Decorated Knight's dam reigns as Tattersalls crowns seven millionaires

The catalogue may have been lacking a star with the immense appeal of Marsha - who topped 2017's edition at 6,000,000gns - but the headline session of this year's Tattersalls December Mares Sale produced a day of intense trade nevertheless, with seven lots breaking into seven-figure territory.

The leading lady was Pearling, who will return to Blue Diamond Stud in Newmarket after Tony Nerses brought the hammer down on behalf of co-owner Imad Al Sagar at 2,400,000gns.

The 12-year-old daughter of Storm Cat and Mariah's Storm is best known as the dam of triple Group 1 winner Decorated Knight, and was offered by New England Stud carrying what is believed to be a filly by his sire, Galileo.

Members of the Lordship Stud team showed a strong interest in the blue-blooded mare, but it was ultimately New Zealand-based bloodstock agent Dean Hawthorne, seated directly to the left of the rostrum, who pushed Nerses furthest.

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The sale of Pearling is the latest case of Al Sagar and long-time partner Saleh Al Homaizi reshuffling their bloodstock interests, with Al Sagar having gone to 1,700,000gns for Pearling's Galileo filly foal, whom the pair bred, during last Friday's session of the December Foal Sale.

Al Sagar cited Al Homaizi's new business commitments as the primary reason for the pair's bloodstock appearing at public auction, and stressed that there was no conflict between the two, whose green and gold-starred silks shot to prominence courtesy of Derby hero Authorized.

"We're selling to reduce the numbers," Al Sagar said. "There's no conflict - he's a relative of mine and one of my best friends. Pearling was for sale at the right price but I'm pleased to have got her back - this is an exceptional family."

This is the second time Nerses has signed for the sister to Giant's Causeway, having gone to 1,300,000gns to secure her for the first time in 2011.

While her appeal back then centred around her illustrious sibling, her family has since exploded, primarily though You'resothrilling, who has produced major talents Gleneagles, Happily, Marvellous, Taj Mahal and Coolmore.

Pearling was not the only member of the famous family to fetch seven figures during Tuesday's session, as her daughter Ambrosia went the way of Kentucky's WinStar Farm for 1,300,000gns.

The operation's David Hanley outmuscled representatives from Japanese raiders K I Farm for the winning four-year-old Frankel mare, who is in foal to leading sire Siyouni.

"We went a long way into the bidding on her dam but didn't get her," said Hanley. "We said if we missed on her, we would try for her daughter.

"It's the most exceptional pedigree and most amazing family that works on both sides of the Atlantic - you could get a dirt or turf horse. We're thrilled that we have secured her."

Lordship lord it up

There was an audible gasp from the packed auditorium as Lincoln Collins, standing in the bidders' area to the right of the rostrum, threw in an opening bid of 1,000,000gns for the Listed-winning Galileo mare Bound.

French agent Bertrand Le Metayer - who signed for day one's session-topper, the 550,000gns Aurora Gold - fired back, but ultimately the Harris family of Lordship Stud, standing with Luke Lillingston at the top of the back stairs, played the most significant hand to bring the gavel down at 2,200,000gns.

"It's a long road with a broodmare," said Lillingston. "I remember saying to Trevor [Harris, Lordship Stud owner] when he bought Swiss Lake that he would have to throw the sink at her, and he did and he got just rewards.

"This one is a bit more obvious. She's a very special mare and she'll probably go to Dubawi."

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Offered by John Troy and having been covered by Dark Angel, Bound is a sister to three horses who can boast bold black type, namely Kilboy Estate Stakes winner Wedding Vow, Gallinule Stakes scorer Beacon Rock and Blue Wind Stakes victress Bye Bye Baby, who also finished third to Forever Together in this year's Oaks.

The quartet are out of Remember When, a daughter of Danehill Dancer who finished runner-up to Snow Fairy in the 2010 running of the Oaks. Such is the strength in depth contained within the pedigree only the first two dams appear on the page.

Remember When is closely related to Dylan Thomas and Homecoming Queen, and is a half-sister to Queen's Logic.

