THE Tattersalls Ascot sales returned to the racecourse of the same name for the first time since December 2019, a consequence of Covid-19 restrictions. Sustained demand throughout the day saw 77 lots sell for a total of £603,500, a record turnover for the November Sale and producing an average of £7,838. The clearance rate was a highly respectable 83%.

The Tattersalls live internet bidding platform, which was being used for the first time at Ascot, proved popular on the day, and a total of nine lots sold for £89,500 using this system, contributing to almost 15% of the sale aggregate. The number of internet bids totalled 133, with 40 individual lots receiving at least one internet bid.

Thorne Hall

The ever-popular Godolphin draft was the highlight of the Ascot November Sale and captured the imagination of buyers. Thorne Hall, a four-year-old gelded son of Kingman with a BHA rating of 101, attracted bids from a number of parties, but when the hammer fell it was Blandford Bloodstock who struck the winning bid of £50,000 via the live internet bidding platform. Hailing from the family of Flintshire and Enable, he will continue his racing career with Archie Watson.

The previous lot in the ring was Strozzi, a winning two-year-old son of Holy Roman Emperor with a BHA rating of 78, and he was knocked down to bloodstock agent Richard Venn for the joint top price of £50,000. The agent faced tough competition from a number of internet bidders but struck the winning bid on behalf of a client based in the Middle East. Godolphin offered a draft of six lots and all sold for an aggregate £197,500 and an average of £32,917.

Balding sells

Andrew Balding’s Park House Stables are regular supporters of the Tattersalls Ascot Sales and this time they consigned Florence Street, a three-year-old daughter of Iffraaj who will continue her racing career with Lydia Richards after the trainer secured her for £18,000.

Gold Cup winning trainer Mark Bradstock was in attendance at the sale and went to £16,000 for Hermin D’Oudairies, a four-year-old gelding by Masterstroke who was placed third on his latest start in a Galway bumper for Johnny King behind the well-regarded Smooth Player.