Tattersalls December Mare Sale kicks off

Tattersalls' year reaches its conclusion this week with the breeding stock

session of the December Sale, which has provided the foundation to many great

broodmare collections over many decades. This year's 1,097-lot catalog, which

gets underway Monday morning, does not look to feature any lot that will

endanger the sale's 4.6-million guineas record price, although there are no

shortage of breeding prospects with great appeal.

Following the withdrawal of Group 1 winners Gilt Edge Girl (Monsieur Bond)

and Stacelita (Monsun), it is likely to be Lot No. 1715, last season's Poule

d'Essai des Pouliches (Fr-G1) heroine ELUSIVE WAVE (Elusive City) to be the

sale's standout. Racing in the colors of Martin Schwartz, she also won the Prix

Quincey (Fr-G3) at Deauville in August.

Both 11-year-old DIARY (Green Desert), Lot 1650, and her three-year-old

daughter, LADY DARSHAAN (High Chaparral [Ire]), Lot 1753, are likely to make an

impact. Lady Darshaan finished second in last year's Fillies' Mile (Eng-G1),

while Diary, covered by Galileo (Ire), is also the dam of 2009 Prix de l'Abbaye

(Fr-G1) winner, Total Gallery (Namid), and a Tamayuz foal who sold for

200,000gns to Blandford Bloodstock on Saturday.

The dispersal from Henrietta, Duchess of Bedford's Bloomsbury Stud is likely

to be another highlight of a stellar day on Monday. Lot 1691, FIRST (Highest

Honor [Fr]), is the dam of last week's 320,000gns sale-topping Singspiel (Ire)

colt. A dispersal from Peter Harris' Pendley Farms has several potential stars

including Lot 1681, Santa Maria H. (G1) second MARZELLINE (Ire) (Barathea [Ire])

who, like First, is covered by Cape Cross (Ire).

Sea the Stars has a handful of his book of mares in the sale and among them

is Lot 1417, SOINLOVEWITHYOU (Sadler's Wells). Registered to William de Burgh

and Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, the Highclere Stud-consigned five-year-old is

a half-sister to five-time Group 1 winner Duke of Marmalade (Ire) (Danehill)

while dual Italian Group 3 winner EXHIBIT ONE (Silver Hawk) is another covered

by Sea the Stars and appears as Lot 1652.

Others of note include Group 3-placed PACHATTACK (Pulpit), a stakes winner at

Woodbine earlier this month, offered by trainer Gerard Butler as Lot 2039; last

season's Anglesey S. (Ire-G3) winner WALK ON BYE (Danehill Dancer), who is

offered from Tommy Stack's stable on Monday as Lot 1469; GRACE O'MALLEY (Refuse

to Bend [Ire]), Lot 1743, who finished fourth in last year's Irish Oaks (Ire-G1)

and is offered in foal to Shamardal; and Lot 1328, Grade/Group 3 victress BELLE

ALLURE (Ire) (Numerous), who is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Jukebox Jury

(Ire) (Montjeu [Ire]) and covered by Giant's Causeway.

A winding-up of the Breeding Capital investment scheme includes Lot 1704,

BAYALIKA (Selkirk), dam of Group 2 winner Vital Equine (Danetime) and covered by

Oasis Dream (GB), as well as Lot 1705, Group 1-placed listed winner MUSICANNA

(Cape Cross [Ire]), sold with a Pivotal cover.

Not only is there an international group of buyers in Newmarket for the sale,

there is one draft of fillies and mares that has crossed the Atlantic to be at

the auction and selling on Monday.

Case Clay, president of his family's Three Chimneys Farm near Midway,

Kentucky, is overseeing a team of six European-bred fillies as well as the

broodmare STUNNING (Nureyev) in a new venture for the famous Kentucky stud.

The draft includes 2008 Providencia S. (G2) heroine MISSIT (Ire) (Orpen);

last year's La Habra S. (G3) winner PASAR SILBANO (Ire) (Elnadim); multiple

Grade 2-placed listed victress ROSA GRACE (GB) (Lomitas [GB]); six-year-old

BAHAMA MAMA (Ire) (Invincible Spirit), a multiple listed scorer who went on to

take the 2008 Lawndale S. at Hollywood Park; MEYDAN PRINCESS (Ire) (Choisir),

winner of last year's Del Mar's Osunitas H.; and ROSY MANTLE (GB) (Daylami

[Ire]), a four-year-old who was listed-placed in Britain and offered with a War

Chant cover.

"We bought the fillies in Europe to run for Three Chimneys Racing in America

and we just figured that the European turf racing was better than in America. We

bought fillies with form that may have been just below the top stakes level with

the aim of winning graded stakes in America this year," explained Clay, who is

at Tattersalls with a team including Three Chimneys' British representative Ed

Sackville, Kern Lillingston, U.S. agents Lincoln Collins and Joe Miller as well

as International development advisor Jean-Marie Callier.

"The partnership expires at the end of this year and we thought that we would

bring the suitable horses back here. Then a couple of clients have added to the

draft," added Clay, who stated the logistics were relatively straightforward.

"They shipped over fine last week and boarded with Brian O'Rourke, a friend

of mine, at the National Stud in Newmarket. Ed Sackville, our European

representative, organized everything and it all went smoothly. Meanwhile,

Stunning (who is in foal to Shamardal) has shipped over from Ireland," he

continued. "Missit was the first graded-stakes winner for the partnership so

she's pretty special and Bahama Mama is in foal to Arch and obviously Blame

(Arch) winning the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) is a nice update there.

"We've bought two so far for our new partnership and will be looking for more

this week, Lincoln Collins heads up the buying team. We bought the stakes-placed

two-year-old Whisper Louise (Chevalier) from trainer Pam Sly and she's a really

tough filly and Three Chimneys Racing 3 bought Miss Keller (Ire) (Montjeu [Ire)

from Three Chimneys Racing 2 at Keeneland (she was knocked down to Kern

Lillingston for $700,000)."

Clay is no stranger to the European scene, having undertaken the Irish

National Stud course in 2003, and was also over in Newmarket in July.

"I've been coming over to Tattersalls for the December Sale for a long time

and I find I actually catch up with more people here than at Keeneland in

November, because I'm always so busy then."

Buyers from across the world were at Tattersalls on Sunday, including several

parties from India, who are allowed to buy in Britain for the first time in

recent years after an export ban has been lifted.

"The Tattersalls December breeding stock sale is always one of the highlights

of the calendar and arguably the most international sale of its type in the

world," Tattersalls Marketing Director Jimmy George said. "We've had a lot of

interest from the moment the catalog came out and we've two quality dispersals

from Bloomsbury Stud and Pendley Stud to look forward to. Last week's foal sale

as also given us plenty of encouragement."

The sale runs through Thursday.