From Hyde Park Corner to Newmarket: racing's most famous auctioneer

1 Tattersalls, Europe’s leading bloodstock auctioneers, was established in 1766 by Richard Tattersall, the son of a Lancashire farmer. A keen huntsman, Tattersall set up his auctioneers at Hyde Park Corner in London and began by selling hounds and hunting horses before later moving on to thoroughbreds.

2 Noted for his fairness when conducting business, Tattersall was a popular figure at the time even to the extent that he could travel the murky highways of England without fear of attack. Charles Dickens wrote Tattersall was “free of the road, as no highwayman would molest him, and even a pickpocket returned his handkerchief, with compliments”.

3 Tattersall was a man who knew how to entertain his important guests. He reserved two ‘subscription rooms’ at his auction house for members of the Jockey Club. These rooms quickly became the base for gambling in Britain – despite Tattersall’s loathing of the activity – and The Tattersalls Committee’s rules and regulations are still used in the sport today. Among the most contentious is Rule 4 surrounding the deductions bookmakers can make when a horse is withdrawn before a new market is formed.