Tattersalls' Breeze-Up Sale's Aggregate Falls 20%

Tattersalls’ 2007 Craven Breeze-Up Sale failed to keep pace with the 2006 renewal, falling by 20% with its 8.636 million guineas turnover. The clearance rate of 63% was also off when compared with 84% 12 months ago.

The 71,967gns average was just short of last year’s figure while the median rose by 10% to 55,000gns.

Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said, "The 2006 Tattersalls Breeze Up was a remarkable sale which completely rewrote the European Breeze Up record books, but this week’s Craven Breeze Up has struggled to match those spectacular figures which rose nearly 50% on the previous record levels.
 
"The catalog was outstanding and the vendors brought some very smart two-year-olds to the sale but despite breaking the European Breeze Up record for a filly on the first day, the overall market has been highly selective. The top of the market held up well with keen competition for the two-year-olds who combined good solid breezes with smart pedigrees, but the middle market did not mirror the amazing strength and depth we experienced at last year’s sale."
 
He continued, "The strong Japanese contingent who made such an impact in 2006 was much depleted this week but to an extent the greater participation from the bigger European buyers compensated at the higher level. The domestic demand, however, has fallen some way short of last year and that is reflected in the figures. This sale has totally transformed in recent years and the turnover from the last two days is second only to 2006 while the average price, well in excess of 70,000 gns, is only marginally short of last year’s record. This however does not disguise the fact that we would like to have seen many more horses sold and greater returns for the pinhookers."

John Ferguson signed for all of the night’s top three lots headed by a 320,000gns Harlan’s Holiday colt who was a $70,000 RNA at Keeneland in September.

Willie Browne’s Mocklershill Stables sold the colt on whom agent Anthony Stroud, standing with trainer Jeremy Noseda and owner Paul Roy, was underbidder.

Ferguson also spent 260,000gns on a Dixieland Band filly from the Mocklershill draft. She had cost $125,000 as a yearling and also attracted the attention of underbidder Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock.

Sheikh Mohammed's agent signed early on for a 170,000gns Rahy colt from a distinguished Argentinian family offered from Con Marnane’s Bansha House Stables.
 
COMPARATIVE FIGURES
Day
YR/CAT/OFF/SOLD/AGG/AVG/MED
2007/105/91/51/3,585,000/70,294/56,000
2006/104/86/72/5,080,000/70,556/46,000
Total Sale
YR/CAT/OFF/SOLD/AGG/AVG/MED
2007/213/190/120/8,636,000/71,967/55,000
2006/206/175/147/10,736,000/73,034/50,000