The third and final day of Europe’s premier breeding stock sale concluded with DESERT SPRING heading proceedings at 220,000 guineas and a record average and median for the sale. A record-equalling eleven lots realised a million guineas or more and Tuesday’s turnover was the highest for a day in European auction history, eclipsing the benchmark set at last year’s December Mares Sale. The sale turnover of 82,337,515 guineas was just behind the record aggregate realised at last year’s extraordinary renewal.
The fourth edition of the acclaimed ‘Sceptre Sessions’ were headed by Group 1 winners BARNAVARA and PORTA FORTUNA at 4.8m and 4.5m guineas respectively, the two highest priced fillies in training sold anywhere in the world in 2025, and the latter welcoming leading American consignor Taylor Made Sales Agency back to Tattersalls in spectacular style. A truly global buying base was also represented at all levels of the market with purchasers from over 20 countries including Australia, France, India, Japan, Turkey, the USA and from throughout Europe.
Elliott Strikes for Desert Spring at 220,000 Guineas
DESERT SPRING had posted two smart updates since catalogue publication and a veritable host of bloodstock agents were arrayed around the Tattersalls sales ring in hopes of securing the three-year-old. Will Douglass, Joe Miller, Stuart Boman and eventual underbidder Tom Pritchard-Gordon were among those to make a play for the three-year-old but Alex Elliott prevailed with a bid of 220,000 guineas.
Offered by the Castlebridge Consignment on behalf of Denford Stud, the three-year-old broke her maiden by twelve lengths at the end of October for John & Thady Gosden before running with credit in the Listed River Eden EBF Fillies’ Stakes to earn a Timeform rating of 97p.
“She has been bought for a partnership, we are going to send her to be trained by Mario Baratti in France,” revealed Elliott. “She ran in a stakes race last time, she is a winner and bits have happened since she was catalogued.”
“We will try and make her a stakes winner and bring her back to be the market then. She stays well and she is a lovely physical, she is a great mover and hopefully with some stakes form should be worth more money this time next year!”
DESERT SPRING is by OASIS DREAM out of FLY THE FLAG, an AUSTRALIA half-sister to Denford Stud’s brilliant Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet winner CORONET. Her second dam APPROACH is a Listed winning half-sister to French 2000 Guineas winner AUSSIES RULES from Kirsten Rausing’s brilliant ALRUCCABA family, ancestress of Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner ALPINISTA and Group 1/Classic producing fillies ALOUETTE, LAST SECOND, JUDE and ALLELUIA.
Star Spirit to Melchior Bloodstock for 82,000 Guineas
The second highest priced lot of the third session had a decidedly festive feel with STAR SPIRIT bought by Paul Fretwell’s Melchior Bloodstock for 82,000 guineas. Offered by the Castlebridge Consignment, the daughter of DEEP IMPACT is the dam of Listed winning two-year-old STAR OF LIFE who claimed the Premio Criterium Femminile since catalogue publication.
“She is going to France,” revealed Fretwell. “I liked the fact that her daughter Star of Life is now a Listed winner in Italy, under the first dam there is a Dubawi two-year-old who has just gone to Gosdens and I like her Ghaiyyath cover. He is a progressive sire, and in France he has a good profile with Fabre’s My Highness. There is an Havana Grey to run for her and another Starspangledbanner to come.
“Her sire Deep Impact – there are not loads of them and he was one of the most important sires in the modern era. I have no ideas on covers yet, she has a late service, we will see how we get on.”
STAR SPIRIT’s matriarchal lineage is equally impressive, her dam STAR OF SEVILLE won the Group 1 French Oaks and is a half-sister to the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes winner and Group 1 placed ENGLISH BALLET, granddam of this year’s Listed Marygate Stakes winner SECRET HIDEAWAY, and the Listed winner KING OF COMEDY, second in the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Ashky to Jarosa Stud for 78,000 Guineas
The third highest price of the session was a family affair with the six-year-old mare ASHKY consigned by Jenny Norris’ Norris Bloodstock and knocked down for 78,000 guineas to her step-son Conor Norris. The daughter of CARAVAGGIO was offered in foal to the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes winner TRIPLE TIME.
“She’s for Wendy Miller of Jarosa Stud,” revealed Conor Norris. “Wendy sold Fair Angellica last night. She has the farm next to Jenny and she loved the mare at Jen’s, she is a lovely mare. The Triple Time foals have been lovely so far and she was keen to buy a mare in foal to the sire having seen the foals, he’s an exciting young stallion.”
Miller’s remarkably tough and consistent homebred filly FAIR ANGELLICA won the Group 3 Sceptre Stakes in September on her eighth start in Group/Listed company this year and realised 260,000 guineas to First Bloodstock in last night’s Sceptre Session.
Today’s purchase ASHKY is out of an unraced STREET CRY half-sister to the Grade 1 Clark Stakes winner PROXY and the Grade 2 winning filly MICHELINE. ASHKY’s second dam PANTY RAID won the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes and the Grade 1 American Oaks and is a half-sister to the Kentucy Oaks runner up ST JOHN’S RIVER.
Chairman’s Statement
At the conclusion of the 2025 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;
“In recent weeks at Tattersalls we have enjoyed record-breaking yearling sales, sustained demand for horses in training and December Foal & Breeding Stock sales which have produced figures second only to the extraordinary 2024 renewals which broke all records. On the face of it, we have a strong market with British and Irish breeders being well rewarded for consistently bringing some of the finest bloodstock to be found anywhere in the world to Park Paddocks, but this hard-earned success comes in spite of rather than because of government support of a genuine British success story.
“Overseas buyers have always been drawn to Tattersalls by the cream of British and Irish bloodstock and we work tirelessly to promote our sales internationally, but domestically the industry continues to be buffeted by external political forces which make it uncomfortably reliant on overseas investment and participation. Just as we court overseas buyers, domestic involvement needs to be nurtured and encouraged in order for the industry to thrive in the long term and the current direction of political travel in this country is a cause for concern. The rural economy is clearly not a priority at present and the two budgets under the current Labour government have increased taxation and business costs in every sector of society.
“While government has accepted the racing industry’s case with respect to betting duty, the wider industry dynamics remain perilously uncertain. We are fortunate that the lure of Newmarket as the Headquarters of European racing continues to resonate globally, but we must also work to ensure that government does not allow the status of a globally admired industry to be eroded through neglect.”
