Record-breaking Tattersalls Mare Sale comes to an end
Records, records, records. It didn't feel particularly blockbusting on the final half-session of mares at Tattersalls, but that is the nature of any sale. Big days, quieter days.
The days they all come for – Monday and Tuesday – certainly didn't fail to deliver some showstopping moments. It could have been predicted that Kia Joorabchian, after his spectacular spending spree at Book 1, and with plenty of stallions now at stud, would play a similarly prominent role during the December Sale, and his Amo Racing was again top of the buyers' list, with 8,375,000gns (AU$17.3 million) spent on ten fillies and mares, equating to roughly 10 per cent of the whole sale's turnover.
Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said, “Exactly eight weeks ago we reflected on a Tattersalls yearling sale of breathtaking proportions. Book 1 of the 2024 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale broke every conceivable record and the momentum from those extraordinary three days has shaped the entire Tattersalls sales season ever since.
Edmond Mahony | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
“Record after record has been broken in the past two months, culminating in a Tattersalls December Mares Sale which has produced sustained international demand from start to finish and again reached unprecedented heights. It has been a fitting way to end an extraordinary year which at times has left even the most seasoned commentators a little stunned.”
The final day saw 59 lots sell for an average of 5,512gns (AU$11,400) with a median of 3500gns (AU$7291). Overall, the sale sold 680 horses over four days for 83,817,900gns (AU$174 million) with an average of 123,262gns (AU$256,000) and a median of 38,000gns (AU$79,000). The gross was 3 million gns higher than the previous record set in 2022.
In foal Pearl Of Alsace hopes for Group 1
Trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray hope that Pearl Of Alsace (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) can win the G1 Mufasa S. at her final race day appearance. “She was served before that last-start placing and she’s now confirmed to be in foal to Proisir,” Ritchie told Loveracing.nz.
Pearl Of Alsace (NZ) | Image courtesy of Kenton Wright
“She was racing a fraction below her best earlier in the campaign. The freshen up did her good, and we were very pleased with her performance at Tauranga. She heads into Saturday’s race with some excellent stats. She’s unbeaten in three starts at the track, and she’s won five of 10 at the 1600-metre distance as well.”
Currie to ride at Trentham on Saturday
Leading Australian jockey Luke Currie will ride at New Zealand’s Trentham meeting on Saturday. “It’s my first time riding here, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve always wanted to come over and ride here, but for one reason or another it hasn’t worked out until now. This weekend was a nice opportunity to do it, and I jumped at the chance. I’ve been fortunate enough to pick up some nice rides,” Currie told Loveracing.nz
Luke Currie | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
He rides Town Cryer (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) in the G1 Mufasa S. and 2-year-old filly Too Sweet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin {Jpn}) among his seven rides.
Two sire prospects headline Inglis Digital December sale
Two exciting young stallion prospects, a half-sister to a recent dual Group 1 winner, a stallion share in Pierata, and a 16-strong Godolphin draft and mares in foal on desirable covers highlight a strong catalogue for the Inglis Digital December Sale.
G1 Caulfield Guineas-winning 4-year-old colt Griff (Trapeze Artist) and young sire Ellsberg, who won the G1 Epsom H. two years ago are the two stallions on offer. Ellsberg has stood the 2023 and 2024 breeding seasons at Murrulla Stud.
Gallery: Two exciting young stallion prospects headline the Inglis Digital December Online Sale
Extreme Pride (I Am Invincible) is being offered in foal to Alabama Express, carrying a three-quarter relation to exciting Kiwi Group-winning 3-year-old Alabama Lass.
Double for Buckley in Ballarat Cup
Trainer Paul Preusker and owner Sean Buckley won last year’s Listed Ballarat Cup with Captain Envious (NZ) (Savabeel) and this year, they have Poison Chalice (NZ) (Savabeel). “The main thing for him is that he's on an upwards journey. He's just kept on getting better and better and you've got to take what you're given. Last week, Daniel Moor couldn't have done any more,” Preusker told racing.com.
Alwyn Park announce death of Jacks Or Better
Alwyn Park Stud announced on Friday that 1995 G1 Railway S. and G2 Winterbottom S. winner Jacks Or Better (Curravilla {Ire}) died aged 33. “We announce that Jacks Or Better passed away today at the wonderful age of 33 at his retirement home Alwyn Park. Jacks Or Better mostly known as Jack lived an amazing racing life earning $914,205 within his racing career. Jack retired in July of 2000 to enjoy paddock and carrot life. Rick Hart, Jacks owner of 33 years will be cremating him and retaining his ashes.”
