BLOODSTOCK sales can be unpredictable, but there were few surprises among the top buyers and the sires of their stock at Monday’s Tattersalls December Yearling Sale. Some might even say that the fact that records were broken was hardly surprising, given the trends set in the past 18 months or so.

However, Alex Elliott revealed that the top price of 425,000gns that he paid for Hazelwood Bloodstock’s Frankel colt was below what he expected to give for the half-brother to dual Group 2 winner Dramatise. That was despite it being the highest price ever paid for a colt at the sale.

“It was actually at the bottom of the range that I had him, considering what his stallion stands for [£350,000 in 2026], and the mare’s produced a very good horse already,” the agent commented. “I was delighted and somewhat surprised to get him.”

After reporting that the bay had been bought on behalf of a partnership, Elliott added: “He looks a fast Frankel; it is a fast family and I remember the mare racing for Karl Burke. She has produced a good one in Dramatised.”

The top lot was bred by Steve Parkin’s Branton Court Stud out of listed-winning sprinter Katie’s Diamond, who was bought by Joe Foley for 190,000gns and will be reoffered by Branton Court at the upcoming Tattersalls December Mares Sale. She will be offered in foal to Frankel, while her unraced Night Of Thunder four-year-old, Dancing Jewel, carries a Showcasing cover.

All about timing

For the Sea The Stars filly bought by Anthony Stroud for 260,000gns, it was the May-born chesnut’s first time to be offered for sale. Bred by the Tsui family’s Sunderland Holdings, she is a full-sister to Sea Just In Time, who sold for 280,000gns after earning an official rating of 94.

“Sea The Stars speaks for himself and this is a very nice filly,” Stroud said of his purchase. “The mare’s been bred to Sea The Stars a number of times and all the runners she’s produced have been highly rated. The stallion’s fee has gone up to €300,000 next year, so this represents reasonable value. He’s undoubtedly a very good stallion.”

Sea The Stars’ daughters have produced 10 Group 1 winners to date, which was part of the appeal of the 200,000gns purchase made by Kildaragh Stud’s Peter Kavanagh through Blandford Bloodstock. 200,000gns for.

After securing Mount Coote Stud’s half-sister to Dreamloper, Santorini Star and last week’s Goffs November Foal Sale, Kavanagh remarked: “She is a pretty unique filly, they don't come onto the market that often and she is by Sea The Stars, who we have the utmost respect for as a sire of racehorses and as a broodmare sire. To get into the family is such an opportunity, it is so vibrant and current.

“Hopefully, we will race her and then she will come back to the stud. We are in no rush, she will come back to us, will be broken and will get some time, maybe we won't even break her next spring; she is not going to be a precocious two-year-old filly. It should work in her favour and ours.”

Without fault

Lope De Vega has also had his fee increased, with the Ballylinch Stud resident standing for €200,000 in 2026, which speaks to the value found by Tina Rau in the Rathbarry Stud draft. The German-born agent gave 235,000gns for Abbeylands Farm’s pinhooked half-sister to two stakes winners.

“She’s been bought to race for a partnership in France,” Rau reported. “I obviously know the family well. She was born on a very good German stud farm. She was raised on a very good Irish stud farm.

“The mare is without fault. The three-year-old is staying in training and should be a group winner next year. The two-year-old is exciting too so there’s a lot to like.”

Wootton Bassett’s fee rose from a low of €4,000 to €300,000 at the time of his sad passing, and who knows where his ascension ended. His final crops are now true collectors’ items, offering some consolation to the breeders lucky enough to have them, as Kevin Blake experienced on Monday.

He enjoyed his best moment in the ring when selling a Wootton Bassett filly through Tinnakill House for 200,000gns, with Avenue Bloodstock’s Mark McStay signing the docket on behalf of MV Magnier.

“What more can we say about Wootton Bassett?” McStay reflected. “He is a dreadful loss to the industry and to Coolmore.

“She comes from a good nursery with Tinnakill House, and is from fantastic Cheveley Park Stud family that includes Hooray, the Cheveley Park Stakes winner. She is a nice filly, very athletic.”

Seventeen six-figure lots marked a new record for the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale, with average, median and turnover also reaching new highs. From four less horses offered, turnover of 7,272,500gns bettered the 2024 record by 1%. The average price rose by the same percentage to 52,699gns, while the median grew by an impressive 33% to 40,000gns. The clearance rate improved two points to 84%.