Curtain Closes on Strong Tatts December Mares Sale

The rapidly increasing chasm between the upper echelons of the bloodstock world and the rest was starkly illustrated this week at Tattersalls, where the contrast between the buzzing sales ring Dec. 2-3, for the theatrical Sceptre Sessions under the glittering lights, and the Dec. 5 damp, dank final day of the December Mares Sale in front of a handful of people could not have been more pointed, or worrying. A bidding duel between Ed Harper of Whitsbury Manor Stud and Michael Swinburn of Genesis Green resulted in Swinburn digging deep into his pockets at 34,000 guineas (US$45,220, 1 guinea=US$1.33) for Thursday's session topper, Crown's Lady, a winning daughter of Whitsbury stalwart Showcasing (GB) and a full sister to listed Prix Zeddaan winner Showout (GB), renamed The Weatherman in Hong Kong. Swinburn said: "That was more than I wanted to pay for her, but when you have Ed Harper on the other leg, you know he is going to push you." Listed as sold to A O'Rourke, Crown's Lady was bred by the Irish National Stud's mare syndicate and was sold as a foal for €80,000 to Loughtown Stud. Fin Kent went to 20,000 guineas for the filly at the 2022 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 2 and the gray won three of her 13 starts for Craig Lidster, which all came this year. Her most recent success was over seven furlongs at Southwell last month. "She has a nice frame and a good page, and is by a good broodmare sire in Showcasing," said Swinburn. Sale Metrics There were 126 lots cataloged for Thursday's session, the fourth and final of the December Mares Sale, which was 35% lower than last year. Only 85 of the fillies and mares were offered for sale and the clearance rate was 68%, which was significantly better than last year when the rate was just 50%. The 58 sold in the ring generated turnover of 324,200 guineas (US$431,186), which was down by 21.5% from last year's total of 413,000 guineas for 69 horses sold. Thursday's average of 5,590 guineas (US$7,435) represented a 7% drop year-on-year, while the median figure of 3,750 guineas (US$4,988) was a 25% increase on last year. In complete contrast to Thursday's depressing fare were the Sceptre Sessions. There were 87 fillies and mares cataloged for this year's Sceptre Sessions, the highlight of the breeding stock sales at Park Paddocks. A total of 74 actually came under the hammer, with 59 of them selling for a clearance rate of 80%. Headed by the 4.8 million-guinea sale of Irish Oaks (G1) heroine You Got To Me (GB), the third-most expensive horse to be sold at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, the Scepter Sessions generated 42,040,000 guineas, which is 31% of the entire sale turnover of 133,740,200 guineas (US$177,874,466). The Sceptre Sessions' average price was 712,542 guineas, with the median coming in at 475,000 guineas. Taken as a whole, the December Sale recorded a clearance rate of 81%, excluding private sales, with an average price of 92,246 guineas (US$122,687), an increase of 29% year-on-year, while the median improved by 28% from 25,000 guineas in 2023 to 32,000 guineas (US$42,560) this time around.