old mare Golconda, carrying to the unbeaten 2018 US Triple Crown winner Justify.
In total the catalogue features well over 100 group and listed winners/producers as well as mares in foal to 22 of the current top 25 active British- and Irish-based sires including Camelot, Dark Angel, Dubawi, Frankel, Invincible Spirit, Kingman, Kodiac, Lope De Vega and No Nay Never.
Sires with their first foals now or in 2021 are equally well represented with plenty of mares in-foal to young classic, Group 1 and other talented horses, including Advertise, Calyx, Cracksman, Crystal Ocean, Eqtidaar, Expert Eye, Harry Angel, Havana Grey, Land Force, Lightning Spear, Magna Grecia, Masar, Phoenix Of Spain, Saxon Warrior, Sioux Nation, Study Of Man, Ten Sovereigns, Too Darn Hot, U S Navy Flag, Unfortunately and Waldgeist.
Stakes winners for sale
THE 2020 December catalogue features an abundance of high-class performers including Group 3 winners Breathtaking Look, Devant, Kurious, Queen Jo Jo and Tamniah, as well as this year’s listed winners Archer’s Dream, Heliac, Punita Anora, Run Wild, Sardinia Sunset and Stormy Girl.
Two others listed race winners to note are the Aga Khan-bred Dark Angel filly Sonaiyla, who was also third in the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh, and this year’s Group 2 Rockfel Stakes runner-up Nazuna.
The largest consignment is the annual draft from Godolphin which numbers 87 lots comprising 33 broodmares and a further 54 fillies in/out of training.
The consignment from Juddmonte Farms is also among the regular highlights of the Tattersalls December Sale and this year’s 55 strong team includes mares in foal to top Juddmonte sires Frankel and Kingman, as well as half-sisters to numerous Juddmonte Group 1 winners including Cityscape, Emulous, First Defence, Kingman, New Bay, Passage Of Time, Proviso and Timepiece.
Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Shadwell Estates and Shadwell Stud have a combined 57 lots between them.
Floors Stud dispersal
THE partial dispersal of stock from the late Duke of Roxburghe’s Floors Stud is set to be amongst the highlights of the December Sale.
Seven mares will be offered on Tuesday and heading the draft is the regally bred listed placed Galileo mare Hibiscus, in foal to sire of the moment Siyouni. Out of subsequently disqualified 1000 Guineas winner Jacqueline Quest, the seven-year-old Hibiscus is an own-sister to Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Line Of Duty and a half-sister to Royal Ascot winning multiple 2020 listed scorer Onassis.
The Grade 3-placed Federation is a half-sister to the Duke’s famous racemare Attraction and she is in foal to proven international Group 1 sire Starspangledbanner.
By Motivator, Federation’s two-year-old daughter by Shalaa made an impressive winning debut in Japan and confirmed her promise when runner up in the €250,000 Momiji Stakes on her second start.
Stallion prospect among wildcards
THE Group 2 Tattersalls July Stakes winner Royal Lytham is a late entry for next week’s sale.
He is one of three stallion prospects being offered on Monday night at Tattersalls. The other two are Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling and Australian Group 2 winner Yucatan.
A three-year-old son of Gleneagles, Royal Lytham capped an impressive juvenile season for Aidan O’Brien with a third in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes behind subsequent Irish 2000 Guineas winner Siskin.
He is out of the listed winner Gotlandia from the family of Group 1 Fillies’ Mile winner Glorosia and will be offered out of training by the Castlebridge Consignment as Lot 1508A.
Rekindling (by High Chaparral) only raced twice since winning the 2017 Melbourne Cup. Yucatan (by Galileo) won the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes in 2018, prior to finishing down the field in that year’s Melbourne Cup and only raced twice afterwards.
Another male in the sale worth noting is Son Of Hypnos (Lot 2255), a recent winner of a couple of handicaps for trainer Matthew Smith.
Eyecatching lots
Lot 1260: Desirous, 4yo b m by Kingman out of Emulous. Dam is a Group 1 winner. In foal to Frankel.
Lot 1608: Fizzi Top, 6yo b m by Frankel out of Zee Zee Top. Dam won Group 1. Has had two foals yet to race.
Lot 1697: Hibiscus, 7yo b m by Galileo out of Jacqueline Quest. Dam first past the post in the 1000 Guineas. Full-sister to Group 1 winner Line Of Duty. In foal to Siyouni.
Lot 1726: Winning Ways, 5yo ch m by Declaration Of War out of Skip Along. Group 1 winner in Australia. In foal to Kingman.
Lot 1731: Beach Frolic, 9yo ch m by Nayef out of Night Frolic. Unraced dam of this year’s dual Group 1 winner Palace Pier. In foal to Blue Point.
Lot 1740: Lady Gorgeous, 11yo ch m by Compton Place out of Cayman Sunset. Dam of this year’s Group 1 Fillies’ Mile winner Pretty Gorgeous. In foal to No Nay Never.
Lot 2020: Tanita, 3yo b f by Frankel out of Shoal, a placed full-sister to Midday.
Stallion prospects
Lot 1504: Rekindling, Group 1 Melbourne Cup winner by High Chaparral.
Lot 1505: Yucatan, Galileo Group 2 winner in Australia.
Lot 1508A: Royal Lytham, Group 2 July Stakes winner by Gleneagles.
December Mares’ sale statistics
YEAR CAT OFF SOLD AGGREGATE AVG MED
2019 1,025 812 668 57,790,900gns 86,513gns 27,000gns
2018 1,098 878 728 60,712,100gns 83,396gns 20,500gns
2017 1,087 857 675 68,315,300gns 101,208gns 25,000gns
2016 1,060 891 681 44,709,200gns 65,652gns 27,000gns
Sale details
Sale: Tattersalls December Mare Sale at Newmarket
Dates: Monday, November 30th to Thursday, December 3rd
Lots: 1,108
Tel: 0044 1638 665931
Web: tattersalls.com
Email: sales@tattersalls.com