THE Tattersalls December Yearling Sale has long been a friend to both buyers and consignors, offering both their last opportunity to trade yearlings that year. The different reasons that see yearlings end up at the one-day sale, which returns on Monday, November 24th, makes for a varied catalogue.
Some missed or failed to flourish at their original sales date, others needed all the time in the world, neither circumstance reserved for bluebloods or their less commercial compatriots. The sale’s impressive honour roll and graduates’ prices demonstrate this, ranging from the 700,000gns paid by Demi O’Brien for subsequent Irish Oaks heroine Moonstone, to the 5,000gns given by Stephen Hillen for the all-conquering Via Sistina.
The aforementioned classic winner later proved a successful broodmare, producing five stakes horses, including a Derby runner-up. That’s all ahead of Via Sistina, who gained the first of 11 Group 1 wins for Hillen and George Boughey before selling to Zhang Yuesheng for 2.7 million guineas.
Their achievements might seem lofty ambitions for those buying on Monday, but there are plenty of other examples of the December Yearling Sale delivering at various price points. Six-figure spends have yielded the likes of Broome (150,000gns), Big Mojo (175,000gns), Sea Of Class (170,000gns) and Zabeel Prince (325,000gns), but other Group 1 winners commanded much more affordable prices.
While Via Sistina may be the bargain hunters’ poster girl, there was also Blazing Speed (41,000gns), G Force (70,000gns), Megahertz (12,000gns), Nahoodh (19,000gns), Vale Of York (23,000gns) and Vandeek (42,000gns).
Successful at every stage
Those are just some of the Group 1 winners, but looking further down the honour roll, another recent success story is Naomi Lapaglia. Robbie Mills’ RMM Bloodstock picked up the daughter of Awtaad for just 2,000gns and reaped rewards at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale, where the Shadwell-bred bay sold for 110,000gns.
After multiple stakes placings for Richard Spencer, she resold for 475,000gns to Gaelic Bloodstock. A listed winner and twice group-placed since for Ger Lyons, she returns to Tattersalls at the upcoming December Mares Sale.
Most of last year’s top lots have yet to run, their connections exercising the same patience that rewarded the consignors with record prices in average (51,957gns) and median (30,000gns) 12 months ago.
Of 168 yearlings offered, 138 sold at a clearance rate of 82%. Hopes will be high on Monday, as a similarly-sized offering goes through the ring after a strong season of yearling sales, which may have left a number of buyers with orders to fill.
The catalogue holds a characteristically strong sire profile, featuring yearlings by the likes of Blue Point, Dark Angel, Dubawi, Frankel, Havana Grey, Kingman, Lope De Vega, Mehmas, Night Of Thunder, No Nay Never, Sea The Stars and Wootton Bassett.
Seventeen of the 200 catalogued are eligible for the £25,000 Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonus Scheme and 16 are eligible for the £200,000 Tattersalls Somerville Auction Stakes and the £200,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes, both to be run for minimum prize money of £200,000 each in 2026.
Ten siblings of Group 1 winners are obvious highlights, along with 75 siblings of stakes winners and 38 yearlings out of stakes-winning mares.
Selling gets underway at 10am on Monday.
Lot 22: Frankel filly out of EP Taylor Stakes winner Blond Me
Lot 28: Pinatubo half-brother to Irish Oaks heroine You Got To Me, out of a listed-winning mare
Lot 75: Sea The Stars colt is a full-brother to dual Group 1 winner Emily Upjohn, out of a blacktype mare from the family of Harzand (Sea The Stars)
Lot 76: Sea The Stars colt is a full-brother to the sale’s top-class graduate Sea Of Class and a half-brother to another two Group 1 winner
Lot 95: Sea The Stars half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Dreamloper and closely related to Group 2 heroine Santorini Star. Out of a listed winner
Lot 112: Night Of Thunder half-sister to May Hill Stakes winner Polly Pott, out of a half-sister to Mohaather
Lot 124: Kingman colt is closely related to Matron Stakes winner Pearls Galore (Invincible Spirit). Half-brother to another two stakes winners, out of a Group 3-winning mare
Lot 131: Pinatubo filly out of Pleascach, winner of the Yorkshire Oaks and Irish 1000 Guineas
Lot 137: Night Of Thunder colt out of a Group 3-placed daughter of Pride
Lot 143: Aclaim half-sister to Group 1-winning sprinter Dick Whittington
Lot 160: Kingman half-brother to Group 1 winner Jannah Rose and Group 2 winner Creggs Pipes
Lot 177: Mohaather colt out of the top-class race mare Taghrooda. Half-brother to a Group 2 winner
Lot 196: Cracksman filly is closely related to Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter (Teofilo), out of a blacktype mare
Lot 200: Sea The Stars filly out of a half-sister to her sire’s Group 1 winners Baaeed and Hukum