THE four-day Tattersalls December Foal Sale came to a close on Saturday and the final figures are nicely ahead of those posted last year.

This week in Newmarket we have seen 78% of the 957 foals offered find buyers. This is in line with 2016 levels but this year’s total spending of 32.6 million guineas was up 7% on last year.

This year’s average price of 44,027gns is a record for the sale and the median of 25,000gns is a joint-record, up 19% on last year.

Saturday’s session saw 167 lots sell for 3.5 million guineas. Top price on the day was 110,000gns for the Iffraaj filly out of the listed-placed Oasis Dream mare Arabian Mirage. Consigned by Simon Sweeting’s Overbury Stud, the filly was bought by Liam Norris and William Huntingdon as a pinhook prospect and matches the top price at this session last year.

"She is a lovely filly," said Norris. "She is for a syndicate and will be re-consigned here. She was the only one I had on my list today."

Sweeting said: "I am delighted with the price, but am even more delighted with where she is going to - Liam and Jenny do a fabulous job and it is important as the mare is with us and is a young mare.

"Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock bought her for us last year carrying this covering - we paid 52,000 guineas at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale. Richard has very strict criteria regarding buying mares - they have to be correct, good-looking mares and athletic, it means you walk away from a lot, but this has worked out very well indeed.

Second highest price on Saturday was 100,000gns for the Night Of Thunder colt out of the Green Desert mare White Wedding. Consigned by Chris Budgett’s Kirtlington Stud, the son of the 2000 Guineas winner was knocked down to Gay O’Callaghan’s Yeomanstown Stud. He is out of a half-sister to the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile and Falmouth Stakes winner Simply Perfect.

"We bought the mare in foal to Air Chief Marshal" said Budgett. "It's a wonderful family and the foal she was carrying turned out to be Zack Mayo [a three time winner this year for Charlie McBride] - anyone who has seen him race knows he's a good horse."

Reflecting on the week’s trade, Tattersalls’ chairman Edmond Mahony noted that the number of foals selling for 200,000gns or more rose from 16 in 2016 to 26 this year.

The four-day Tattersalls December Mare Sale featuring the Ballymacoll Dispersal starts at 9.30am on Monday.

KEY STATISTICS FROM THE DECEMBER FOAL SALE

Lots catalogued: 1,147 (+1%)

Lots offered: 957 (0%)

Lots sold: 742 (0%)

% sold: 78%

Aggregate: 32,666,200gns (+7%)

Median: 25,000 (+19%)**

Average: 44,027gns (+7%)**

Leading consignors (by agg): Norelands Stud, The Castlebridge Consignment, Trickledown Stud

Leading purchasers (by agg): Capital Bloodstock, Godolphin, Cheveley Park Stud