By Emma Berry
Glorious sunshine and a sales paddock bursting with visitors from all over the world will no doubt have lifted the spirits of the Tattersalls team ahead of the company's major yearling sale, which starts today at 11am.
Throughout the three days of October Book 1 it's more a case of deciding which jewel shines brightest rather than hunting for a diamond in the rough as page after page of the catalogue offers some of the best-bred horses in Europe, with a decent handful of American-breds thrown in for good measure.
With the European racing season reaching its climax, updates at this level are usually fairly major and none comes hotter off the press than that provided by the never-say-die win of Meon Valley Stud's Speedy Boarding (GB) (Shamardal) in Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix de l'Opera. Her half-brother by Frankel (GB) is early into the ring as lot 5, while on Thursday, Glenvale Stud offers another sibling to one of this weekend's Group 1 winners in lot 441, a sister to Sun Chariot S. winner Alice Springs (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
Ting Kong Cheng's Sun Bloodstock, which races just a handful of horses in Europe, enjoyed a Group 1 winner on France's biggest day of racing courtesy of the Criquette Head-trained National Defense (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who won the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. Representing the Sun Bloodstock team at Tattersalls is Danielle Cheng and agent David O'Callaghan, and other international visitors include first-timer Nasser Lootah, the Dubaian owner of Emirates Park Stud in Australia, as well as New Zealanders Paul Moroney and Guy Mulcaster.
The Mayfair Speculators, headed by Markus Jooste, have already been prominent at Arqana's August Sale and the BBAG Sale in Germany this summer and have arrived at Tattersalls along with fellow South Africans Mary and Jessica Slack with agent Jehan Malherbe.
Tattersalls' Marketing Director Jimmy George, busy welcoming potential buyers on Monday, said, “We've been blessed with some extraordinary weather which obviously puts an extra spring in everyone's step. The sales grounds have been very busy and by common consent it's a very good Book 1 catalogue which reflects the strength in depth of the sires standing in Europe at the moment.”
He continued, “There's a proper cast of international buyers assembled and we're very pleased with how owners and trainers have welcomed our Book 1 bonus scheme. Hopefully that will continue to appeal to as wide a cross-section of buyers as possible.”
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