Born in 1991, Jacks Or Better was trained by George Daly to win 19 of his 91 starts.
Around The Nation: Friday’s highlights
It was a big Friday of racing with eleven meetings around Australia. John O’Shea and Tom Charlton trained 3-year-old colt Metaphorically (Written Tycoon) won the Randwick Mayor’s Cup at Kensington at only his third start. Written Tycoon took out the first two on the card with 3-year-old filly Alinea winning the second.
The last two at Mudgee were abandoned due to thunderstorms, but not before Mack Griffith trained 3-year-old gelding Nomorenightshift (Denman) won his third race from as many starts.
Clinton McDonald trained 3-year-old gelding Naughty Bennie (Puissance De Lune {Ire}) won on debut at Moe, while at Mornington 3-year-old filly She’s Slick (Street Boss {USA}) won on debut for trainer Jerome Hunter.
Trainers John Dunn and Krystal Bishop dominated the Port Lincoln card winning four of the eight race card with Ok Gerry (Headwater), Ze Birds’n’zebees (Zebedee {GB}), Utilitarian (Reward For Effort) and Super Valentine (Super One).
Barry Campbell trained 3-year-old gelding Dadandhisgirls (Stratosphere) won on debut at Devonport, while in Canberra, Gary Portelli trained 3-year-old filly Miss Backchat (I’m All The Talk) won on debut.
Luxembourg to bow out in Hong Kong Vase
Trainer Aiden O’Brien’s Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) will have his final start in Sunday’s G1 Hong Kong Vase before he retires to Coolmore Ireland as a National Hunt sire. “We felt last year we ran him in the wrong race,” O’Brien told scmp.com about his second placing in last year’s G1 Hong Kong Cup.
Luxembourg (Ire) | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“He just got beat and it looked like a mile and a half would have suited him better. Obviously, he was very unlucky to meet a special horse (Romantic Warrior). His was a very good run in the Breeders’ Cup last time (when sixth) – probably better than what anyone else thinks. We thought a mile and a half would suit him, so we find out now whether we did the right thing last year or not. He seems to be in good form.”
Eustace family to shine at Sha Tin
Siblings Harry and David Eustace will have four runners between them on Sunday at Sha Tin with Harry training Docklands (GB) (Massat {Ire}) for the G1 Hong Kong Mile, while locally based David has three runners on the undercard. “If you said we’d both have runners on the Sunday of the international meeting in Hong Kong 18 months ago, I’m not sure anyone would have believed you,” Harry told scmp.com.
Docklands (GB) | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
“It’s very exciting for us. Dad had War Artist in the Sprint and David is over here now, so to have one of my own competing in Hong Kong is almost completing the square.” Their father, trainer James, ran 12th with War Artist (Orpen {USA}) in 2009.
Southern Hemisphere mares headline Digital Sale
A total of 122 lots have been catalogued for the Tattersalls Online December Sale which ends on December 12. The sale is headlined by the inaugural Southern Hemisphere Session, a collaboration between Tattersalls Online and Inglis Digital, which features nine broodmares covered by Too Darn Hot (GB) to Southern Hemisphere time.
Equine Grass Sickness break-through
Equine grass sickness may be caused by a neurotoxic enzyme with similarities to toxins in snake venoms, according to research involving the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies' Equine Hospital.
The finding offers promise of new treatments for the deadly disease in grazing horses, which causes intestinal paralysis, colic, inability to swallow and muscle tremors. It currently has no cure and leads to death in 1 per cent of horses grazing in high-risk premises.
Dressage star banned for a year after hitting a horse
Charlotte Dujardin has said that she “fully respects” the decision to suspend her for one year after a video showed the double individual Olympic dressage champion repeatedly hitting a student's horse with a whip.
Charlotte Dujardin | Image courtesy of Sky Sports
Dujardin was provisionally suspended by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) on July 23–the week that the Paris Olympics started–as it launched an investigation into a video from four years ago showing her making what she described as “an error of judgement” during a coaching session.
HISA cases moved to 2025
The United States Supreme Court is now unlikely to decide before the end of 2024 which, if any, of the three separate cases involving the constitutionality of the Horseracing and Safety Integrity Act (HISA) the nation's highest court might consider hearing.
According to schedule changes posted online December 4 on the Supreme Court dockets for cases originating out of the Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Circuits of the U.S. Court of Appeals, all three of those HISA-related “writ of certiorari” requests are now going to be considered by the justices on the same conference date, January 10, 2025.
The Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Circuit appeals courts have all agreed that HISA's rulemaking structure is constitutional. Only the Fifth Circuit has disagreed, in part, by opining that HISA's enforcement provisions are unconstitutional.
