Tom Malone secures session-topping Gennady at December Sale

The curtain came down on the 2018 sales season at Tattersalls Ascot on Monday as Tom Malone went to £37,000 to secure the session-topping Gennady.

A four-year-old by Arakan, Gennady was offered by Steven Crawford having finished fourth in an Ayr bumper on debut in October, a topped a sale that was taking place for the first time since 2016, with last year's auction have been cancelled due to inclement weather.

Gennady, who was purchased by the Crawfords for €15,000 at the 2017 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, was one of 91 lots sold yesterday during an auction that also featured Flat horses in training, point-to-pointers, yearlings and breeding stock.

While the top price was lower than the 2016 auction, when Canyon City brought £85,000 from Neil King, nine more horses reached a five figure price than two years ago. Overall spend totalled £532,150 compared to £391,250 in 2016.

Monday average came in at £5,848, while the median price was £3,200, increases on 2016 of 21 and 28 per cent respectively.

The other lot to break the £30,000 barrier on Monday was Shamardal's son Kings Highway, a winner at three offered by Godolphin, who went the way of Ivan Furtado for £32,000.

At the conclusion of selling, Tattersalls Ascot's director of horses in training sales, Richard Pugh , said: "Monday's sale saw demand for horses boasting form and it was pleasing to sell a top lot of £37,000 along with 19 horses making £10,000 or more, ten more than the sales' most recent edition.

"There was a diverse range of buyers with the top 20 lots all going to 20 individual purchasers. Concluding the sales season here today at Ascot has resulted in an encouraging set of returns and we look forward to getting 2019 off on a positive start with the Ascot March Sale on March 21 2019."

Tattersalls Ascot December Sale results