Appeal, a 4-year-old daughter of Selkirk, brought the top price of 110,000 guineas ($182,325 in U.S. funds) to top the Tattersalls February mixed sale in England.
Charlie Gordon-Watson purchased the gray filly Feb. 2, outlasting Paddy Twomey. Tattersalls reported that Michael Donohoe, Tom Goff, Richard Kent, and Anthony Stroud also were among the interested bidders.
Trainer Mark Prescott’s Heath House Stables consigned Appeal on behalf of Prince Faisal Salman’s Denford Stud.
“She’s been bought for an existing client, but for a new partnership,” Gordon-Watson said. “She’s going back to Sir Mark (Prescott), and as she is currently in such good form, we might as well take advantage of that and try for a bit of black type. She will be covered later this spring.”
Appeal has won three of her seven career races. Out of the winning Linamix mare Amenixa, the filly is a half sister to Zinziberine (by Zieten), who captured the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte (Fr-II) and Prix Eclipse (Fr-III) in 2002.
"I am pleased she is coming back to me and pleased with the price," Prescott said.
The results of the auction included a gross of 1,641,100 guineas ($2,720,120) for the 179 horses that were sold. The average price was 9,168 guineas ($15,196) and the median price was 3,500 guineas ($5,801).
Compared to last year, when 164 horses were sold, the gross declined 1.9%. The average and median fell 10.1% and 22.2%, respectively.
The clearance rate fell to 73.4% from 79.2% in 2011.
“The Tattersalls February sale has been a popular fixture since its inception in 2000 and this year’s renewal has, as ever, attracted an international cast of buyers with a myriad of different requirements,” said Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony. “It may not have been a vintage February catalog, but the feature of today’s sale has been the demand for the better quality lots, in particular those from the major owner/breeders who continue to support this and other mixed sales at Tattersalls with high class commercial consignments.
“While the clearance rate has not matched the record levels of last year’s February sale it is the second highest since 2007,” Mahony continued. “In addition, we have sold horses to countries as diverse as Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Kuwait, Libya, and Qatar as well as all the traditional European markets, which is a tribute to the continued high regard in which mixed sales at Tattersalls are held.”
