Two mares bring seven figures at Tattersalls

The Tattersalls December Mare Sale burst into life on Tuesday with the

broodmares DIARY (Green Desert) and FIRST (Highest Honor [Fr]) both selling for

more than 1 million guineas and the sale of the eighteen mares and fillies from

Bloomsbury Stud completing the dispersal of Henrietta Bedford's breeding stock.

The session saw a total of 163 lots sell for 19,263,500 guineas, a rise of 26

percent on the corresponding session in 2009. The average and median also

registered significant increases, rising 23 and 59 percent, respectively, to

118,181 guineas and 50,000 guineas.

The star turn on the second day of selling was Diary, who was consigned from

The Castlebridge Consignment. The dam of Prix de l'Abbaye (Fr-G1) winner Total

Gallery (Namid) and Fillies' Mile (Eng-G1) runner-up Lady Darshaan (High

Chaparral [Ire]) was offered in foal to Europe's leading stallion Galileo

[Ire]). Lodge Park Stud's Seamus Burns got the ball rolling with an opening bid

of 500,000 guineas but Australian Paul Makin, who is used to making such

audacious opening bids countered by upping the ante to 1 million guineas. The

large jump looked to have worked initially before Hugo Merry entered the fray

before Tweenhills' David Redvers, standing alongside client Sheikh Fahad al

Thani from Qatar, made a final and winning bid of 1,300,000 guineas.

"She has been bought for Pearl Bloodstock," Redvers said. "She could go to

any stallion that we want, but we would like to send her to Dubawi and try and

replicate the mating that produced Makfi. Of course, we might not get in to

Dubawi, but you would think that Darley would be thrilled to get a mare of such

quality for him.

"She will comes back to Tweenhills now and I will have sleepless nights

looking after her!

"Sheikh Fahad is thrilled to be buying the very best of bloodstock, both

stallions and broodmares, and it is a fantastic time to invest in horses. We

valued her to within 100,000 guineas of her sales price. This mare really has

got it all. Her stock will be bred to race and sell -- all sorts."

The dispersal of Henrietta Bedford's Bloomsbury Stud was always going to be

the highlight of the Tattersalls December Sale, especially following the success

of the sale of her foals at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale last week. The

highlight of the dispersal and the second mare to top the million for the day

was First. Already the dam of the stakes-winning pair Law Lord (Diktat) and

Perfect Stride (Oasis Dream [GB]), the granddaughter of Bloomsbury's foundation

mare Mrs Moss (Reform) is also the dam of the Singspiel (Ire) foal who realized

320,000 guineas last week.

Paul Makin was once again prominent, opening the bidding at 500,000 guineas

and staying in well into the high-hundreds, along with Turkish buyer Ibrahim

Araci but it was the Aga Khan Studs' Stud Manager Pat Downes who made the bid

that took her price into seven figures. He was beaten to the prize, however,

when he was unwilling to top Charlie Gordon-Watson's bid of 1,100,000 guineas.

After the last of her draft had gone through, a naturally emotional Henrietta

Bedford commented, "I don't know what to think just now. From a purchase of

2,100 guineas to a sale of over 1 million is amazing," she said referencing to

her purchase of Mrs Moss in 1975.

"I was just so lucky. I am very sad that my husband wasn't here to witness

this -- he would have thought it was amazing."

The dispersal of fillies and mares from Bloomsbury Stud realized a total of

2,987,000 guineas for the 18 lots sold.

The Tattersalls December Mare Sale continues Wednesday.