The Tattersalls July sale ended its three-day run in England with a gross that was down 19.7% from a year ago. The average and median prices declined 8.7% and 7.1%, respectively.
A bright spot was the clearance rate, which grew to 89.3% from 86.6% in 2011.
“Sometimes statistics do not tell the full story and the key indicators for the 2012 Tattersalls July sale are a case in point,” said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony following the auction’s end July 13. “While the returns have not matched those of last year, there has been sustained international demand at all levels of the market from start to finish, and a clearance rate in the region of 90% tells the real story.
“We would be the first to admit that this year’s renewal of the July sale is not a vintage one in terms of overall quality, and the smaller catalog also suffered from a greater number of withdrawals than usual,” Mahony continued. “Nevertheless, the sheer number of overseas buyers at Park Paddocks this week, the 220,000-guinea ($358,770) sale-topper Esentepe, and the healthy British and Irish participation have all yet again demonstrated the enduring global appeal of mixed sales at Tattersalls. The clearance rate on all three days never dropped below 80% and the 96% (95.8%) clearance rate on Thursday (July 12) is a clear indicator of a sale which has satisfied the requirements of both vendors and purchasers alike.”
The results for the auction included a gross of 4,745,400 guineas ($7,705,845 in U.S. funds) for the 402 horses that were sold. The average was 11,804 guineas ($17,999) and the median was 6,500 guineas ($10,555).
Swerve was the final day’s most expensive horse, bringing 80,000 guineas ($129,908). Tattersalls listed the 3-year-old filly’s purchasers as “Tom Malone/Alan McCabe.”
Juddmonte Farms consigned Swerve, who has won one of her seven career races while finishing second once and third twice. A bay daughter of Oasis Dreams, she is out of the Cryptoclearance mare Avoidance.
The results for the final session included a gross of 1,470,500 guineas ($2,387,879) for the 118 horses that were sold. The average was 12,462 guineas ($20,237) and the median was 7,500 guineas ($12,179). The clearance rate was 93.7%.