Midsummer Sizzler At Record-Breaking Tatts July

With Tattersalls in the midst of celebrating its 250^th anniversary, a stellar July Sale will have boosted confidence as the Newmarket company shuts its doors for three months until its flagship October Yearling Sale.

The final day of horses in training added 2,660,700gns to record turnover of 12,311,329gns, albeit from the largest group of horses sold in the sale's history, with 572 horses changing hands from 648 offered––a clearance rate of 88%.

The overall average for the sale rose to 21,535gns (+17%) and was another record, but the median fell by 9% to 10,000gns. With 31 more lots sold in the final session than on the equivalent day last year, the aggregate was up by 10% but the average of 15,204gns was a decline of 10% and the median was down by 15% at 8,500gns. As on the previous day, a clearance rate of 92% was an encouraging factor.

Listed winner Fanciful Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) (lot 781A), one of four supplementary entries to the Tattersalls July Sale, headed the final day's trade at 135,000gns and will remain with his trainer Marco Botti after being bought by Adam Driver on behalf of Mike Kaye's Stay Gold Racing syndicate.

The 107-rated 4-year-old's latest victory came over a mile at Meydan back in January, and he may well head back to the UAE in future.

Driver said, “He'll stay with Marco Botti and will continue to race here with the aim of going back to Dubai next year to emulate what he did this year. He looks a picture and his form is really good.”

While the session-topper will stay at home in the short term, warmer climes are on the cards for Generalship (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) (lot 709) and Felix Leiter (GB) (Monsieur Bond {Ire}) (lot 772), both of whom will be heading to Qatar after being bought by trainer Jassim Al Ghazali for 120,000gns and 80,000gns respectively.

Sold from John Gosden's Clarehaven Stables, 3-year-old colt Generalship timed his first win in six starts to perfection when landing Wednesday's mile handicap at Kempton by three lengths. A year older, Felix Leiter has five wins and a mark of 100 to his name, his most recent victory coming over seven furlongs at York in June.

A late addition to Al Ghazali's list of ten purchases at the sale was lot 846, Stars N Angels (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a winner for Mick Appleby at Salisbury on June 12. The consistent 71-rated 3-year-old, who has finished in the first three in her last five starts, was sold for 68,000gns.

Bated Breath's first-crop runners are only two but his daughter Pointer (GB) (lot 698) has been bought as a future broodmare prospect for John Deer's Oakgrove Stud in Chepstow after manager Tim Lane went to 65,000gns to secure the unraced daughter of G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly winner Daring Miss (GB) (Sadler's Wells). The juvenile filly's half-siblings include French listed winner Destruct (GB) (Rail Link {GB}) and G3 Musidora S. runner-up Quickfire (GB) (Dubai Millennium {GB}).

The agent and trainer team of John Kilbride and Adrian Keatley, which combined so successfully in their purchase of subsequent G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) at last year's autumn horses-in-training sale, was back from more at Tattersalls on Friday and pledged 60,000gns to buy lot 779, Mothers Finest (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}). Bought from the in-form Karl Burke stable, the 102-rated 4-year-old will now head to Ireland.

“She has a really good rating but no black type so she may go for a listed race at Galway,” stated Kilbride. “She's an attractive filly and the aim is to improve her profile but it's scary to buy one from Karl Burke and to hope she'll improve. Hopefully the fillies' races might be a little easier for her in Ireland.”

Another duo from Karl Burke's Spigot Lodge Stables to also fetch 60,000gns was Wayward Hoof (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) (lot 778) and Wholesome (Lemon Drop Kid) (lot 780). The former, an 85-rated dual winner, was bought by agent Jamie Lloyd to race on in Qatar, while Wholesome, a daughter of Canadian Grade III runner-up Nite In Rome (Can) (Harlan's Holiday), was bought by an unnamed client of Eamonn Reilly as a long-term breeding prospect.

Reflecting on a bumper week at Park Paddocks, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony said, “Turnover for the July Sale has reached unprecedented levels with more than 12 million guineas changing hands, surpassing the previous record set back in 2006. The Tattersalls July Sale consistently attracts an extraordinarily diverse cast of buyers and yet again we have welcomed buyers from every continent in the world. Of particular note has been the impact made by first time visitor Mr Zhang Yuesheng, whose China-based Yulong Investments has made a major contribution to the success of this week's sale.”

He added, “We should also pay tribute to our vendors whose support for this fixture has been rewarded with a clearance rate of around 90% and sustained demand at all levels of the market, especially for quality breeding stock. While the catalogue lacked a few stars among the horses in training, the quality of the broodmares and fillies more than compensated and the outstanding Godolphin draft was particularly well received. The global appetite for quality bloodstock remains as strong as ever and there can be no doubt that buyers have also been encouraged by the current weakness of sterling.”