Gem of a sale ends on a Magic note

The fireworks road show rolled into

Fairyhouse Tuesday and ensured Tattersalls Ireland's December Flat Sale, Europe's final

flat sale of the

season, went out with a bang.

It did so with the four-year-old filly GEMS OF ARABY

(Zafonic) setting the seal on a banner year and heading the day's trade at a

sale's record

250,000 guineas. Offered by Springfort Park Stud as Hip 26, the Juddmonte-bred is a

half-sister to recent Criterium de Saint-Cloud (Fr-G1) victress Passage Of Time

(Dansili [GB]) and was knocked

down to

Lisbunny Bloodstock.

Robbie Osborne's Craddoxstown House Stables sent up

admirable

stakes performer LATINO MAGIC (Ire) (Lion Cavern), Group 2-placed and winner of

the 2004

Meld S. (Ire-G3), as Hip 247 and almost matched the session high. The six-year-old

horse was the

only other offering to break six figures and went the way of Bobby O'Ryan for

240,000 guineas.

The

pair's combined tag almost matched last year's 513,800 gross on its own and,

aided by an

expanded catalog, helped the aggregate jump to 1,510,950 guineas. The average rose

almost 80 percent to 9,327 at the close of business.

"Vendors responded really well to our sale incentive and their combined forces

gave us a better catalog to promote to purchasers," Chairman Edmond Mahony said.

"There were plenty of people here,

local and from

overseas, buying all kinds of horses. The top two lots aside, there were some

really good and

commercial pedigrees on offer with the types to match in what is generally

accepted as an

industry sale. Consignors have been delighted with their results and we are

certainly more

than pleased with Wednesday's trade. This sale has now definitely found its place in

the sales

calendar."

The sales company closes its doors after Wednesday's national hunt sale

and full results

can be found at www.tattersalls.ie.