Busy day for Lascelles

The final seven-figure lot of the dramatic session came when Hugo Lascelles outpointed John O'Connor at 1,400,000gns to buy Beautiful Morning on behalf of an undisclosed client. The Group 3-winning daughter of Galileo offers significant rarity value, as her dam - Date With Destiny - is the only foal sired by the ill-fated George Washington.

"She's for an end user to stay in England," said Lascelles after signing for the Newsells Park Stud-consigned mare.

"She's a good-looking, big, scopey Galileo and a Group winner to go with it. There's a bit going on in the family - her dam is going to Dubawi next year and hopefully this filly will too."

A 625,000gns Book 1 yearling buy by Jamie McCalmont, Beautiful Morning raced for owner Jon Kelly. She began her racing career with Luca Cumani before being transferred to Jessica Harrington, for whom she enjoyed her finest hour on the racecourse when winning this year's Royal Whip Stakes.

Much earlier in the frenetic session Lascelles secured The Wagon Wheel, who made her third visit to the sales ring by far her most successful, as the Longview Stud-consigned mare brought a winning bid of 650,000gns.

The four-year-old daughter of Acclamation was bred by Rathbarry Stud and Abbeylands Farm and was bought by Anthony Stroud for €62,000 when offered as a foal.

The sister to Tabarrak was a 75,000gns vendor buyback when offered through Longview Stud at the following year's Book 1, but went on to join the Richard Fahey yard, for whom she won three races and also twice finished third in Listed company.

"She's fast, very good-looking and is from a tough, hard-knocking family," said Lascelles, who signed on behalf of a different client to the new owner of Beautiful Morning.

"She's a really lovely looking mare with a good walk and she's an outcross for Northern Dancer horses too. She's been bought for a British-based client who'll probably breed to race.

"We wanted to bring some speed onto the stud, which she has plenty of. I have no plans for which stallion she'll go to next year but she has a nice covering in Siyouni."

Wigan goes Off Limits

Grade 1 winner Off Limits has already enjoyed a quite remarkable career trajectory, and the latest twist came during Tuesday's session as James Wigan of London Thoroughbred Services outbid the Northern Farm team to secure the daughter of Mastercraftsman for Erdenheim Farm owners Peter and Bonnie McCausland of Florida at a cost of 1,200,000gns.

Despite the seven-figure sum required on Tuesday, the six-year-old mare started life as a €24,000 foal when signed for by Tom King at the 2012 Goffs Foal Sale. She initially raced for David Wachman, for whom she won a Killarney Listed event.

However, it was once she was bought by Martin Schwartz and transferred to the Chad Brown stable that her career really took off, as she went on to win two Grade 3s and the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes.

Having been brought back across the Atlantic, Off Limits will now return to the US to join the broodmare band the McCauslands are setting up at their Pennsylvanian property.

James Wigan: 'She's the only Grade 1 winner in the catalogue'Credit: Laura Green

"She's the only Grade 1 winner in the catalogue," Wigan said of the filly, whose page traces back to Zilzal and Awe Inspiring. "The farm is an old American stud farm that has a great history and is now being bought back into equine use.

"It's been empty for a time and these are the first mares going back onto the farm.

"This filly is from a lovely family and is a mare with appeal in America and Europe."

Although the Erdenheim stables have been empty for some time, they do have a storied past, having housed Leamington - sire of the first US-bred to win the Derby, Iroquois - and Aristides, winner of the first Kentucky Derby in 1875.

Wigan and Erdenheim returned to the fray later in the session when a bid of 800,000gns was enough to secure Billesdon Bess, a Dick Turpin half-sister to 1,000 Guineas heroine Billesdon Brook.

By the close of play on Tuesday Wigan and Erdenheim Farm had secured four lots at a total outlay of 2,700,000gns.

Final figures

The headline session saw a clearance rate of 83 per cent, with 195 of 236 lots changing hands to reaffirm, as if it were needed, the rude health of the top tier of the bloodstock market.

Those transactions brought an aggregate of 42,534,600gns - down seven per cent on the total recorded at last year's blockbuster session, while the average price also dropped by 16 per cent to 218,125gns.

However, the median price headed in the other direction, rising by 29 per cent to 110,000gns - up from 85,000gns 12 months ago.

View full Tattersalls December Mares Sale results and stats