The Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale continued in strong fashion on the final day, albeit at a lower level than the previous three days. The final session saw 186 lots sold for 1,288,800 guineas at an average of 6,929 guineas and a median of 4,500 guineas. The clearance for the day stood at 89%, marginally ahead of the clearance rate for the sale which was a remarkable 88%. The four day sale saw a total of 922 lots sell for a record 24,304,100 guineas, which was a 16% increase on the 2013 renewal. The average and median also rose, by 13% and 30% respectively to 26,360 guineas and 13,000 guineas.
The top lot on the final day of the sale was the three-year-old gelding SEAMOUR who was purchased by trainer Brian Ellison for 110,000 guineas. The price was the highest on the final day of the sale since subsequent Grade 1 winner OBVIOUSLY sold for 130,000 guineas in 2011.
"He's a lovely horse and the form around his runs reads well," says Ellison. "Owner Phil Martin picked him out, and it is up to me to look at any horses he has found to say if I like them and then get them vetted.
"We tried on a few earlier this week, but they were making so much. We'll take him home and tip away, get him schooled and see how we go."
The determined underbidder was Dermot Farrington and he and Claire Ellison exchanged a number of bidding blows until the "lady in the hat" was successful.
At the conclusion of the 2014 Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;
"While our prize money may not be the envy of the global racing community, the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale has yet again proved that British and Irish bloodstock is coveted throughout the world. Horses purchased at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale have won races at the highest level this year in Asia, Australasia, Europe, the Gulf region and North America, and consistent racecourse success is the reason why such huge numbers of buyers come to this unique sale year after year. There is no sale like this anywhere else in the world and the extraordinary diversity of the buyers, both domestic and international, never ceases to amaze.
"The demand from the Middle East has long been a feature of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale and again buyers from the region have made a massive contribution to a sale which has recorded wide margin rises in all the key indicators and record turnover in excess of 24 million guineas. Buyers from throughout Europe and South East Asia have also been prominent, as have North Americans looking for both Flat and National Hunt performers, and again the influence of the ever growing band of Australian buyers has been enormous. There will be three runners in next week's Melbourne Cup purchased from previous Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sales and the winners of nearly 40 Australian 2013/2014 Group/Listed races have come from sale. After this week's Australian spending spree, which was just short of 3 million guineas, we can look forward to further racecourse success to add to the ever growing global reputation of the sale."
Tattersalls Release
