Juddmonte Mares in Demand on Tattersalls Opening Day

Strong international participation fueled the opening session of the Tattersalls December Mares Sale Dec. 3, where trade was topped by the Frankel mare Aurora Gold (Lot 1528) at 550,000 guineas (US$736,428).

The packed Green Room restaurant at Park Paddocks resembled the arrivals lounge at Heathrow airport for much of the day, as interests from all corners of globe pored over the 1,098-lot catalog, with the United States, Australasia, the Far East, and the Gulf regions particularly well represented.

The annual draft of fillies and mares offered by Juddmonte Farms is central to the global appeal of the December Sale, as evidenced by the action from Monday's session, with the three leading prices belonging to mares offered by Prince Khalid Abdullah's operation.

It was French agent Bertrand Le Metayer who went to 550,000gns for leading light Aurora Gold, having seen off the attentions of Pierre Talvard, Marc-Antoine Berghgracht, David Nagle, and Jono Mills.

The unraced 4-year-old's appeal needs little explanation, as she is a sibling to seven winners, most notably the great Midday, who was successful in six elite events including three runnings of the Nassau Stakes (G1) and the Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T).

Aurora Gold is also a sister to the Ribblesdale Stakes (G2) third Sun Maiden, who remains in training next year, and she had the added bonus of being offered in foal to breakthrough first-season sire Kingman.

"Hopefully the page will grow a little darker," said Le Metayer. "We worked out that there are eight fillies producing for you under the first dam—it's quite incredible. 

"She's for a new French breeder who wanted to get into the family. She's good natured and she has scope. And she's in foal to Kingman too, he's probably the sire of the year."

Aurora Gold is out of the listed-placed Midsummer, a Kingmambo half sister to Elmaamul and Reams of Verse.

The previous lot, also offered by Juddmonte, brought another of the day's headline prices, as Matt Coleman went to 420,000gns ($562,364) for Fine Time (Lot 1527), a Dansili sister to Criterium de Saint-Cloud (G1) heroine Passage of Time—also the dam of Time Test—and King Edward VII Stakes (G2) winner Father Time.

"It's a phenomenal pedigree," said Coleman, who signed on behalf of Noel O'Callaghan's Mountarmstrong Stud. "It's one of the best in the book. She's also in foal to Kingman, who's had a great start."

Heading a little further afield is Argumentative (Lot 1526), after Michael Youngs signed at 425,000gns ($569,058) on behalf of Jane Lyon's Kentucky based Summer Wind Equine. Youngs saw off Stephen Hillen for the listed-placed Observatory mare, who was offered in foal to Banstead Manor Stud resident Frankel.

The 11-year-old has produced four winners since joining the Juddmonte broodmare band, most notably Epicuris, a son of Rail Link who landed the group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud as a 2-year-old.

"Obviously she's a group 1 producer in foal to Frankel," said Youngs. "Jane Lyon bred a group 1 winner in Japan by Frankel, Mozu Ascot, so she's had very good fortune with him already. There's enough American blood in the family to think that it will transfer well."

Lyon's Summer Wind Equine has enjoyed a fruitful spell of late, having bred Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Game Winner and Pennsylvania Derby (G1) scorer McKinzie.

The 11 mares offered by Juddmonte on Monday brought a total of 1,905,000gns at an average of 173,180gns. The operation will also offer a draft of 24 fillies during Wednesday's session.

Among the breeders restocking for the upcoming covering season was Camas Park Stud's Tim Hyde Sr., who went to 400,000gns ($636,132) for Bristol Bay (Lot 1640) through Blandford Bloodstock. The 10-year-old daughter of Montjeu was consigned by Ballylinch Stud and offered in foal to the farm's resident Lope de Vega.

Bristol Bay has already clicked with the son of Shamardal, as he is the sire of her second foal, Godolphin's listed winner Bay of Poets.

"She's a lovely mare and has a very good covering," said Hyde Sr. "I don't actually have a mating in mind but she'll come back to Camas Park and I'll pick a nice stallion for her."

The mare hails from Gestut Ammerland's Britannia family, which is also responsible for German group 1 winners Borgia and Boreal. In turn she is out of Bougainvillea, making her a half sister to the Italian group 3 winner Burma Gold and Blue de Vega's dam Burning Heights.

Another major operation pruning its herd on Monday was Godolphin, whose draft was led by the 300,000gns ($401,688) The Miniver Rose (Lot 1605) who went the way of Paul Hensey after a solitary bid. The agent was acting on behalf of Chinese outfit Rifa Mustang, who is in the process of building a European-based broodmare band.

The Miniver Rose, a granddaughter of dual grade 1 winner Carotene, was offered in foal to Dubawi.

"She's a group 2 winner and has plenty going on in the family," said Hensey. "She has a filly by Dubawi with John Gosden and another with James Tate so there's a lot to run for her. Our plans are open-ended at this stage."

Remarkably the 12-year-old daughter of High Chaparral, who landed the 2009 DFS Park Hill Stakes (G2) for Richard Hannon Sr., has now appeared four times in the December Mares Sale, having sold to Lakeview Resources for 340,000gns ($588,015) in 2009, Rabbah Bloodstock for 270,000gns ($426,838) in 2015, and Blandford Bloodstock for 550,000gns ($720,547) in 2016.

The buying bench was not the only thing at Park Paddocks boasting a strong international representation, as the catalog contained fillies and mares by a broad cross section of sires who have made their impact on the world stage.

Among the U.S.-breds to go through the ring was Cash in the Hand. The unraced 3-year-old daughter of Exchange Rate—offered in foal to Siyouni—drew a winning bid of 260,000gns ($348,130) from agent Mick Flanagan when consigned by John Troy.

This is the second time Flanagan has signed for the grey since picking her up as a yearling for $130,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2016.

"I actually bought her as a yearling and the plan was to run her through the breeze-ups here but she got injured during her prep," he explained. "She's a good-looking filly, as she was back then, and she's by a sire who's been influential in America and here on the turf.

"It's a very relevant family too as she's a half sister to a group 2 horse in Lord Admiral. I've got a little soft spot for the covering sire too—Siyouni's fee is up to €100,000 next year."

The filly is out of Lady Ilsley, whose seven winners include Jebel Hatta winner Lord Admiral and the listed-placed Sharp Sailor, while she also produced the dam of Pattison Canadian International (G1) winner Cannock Chase.

Plans now call for Cash in the Hand to head to Ireland, where she is likely to visit another upwardly mobile sire who will stand for €100,000 in 2019.

"She might've been one bid too expensive but I'm happy to have her," said Flanagan. "Mares like that, with good early covers by proven stallions and related to group horses, they're always going to stand out. She'll foal down in Ireland and I'd say she'll probably go to No Nay Never next year."

Day 1 of the December Mares Sale concluded with a clearance rate of 85%—identical to the figure at last year's opening session—with 215 of 253 offered lots finding a buyer. 

However, all other market metrics showed notable year-on-year declines, with the aggregate down by 20% to 12,310,200gns, while the average dropped by 29% to 57,255gns and the median stood at 30,000gns—down from 36,000gns 12 months ago. The first session of the 2017 edition of the December Mares Sale was topped by Intricately, who sold to John and Jake Warren for 1.7 million guineas ($2,405,823).  

The Tattersalls December Mares Sale continues Tuesday with the headline session of the four-day auction beginning at 9.30am GMT.