The top lot Thursday was 3-year-old filly Lady Hen (by Efisio), who was bought for 43,000 guineas by local agent Dwayne Woods to join the broodmare band at his Brook Stud.
Tattersalls finished its year Thursday night with 185 million guineas turnover as its December sale concluded.The December sale generated a record gross of 74 million guineas, up 40% from 2004. The average of 39,847 guineas was up 17% and the 20,000 guineas median rose 25%."Coming into the December sale we had already enjoyed an exceptional year, but nothing prepared us for the frenzied demand for the breeding stock which has rounded off 2005 in such spectacular fashion," Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said. "We were confident that we had a good solid catalogue, although perhaps a little short of being a truly vintage one, but the level of trade this week has been truly astounding."The dispersal of Ian Matthews' mares from Kirsten Rausing's Lanwades Stud was obviously the highlight of a truly memorable week, but as well as the individual highlights it will be the breathtaking depth to the trade which people will remember for a long while."The strong yearling and foal sales clearly engendered huge confidence in the buyers, but the key to the pre-eminence of the Tattersalls December sale is its ability to attract a global buyer base like no other sale. The sheer number of people at Park Paddocks this week has been phenomenal and the demand, both domestic and international, has been unrelenting."Each year throws up new challenges and after a year in which every Tattersalls sale has broken records for turnover we will have a hard act to follow in 2006, but if there is a recurring issue at the moment it is the growing numbers which we are cataloguing in so many of our sales."