Records were broken at the Tattersalls February Sale - the first sale of Tattersalls’ 250th Year.
The sale’s turnover broke new ground with 251 lots sold realising 2,718,800 guineas - a 5% increase on last year’s record turnover.
The average and median were 10,832 guineas and 5,000 guineas respectively with the Godolphin mare ‘Doldrums’ recording topping the sale at 145,000 guineas.
The top lot for the day and the second highest priced mare in the history of this fixture was the six-year-old mare Doldrums who realised 145,000 guineas to the bid of Italian agent Marco Bozzi. The Godolphin consigned mare was offered in foal to Darley’s resident stallion ‘Exceed and Excel’ and also attracted the interest of BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe who finished the underbidder.
The daughter of ‘Berandini’ is a half-sister to Grade One winner Vacare and hails from the family of four-time Grade One winner and successful broodmare ‘Serena’s Song.’
Agent Marco Bozzi said: “She has been bought for a group of Italian owners who have some mares in America and she will go to join them,
“She will go to board at Frankfort Farm, we have not yet made mating plans. She is a winner and it is rare to get a pedigree such as this.”
The next lot in the ring, also from Godolphin, was the winning three-year-old filly ‘Soofiah,’ who was knocked down to Gary Hadden for 95,000 guineas on behalf of Craig Bennett’s Merry Fox Stud. The filly is a half-sister to the Group One Dubai Duty Free winner ‘Sajjha’ and a grand-daughter of the Group One Oaks second ‘Noushkey.’
“We like King’s Best mares and Kingmambo blood,” said Hadden. “She is only a three-year-old, and we will not cover her until next year. We might put her in training and see how she goes. Her pedigree means that when we come to covering, she will be open to most stallions.”
Earlier in the afternoon ‘High Luminosity’ also sold for 95,000 guineas when knocked down to Linda Sadler after she saw off agent Tina Rau.
The daughter of ‘Elusive Quality’ was offered by Highclere Stud to dissolve a partnership and was offered in foal to ‘Acclamation.’
‘High Luminosity’ is from one of the great Niarchos families, being a daughter of the French champion two-year-old filly ‘Denebola’ and a grand-daughter of ‘Coup De Genie,’ also a Champion two-year-old in France.
“I have bought her on behalf of Highclere Stud,” said Sadler. “The farm has bought out its partners. She is a lovely quality mare and is from a top Niarchos family. She will visit Cable Bay.”
At the conclusion of the 2016 Tattersalls February Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said: “Our 250th year will undoubtedly have sales which attract more headlines than today’s fixture, but the 2016 February Sale has given a solid start to this special year in the long history of Tattersalls.
The next sale at Tattersalls is the Craven Breeze Up Sale that takes place from April 11-13.
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