Four times a Group One winner Alcohol Free was the star attraction of the Tattersalls December Mare Sale and she entered a packed sale ring. Australian owner-breeder Michael Sherrin, standing alongside agent Jim Clarke, opened the bidding at 1,000,000gns before Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown, BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe and Coolmore’s MV Magnier joined the fray.

As bidding soared past 4,000,000gns it became a direct duel between Donohoe and Magnier with Donohoe, sitting alongside Yuesheng Zhang, prevailing with a bid of 5,400,000gns. The sale is the second highest price in European auction history. 

BOUGHT FOR A PARTNERSHIP

Donohoe commented: "She is for partnership to race in Australia. She vetted extremely well and clean for a filly with some miles on the clock. My vet was super happy with her. She is for a partnership who have horses in training and breed as well. There is a lot of money to win in Australia: I think 87 races this year are worth a million plus so we hope to recoup a lot of what we paid for her, and add a bit more too.”

Dual Group One heroine Saffron Beach also always looked likely one of the standout lots of the inaugural Sceptre Sessions and so it proved when she was knocked down for 3,600,000gns to Najd Stud’s Saad bin Mishraf, who saw off a determined effort from Northern Farm’s Shunsuke Yoshida after Badgers Bloodstock’s Grant Pritchard- Gordon had made much of the early running.

Bin Mishraf said: "She is for the Saudi Cup. Inshallah she will go to the Saudi Cup, Inshallah she will win it! She has good breeding from the dam's side to act on the dirt, and we like her physically. We thought she would not make that much. We will see about plans after."

The Tattersalls December Mare Sale is regarded as the world’s most international sale and this was reflected by Tranquil Lady, in both the global appeal of her pedigree and the array of bidders who attempted to secure the Group Three winning filly. Domestic bloodstock agents Charlie Gordon- Watson and Jill Lamb kicked off the bidding and were joined by Australian Michael King and Ireland’s Paul Shanahan, but it was Anthony Stroud who won out with a bid of 2,700,000gns on behalf of Godolphin.

LADY FOR TRAINING OR BREEDING

Tranquil Lady is a dual Group Three winner, most recently in the Prix de Flore at Saint- Cloud, and is a half-sister to the brilliant globetrotter State Of Rest, four times a top flight winner in Australia, Britain, France and the USA. "She is a really nice filly and can either go into training or go to see Dubawi," said Stroud. "We will discuss and will come to a plan, and obviously if she goes into training it will be with Charlie Appleby and for Godolphin.

“We will see where we are at as there is more racing in her and she is only three. Charlie came up and looked at her." Archangel Gabriel was the star of the opening day of the sale when she topped proceedings at 800,000gns and her Group winning daughter Ville De Grace attracted bids from all corners of the ring.

Bloodstock agents Gordon-Watson and Michel Zerolo, as well as the Wertheimer Brothers’ Pierre- Yves Bureau all made bold bids to secure the beautiful filly before David Lanigan, standing alongside Joseph O’Brien, and Lordship Stud’s Trevor and Tom Harris both took up the running.

Lanigan bid 1,900,000gns but was trumped by the Lordship team who secured the daughter of Le Havre for 2,000,000gns. Harris commented: "We loved her, she was always our pick of the sale. "It was a little bit more than we were initially going to pay, but it is so competitive and you go so far selecting the ones you like so we are over the moon.”

MV Magnier purchased Desert Berry, the dam of this year’s Derby winner Desert Crown, for 1,900,000gns despite a determined effort from Petches Farms’ Simon Venner. The 13yo Green Desert mare was offered carrying a full-sibling to the Derby winner. A delighted Magnier commented: "At the end of the day she has bred a Derby winner and from our point of view the Derby is everything, the most important stallion-making race, the Holy Grail of racing.

She has bred a Derby winner and is carrying a full-sibling to a Derby winner. We have no plans as yet, but there are a lot of stallions that we could pick, any of the sons of Galileo, there are plenty of options. I heard that Desert Crown is in good form and is going to run next year."