Sky Gate brings 47,000 guineas at Tattersalls February

The Brian Meehan-trained SKY GATE (Arch) headed proceeding's at the one-day

Tattersalls February Sale in a snowbound Newmarket, bringing 47,000 guineas on a day where business was

solid with a robust clearance rate of 70 percent, more than respectable given

the current economic conditions.

Sky Gate, who was consigned as Lot No. 158 from Meehan's Manton House Stables

on behalf of owners Atlantic Crossing, attracted the attention of Emerald

Bloodstock's Brendan Gallagher and Dublin-based agent Hugo Merry. The

three-year-old bay, out of the winning Touch Gold mare Mista Mayberry, had won

for the first time in his previous start at Southwell and was finally knocked

down to Merry for 47,000gns on behalf of trainer Marty Wolfson. Sky Gate will

join Wolfson at his Florida base.

"He should be fine for that sort of money to run in America," Merry said.

"Arch can do it on every surface and this colt still looks quite babyish, the

sort of horse who should keep improving."

The top-priced broodmare was OMISSION (Green Desert), who is in foal to

Authorized. Darley's Benoit Jeffroy, acting for Qatari breeder Hamed Alattiyah,

paid 39,000gns for the eight-year-old-mare.

A total of 108 lots were sold for a gross of

707,100gns, an average of 6,547gns and a median of 3,500gns.

"Regardless of the difficult economic climate, we were always going to

struggle to match last year's record figures for this sale," Tattersalls

Chairman Edmond Mahony said at the conclusion of the sale. "We had a

significantly smaller catalog and one which, although commercial enough,

lacked real quality and certainly had no individual that was going to challenge

the 2008 record top price of 450,000 guineas.

"In addition we have had difficult

weather conditions to contend with, as illustrated by a number of the stallions

being unable to make the National Stud Stallion Parade, but despite the various

obstacles there has been a cosmopolitan crowd here today," Mahony added. "We have sold horses to

places as diverse as Kazakhstan, Libya, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia as well as the

more traditional overseas markets, and online bidders have been active

throughout the sale.

"Domestic demand has been cautious at best, but we have to be realistic in

our expectations while the market continues to adjust to the prevailing economic

conditions."

Full results may be found at www.tattersalls.com.