MONDAY, 23 NOVEMBER 2020 FROM THE EXPERTS: JOSEPH BURKE DECEMBER SALE HERALDS by Gary King UNUSUAL END TO AN On the back of the eagerly anticipated stallion fee announcements in Europe, Gary King spoke with a number of UNUSUAL YEAR leading industry figures about value. Today we hear from Joseph Burke. GK: Who have you identified as a first-year stallion at an appealing opening fee? JB: I must admit that whilst I have not inspected any of the first-season sires yet, on paper I expected Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal) to be standing for a little more than i20,000. So I booked one of our better mares to him, a Group 3-winning 2-year-old currently carrying her second foal to Night Of Thunder (Ire), as soon as I read about his fee via a TDN alert whilst in Lexington. Cont. p6 IN TDN AMERICA TODAY Palace Pier=s dam Beach Frolic sells next Tuesday | Racingfotos.com WOODBINE CANCELS FINAL CARD MIDWAY THROUGH Woodbine cancelled Sunday’s card midway through due to weather after they had announced that Sunday was the final racing day of the By Emma Berry meet due to COVID-19 closures. Click or tap here to go straight to For many people in the bloodstock industry, the December TDN America. Sale at Tattersalls is not just serious business but also the chance for a little end-of-term socialising and early-season stallion viewing. As with most things in the wretched year of 2020, the bloodstock sales have been widely disrupted, so it is with a quite a sigh of relief that this collection of yearlings, foals, mares, and even a Melbourne Cup winner is allowed to come under the hammer at all while England remains in lockdown. It will be far from the December Sale as we know and love it, but plenty of business will be done throughout the fortnight at the Tattersalls finale. "To be able to stage the December sale on the originally advertised dates and at Park Paddocks is a mini triumph in itself," said Tattersalls' marketing director Jimmy George. "We've been very fortunate that our entire autumn sales season has taken place as advertised in terms of date and location. The market has held up better than people would have predicted or expected and we fervently hope that that resilience and determination can run through to the end of the December sales." Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 14 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 23 NOVEMBER 2020 Tattersalls December Preview Cont. from p1 He continued, "Everybody has played their part and I think it has reflected very well on the business. Equally it has reflected The format remains in its traditional guise: one day of yearlings the sustained appetite for horses in every sector. This sport is to get the sale underway on Monday, followed by a 'dark day' in not a passing fancy for the majority of people who become the ring while foals are inspected. The foal sale, which runs from involved. Come hell or high water, this is part of their lives, Wednesday to Saturday, is reduced in number this year to 934 whether it's a hobby or run more on a business footing. Even lots compared to 1125 last year, while the mare sale, starting on under the extraordinary circumstances in which we've all found Monday, Nov. 30, has 1108 lots catalogued for its four-day run. ourselves enduring in 2020 people still wish to buy George added, "People are now used to disruption to their thoroughbreds. normal life. We have had to introduce more stringent protocols "The sales experience will be different but, the same as in line with the fact that the country is in a tighter lockdown throughout this extraordinary year, we will provide the best than it was during earlier sales this year. But the key element is possible service we can whilst observing all the government that all the people that make a bloodstock sale function will still regulations. The catering outlets will be doing their best to serve be able to participate. people. The law of the land means that it's take-away only but "We've got a really good catalogue for yearlings, foals and there will be plenty of cover for everyone." mares to bring the year to a close. The feedback has been positive and I'm sure people will again try to explore every Classic Page Promising Talent possible avenue in order to buy horses. The online internet With the bulk of the yearling sales having been completed, the bidding has been vital for the 2020 season and will continue to one-day December Sale nevertheless always provides a highlight play a big part, in particular for the breeding stock. There is of or two, featuring as it does some nicely-bred horses who have course also telephone bidding through Tattersalls personnel. either been held back for this sale or may have encountered a Agents have been fantastic in assisting overseas people who minor setback which meant that they missed an earlier sale haven't been able to attend sales because of travel restrictions." date. Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 14 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 23 NOVEMBER 2020 Tattersalls December Preview Cont. Taking into account withdrawals, around 150 yearlings are set to pass through the ring and on catalogue inspection the eye is immediately drawn to Ashbrittle Stud's son of Sea The Stars (Ire) out of the farm's Oaks winner Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}). The pedigree of the April-born colt (lot 160) features 2x4 inbreeding to the influential Urban Sea and he is a half-brother Senior Vice President to the G2 Prix Corrida winner Ambition (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Gary King Another by Sea The Stars in the sale is Lanwades Stud's Twitter: @garykingTDN [email protected] half-sister to the G2 York S. winner Shine So Bright (GB) (Oasis + 1.732.320.0975 Dream {GB}), out of the Group 3-winning mare Alla Speranza (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}). Catalogued as lot 7, the filly whose first International Editor four dams are all black-type winners and producers is being sold Kelsey Riley through The Castlebridge Consignment. Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN Champion first-season sire elect Mehmas (Ire) is closing in on a [email protected] half-century of winners in 2020 and there are four chances to buy a yearling by him at Tattersalls as he has two colts and two European Editor fillies catalogued. Emma Berry The sale starts with a colt (lot 1) from the first crop of Churchill Twitter: @collingsberry (Ire) who is offered by Norman Court Stud and is a half-brother [email protected] to G2 Ridgewood Pearl S. winner Opal Tiara (Ire) (Thousand Associate International Editor Words {Ire}). Heather Anderson Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen Twitter: @AlaynaCullen [email protected] Contributing Editors Alan Carasso Christina Bossinakis Cafe Racing Sean Cronin Tom Frary [email protected] Lot 7, a daughter of Sea The Stars | Tattersalls Skitter Scatter's Brother Heads Foals Irish Correspondent Daithi Harvey The Tattersalls Foal Sale usually follows the Goffs November Sale but, with that having been rescheduled to later in Regular Columnists December, this is the first opportunity for foal buyers in Europe Chris McGrath | John Berry | Kevin Blake in 2021. Last year's sale was down a little on the record returns Amy Lynam | Melissa Steele witnessed in 2018, but that did correspond with a smaller offering of foals, and the number has reduced significantly again this year. The top 10 leaderboard last year was populated by the IN TDN AUS/NZ TODAY offspring of Frankel (GB), Invincible Spirit (Ire), Sea The Stars (Ire), Kingman (GB) and Oasis Dream (GB), and once again the CLASSIC NUMBERS ADD UP FOR INGLIS catalogue has a decent helping of weanlings by Europe's leading The catalogue for the Inglis Classic Sale has been released. stallions. Cont. p4 Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Aus/NZ. TDN EUROPE • PAGE 4 OF 14 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 23 NOVEMBER 2020 Tattersalls December Preview Cont. Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). His dam Suelita (GB) (Dutch "The foal sale is smaller than last year but that is pretty much Art {GB}) has also produced listed winner The Broghie Man (GB) in line with global trends, and 22 of the current top 25 stallions (Cityscape {GB}) and the listed-placed Gloves Lynch (GB) in Britain and Ireland are represented," said Jimmy George. (Mukhadram {GB}). Born on May 10, the Frankel colt will sell as One of three Dubawi weanlings lot 955. in the catalogue (lot 939) is Airlie Of course a lot of the interest at Stud's half-brother to 2018 Irish foal sales surrounds the first champion 2-year-old filly Skitter offspring of young sires and a Scatter (Scat Daddy). There's a bumper crop of 26 have decent amount of top-level black- representation at Tattersalls this type on the colt's page as his dam year. They include Frankel's Group Dane Street (Street Cry {Ire}) is 1-winning son Cracksman (GB) herself a half-sister to G1 and his fellow Darley stallion Dewhurst S. winner Intense Focus. Harry Angel (Ire), as well as GI Plenty has been written in Breeders' Cup Mile winner Expert recent weeks about the good year Eye (GB) and, poignantly, seven enjoyed by Derek and Gay Veitch's from the sole crop of the late Ringfort Stud, which has bred champion 3-year-old Roaring Lion. three Group 2-winning juveniles in A colt, lot 892, by Zoustar | Tattersalls There are also 23 foals from the 2020, and Ringfort will offer a first northern hemisphere crop of half-brother to the Gimcrack S.