THE Tattersalls Online December Sale was headlined by the inaugural Southern Hemisphere Session, a collaboration with Inglis, which was made up of eight mares carrying Southern Hemisphere covers to Too Darn Hot.

The initiative returned mixed results, with three selling for six-figure sums, while the other five failed to find a buyer. Know Thyself would have held the top spot, if it wasn’t her vendor that provided the final bid of 400,000gns, and another three were retained for 190,000gns and upwards.

Cloth Of Cloud, a Group 1 winner in her native South Africa, claimed top-lot honours at a price of 180,000gns. Hubie de Burgh signed for the daughter of Captain Al, who is out of a blacktype half-sister to Artie Schiller.

“She has been purchased for an existing client, who wanted to be part of the Too Darn Hot success story in the Southern Hemisphere,” de Burgh explained. “Cloth of Cloud was a very good race filly during her career on the track and Too Darn Hot has been doing an outstanding job with his progeny in Australia. It’s an exciting journey to be embarking on.”

De Burgh purchases to have succeeded in Australia include Melbourne Cup winners Fiorente and Green Moon, so he is very familiar with the Australian bloodstock scene. On the method of his latest purchase, the agent said: “The thoroughbred online sales concept has been a huge success in Australia.

“It is still in its infancy in the Northern Hemisphere, but I believe the concept is a vitally important part of the structure of selling thoroughbreds and I am a big supporter of it.”

Supporting acts

Moulton Stud consigned Cloth Of Cloud, whose first produce is the 88-rated winner Garden Route, a son of Galileo. Her latest foal, a colt by Wootton Bassett, sold to Glenvale Stud for 200,000gns at the recent Tattersalls December Foal Sale.

Moulton Stud also consigned the next highest priced lot of the sale in Newton’s Night, who brought 150,000gns from Ridgeport. The Galileo own-sister to Dress Rehearsal is the dam of Treasure Isle, a listed winner and Group 3-placed as a juvenile this season. The 13-year-old mare is also the grandam of Group 2 runner-up Space Legend.

Mark McStay’s Avenue Bloodstock secured Wolverhampton maiden winner Crimson Coronet from New England Stud. The daughter of Zoustar is out of a listed-winning half-sister to Ascot Gold Cup hero Courage Mon Ami.

Clara tastes the tropics

Tropical Island was next to feature in the top lot table, after County Kilkenny breeder Clara Stud bought the bay for 30,000gns. The Inns Of Court filly showed talent on and off the track, fetching £135,000 at the breeze-up sales, and earned an official rating of 92.

Willie McCreery fared best of the Irish consignors, selling Positive Energy to Michael O’Callaghan for 28,000gns. The three-year-old gelding by Make Believe saw his rating rise from 64 to 71 after winning a Navan handicap last time out.

At the close of business, 42 of the 108 lots offered found favour, at a rate of 39%. Unsold lots remain available and offers can be made through the Make An Offer facility on the Tattersalls Online website. Enquiries are also welcome via email and phone to the Tattersalls Online team.

The company’s final sale of the year realised a turnover of 728,450gns and achieved an average price of 17,344gns. Over 270 bidders registered for the sale from countries including America, Australia, Belgium, Britain, France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and from throughout the Gulf region.

The next sale to take place on the Tattersalls Online platform will be the January Online Sale on January 14th – 15th. Entries for the January Online Sale will be accepted until Friday, January 3rd and can be made through the Tattersalls Online website.