Record £60m day at Tattersalls December Mares Sale
Sales totalling £60m saw the Tattersalls December Mares Sale break the European auction record for the highest grossing day of horse sales.
Barnavara became the highest priced filly in the world this year when Sugar Whiskey Trading beat off rivals to realise a winning bid of 4.8m guineas (£5m), while Porta Fortuna was sold to M V Magnier for 4.5m guineas (£4.7m). Barnavara was purchased as a yearling for £61,000.
The second day of the famous December Mares Sale also saw a record-equalling 11 lots sold for million guineas or more. Its final session begins on Wednesday morning.
The £60m of turnover bagged on the second day takes the total so far to 79.6m guineas including private sales, with three horses going for between 2m and 3m guineas.
Tamfana was sold to M V Magnier for 2.6m guineas, Saqqara Sands was sold to Stephen Hillen for M V Magnier and M Tabor for 2.1m guineas and Choisya went to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 2m guineas.
Tattersalls making waves
Auctioneer John O’Kelly described Porta Fortuna as “the embodiment of excellence”, with Magnier’s Coolmore adding four lots at a cost of 11.1m guineas.
The record Tattersalls December Mares Sale lot remains from 2017, when Magnier purchased Marsha for 6m guineas.
“Jeepers,” Barnavara trainer Jessie Harrington said. “That was more than my wildest dreams, we sort of thought in our excitement that she might make 3m guineas.
“The bidding sort of stopped at 1.5m, and I was a little worried but then it went on and on and on and on. I promise you it is amazing.”
A huge number of lots are up for grabs on the third day of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, which begins at 9:30am on Wednesday.
The average sale price thus far is 186,666 guineas and the median 70,000 guineas.